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

Filter Total Items: 16785

Meteoric 10Be in soil profiles - A global meta-analysis

In order to assess current understanding of meteoric 10Be dynamics and distribution in terrestrial soils, we assembled a database of all published meteoric 10Be soil depth profiles, including 104 profiles from 27 studies in globally diverse locations, collectively containing 679 individual measurements. This allows for the systematic comparison of meteoric 10Be concentration to other soil characte
Authors
Joseph A. Graly, Paul R. Bierman, Lucas J. Reusser, Milan J. Pavich

Preemption games: theory and experiment

El Mutún, perhaps the world's largest remaining iron ore deposit, was opened to private investors in the 1980s but, due to the high cost of developing the remote Bolivian site, there were no takers for two decades. In late 2005, spurred by rising commodity prices, the Brazilian company EBX finally seized the opportunity, preempting rivals based in China and India. Numerous similar examples can be
Authors
Steven T. Anderson, Daniel Friedman, Ryan Oprea

The tail of the Storegga Slide: Insights from the geochemistry and sedimentology of the Norwegian Basin deposits

Deposits within the floor of the Norwegian Basin were sampled to characterize the deposition from the Storegga Slide, the largest known Holocene-aged continental margin slope failure complex. A 29 to 67 cm thick veneer of variable-coloured, finely layered Holocene sediment caps a homogeneous, extremely well-sorted, poorly consolidated, very fine-grained, grey-coloured sediment section that is >20
Authors
C. K. Paull, W. Ussler, W.S. Holbrook, T.M. Hill, H. Haflidason, W. Winters, T. Lorenson, I. Aiello, J.E. Johnson, E. Lundsten

Automated feature extraction and spatial organization of seafloor pockmarks, Belfast Bay, Maine, USA

Seafloor pockmarks occur worldwide and may represent millions of m3 of continental shelf erosion, but few numerical analyses of their morphology and spatial distribution of pockmarks exist. We introduce a quantitative definition of pockmark morphology and, based on this definition, propose a three-step geomorphometric method to identify and extract pockmarks from high-resolution swath bathymetry.
Authors
Brian D. Andrews, Laura L. Brothers, Walter A. Barnhardt

Mercury in the blood and eggs of American kestrels fed methylmercury chloride

American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were fed diets containing methylmercury chloride (MeHg) at 0, 0.6, 1.7, 2.8, 3.9, or 5.0 µg/g (dry wt) starting approximately eight weeks before the onset of egg laying. Dietary treatment was terminated after 12 to 14 weeks, and unhatched eggs were collected for Hg analysis. Blood samples were collected after four weeks of treatment and the termination of the s
Authors
John B. French, Richard S. Bennett, Ronald Rossmann

Predicting coastal cliff erosion using a Bayesian probabilistic model

Regional coastal cliff retreat is difficult to model due to the episodic nature of failures and the along-shore variability of retreat events. There is a growing demand, however, for predictive models that can be used to forecast areas vulnerable to coastal erosion hazards. Increasingly, probabilistic models are being employed that require data sets of high temporal density to define the joint pro
Authors
Cheryl J. Hapke, Nathaniel G. Plant

Analysis of the Arctic system for freshwater cycle intensification: Observations and expectations

Hydrologic cycle intensification is an expected manifestation of a warming climate. Although positive trends in several global average quantities have been reported, no previous studies have documented broad intensification across elements of the Arctic freshwater cycle (FWC). In this study, the authors examine the character and quantitative significance of changes in annual precipitation, evapotr
Authors
M.A. Rawlins, M. Steele, M.M. Holland, J.C. Adam, J.E. Cherry, J.A. Francis, P.Y. Groisman, L. D. Hinzman, T.G. Huntington, D.L. Kane, J.S. Kimball, R. Kwok, R.B. Lammers, C.M. Lee, D.P. Lettenmaier, K.C. McDonald, E. Podest, J.W. Pundsack, B. Rudels, Mark C. Serreze, A. Shiklomanov, O. Skagseth, T.J. Troy, C. J. Vorosmarty, M. Wensnahan, E.F. Wood, R. Woodgate, D. Yang, K. Zhang, T. Zhang

Steroid determination in fish plasma using capillary electrophoresis

A capillary separation method that incorporates pH-mediated stacking is employed for the simultaneous determination of circulating steroid hormones in plasma from Perca flavescens (yellow perch) collected from natural aquatic environments. The method can be applied to separate eight steroid standards: progesterone, 17α,20β-dihydroxypregn-4-en-3-one, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, estrone,
Authors
L. Bykova, S. A. Archer-Hartmann, L.A. Holland, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Vicki S. Blazer

Effect of imperfect detectability on adaptive and conventional sampling: Simulated sampling of freshwater mussels in the upper Mississippi River

Adaptive sampling designs are recommended where, as is typical with freshwater mussels, the outcome of interest is rare and clustered. However, the performance of adaptive designs has not been investigated when outcomes are not only rare and clustered but also imperfectly detected. We address this combination of challenges using data simulated to mimic properties of freshwater mussels from a reach
Authors
D. R. Smith, B. R. Gray, T.J. Newton, D. Nichols

Carbon and hydrogen isotopic evidence for the origin of combustible gases in water-supply wells in north-central Pennsylvania

The origin of the combustible gases in groundwater from glacial-outwash and fractured-bedrock aquifers was investigated in northern Tioga County, Pennsylvania. Thermogenic methane (CH4) and ethane (C2H6) and microbial CH4 were found. Microbial CH4 is from natural in situ processes in the shale bedrock and occurs chiefly in the bedrock aquifer. The δ13C values of CH4 and C2H6 for the majority of th
Authors
K. M. Révész, K. J. Breen, A.J. Baldassare, R. C. Burruss

The release of dissolved nutrients and metals from coastal sediments due to resuspension

Coastal sediments in many regions are impacted by high levels of contaminants. Due to a combination of shallow water depths, waves, and currents, these sediments are subject to regular episodes of sediment resuspension. However, the influence of such disturbances on sediment chemistry and the release of solutes is poorly understood. The aim of this study is to quantify the release of dissolved met
Authors
Linda H. Kalnejais, William R. Martin, Michael H. Bothner

Mineralogical and chemical characteristics of some natural jarosites

This paper presents a detailed study of the mineralogical, microscopic, thermal, and spectral characteristics of jarosite and natrojarosite minerals. Systematic mineralogic and chemical examination of a suite of 32 natural stoichiometric jarosite and natrojarosite samples from diverse supergene and hydrothermal environments indicates that there is only limited solid solution between Na and K at lo
Authors
George A. Desborough, Kathleen S. Smith, Heather A. Lowers, Gregg A. Swayze, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Sharon F. Diehl, Reinhard W. Leinz, Rhonda L. Driscoll