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Book Chapters

Browse more than 5,500 book chapters authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.

Filter Total Items: 6063

2016 status of the Lake Ontario Lower Trophic levels

Significant Findings for Year 2016: 1) Offshore spring total phosphorus (TP) in 2016 was 6.2 μg/L, higher than 2014 and 2015 (4.0 and 4.2 μg/L); there was no significant decline 2001 - 2016. Offshore soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was very low in 2016; Apr/May – Oct mean values were
Authors
Kristen T. Holeck, Lars G. Rudstam, Christopher Hotaling, Russ McCullough, Dave Lemon, Web Pearsall, Jana Lantry, Mike Connerton, Steve LaPan, Zy Biesinger, Brian F. Lantry, Maureen Walsh, Brian C. Weidel

Geomyces and Pseudogymnoascus: Emergence of a primary pathogen, the causative agent of bat white-nose syndrome

Geomyces and Pseudogymnoascus (Fungi, Ascomycota, Leotiomycetes, aff. Thelebolales) are closely related groups of globally occurring soil-associated fungi. Recently, these genera of fungi have received attention because a newly identified species, Pseudogymnoascus (initially classified as Geomyces) destructans, was discovered in association with significant and unusual mortality of hibernating bat
Authors
Michelle L. Verant, Andrew M. Minnis, Daniel L. Lindner, David S. Blehert

Role of raptors in contaminant research

This chapter reviews the history of and approaches used in studies focused on the effects of contaminants on raptors and raptor populations at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Patuxent) in Laurel, MD. Worldwide raptor declines following World War II were unprecedented and resulted in a sequence of major efforts at Patuxent to understand their cause(s). The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Authors
Charles J. Henny

San Francisco Bay living shorelines: Restoring Eelgrass and Olympia Oysters for habitat and shore protection

Living shorelines projects utilize a suite of sediment stabilization and habitat restoration techniques to maintain or build the shoreline, while creating habitat for a variety of species, including invertebrates, fish, and birds (see National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] 2015 for an overview). The term “living shorelines” denotes provision of living space and support for estuarin
Authors
Katharyn E. Boyer, Chela Zabin, Susan De La Cruz, Edwin D. Grosholz, Michelle Orr, Jeremy Lowe, Marilyn Latta, Jen Miller, Stephanie Kiriakopolos, Cassie Pinnell, Damien Kunz, Julien Modéran, Kevin Stockmann, Geana Ayala, Robert Abbott, Rena Obernolte

Ecology and space: A case study in mapping harmful invasive species

The establishment and invasion of non-native plant species have the ability to alter the composition of native species and functioning of ecological systems with financial costs resulting from mitigation and loss of ecological services. Spatially documenting invasions has applications for management and theory, but the utility of maps is challenged by availability and uncertainty of data, and the
Authors
David T. Barnett, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Geneva W. Chong, Thomas J. Stohlgren, Sunil Kumar, Tracy R. Holcombe

Tsunamis: Bayesian probabilistic hazard analysis

No abstract available.
Authors
Anita Grezio, Stefano Lorito, Tom Parsons, Jacopo Selva

Computer modelling for ecosystem service assessment

Computer models are simplified representations of the environment that allow biophysical, ecological, and/or socio-economic characteristics to be quantified and explored. Modelling approaches differ from mapping approaches (Chapter 5) as (i) they are not forcibly spatial (although many models do produce spatial outputs); (ii) they focus on understanding and quantifying the interactions between dif
Authors
Robert Dunford, Paula Harrison, Kenneth J. Bagstad

A method to assess the population-level consequences of wind energy facilities on bird and bat species

For this study, a methodology was developed for assessing impacts of wind energy generation on populations of birds and bats at regional to national scales. The approach combines existing methods in applied ecology for prioritizing species in terms of their potential risk from wind energy facilities and estimating impacts of fatalities on population status and trend caused by collisions with wind
Authors
James E. Diffendorfer, Julie A. Beston, Matthew D. Merrill, Jessica C. Stanton, M.D. Corum, Scott R. Loss, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Douglas H. Johnson, Richard A. Erickson, Kevin W. Heist

Tools for mapping ecosystem services

Mapping tools have evolved impressively in recent decades. From early computerised mapping techniques to current cloud-based mapping approaches, we have witnessed a technological evolution that has facilitated the democratisation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). These advances have impacted multiple disciplines including ecosystem service (ES) mapping. The information that feeds different
Authors
Ignacio Palomo, Mihai Adamescu, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Constantin Cazacu, Hermann Klug, Stoyan Nedkov

The use of data-mining techniques for developing effective decisionsupport systems: A case study of simulating the effects ofclimate change on coastal salinity intrusion

Natural-resource managers and stakeholders face difficult challenges when managing interactions between natural and societal systems. Potential changes in climate could alter interactions between environmental and societal systems and adversely affect the availability of water resources in many coastal communities. The availability of freshwater in coastal streams can be threatened by saltwater in
Authors
Paul Conrads, Jr. Edwin Roehl

Geology of Seattle, a field trip

Seattle’s geologic record begins with Eocene deposition of fluvial arkosic sandstone and associated volcanic rocks of the Puget Group, perhaps during a time of regional strike-slip faulting, followed by late Eocene and Oligocene marine deposition of the Blakeley Formation in the Cascadia forearc. Older Quaternary deposits are locally exposed.Most of the city is underlain by up to 100 m of glacial
Authors
Ralph A. Haugerud, Kathy Goetz Troost, William T. Laprade