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Limited food may be significantly changing Great Lakes ecosystems

By Guest PostDecember 23, 2013Environmentdavid bo bunnell, Economy, great lakes ecosystems, inputs of phosphorus, invasive species, lake huron, microscopic water organisms, native invertebrates, phytoplankton, phytoplankton growth, predator, quagga mussels, suzette kimball, thomas f nalepa, thomas h johengen, U.S. Geological Survey, university of michigan, zebra

ANN ARBOR — Declines of the food resources that feed lake organisms are likely causing dramatic changes in the Great Lakes, according to a new study.

The study, led by the U.S. Geological Survey and co-authored by three University of Michigan researchers, found that since 1998, water clarity has been increasing in most Great Lakes, while phytoplankton (the microscopic water organisms that feed all other animals), native invertebrates and prey fish have been declining. These food web changes fundamentally affect the ecosystem’s valuable resources and are likely caused by decreasing levels of lake nutrients, and by growing numbers of invasive species such as zebra and quagga mussels. (more…)

New Approach to Measuring Coral Growth Offers Valuable Tool for Reef Managers

By Guest PostJuly 13, 2013Environmentbiscayne national park, calcification, calcium carbonate, climate change, coral growth, coral health, dry tortugas, ecosystem, environmental information, florida keys, fowey rocks, growth pattern, ilsa kuffner, level of precision, marathon, marine organisms, massive starlet coral, miami, national park, ocean water, ph, reef managers, scuba diver working, shell, siderastrea siderea, skeleton, suzette kimball, U.S. Geological Survey, us virgin islands, usgs scientist, water quality

Finds surprising growth patterns in the Florida Keys

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A new more sensitive weight-based approach for monitoring coral growth in the wild has been developed by U.S. Geological Survey researchers leading to more definitive answers about the status of coral reefs.

Corals and other marine organisms build their skeletons and shells through calcification, the biological process of secreting calcium carbonate obtained from ocean water. This new approach to measuring corals can provide finer-scale resolution than traditional linear measurements of coral growth. (more…)

USGS Study Confirms U.S. Amphibian Populations Declining at Precipitous Rates

By Guest PostMay 26, 2013Natureamphibian, armi, black bellied salamander, brian gratwicke, causes of declines, cherokee national forest, citico creek, desmognathus quadramaculatus, erin muths, florida, green tree frog, habitat, hyla cinerea, louisiana, michael adams, monroe county, mountains of sierras, precipitous rates, rana sierra, red listed species, rockies, salamander biodiversity, suzette kimball, swamp, tennessee, us amphibian populations, usgs, usgs amphibian research, wilderness, yellow legged frog, yosemite national park

CORVALLIS, Ore. — The first-ever estimate of how fast frogs, toads and salamanders in the United States are disappearing from their habitats reveals they are vanishing at an alarming and rapid rate.

According to the study released on May 22, 2013, in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, even the species of amphibians presumed to be relatively stable and widespread are declining. And these declines are occurring in amphibian populations everywhere, from the swamps in Louisiana and Florida to the high mountains of the Sierras and the Rockies. (more…)

USGS Estimates 162 Billion Short Tons of Recoverable Coal in the Powder River Basin

By Guest PostFebruary 28, 2013Environmentbillion short tons, bst, coal production, coal resource, coal sales, database, electric power generation, entire basin, fluctuation, geologic feature, geological survey, geology, gillette coal field, low sulfur, mines, mining costs, montana, montana bureau, mst, powder river basin, prb assessment, recoverable coal, subbituminous coal, surface mining technology, suzette kimball, united states, usgs, wyoming, wyoming state

New basin-wide assessment of recoverable resources and reserves

The Powder River Basin of Wyoming and Montana contains about 162 billion short tons (BST) of recoverable coal from a total of 1.07 trillion short tons of in-place resources according to a new USGS assessment. This assessment also estimates that 25 BST of those resources are currently economical to recover, the first such estimate released by the USGS for coal for an entire basin.

The Powder River Basin—a large geologic feature located in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana—contains the largest deposits of low-sulfur subbituminous coal in the world. This study is significant because it illustrates that only a relatively small percentage of in-place coal resources are technically and economically recoverable. (more…)

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Limited food may be significantly changing Great Lakes ecosystems

New Approach to Measuring Coral Growth Offers Valuable Tool for Reef Managers

USGS Study Confirms U.S. Amphibian Populations Declining at Precipitous Rates

USGS Estimates 162 Billion Short Tons of Recoverable Coal in the Powder River Basin