Southeast Ecological Science Center

Current Interest

Image courtesy of Deepwater Canyons 2012 Expedition, NOAA-OER/BOEM

DISCOVRE Cruise

From April 30 and May 27, the USGS DISCOVRE team will participate in a research expedition aboard the NOAA vessel Ronald H. Brown. Using the remotely operated vehicle JASON (WHOI), they will investigate the biology and ecology of deepwater canyons off the eastern coast of the United States. This will be a NOAA signature expedition and will have web coverage on the Ocean Explorer website (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov). This work is being conducted in cooperation with BOEM-funded contractors from a variety of academic institutions. DISCOVRE Website

Science in Support of Sturgeon Recovery

The Suwannee River is home to Florida’s largest population of Gulf sturgeon, a large federally threatened fish that can be seen jumping in the river during summer months. USGS biologists are working on a population census with support from NOAA. Sturgeon are being tagged, measured, and weighed to determine mortality and reproduction rates as part of the Gulf sturgeon population recovery plan. MyFWC YouTube Video

Lophelia corals - credit Cheryl Morrison

National Ocean Partnership Program - Award!

On Monday, October 15, USGS scientists Drs. Amanda Demopoulos, Christina Kellogg, Cheryl Morrison, and Nancy Prouty will be among those honored by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) for its Excellence in Partnering Award. The winning research expedition, "Rigs, Reefs, and Wrecks" was led by Dr. Charles Fisher of Penn State University, a BOEM contractor who works with the Lophelia II research program (http://fl.biology.usgs.gov/DISCOVRE/gom.html), a partnership among USGS, NOAA, BOEM, and others. The annual award is bestowed upon the expedition for their "exceptionally diverse partnerships, which include scientists, graduate students, technicians, public outreach professionals, and industry specialists from a very broad spectrum of ocean sciences ranging from Federal regulating agency scientists to academic scientists to industry partners." The expedition's scientific accomplishments included the first visit to actively producing oil platforms to study deep sea organisms and ecosystems found there and the discovery of Lophelia coral at greater depths than previously documented in the Gulf of Mexico. USGS studies focused on animal communities living in and around the sea floor, genetic diversity, and coral-associated microbes within both natural deep-sea coral habitats and those on artificial structures.

Weather Resources

Recent Publications

Walls SC, Barichivich WJ, Brown ME. Drought, Deluge and Declines: The Impact of Precipitation Extremes on Amphibians in a Changing Climate. Biology. 2013; 2(1):399-418. [Journal Abstract]

Walls, S. C., Barichivich, W. J., Brown, M. E., Scott, D. E., & Hossack, B. R. (2013). Influence of drought on salamander occupancy of isolated wetlands on the southeastern Coastal Plain of the United States. Wetlands, 1-10. [Journal Abstract]

T.A. Bargar, V.H. Garrison, D.A. Alvarez, K.R. Echols (2013). Contaminants assessment in the coral reefs of Virgin Islands National Park and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 70: 281–288. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.03.001.

Yurek, Simeon; DeAngelis, Donald L.; Trexler, Joel C.; Jopp, Fred; Donalson, Douglas D. 2013. Simulating mechanisms for dispersal, production and stranding of small forage fish in temporary wetland habitats. Ecological Modelling, 250: 391-401.[Journal Abstract]

Drew, C.A., L.B. Alexander-Vaughn, J.P. Reid, D.H. Slone and J.A. Collazo. 2012. Science Summary and Recommendations in Support of Manatee Protection Area (MPA) Design in Puerto Rico. Final Report to United States Fish and Wildlife Service Caribbean Field Office. 66 pp.

Bonde, R.K., A. Garrett, M. Berlanger, N. Askin, L. Tan and C. Wittnich. 2012. Biomedical health assessments of the Florida manatee in Crystal River - providing opportunities for training during the capture, handling, and processing of this unique aquatic mammal. Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology 5(2):17-28. [Journal Article]

Hart, K.M., Zawada, D.G., Fujisaki, I., Lidz, B.H., 2013. Habitat use of breeding green turtles Chelonia mydas tagged in Dry Tortugas National Park: Making use of local and regional MPAs. Biol. Cons. 161,142-154.

Castelblanco-Martínez, D. N., Padilla-Saldívar, J., Hernández-Arana, H. A., Slone, D. H., Reid, J. P., & Morales-Vela, B. (2013). Movement patterns of Antillean manatees in Chetumal Bay (Mexico) and coastal Belize: A challenge for regional conservation. Marine Mammal Science, 29(2), E166–E182. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2012.00602.x.

Ugarte CA, Bass OL, Nuttle W, Mazzotti FJ, Rice KG, Fujisaki I. 2013. The Influence of Regional Hydrology on Nesting Behavior and Nest Fate of the American Alligator. Journal of Wildlife Management 77:192-199.

Hughey, M.C., D.C. Heins, H.L. Jelks, B.A. Ory, and F. Jordan. 2012. Variation in reproductive life history traits between two populations of Blackbanded Darters (Percina nigrofasciata). Copeia 2012(4):714-721.

Johnson, F. A., Brieninger, D. R., and M. L. Legare. 2013. Managing habitat for Florida scrub-jays at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The All-Bird Bulletin Winter 2013:10-11, 14-15.

J.G. Barr, V. Engel, J. D. Fuentes, D. O. Fuller, and H. Kwon. 2013. Modeling light use efficiency in a subtropical mangrove forest equipped with CO2 eddy covariance. Biogeosciences, 10, 2145–2158. doi:10.5194/bg-10-2145-2013. [Journal Abstract]

Mahon, A.R., C.L. Jerde, M. Galaska, J.L. Bergner, W.L. Chadderton, D.M. Lodge, M.E. Hunter, L.G. Nico. 2013. Validation of eDNA surveillance sensitivity for detection of Asian carps in controlled and field experiments. PLoS ONE 8(3): e58316. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058316. [Journal Article]

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