Article
Environmental Sciences
Cassandra Nickles, Edward Beighley
Summary: The SWOT mission will measure river discharges but lacks temporal and spatial uniformity. The drainage area ratio method is not applicable for the observable river network in the Mississippi River basin, with limitations such as cumulative urban area and number of dams affecting its efficiency.
Article
Limnology
R. Eugene Turner, Charles S. Milan, Erick M. Swenson, James M. Lee
Summary: Large and turbid rivers like the Mississippi River have varying physical and chemical factors that affect the Chlorophyll a concentrations, with nutrient ratios playing a significant role in limiting phytoplankton biomass accumulations. High Chl a values are constrained to specific nutrient ratios, and changes in light conditions and turbulence could lead to phytoplankton blooms, potentially harmful algal blooms.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wolfgang Jansen
Summary: This study measured total mercury concentrations in lake sturgeon from five river systems in Manitoba, Canada. The concentrations were positively related to fish length and age, and the composition of fish diet was found to affect mercury concentrations. The study suggests that as lake sturgeon populations recover and harvest rates potentially increase, consumption of larger individuals should be limited.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emma Krasovich, Peiley Lau, Jeanette Tseng, Julia Longmate, Kendon Bell, Solomon Hsiang
Summary: Water quality monitoring is crucial for policy-making to address pollution. However, inconsistent measurement and reporting practices hinder the comparison of observations across water bodies, making it difficult to analyze spatial patterns and long-term trends in pollution. In this study, we harmonized 9.2 million water quality readings from 226 monitoring authorities in the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin, creating a standardized dataset of 4.8 million observations for nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. This dataset represents the largest record of these pollutants in a single river network, enabling comparisons across time and space.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
R. Eugene Turner
Summary: Conflicting predictions of climate change effects and land use on the discharge of the Mississippi River are discussed. The study compiled a two-hundred-year dataset to analyze the trends in discharge. The results show that all three discharge metrics increased, with the minimum annual discharge increasing faster. The study also found correlations between average discharges and air pressure differentials represented in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) Index. However, after 1969, the relationship between discharge and the NAO Index became insignificant. The study highlights the importance of land cover and land use changes in influencing discharge and discusses the potential implications for water quality in the coastal zone.
Article
Water Resources
Michael L. Wine, Oleg Makhnin
Summary: A study in the Upper Mississippi River basin revealed that total nitrogen concentration in streams decreases from June to September after spring fertilizer application, suggesting the influence of seasonal nutrient loading. However, the inclusion of wetland area did not affect this seasonal variability, while cultivated extent showed some correlation with mean annual total nitrogen concentration.
HYDROLOGICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Segun B. Adebayo, Minming Cui, Thomas J. Williams, Ellen Martin, Karen H. Johannesson
Summary: This study conducted a closed-system batch reaction experiment to evaluate the effects of interaction between Gulf of Mexico seawater and Mississippi River sediments on dissolved rare earth elements (REE) concentrations and neodymium isotopic compositions (eNd). The results showed that the dissolution of labile phases of the river sediments significantly increased the dissolved REE concentrations in seawater, while secondary mineral precipitation lowered the concentrations. The study also highlighted the importance of river sediments in influencing REEs and eNd in seawater along continental margins.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Le Zhang, Z. George Xue
Summary: Coupled physical-biogeochemical models can bridge the spatial and temporal gap in ocean carbon observations. In this study, a coupled model was applied to the Gulf of Mexico, providing a high-resolution hindcast and evaluating model performance against observations. The results highlight the importance of the northern Gulf of Mexico as a carbon sink and the seasonal variability of carbon sources and sinks in the open Gulf.
Article
Engineering, Civil
Omolola A. Akintomide, Reda M. Amer, Jeffrey S. Hanor, Saugata Datta, Karen H. Johannesson
Summary: Geostatistical and geospatial analysis techniques were employed to evaluate the relationships between high arsenic, iron, and manganese concentrations in groundwaters from the Pleistocene Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer in south-central Louisiana. The study found that the reductive dissolution of Fe/Mn oxides/oxyhydroxides is the likely source of arsenic, and this process is influenced by the recharge of the aquifer by Mississippi River water and microbial respiration.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christine L. Dolph, Se Jong Cho, Jacques C. Finlay, Amy T. Hansen, Brent Dalzell
Summary: The spatial distribution of soil phosphorus is crucial for both biogeochemical processes and agricultural landscape management. By applying a random forest machine learning model to soil phosphorus datasets and geospatial attributes in the Upper Mississippi River Basin, we were able to predict total soil phosphorus at a fine scale. The accuracy of our model was relatively high and can be used to improve water quality and conservation planning in the region.
