USGS Science Picks

September 2, 2009

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September Highlights:

*       The Cold Facts about Melting Glaciers
*       Mercury Contamination in Fish Nationwide
*       Help Find the Lost Crickets of New York City
*       A+ Portal for Science Education Resources
*       Smallest Life Forms, BIG Power
*       The Nitty Gritty of Cash for Clunkers
*       Yuck! Is there Sewage in the Rivers?
*       Sea Otter Health, Pollution and Revealing Genes
*       Tiny Satellite Technology Tracks Rare Kittlitz's Murrelet
*       Women in Science: Mixing it up in the Wetlands
*       Climate Change May Leave Early Birds Without the Worm
*       Investigating Mysterious Bat Deaths
*       Crayfish Don't Rock and Roll to Heavy Metal!
*       Hunting for Plant and Animal Information Just Got Easier

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Leads (top news in natural science)

The Cold Facts about Melting Glaciers

Most glaciers in Washington and Alaska are dramatically shrinking in
response to a warming climate. During the past 50 years, USGS scientists
have measured changes in the mass (length and thickness) of three glaciers:
Alaska's Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers and Washington's South Cascade
Glacier. These are the longest such records in North America and among the
longest in the world. These three glaciers are known as benchmark glaciers
because they are widely spaced, represent different climate regimes, and can
be used to understand the thousands of other glaciers in nearby regions. In
addition to these three glaciers, more than 99 percent of America's
thousands of large glaciers have long documented records that show an
overall shrinkage as climate warms. You can watch a video of South Cascade
Glacier from 1928-2006 at
http://wa.water.usgs.gov/projects/glacier/video.html and listen to a podcast
interview on this topic at http://www.usgs.gov/corecast/details.asp?ep=101.
For more information, visit http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3046/ or contact
Jessica Robertson at jrobert...@usgs.gov or (703) 648-6624.

Mercury Contamination in Fish Nationwide

A USGS study found mercury contamination in every fish sampled in 291
streams across the country. About a quarter of these fish contained mercury
at levels exceeding the criterion for the protection of people who consume
average amounts of fish, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. More than two-thirds of the fish exceeded the EPA level of concern
for fish-eating mammals. To learn more about this USGS study, visit
http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/mercury/ or contact Jennifer LaVista at
jlavi...@usgs.gov or (703) 648-4432.

Help Find the Lost Crickets of New York City

Remember Chester in The Cricket in Times Square? George Selden was inspired
to write his classic children's story after hearing chirps in the subway.
Crickets and katydids are a vital part of the urban and suburban ecosystems
and used to be an abundant force in NYC. Are these organisms still in the
NYC area, and if so, where? You can help scientists from the USGS and other
organizations find out by joining the first Cricket Crawl on Friday,
September 11, between dusk and midnight. All you have to do is step outside
and simply record what you hear using your cell phone as a tape recorder.
You might even discover species that haven't been seen in years! For more
information on how to get involved, check out
http://www.discoverlife.org/cricket. There you can read about the different
crickets and katydids and even practice listening to their different calls.
The results from this audio survey will be presented on the Web in real
time. For more information, contact Sam Droege at sdro...@usgs.gov or (301)
497-5840.

A+ Portal for Science Education Resources

Looking for natural science information that's relevant, dependable and
understandable? Check out the USGS Education Web site. Established
originally for teachers and students, the site has grown to become a major
portal through which the public can access USGS earth and biological science
data. The main page is organized by topic and grade level, so information
about earthquakes, for example, is easy to find for elementary, secondary or
university grade levels. The site provides links to some of the USGS's most
popular sites, such as "Videos and Animations" or "The GPS Class," and
features topics of current interest in "What's New, What's Happening." Also,
you can learn about the newly released Earth Science Literacy Initiative, a
national effort to improve earth science literacy and education, sponsored
by the National Science Foundation. Visit the Web site at
http://education.usgs.gov/, or find out more by contacting Robert Ridky at
rri...@usgs.gov or (703) 648-4713.

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Feeds (science updates and happenings)

Smallest Life Forms, BIG Power

You'd be surprised by the power packed in some of the smallest life forms on
Earth. Some are pathogens and can cause human health risks by contaminating
drinking water. Others can cause West Nile Virus in bird species or plague
in Black-Footed ferrets. Microorganisms can even be even potential sources
of alternative energy. Some scientists are studying the possibility for
converting microbial biomass to electricity, while other researchers are
working to discover if bacteria could be used in a fuel cell to convert
waste to electricity. These wee little things are also impacted by climate
change. For example, changes in temperature can alter their habitat and
result in the spread of diseases or loss of some microbial communities. USGS
scientists are involved in a wide range of microbiology research to
understand these issues and help mitigate negative scenarios. The new USGS
microbiology site is a one-stop shop for studies about microbiology and the
environment. Check it out at http://microbiology.usgs.gov/. For more
information, contact Kay Briggs at kmbri...@usgs.gov or (703) 648-4046.

The Nitty Gritty of Cash for Clunkers

The government-run "Cash for Clunkers" did much more than just stimulate the
economy and raise awareness of carbon emissions. It also caused demand for a
little known and little used mineral compound called sodium silicate. The
program required that buyers of clunkers immediately kill the engine of the
car - a task most efficiently done by running the engine with sodium
silicate. When a vehicle runs for a few minutes with this compound in place
of engine oil, the engine seizes, and it cannot be reused. The other parts
of the vehicles, however, can be recycled. Sodium silicate, the only soluble
silica compound, is made by fusing two industrial minerals, high-purity
silica sand with soda ash. The USGS has been an authoritative source for
U.S. and global nonfuel mineral production data, including silica sand, soda
ash, and 80 other mineral commodities, for more than 130 years. For more on
sodium silicate or any other minerals, check out
http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/ or contact Joyce Ober at jo...@usgs.gov
or (703) 648-7717.

Yuck! Is there Sewage in the Rivers?

Whether you fish in them or float on them, have you ever wondered what's in
the rivers? In South Carolina, the USGS is experimenting with monitoring
sewage spills in real-time on the Saluda River near Columbia. Over the last
several years, there have been multiple sewage spills that have increased
the health risk to kayakers, fisherman and swimmers. This monitoring device
will measure sewage spill according to the river's specific conductance.
Specific conductance indicates the water's ability to conduct electricity,
and a high conductivity value would suggest an increased level of dissolved
solids (i.e., sewage spills). With this real-time alert system, public
safety is increased and the potential for health hazards is minimized. For
more information, including water quality and streamflow data, visit the
USGS South Carolina Water Science Center Web site at
http://sc.water.usgs.gov/. You can also contact John Shelton at
jmshe...@usgs.gov or (803) 750-6112.

Sea Otter Health, Pollution and Revealing Genes

Recovery of the threatened southern sea otter of California has been
sluggish, and scientists are trying to understand why. The USGS is studying
how sea otter health is impacted by pollution from urban and agricultural
sources as well as what role genes might play in revealing a sea otter's
exposure to harmful chemicals. You are invited to learn more about this
research at two upcoming USGS public lectures held on October 1 in Santa
Cruz, CA. They are titled, "Big Sur vs. Monterey: Understanding Human
Impacts on Sea Otter Population Health" and "The Doctor is In: Using Human
Medicine to Diagnose What Ails the Sea Otter." These presentations are part
of the observation of Sea Otter Awareness Week from September 27 to October
3, and more information is available at
http://www.defenders.org/seaotter/awareness. To listen to a three-part USGS
podcast series on sea otters, visit http://www.werc.usgs.gov/otters/. You
can also contact Tim Tinker at ttin...@usgs.gov or (831) 459-2357, or Keith
Miles at keith_mi...@usgs.gov or (530) 752-5365.

Tiny Satellite Technology Tracks Rare Kittlitz's Murrelet

The world's smallest satellite tags have been attached to members of the
rare and rapidly declining Kittlitz's Murrelet seabirds. Most of these birds
are found in remote, glaciated regions of Alaska, but their wintering
grounds have long been unknown. Thanks to tiny solar-powered satellites tags
that can be attached to small seabirds, researchers from the USGS and U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service can now study their nesting, foraging and
migration ecology. This new technology is even capable of operating
successfully in the most extreme subarctic marine environment. Data
collected from these tags may help inform conservation strategies for this
rare species. Scientists report all tags are functioning and they expect to
see birds migrate soon to their wintering grounds. For more information,
contact John Piatt at jpi...@usgs.gov or (360) 774-0516.

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Story Seeds (points to ponder or investigate)

Women in Science: Mixing it up in the Wetlands

The science fields can be strengthened by a diversity of approaches and
ideas, but diversity is often limited due to the current disproportionate
number of males to females in upper level positions. To promote diversity in
the wetland science community, a USGS scientist who is also a member of the
Society of Wetland Scientists initiated the Women in Wetlands program. This
program is part of the society and offers symposiums and mentors for women
and minorities. The mentors are senior society members, many of which are
also USGS scientists, and they work directly with students and young
professionals by providing advice and career guidance. For more information,
visit http://www.sws.org/sections/wiw/index.mgi or contact Karen L. McKee at
mck...@usgs.gov or (337) 266-8662.

Climate Change May Leave Early Birds Without the Worm

Climate change may affect critical water resources that support prey for 75
migratory bird species in the Great Basin. A new five-year study by USGS and
World Wildlife Fund scientists will examine the effects of climate change on
waterbirds in this area. As climate change either freshens wetlands or drier
weather makes them saltier, the distribution and availability of waterbird
prey species may impact which waterbirds can use the wetlands and when.
Scientists will use new genetic tools and climate models to examine past and
present distributions of prey species to predict potential changes in their
distribution. Results will have implications for evaluating future water
needs for urban communities, agricultural irrigation, grazing plans and
waterbird conservation. To learn more about USGS conservation genetics
research, visit http://fresc.usgs.gov/research/StudyDetail.asp?Study_ID=656
or http://fresc.usgs.gov/conservationgeneticslaboratory/. For more
information, contact Susan Haig at susan_h...@usgs.gov
<mailto:sh...@usgs.gov>  or (541) 750-7482.

Investigating Mysterious Bat Deaths

Bat populations have been declining at an alarming rate in the northeast and
mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Since 2007, hundreds of thousands
of hibernating bats in nine states have died from a disease called
white-nose syndrome, involving an invasive white fungus. Wildlife
specialists are concerned about the devastating threat that white-nose
syndrome could pose on bat communities in other regions of the world. A new
USGS fact sheet, "Investigating Bat White-Nose Syndrome," highlights USGS
progress in addressing issues pertinent to the syndrome. In 2008, USGS
scientists and partners isolated and identified Geomyces destructans, the
fungus associated with the syndrome. New studies have been initiated,
including a rapid detection test for G. destructans and a method to identify
how the fatal fungus is transmitted. Study results will help forecast the
spread of white-nose syndrome and determine if and how bats survive exposure
to the disease. For more information, visit
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fact_sheets/pdfs/2009-3058_inve...
ng_wns.pdf or contact David Blehert at bleh...@usgs.gov or (608) 270-2466.

Crayfish Don't Rock and Roll to Heavy Metal!

Crayfish are not only considered good eating in some places, but they also
appear to be a good barometer of how heavy-metal mining activities affect
aquatic ecosystems. In the Ozarks, USGS scientists found that crayfish
numbers were reduced directly downstream of lead and zinc mines. As metal
concentrations increased in water, sediment and the leafy material that
crayfish eat, their survival rates plummeted. The absence or reduced
abundance of crayfish may harm ecosystem processes, such as nutrient and
energy cycling in Ozark streams, not to mention that smallmouth bass and
other sport fish might go hungry as they depend on crayfish as a primary
food source. Results
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WDM-4V64YN...
ser=696292&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000­0
38819&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=696292&md5=fd7236d1175761d24bada75f7­5
08ebe3>  show that crayfish may be useful indicators for assessing and
monitoring the effects of mining in aquatic ecosystems. For more
information, contact Ann Allert at aall...@usgs.gov or (573) 876-1903.

Hunting for Plant and Animal Information Just Got Easier

Do you want an easy, efficient way to sift through massive amounts of online
information about plants and animals? A new search engine from the USGS
National Biological Information Infrastructure is just the ticket. The NBII
has always been a comprehensive source for information on the nation's
plants and animals. Now, its revamped search engine offers a variety of new
features, including the ability to search multiple databases at the same
time and the ability to return results that arrive in "clusters," or
automatically generated categories associated with the search topic. For
example, a search on "grizzly bear" turns up cluster topics like "endangered
species," "park science" and "grizzly bear management planning" that point
to new areas of inquiry. To try the search engine yourself and get a sense
of its power, visit http://www.nbii.gov <http://www.nbii.gov/> . For more
information, contact Jim Erwin at jer...@usgs.gov or (703) 648-4283.