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NWRC Fact Sheets and General Information Products
The fact sheets listed below are presented in Portable Document Format (PDF). The latest version of Adobe Reader or similar software is required to view them. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge.
For complete citation information, please click here.
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Science Implementation of Forecast Mekong for Food and Environmental Security |
June 27, 2012 |
Forecast Mekong is a significant international thrust under the Delta Research and Global Observation Network (DRAGON) of the USGS. In 2012, Forecast Mekong is highlighting increasing cooperation between the United States and Lower Mekong River Basin countries in the areas of food and environmental security. Under the DRAGON, Forecast Mekong is initiating three-dimensional bathymetry and river flow data along with a pilot study of fish distribution, population, and migratory patterns in the Basin.
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Forecast Mekong 2012: Building Scientific Capacity |
June 27, 2012 |
In 2009, the U.S. Secretary of State joined the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in launching the Lower Mekong Initiative. Building on accomplishments in 2010 and 2011, Forecast Mekong continues to enhance scientific capacity in the Lower Mekong River Basin with a suite of activities in 2012..
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February 2012 workshop jumpstarts the Mekong Fish Monitoring Network |
June 15, 2012 |
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working with the consulting firm FISHBIO, colleagues from the international
Delta Research and Global Observation Network (DRAGON) Institute, and a broad contingent of Southeast Asian representatives and partners
from abroad to increase knowledge of the Mekong River fisheries and to develop the capacity of permanent residents to investigate and
understand these fisheries resources.
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Satellite tracking and geospatial analysis of feral swine and their habitat use in Louisiana and Mississippi |
June 12, 2012 |
Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC)—in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and several large landholding companies—are using collars equipped
with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to track feral swine in Louisiana and Mississippi to examine population movement patterns,
document destruction of habitat and wildlife, and help increase and facilitate removal.
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Forecast Mekong: 2011 update |
June 29, 2011 |
Part of the Lower Mekong Initiative, the U.S. Geological Survey's Forecast Mekong project is engaging the United States in scientific research relevant to environmental issues in the Lower Mekong River countries and is staying the course in support of the Mekong Nations with a suite of new projects for 2011.
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Forecast Mekong |
June 29, 2011 |
Forecast Mekong is part of the U.S. Department of State's Lower Mekong Initiative, which was launched in 2009 by Secretary Hillary Clinton and the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to enhance partnerships between the U.S. and the Lower Mekong River countries in the areas of environment, health, education, and infrastructure.
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Forecast Mekong: navigating changing waters |
April 11, 2011 |
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is using research and data from the Mekong River Delta in Southeast Asia to compare restoration, conservation, and management efforts there with those done in other major river deltas, such as the Mississippi River Delta in the United States.
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Amphibian monitoring in the Atchafalaya Basin |
May 23, 2011 |
| Amphibians are a diverse group of animals that includes frogs, toads, and salamanders. Amphibians have recently become a worldwide conservation concern because of declines and extinctions even in remote protected areas previously thought to be safe from the pressures of habitat loss and degradation. |
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Floristic Quality Index—An assessment tool for restoration projects and monitoring sites in coastal Louisiana |
April 26, 2011 |
| The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) Vegetation Analytical Team has developed a Floristic Quality Index for coastal Louisiana to determine the quality of a wetland based on its plant species composition and abundance.
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Forecasting the effects of land-use and climate change on wildlife communities and habitats in the lower Mississippi Valley |
December 28, 2010 |
| The ability to forecast the effects of changing land use and climate is critically important to land and resource managers since their work is inherently site specific, yet conservation strategies and practices are expressed at higher spatial and temporal scales that must be considered in the decisionmaking process.
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Visualizing NetCDF Files by Using the EverVIEW Data Viewer |
June 25, 2010 |
| Over the past few years, modelers in South Florida have started using Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) as the standard data container format for storing hydrologic and ecologic modeling inputs and outputs. Despite attributes which make NetCDF desirable to the modeling community, many natural resource managers have few desktop software packages which can consume NetCDF and unlock the valuable data contained within. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Joint Ecosystem Modeling group, an ecological modeling community of practice, are working to address this need with the EverVIEW Data Viewer. |
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Filtering NetCDF files by using the EverVIEW Slice and Dice Tool |
May 7, 2010 |
| Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) is a self-describing, machine-independent file format for storing array-oriented scientific data. Over the past few years, there has been a growing movement within the community of natural resource managers in The Everglades, Fla., to use NetCDF as the standard data container for datasets based on multidimensional arrays. As a consequence, a need surfaced for additional tools to view and manipulate NetCDF datasets, specifically to filter the files by creating subsets of large NetCDF files. |
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Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) |
April 7, 2010 |
| In 2003, the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) received approval from the CWPPRA Task Force to implement the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) as a mechanism to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of CWPPRA projects at the project, region, and coastwide levels. The CRMS design implements a multiple reference approach by using aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling.