Article
Environmental Sciences
R. Eugene Turner
Summary: This study examines the trends and relationships of total ammonia (TA) concentrations in the terminal end of the Mississippi River from 1980 to 2019, compared to values in 1900 to 1901. TA concentrations were lowest in 1900 to 1901, peaked in 1980, declined, and slightly increased in the past two decades. The study suggests that sewerage loadings are the controlling factors on TA concentrations, rather than nitrogen stabilizers or fertilizer loadings.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lisa K. Izzo, Donna L. Parrish, Gayle Barbin Zydlewski
Summary: The study on male lake sturgeon movements in the Winooski River showed that different patterns of upstream movement during the spawning period are related to flow conditions. Multi-run spawning behavior of male lake sturgeon is more prevalent in years with flashier discharge patterns compared to years with more stable discharge.
JOURNAL OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zihao Bian, Shufen Pan, Zhuonan Wang, Yuanzhi Yao, Rongting Xu, Hao Shi, Latif Kalin, Christopher Anderson, Dubravko Justic, Steven Lohrenz, Hanqin Tian
Summary: Phosphorus control is crucial in mitigating eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems. However, our understanding of phosphorus dynamics along the land-ocean aquatic continuum and the lack of well-developed process models hinder effective control of phosphorus export from soils. This study coupled riverine phosphorus biogeochemical processes and water transport with terrestrial processes to assess the impact of environmental changes on phosphorus loading and export in the Mississippi River Basin. The findings emphasize the importance of adopting effective phosphorus management strategies to reduce soil erosion and improve phosphorus use efficiency in crop production.
GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
J. Andrew Marbury, Adam G. Fox, Adam J. Kaeser, Douglas L. Peterson
Summary: Dams can block access to necessary habitats for many migratory fish species, such as the endangered Gulf sturgeon. Experimenting with translocating mature fish upstream to assess the effectiveness of potential fish passage systems has been used as a method to mitigate the impacts of dams on fish populations.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Samson G. Mengistu, Heather E. Golden, Charles R. Lane, Jay R. Christensen, Michael L. Wine, Ellen D'Amico, Amy Prues, Scott G. Leibowitz, Jana E. Compton, Marc H. Weber, Ryan A. Hill
Summary: Eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and human health impacts are critical environmental challenges resulting from excess nitrogen and phosphorus in surface waters. We developed a set of wetland hydrological transport variables to explore how wetlands explain the variability in total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations across the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB) in the United States. We found that wetland flowpath variables improved the regression models and provided insights into potential processes governing how wetlands influence watershed-scale TN and TP concentrations.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN WATER RESOURCES ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Tiffany N. Penland, W. Gregory Cope, Thomas J. Kwak, Mark J. Strynar, Casey A. Grieshaber, Ryan J. Heise, Forrest W. Sessions
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Fisheries
Kathleen M. Gray, Catherine E. LePrevost, W. Gregory Cope
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ben E. Willis, Joseph T. Gravelie, West M. Bishop, Sean B. Buczek, W. Gregory Cope
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION
(2020)
Correction
Environmental Sciences
Ben E. Willis, Joseph T. Gravelie, West M. Bishop, Sean B. Buczek, W. Gregory Cope
WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Casey A. Grieshaber, W. Gregory Cope, Thomas J. Kwak, Tiffany N. Penland, Ryan J. Heise, J. Mac Law
Summary: An in situ bioassay approach was used to assess the impact of aquatic contaminant stressors on the survival of three fish species in a large Atlantic river ecosystem. The results showed detrimental effects of contaminants on juvenile fish survival, with shorter survival times for largemouth bass and robust redhorse, and higher survival rate for adult fathead minnows during the experiment.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
W. Robert Cope, Thomas J. Kwak, Tyler R. Black, Krishna Pacifici, Sheila C. Harris, Caitlin M. Miller, Morgan E. Raley, Eric M. Hallerman
Summary: Identifying and conserving genetic diversity within freshwater fish populations, particularly the Carolina Madtom, is crucial for informing conservation efforts. Analysis of genetic markers revealed low genetic diversity and recent demographic bottlenecks in the Tar and Neuse River basin populations of the Carolina Madtom. Despite low genetic diversity within populations, significant genetic differentiation was found between the two river basin populations.
NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
W. Gregory Cope, Christine M. Bergeron, Jennifer M. Archambault, Jess W. Jones, Braven Beaty, Peter R. Lazaro, Damian Shea, Jody L. Callihan, Jennifer J. Rogers
Summary: This study evaluated the exposure of mussels to various contaminant stressors in different sections of the Clinch River, finding that organic contaminants, especially PAHs, were related to mussel decline, while metals were largely unrelated. Results indicated that PAHs and Mn were key pollutant stressors in the Clinch River, mainly coming from the Guest River tributary watershed.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biology
Catherine E. LePrevost, W. Gregory Cope, Yan Shen, Donnie Wrights
Summary: This article introduces an open-source web application that provides resources for instructors of high school or college biology courses, using narrated animations of pesticide toxic actions as examples to help students deepen their understanding of chemical toxicity, nervous system function, and cell signaling. Additionally, it details a cooperative learning procedure that teachers can use the web application in online learning environments or classroom settings with technology support.
AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ning Wang, James L. Kunz, Douglas K. Hardesty, Jeffery A. Steevens, Teresa Norberg-King, Edward J. Hammer, Candice R. Bauer, Tom Augspurger, Suzanne Dunn, David Martinez, M. Christopher Barnhart, Jordan Murray, Marcus Bowersox, John Roberts, Robert B. Bringolf, Robert Ratajczak, Serena Ciparis, W. Gregory Cope, Sean B. Buczek, Daniel Farrar, Lauren May, Mailee Garton, Patricia L. Gillis, James Bennett, Joseph Salerno, Brian Hester, Richard Lockwood, Christopher Tarr, Dennis McIntyre, Jonathan Wardell
Summary: The short-term freshwater effluent test methods of the US Environmental Protection Agency typically involve fish, cladocerans, and green algae, but studies suggest that unionid mussels could be a suitable additional taxon due to their sensitivity to contaminants.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alison A. Coulter, Austin R. Prechtel, Reuben R. Goforth
Summary: The movement patterns and environmental cues of Silver Carp were examined based on acoustic telemetry. It was found that discharge and temperature were significant predictors of their movements. Sedentary Silver Carp showed less variability in movement distances compared to mobile individuals. The findings have important implications for designing targeted management strategies to prevent the range expansion of Silver Carp.
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
P. J. Rudershausen, F. A. Cross, B. J. Runde, D. W. Evans, W. G. Cope, J. A. Buckel
Summary: Mercury in seafood poses a threat to human health as a neurotoxicant. Research on mercury concentrations in fish is important due to their consumption by humans and their role as indicators of environmental mercury levels. A study on Atlantic blue marlin found a decline in total mercury concentration in the 1990s compared to the 1970s, with relatively stable concentrations since then.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Jennifer J. Rogers, William F. Henley, Amanda G. Weberg, Jess W. Jones, W. Gregory Cope
Summary: Salinization of freshwater ecosystems from human activities has negative effects on biodiversity. An example of this is the contamination from industrial activities in Saltville, Virginia which has caused declines in mussels due to high chloride and potassium concentrations. Laboratory experiments exposed rainbow mussels to varying concentrations of chloride and potassium and found that high concentrations led to mortality and tissue abnormalities in organs such as the digestive glands and kidneys. These sublethal effects were below reported effect concentrations and highlight the need for further research.
AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Diane Waller, Sherri Pucherelli, Matthew Barbour, Samantha Tank, Matthew Meulemans, Jeremy Wise, Angelique Dahlberg, David C. Aldridge, Renata Claudi, W. Gregory Cope, Patricia L. Gillis, Donna R. Kashian, Denise Mayer, Kelly Stockton-Fiti, Wai Hing Wong
Summary: Research on control tools for invasive mussels in North America has been ongoing since the 1980s. The Invasive Mussel Collaborative established a work group to develop standard toxicity testing protocols for dreissenid mussels. They reviewed previous studies, identified areas for improvement, and consulted experts to provide recommendations for standardized methods. Their review also highlighted areas for future research in dreissenid mussel testing.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joseph K. Mciver II, W. Gregory Cope, Robert B. Bringolf, Thomas J. Kwak, Brian Watson, Amy Maynard, Rachel Mair
Summary: Sea levels are rising globally, especially along the eastern coast of the United States. This can lead to saltwater intrusion into freshwater drainages, altering the salinity regimes and causing salinization of coastal freshwater ecosystems. The mixture toxicity effect of sea salt ions on freshwater mussels' early life stages is largely unknown. Acute toxicity tests conducted on three species of freshwater mussels showed that glochidia were more sensitive than juveniles to sea salt exposure. These findings are important for enhancing freshwater mussel conservation strategies in areas affected by climate-induced sea level rise and freshwater salinization.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Education & Educational Research
Catherine E. LePrevost, Gregory Denlea, Lin Dong, W. Gregory Cope
Summary: This study investigated the implementation of audience response systems in pesticide training for farmers in North Carolina. The findings suggest that the technology has positive effects on farmers' knowledge gains, regardless of their educational background or age. Similar to traditional learning environments, non-cognitive impacts of the technology in farmer training seem to be more significant than learning impacts.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION & EXTENSION
(2021)