Columbia Environmental Research Center
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CERC’s priority is to continue the important work of the Department of the Interior and the USGS, while also maintaining the health and safety of our employees and community. Based on guidance from the White House, the CDC, and state and local authorities, we are shifting our operations to a virtual mode and have minimal staffing within our offices.
Comprehensive Sturgeon Research Project (CSRP) Blog
Learn how CERC research is contributing to the recovery of the endangered pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River
Read the BlogPassive Sampling Using SPMDs and POCIS - Resources and Tools
CERC scientists are pioneers in the development of passive sampling techniques.
Resources & ToolsNews
Invasive Mussel Species Impacts the Food Web in Lake Mead
In an article for the journal Science of the Total Environment, USGS scientists and others discuss the impact of invasive quagga mussels on the ecosystem of Lake Mead located on the border of Arizona and Nevada.
Literature Review: Environmental Selenium-Mercury Interactions
Mercury is a pervasive environmental pollutant and contaminant of concern for both people and wildlife.
Food Web Dynamics Influence Mercury Movement in Colorado River, Grand Canyon
A new study describes how food web dynamics influence the movement of mercury throughout the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. This new research from the U.S. Geological Survey and partners represents one of the first times that the movement and fate of mercury has been traced through an entire food web.
Publications
Movement of synthetic organic compounds in the food web after the introduction of invasive quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) in Lake Mead, Nevada and Arizona, USA
Introductions of dreissenid mussels in North America have been a significant concern over the last few decades. This study assessed the distribution of synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) in the food web of Lake Mead, Nevada/Arizona, USA and how this distribution was influenced by the introduction of invasive quagga mussels. A clear spatial...
Goodbred, Steven L.; Rosen, Michael R.; Patino, Reynaldo; Alvarez, David; Echols, Kathy R.; King, Kerensa; Umek, John Identifying turbulence features hindering swimming capabilities of grass carp larvae (Ctenopharyngodon idella) through submerged vegetation
Aquatic vegetation can provide habitat and refuge for a variety of species in streams. However, the flow features generated by submerged patches of vegetation can also pose a challenge for fish larvae. We conducted a series of experiments with live grass carp larvae (starting ∼50 h post hatch) in a laboratory racetrack flume, using a submerged...
Tinoco, Rafael O.; Prada, Andres F.; George, Amy E.; Stahlschmidt, Benjamin H.; Jackson, P. Ryan; Chapman, Duane C. Assessment of burrowing behavior of freshwater juvenile mussels in sediment
Standard laboratory sediment toxicity methods have been adapted for conducting toxicity tests with juvenile freshwater mussels. However, studies looking at juvenile mussel burrowing behavior at the water-sediment interface are limited. Juvenile mussels burrow in sediment for the first 0 to 4 yr of life but also may inhabit the sediment-water...
Kemble, Nile E.; Besser, John M.; Steevens, Jeffery; Hughes, Jamie P.