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These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.

Filter Total Items: 16783

Effects of lead exposure on birds breeding in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District

Lead mining in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District began in the 1700s and continued for nearly 300 years; the waste piles associated with smelting, mining, and milling of lead ores have released metal residues that have contaminated soil and water in the region. Previous studies in the district have indicated potential harm to wildlife, including birds, because of elevated lead concentrati
Authors
Rebecka Brasso, Danielle M. Cleveland, Frank R. Thompson, David E. Mosby, Kathy Hixson, Melissa Roach, Barnett A. Rattner, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Julia S. Lankton

Contribution of arsenic and uranium in private wells and community water systems to urinary biomarkers in US adults: The Strong Heart Study and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

BackgroundChronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (As) and uranium (U) in the United States (US) occurs from unregulated private wells and federally regulated community water systems (CWSs). The contribution of water to total exposure is assumed to be low when water As and U concentrations are low.ObjectiveWe examined the contribution of water As and U to urinary biomarkers in the Strong Heart Famil
Authors
Maya Spaur, Ronald A. Glabonjat, Kathrin Schilling, Melissa Lombard, Galvez-Fernandez, Wil Lieberman-Cribbin, Carolyn Hayek, Vesna Ilievski, Olgica Balac, Chiugo Izuchukwu, Kevin Patterson, Anirban Basu, Benjamin Bostick, Qixuan Chen, Tiffany Sanchez, Ana Navas-Acien, Anne E Nigra

The blue carbon reservoirs from Maine to Long Island, NY

In response to the New England Governor and Eastern Canadian Premier 2017 Climate Change Action Plan recommendation to “manage blue carbon resources to preserve and enhance their existing carbon reservoirs,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) convened a New England Blue Carbon Inventory Workgroup, comprised of a variety of federal, state, academic, and non-profit organizations to devel
Authors
Philip D. Colarusso, Zamir Libohova, Emily Shumchenia, Meagan J. Eagle, Megan Christian, Robert Vincent, Beverly Johnson

Assessment of recovery potential for the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus): An application of the IUCN green status process

According to an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessment (RLA), the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), an iconic coastal species, is at risk of extirpation in some regions within its range where small and vulnerable populations occur. However, the RLA does not consider future status beyond viability and does not attempt to identify the conservation neces
Authors
David R. Smith, H. Jane Brockmann, Ruth H. Carmichael, Eric M. Hallerman, W.M. Watson, Jaime Zaldivar-Rae

Acoustic ducting by shelf water streamers at the New England shelfbreak

Greater sound speed variability has been observed at the New England shelfbreak due to a greater influence from the Gulf Stream with increased meander amplitudes and frequency of Warm Core Ring (WCR) generation. Consequently, underwater sound propagation in the area also becomes more variable. This paper presents field observations of an acoustic near-surface ducting condition induced by shelf wat
Authors
Jennifer J. Johnson, Ying-Tsong Lin, Arthur E. Newhall, Glen G. Gawarkiewicz, David P. Knobles, Jason Chaytor, William S.. Hodgkiss

A seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial

The extent and seasonality of Arctic sea ice during the Last Interglacial (129,000 to 115,000 years before present) is poorly known. Sediment-based reconstructions have suggested extensive ice cover in summer, while climate model outputs indicate year-round conditions in the Arctic Ocean ranging from ice free to fully ice covered. Here we use microfossil records from across the central Arctic Ocea
Authors
Flor Vermassen, Matt O'Regan, Agatha de Boer, Freederik Schenk, Mohammad Razmjooei, Gabriel West, Thomas M. Cronin, Martin Jakobsson, Helen Coxall

Rare earth element sources, end-use demand trends, and hydrometallurgical separations

Rare earth elements are increasing in demand due to the movement towards electrification. In particular, there is a growing need for high performance rare earth permanent magnets for motors and generators used to convert electrical energy to mechanical energy, and vice versa. Current trends in rare earth demand are reviewed and discussed as the specific rare earth metal demand can influence the ch
Authors
James Vaughan, Vitor L. Gontijo, Rick Valenta, Elisa Alonso

A Great Escape: Resource availability and density-dependence shape population dynamics along trailing range edges

Populations along geographical range limits are often exposed to unsuitable climate and low resource availability relative to core populations. As such, there has been a renewed focus on understanding the factors that determine range limits to better predict how species will respond to global change. Using recent theory on range limits and classical understanding of density dependence, we evaluate
Authors
Alexej Sirén, Marketa Zimova, Chris Sutherland, John T. Finn, Jillian R. Kilborn, Rachel M. Cliché, Leighlan S. Prout, L. Scott Mills, Toni Lyn Morelli

Evaluation of alternative groundwater-withdrawal scenarios on water levels in Kingsbury Pond, upper Charles River Basin, eastern Massachusetts

Kingsbury Pond is a glacial kettle pond in the town of Norfolk, Massachusetts, in the Mill River Basin, which is part of the Upper Charles River Basin in eastern Massachusetts. The pond is hydraulically connected to the surrounding groundwater-flow system, and water levels in the pond fluctuate in response to recharge to the aquifer from precipitation and wastewater return flows through septic sys
Authors
Paul M. Barlow, Paul J. Friesz, Jeffrey R. Barbaro

Waterfowl show spatiotemporal trends in influenza A H5 and H7 infections but limited taxonomic variation

Influenza A viruses in wild birds pose threats to the poultry industry, wild birds, and human health under certain conditions. Of particular importance are wild waterfowl, which are the primary reservoir of low pathogenicity influenza viruses that ultimately cause high pathogenicity outbreaks in poultry farms. Despite much work on the drivers of influenza A virus prevalence, the underlying viral s
Authors
Cody M. Kent, Sarah N. Bevins, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Diann Prosser

Twenty-year record of salt marsh elevation dynamics in response to sea-level rise and storm-driven barrier island geomorphic processes: Fire Island, New York, USA

Twenty years of surface elevation table and marker horizon monitoring at three sites along the Fire Island (New York, USA) barrier island indicates that rates of marsh surface elevation change (Watch Hill, 4.4 mm year−1; Hospital Point, 3.5 mm year−1; Great Gun, − 0.3 mm year−1) were lower than the rate of monthly mean sea-level rise during the 2002–2022 monitoring period (5.1 mm year−1, NOAA Sand
Authors
Charles T. Roman, James C. Lynch, Donald Cahoon

Ten best practices for effective phenological research

The number and diversity of phenological studies has increased rapidly in recent years. Innovative experiments, field studies, citizen science projects, and analyses of newly available historical data are contributing insights that advance our understanding of ecological and evolutionary responses to the environment, particularly climate change. However, many phenological data sets have peculiarit
Authors
Richard Primack, Amanda S. Gallinat, Elizabeth R. Ellwood, Theresa M. Crimmins, Mark D. Schwartz, Michelle Staudinger, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing