Briefly describes research efforts to better understand nutrient dynamics and biogeochemical cycling in ecosystems and how these properties are altered by large-scale human activities.
Describes the studies of five small watersheds, four in the U.S. and one in Puerto Rico, under the WEBB program to understand the processes controlling water, energy, and biogeochemical fluxes with links to other watershed research.
Congress asked us (in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007) to figure out how to assess the effects of carbon storage, sequestration, and greenhouse gas fluxes in our ecosystems. Here's how we plan to do that.
Explains what biochar is and how it is formed, its potential use in both fertilizer and carbon sequestration, and some of the research questions remaining to be addressed before we can utilize it fully in practical ways.
Description of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) and lichens (dual organisms of a fungus and an alga or a cyanobacterium) that are part of forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest with information on habitat and conservation.
Describes research to assess the effectiveness of the current system and distribution of marine reserves and protected areas in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico for conserving reef ecosystems and resources.
Links to maps of New Jersey showing nitrate levels, pesticides, Total Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and radium in wells and land use of the 1970s.
A synthesis of the Mineral Resources Program's past and future research directions in the western U.S. on metal contamination due to mineral deposits and mining and the environmental effects on living organisms. Chapters 1, 4, and 6 as PDF files.
Report on effects of the increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide on plants and animals, especially birds, in the Great Plains including effects of carbon dioxide fertilization, ultraviolet radiation, climate change, and harmful effects on bird habitats.
Brief overview of the proliferation of zebra mussels and the role of phosphorus in Lake Erie with links to publications related to Lake Erie water quality.
Summary of part of the USGS interdivisional Mississippi Basin Carbon project that will study the changes in climate and the environment through carbon cycle changes recorded in lake sediments in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
Understanding how carbon and nutrients cycle in forests (forest biogeochemistry) is crucial for evaluating productivity, composition, diversity and change in forests.