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Carbon Sequestration to Mitigate Climate Change |
December 2008 |
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Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas, have caused a substantial increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) in the atmosphere. This increase in atmospheric CO2 - from about 280 to more than 380 parts per million (ppm) over the last 250 years - is causing measurable global warming. |
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Welcome to the National Wetlands Research Center Library: Successful Research Begins @ your library |
April 2007 |
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The NWRC library offers 24-hour access to the online catalog and selected research tools at http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/library.htm. For detailed information on current holdings, journals, indexes, and databases, please consult the library's Web site. |
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Welcome to the National Wetlands Research Center Library: Not Just Another Library - A Special Library |
April 2007 |
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Visitors are welcome to use the NWRC library Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays. Because of security measures, visitors must sign in at the reception desk to receive a badge and directions to the library. |
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Physiological Ecology and Ecohydrology of Coastal Forested Wetlands |
March 2007 |
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The form, function, and productivity of wetland communities are influenced strongly by the hydrologic regime of an area. Wetland ecosystems persist by depending upon surpluses of rainfall, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and frequency and amplitude of water-level fluctuations. |
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Communicating Science |
October 2006 |
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For science to have an impact, it must be communicated and easily accessible. The USGS National Wetlands Research center communicates its research findings through several ways: publishing, the Web, the library, and education and outreach. |
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Ecological Genetics at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center |
April 2006 |
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The Ecological Genetics Program at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) employs state-of-the-art DNA fingerprinting technologies in characterizing critical management aspects of the population biology of species of concern. |
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Nutrient Controls on Biocomplexity of Mangrove Ecosystems |
March 2006 |
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Mangrove forests are important coastal ecosystems that provide a variety of ecological and societal services. These intertidal, tree-dominated communities along tropical coastlines are often described as "simple systems," compared to other tropical forests with larger numbers of plant species and multiple understory strata; however, mangrove ecosystems have complex trophic structures, and organisms exhibit unique physiological, morphological, and behavioral adaptations to environmental conditions characteristic of the land-sea interface. |
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Potential Effects of Elevated Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide (CO2) on Coastal Wetlands |
March 2006 |
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Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere has steadily increased from 280 parts per million (ppm) in preindustrial times to 381 ppm today and is predicted by some models to double within the next century. Some of the important pathways whereby changes in atmospheric CO2 may impact coastal wetlands include changes in temperature, rainfall, and hurricane intensity. |
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USGS - National Wetlands Research Center |
November 2005 |
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The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) is to develop and disseminate scientific information needed for understanding the ecology and values of our Nation's wetlands and aquatic habitats and for managing and restoring these habitats and associated plant and animal communities. |
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Depicting Coastal Louisiana Land Loss |
July 2005 |
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The Coastal Louisiana Land Loss map depicts historical (1932-2000) changes of land to water and water to land, as well as projected changes (2000-2050). Projections are based on the assumption of no future restoration. |
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Migratory Bird Pathways and the Gulf of Mexico: Importance of Louisiana's Coast |
June 2005 |
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Because of its geographic position, Louisiana plays an important role in the hemispheric-scale phenomenon known as the Nearctic-Neotropical bird migration system. Each year millions of landbirds migrate across or near to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. |
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Using Radar to Understand Migratory Birds and Their Habitats: Critical Needs for the Gulf of Mexico |
June 2005 |
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Nearly all Neotropical migratory landbird species of the eastern United States as well as many western species use Louisiana and the northern Gulf of Mexico coast during their transcontinental migrations each spring and fall. Radar has determined that hundreds of millions of birds make the nocturnal crossing of the Gulf of Mexico resulting in daily flights of as many as 2.5 million individuals stopping in Louisiana to feed and rest. |
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Using Radar to Advance Migratory Bird Management: An Interagency Collaboration |
May 2005 |
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Migratory birds face many changes to the landscapes they traverse and the habitats they use. Wind turbines and communications towers, which pose hazards to birds and bats in flight, are being erected across the United States and offshore. |
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Belowground Dynamics in Mangrove Ecosystems |
August 2004 |
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Mangrove ecosystems are tropical/subtropical communities of primarily tree species that grow in the intertidal zone. These tidal communities are important coastal ecosystems that are valued for a variety of ecological and societal goods and services. |
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Global Change Impacts on Mangrove Ecosystems |
August 2004 |
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Mangroves are tropical/subtropical communities of primarily tree species that grow in the intertidal zone. These tidal forests are important coastal ecosystems that are valued for a variety of ecological and societal goods and services. |
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Natural Restoration Basics for Wetlands |
July 2004 |
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Around the world, dams, diversions, and drainage systems reengineer rivers for navigation, farming, and urban development, and this has caused vast changes in the environmental conditions of the flood plains adjacent to these rivers. Even though "flood pulses," the periodic overflow of these rivers, were once the most important hydrological factor regulating all functions of the flood plain, now they have been reduced or eliminated along many of the world's waterways. |
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Purple Loosestrife Volunteers |
March 2004 |
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Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is a perennial plant native to Eurasia where it grows along streams, rivers, and wet seepage areas. Seeds were inadvertently brought to North American territories in the ballast water of ships. |
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Cattle Grazing and Its Long-term Effects on Sedge Meadows |
March 2004 |
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Most people think that wetlands are temporary, that they fill in by natural processes, and eventually become dry land. Some of these outdated ideas have come from the way that this subject has been covered in introductory textbooks in schools. |
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Latitudinal Variation in Carbon Storage Can Help Predict Change in Swamps Affected by Global Warming |
March 2004 |
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Plants may offer our best hope of removing greenhouse gases (gases that contribute to global warming) emitted to the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. At the same time, global warming could change environments so that natural plant communities will either need to shift into cooler climate zones, or become extirpated. |
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Native Plants for Effective Coastal Wetland Restoration |
September 2003 |
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Plant communities, along with soils and appropriate water regimes, are essential components of healthy wetland systems. In Louisiana, the loss of wetland habitat continues to be an issue of major concern. |
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Predicting Future Mangrove Forest Migration in the Everglades Under Rising Sea Level |
March 2003 |
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Mangroves are highly productive ecosystems that provide valued habitat for fish and shorebirds. Mangrove forests are universally composed of relatively few tree species and a single overstory strata. |
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Effects of Hydrology on Red Mangrove Recruits |
March 2003 |
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Coastal wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico have been experiencing significant shifts in hydrology and salinity levels over the past century as a result of changes in sea level and freshwater drainage patterns. Local land management in coastal zones has also impacted the hydrologic regimes of salt marshes and mangrove areas. |
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Effects of Wastewater on Forested Wetlands |
September 2002 |
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Cycling nutrient-enriched wastewater from holding ponds through natural, forested wetlands is a practice that municipal waste treatment managers are considering as a viable option for disposing of wastewater. In this wastewater cycling process, sewer effluent that has been circulated through aerated ponds is discharged into neighboring wetland systems. |
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Modeling the Bathymetry of Catahoula Lake: Specialized Technology for Wetland Management |
September 2002 |
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Catahoula Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in Louisiana, covering more than 46 square miles (120 km2). The lake is a principal stopover and wintering site for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. |
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History and Ecology of Mangroves in the Dry Tortugas |
April 2002 |
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Dry Tortugas National Park, which includes Bush, Long, Loggerhead, Garden, and Bird Keys, is a cluster of islands and coral reefs approximately 112.9 km (70 miles) west of Key West, Florida. These islands were explored in 1513 by Ponce de León, who named them for the abundance of sea turtles, "tortugas," and the lack of fresh water in the area. |
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Chinese Tallow: Invading the Southeastern Coastal Plain |
October 2000 |
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Chinese tallow is an ornamental tree with colorful autumn foliage that can survive full sunlight and shade, flooding, drought, and in some cases fire. To horiculturists this kind of tree sounds like a dream, but to ecologists, land managers, and land owners this kind of tree can be a nightmare, especially when it invades an area and takes over native vegetation. |
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Research in Rice Fields |
June 2000 |
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Between 1987 and 1999, 2.4-3 million acres of rice were planted annually nationwide. Rice fields are a major component of the contemporary landscapes in the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, and Central Valley of California. |
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Nutria, Eating Louisiana's Coast |
June 2000 |
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"Eating-out" might be a term you associate with a pleasant experience, especially in south Louisiana, where the food is good and the atmosphere is casual. Another kind of "eat-out" in Louisiana that is not so pleasant, though, is where nutria, large semiaquatic rodents introduced from South America, have literally eaten up the coastline. |
