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Stakeholder Profile: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Items of Interest:
The USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC) has been a leading international research institute for wildlife and applied environmental research, for transmitting research findings to those responsible for managing our nation's natural resources, and for providing technical assistance in implementing research findings so as to improve natural resource management.

PWRC scientists have been responsible for many important advances in natural resource conservation, especially in such areas as migratory birds, wildlife population analysis, waterfowl harvest, habitat management, wetlands, coastal zone and flood plain management, contaminants, endangered species, urban wildlife, ecosystem management, and management of national parks and national wildlife refuges. The Surface Elevation Table (SET), a portable mechanical leveling device installed in Jamaica Bay, provides accurate and precise measurements of sediment elevation of intertidal and subtidal wetlands over long periods of time.


Activities/Projects:  
Principal Investigator Title Start Date Stop Date Purpose
Donald Cahoon Monitoring salt marsh development processes at Jamaica Bay, Gateway National Recreation Area, New York and New Jersey 1/1/2002 12/31/2003 There are several factors that may be contributing to the marsh loss at Jamaica Bay, including sediment deficit, sea level rise, altered estuarine circulation due to dredging, nutrient enrichment, and biotic influences related to waterbird and mussel populations, among other factors. It is probable that many or all of these factors are acting together and contributing to the marsh loss at Jamaica Bay. The purpose of this project is not to investigate all of the possible causes of marsh loss within Jamaica Bay, but rather, we will investigate the process of marsh development from direct measures of sediment elevation change and vertical accretion. Information on marsh development processes, when coupled with studies targeted at elucidating the role of specific factors, will be essential to fully understanding why the marshes are being lost at an accelerated rate and to developing effective marsh restoration strategies.
Howard Ginsberg Determine the distribution of mosquito species associated with West Nile Encephalitis and survey potential breeding habitat in NPS units in the Northeast and National Capital regions 5/18/2001 12/31/2001 To survey mosquito species and their associations with habitat-types in National Park sites from Maine to Virginia. The emphasis will be on mosquitoes that might be associated with transmission of West Nile Virus (WNV).
James Allen Coastal changes in beach and dune systems 1/1/2001 1/31/2001 To understand the dynamics of change in these coastal systems, to quantify the rates of change, and identify both temporal and spatial variations. Traditional, non-invasive survey techniques will be employed as well as remotely-based sensors. Some aspects of the surveys are greater than 30 years old. Much more intensive study has been taken place over the past 10 years with GPS-based shoreline surveys, sub-annual surveys of beach/dune changes at Sandy Hook, intensive investigations of nearshore sediment transport processes at Riis Park in the late 1980s and Lidar survey in 2000. This is a continuation of the long-term research project to provide resource management guidance to the park issues related to coastal geomorphology.
Richard Veit Coastal changes in beach and dune systems 1/1/2001 1/31/2001 To understand the dynamics of change in these coastal systems, to quantify the rates of change, and identify both temporal and spatial variations. Traditional, non-invasive survey techniques will be employed as well as remotely-based sensors. Some aspects of the surveys are greater than 30 years old. Much more intensive study has been taken place over the past 10 years with GPS-based shoreline surveys, sub-annual surveys of beach/dune changes at Sandy Hook, intensive investigations of nearshore sediment transport processes at Riis Park in the late 1980s and Lidar survey in 2000. This is a continuation of the long-term research project to provide resource management guidance to the park issues related to coastal geomorphology.


Citations:

Misut, P.E. and Voss, C.I. 2004. Simulation of subsea discharge to Jamaica Bay in New York City with a three-dimensional, variable-density, finite-element model. Proceedings of the International Conference on Finite Element Models, MODFLOW, and More: Solving Groundwater Problems, 13-16 September 2004, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.

Burkhead, N.M. and Jelks, H.L. 2001. Effects of suspended sediment on the reproductive success of the tricolor shiner, a crevice-spawning minnow. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 130: 959-968. (JABERRT # 285).

Staubitz, W.W. and Wolcott, S.W. 1985. Hydraulic and sediment characteristics at the North Channel Bridge, Jamaica Bay, N.Y. United States Geological Survey, Water Resources investigations. Report 85-4085. U.S. Geological Survey, Albany, NY. 43pp. (LSM).

Erwin, R.M. 1979. Coastal waterbird colonies, Cape Elizabeth Maine to Virginia, 1977. FWS/OBS 79/10, Washington, D.C.

Erwin, R.M. and Korschgen, C.E. 1979. Coastal waterbird colonies: Maine to Virginia, 1977. An atlas showing colony locations and species composition. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Office of Biological Services FWS/085-79/08. Washington, D.C. Lusczynski, N.J. 1952. The recovery of groundwater levels in Brooklyn, New York from 1947 to 1950. USGS Circular 167, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington DC. 29pp. (LSM).

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