Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16783
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in New Hampshire soils and biosolids
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, is undertaking a study on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soils and biosolids. The study will characterize PFAS concentrations in shallow soil and selected biosolids throughout the State of New Hampshire, conduct laboratory experiments to improve understanding of how mobile PFAS ar
Authors
Andrea K. Tokranov, Kate Emma A. Schlosser, Jeffrey M. Marts, Anthony F. Drouin, Leah M. Santangelo, Sydney M. Welch
Mixed evidence for biotic homogenization of southern Appalachian fish communities
Anthropogenic impacts on the landscape can drive biotic homogenization, whereby distinct biological communities become more similar to one another over time. Land-use change in the Southern Appalachian region is expected to result in homogenization of the highly diverse freshwater fish communities as in-stream habitat alterations favor widespread cosmopolitan species at the expense of more narrowl
Authors
Kelly N. Petersen, Mary Freeman, Joseph E. Kirsch, William O McLarney, Mark C Scott, Seth J. Wenger
Genome sequences of 26 white sucker hepatitis B virus isolates from white sucker, catostomus commersonii, inhabiting transboundary waters from Alberta, Canada, to the Great Lakes, USA
We report 26 genomes of the white sucker hepatitis B virus (WSHBV) from the white sucker, Catostomus commersonii. Genome length ranged from 3541 to 3543 bp and nucleotide identity was 96.7% or greater across genomes. This work suggests a geographical range of this virus that minimally extends from the Athabasca River, Alberta, Canada to the Great Lakes, USA.
Authors
Cynthia R. Adams, Vicki S. Blazer, Jim Sherry, Robert S. Cornman, Luke R. Iwanowicz
Machine learning models of arsenic in private wells throughout the conterminous United States as a tool for exposure assessment in human health studies
Arsenic from geologic sources is widespread in groundwater within the United States (U.S.). In several areas, groundwater arsenic concentrations exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 10 μg per liter (μg/L). However, this standard applies only to public-supply drinking water and not to private-supply, which is not federally regulated and is rarely monitored. A
Authors
Melissa Lombard, Molly Scannell Bryan, Daniel Jones, Catherine Bulka, Paul M. Bradley, Lorraine C. Backer, Michael J. Focazio, Debra T. Silverman, Patricia Toccalino, Maria Argos, Matthew O. Gribble, Joseph D. Ayotte
Production and characterization of a mouse monoclonal antibody against smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) IgM
A murine monoclonal antibody (mAb, IgG2a) was produced for the detection of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) immunoglobulin (IgM). The antibody is specific for IgM heavy chain and was shown to also recognize the Ig heavy chain of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) using Western Blot analysis of plasma from 9 teleost taxa. When applied to the analysis o
Authors
Christopher A. Ottinger, Cheyenne R. Smith, Vicki S. Blazer, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Mary Ann Vogelbein, Stephen Kaattari
American Woodcock singing-ground survey: Comparison of four models for trend in population size
Wildlife biologists monitor the status and trends of American woodcock Scolopax minor populations in the eastern and central United States and Canada via a singing-ground survey, conducted just after sunset along roadsides in spring. Annual analyses of the survey produce estimates of trend and annual indexes of abundance for 25 states and provinces, management regions, and survey-wide. In recent y
Authors
John R. Sauer, William Link, Mark E Seamans, Rebecca D. Rau
Comparative morphology of freshwater sculpin inhabiting different environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters
We compared body morphology of two freshwater sculpin taxa that inhabit distinct environmental conditions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed of eastern North America: Potomac sculpin (C. girardi, Robins; PS) and checkered sculpin (C. sp. cf. girardi; CS). Both taxa are endemic to the study area, but PS are more broadly distributed than CS which are limited to karst groundwater-dominated streams in th
Authors
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karmann G. Kessler, Hannah Eisemann Macmillan, Karli M Rogers, Richard L. Raesly
Pore water exchange-driven inorganic carbon export from intertidal salt marshes
Respiration in intertidal salt marshes generates dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) that is exported to the coastal ocean by tidal exchange with the marsh platform. Understanding the link between physical drivers of water exchange and chemical flux is a key to constraining coastal wetland contributions to regional carbon budgets. The spatial and temporal (seasonal, annual) variability of marsh pore
Authors
Joseph Tamborski, Meagan J. Eagle, Barret L. Kurylyk, Kevin D. Kroeger, Zhaoihui Wang, Paul Henderson, Matthew Charette
Inclusion of pesticide transformation products is key to estimating pesticide exposures and effects in small U.S. streams
Improved analytical methods can quantify hundreds of pesticide transformation products (TPs), but understanding of TP occurrence and potential toxicity in aquatic ecosystems remains limited. We quantified 108 parent pesticides and 116 TPs in more than 3 700 samples from 442 small streams in mostly urban basins across five major regions of the United States. TPs were detected nearly as frequently a
Authors
Barbara Mahler, Lisa H. Nowell, Mark W. Sandstrom, Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Christopher Konrad, Peter Van Metre
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology, California Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Washington Water Science Center, National Water Quality Laboratory
U.S. Geological Survey migratory bird science, 2020–21
Bird conservation as an endeavor engages a broad range of partners and a coordinated effort across State and Federal agencies, nongovernment organizations, universities and, at times, international partnerships. To understand information needs and respond to the many challenges in bird conservation, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists participate in Flyway committees, on Joint Venture board
Authors
Aaron T. Pearse, Mark H. Sherfy, Mark Wimer, Mona Khalil, Mark T. Wiltermuth
Simulation of dissolved organic carbon flux in the Penobscot Watershed, Maine
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is an important component of the carbon cycle as a measure of the hydrological transport of carbon between terrestrial carbon pools into soil pools and eventually into streams. As a result, changes in DOC in rivers and streams may indicate alterations in the storage of terrestrial carbon. Exploring the complex interactions between biogeochemical cycling and hydrologi
Authors
Shabnam Rouhani, Crystal B. Schaaf, Thomas G. Huntington, Janet Choate
Isolating the AFFF signature in coastal watersheds using oxidizable PFAS precursors and unexplained organofluorine
Water supplies for millions of U.S. individuals exceed maximum contaminant levels for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Contemporary and legacy use of aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) is a major contamination source. However, diverse PFAS sources are present within watersheds, making it difficult to isolate their predominant origins. Here we examine PFAS source signatures among six adja
Authors
Bridger J. Ruyle, Heidi M. Pickard, Denis R. LeBlanc, Andrea K. Tokranov, Colin P. Thackray, Xindi C. Hu, Chad D. Vecitis, Elsie M. Sunderland