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Coastal Prairie |
June 2000 |
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The coastal prairie, located along the coastal plain of southwestern Louisiana and southcentral Texas, is the southernmost top of the tallgrass prairire eocsystem so prevalent in the Midwest. The coastal prairie ecosystem once covered as much as 3.8 million ha (9 million acres); today, more than 99% of this land has been lost to agriculture, range improvement, and urbanization. |
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Fire Ecology in the Southeastern United States |
June 2000 |
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Fire has played an important role in the structure of natural ecosystems throughout North America. As a natural process, fire helps clear away dead and dying plant matter and increases the production of native species that occur in fire prone habitats. |
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Seagrasses in Northen Gulf of Mexico: An Ecosystem in Trouble |
June 2000 |
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The USGS National Wetlands Research Center has documented that seagrasses in the northen Gulf of Mexico constitute an ecosystem in trouble. From studies in St. Andrews Bay, Perdido Bay, the Chandeleur Islands, and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, scientists have discovered that declining seagrass acreage ranges from 12% to 66% in bays and estuaries of the Gulf of Mexico. |
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Restoring Life to the Dead Zone: Addressing Gulf Hypoxia, a National Problem |
June 2000 |
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The hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico, the so-called "dead zone" lacking enough oxygen to support most marine life, is one of the largest environmental issues of the decade. Practical solutions, based on sound science, are needed. |
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Louisiana Coastal Ecosystem |
June 2000 |
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Louisiana's coast and its degradation and restoration are major environmental issues being studied at the National Wetlands Research Center. Coastal ecosystems are vulnerable because of the tremendous amount of human activity that takes place along the coast. |
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Using Remote Sensing to Monitor Global Change |
June 1997 |
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To properly respond to natural and human-induced stresses to wetlands, resource managers must consider their functions and values. Remote sensing is an important tool for monitoring wetland responses to changes in the hydrologic regime and water quality caused by global climate change and sea-level rise. |
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Modeling Hurricane Effects on Mangrove Ecosystems |
June 1997 |
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Mangrove ecosystems are at their most northern limit along the coastline of Florida and in isolated areas of the gulf coast in Louisiana and Texas. Mangroves are marine-based forests that have adapted to colonize and persist in salty intertidal waters. |
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Predicting Coastal Flooding and Wetland Loss |
June 1997 |
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The southeastern coastal region encompasses vast areas of wetland habitat important to wildlife and other economically valuable natural resources. Located on the interface between sea and land, these wetland habitats are affected by both sea-level rise and hurricanes, and possibly by hydroperiod associated with regional climatic shifts. |
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Effects of Climate Change on Southeastern Forests |
June 1997 |
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Forests of the coastal plain region of the southeastern United States are among the most productive in North America. Because they form the basis of a large timber and wood products industry, these forests are of considerable economic importance. |
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Salt Tolerance of Southern Baldcypress |
June 1997 |
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Historically, cypress-tupelo swamps covered much of the low-lying coastal regions of the Southeast. However, saltwater intrusion and increased flooding over the past 30 years, combined with past logging, have depleted the numbers and decreased the survival and growth of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) in coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico. |
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Global Warming, Sea-level Rise, Coastal Marsh Survival |
June 1997 |
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Coastal wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. These wetlands at the land-ocean margin provide many direct benefits to humans, including habitat for commercially important fisheries and wildlife; storm protection; improved water quality through sediment, nutrient, and pollution removal; recreation; and aesthetic values. |
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Global Change and Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Research |
June 1997 |
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Communities of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are important components of many freshwater, brackish, and marine aquatic ecosystems. They prevent erosion by baffling the impacts of waves, especially from storms. These aquatic plant communities remove nutrients and other pollutants from river and runoff inputs to coastal areas, preventing their entry into surrounding waters. |
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Coastal Wetlands and Global Change: Overview |
June 1997 |
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The potential impacts of climate change are of great practical concern to those interested in coastal wetland resources. Among the areas of greatest risk in the United States are low-lying coastal habitats with easily eroded substrates which occur along the northen Gulf of Mexico and southeast Atlantic coasts. |
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Brown Marsh Fact Sheets - (List of titles hosted on the brownmarsh.com Web site)
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey