The impact of recent severe droughts throughout the United States, the potential for climate change to intensify the frequency and severity of drought, and discussion about the future of government assistance in agriculture highlight the need for a transition from drought as ‘disaster’ to drought as ‘managed risk’. However, guidance...
Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and Brandt’s cormorants (P. penicillatus) nest sympatrically in a large mixed-species colony on East Sand Island (ESI) in the Columbia River estuary. Ecological theory predicts that such morphologically similar species will partition prey resources when faced with resource limitations. During the summer of 2014, I investigated...
Quantification and comparison of morphological changes over the last ~300 y in Oregon salt marshes provide valuable insights into the tectonic, hydroclimatic, and anthropogenic processes shaping this important intertidal zone. Understanding of the rates and drivers of salt marsh change contextualizes intertidal habitats within the sediment routing system (i.e., source...
Quantification of contemporary sediment and carbon accumulation within Oregon tidal saline wetlands will: (1) fill a critical knowledge gap, and (2) naturally test without complicating variables whether sea level rise or sediment supply primarily control wetland growth. Here we measure vertical accretion rates and carbon burial rates in three Oregon...
Relative to other systems in the PNW, the rain-dominated, coastal watersheds of western Oregon have shallow aquifers. Given the seasonality of streamflow and storage limitations in coastal, rain-dominated watersheds, changes in the temporal patterns of precipitation have the potential to magnify the risk of extreme streamflow conditions during both high-...
Body size explains much of the interspecific variation in the physiology, behavior, and morphology of birds, such as metabolic rate, diet selection, intake rate, gut size, and bill size. Based on mass-specific metabolic requirements and relative energetic costs of activities, being a certain body size has both advantages and disadvantages....
Childhood cancers are rare diseases that affect 188 children in Texas for every million born. Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer and accounts for roughly one third of childhood cancer cases. However, it is estimated that only 10% of childhood cancer cases can be explained by known risk factors....
This study explores the awareness of features in homes that could potentially improve the quality of life for those with arthritis. Little research has been published on the subject of home modifications for arthritis sufferers. For this study, several features for the home were identified as potentially helpful in the...
Rare plant reintroductions are a critical conservation tool for the augmentation of diminishing populations, or re-establishment of extirpated populations. Analysis of reintroduction failures suggests that a sophisticated understanding of species biology, ecology, and habitat is essential for producing self-sustaining rare plant populations. This study sought to generate that background knowledge...
Declines in wild salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations in the Columbia River basin have resulted in managers identifying that avian predation on juvenile salmonids is an important limiting factor for salmonid recovery. Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia), particularly those nesting in the Columbia River estuary, were identified as key avian predators that...