Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Below is a list of the most recent EROS peer-reviewed scientific papers, reports, fact sheets, and other publications. You can search all our publication holdings by type, topic, year, and order.

After selecting any set of these criteria, click "Apply Filter" to view the search results.

Filter Total Items: 2614

Topobathymetric elevation model development using a new methodology: Coastal National Elevation Database Topobathymetric elevation model development using a new methodology: Coastal National Elevation Database

During the coming decades, coastlines will respond to widely predicted sea-level rise, storm surge, and coastalinundation flooding from disastrous events. Because physical processes in coastal environments are controlled by the geomorphology of over-the-land topography and underwater bathymetry, many applications of geospatial data in coastal environments require detailed knowledge of...
Authors
Jeffrey Danielson, Sandra Poppenga, John Brock, Gayla Evans, Dean Tyler, Dean Gesch, Cindy Thatcher, John Barras

Decadal shifts in grass and woody plant cover are driven by prolonged drying and modified by topo‐edaphic properties Decadal shifts in grass and woody plant cover are driven by prolonged drying and modified by topo‐edaphic properties

Woody plant encroachment and overall declines in perennial vegetation in dryland regions can alter ecosystem properties and indicate land degradation, but the causes of these shifts remain controversial. Determining how changes in the abundance and distribution of grass and woody plants are influenced by conditions that regulate water availability at a regional scale provides a baseline...
Authors
Seth Munson, Temuulen Sankey, George Xian, Miguel Villarreal, Collin Homer

Evaluating new SMAP soil moisture for drought monitoring in the rangelands of the US High Plains Evaluating new SMAP soil moisture for drought monitoring in the rangelands of the US High Plains

Level 3 soil moisture datasets from the recently launched Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite are evaluated for drought monitoring in rangelands. Validation of SMAP soil moisture (SSM) with in situ and modeled estimates showed high level of agreement. SSM showed the highest correlation with surface soil moisture (0-5 cm) and a strong correlation to depths up to 20 cm. SSM...
Authors
Naga Velpuri, Gabriel Senay, Jeffrey Morisette

Controls on the geochemical evolution of Prairie Pothole Region lakes and wetlands over decadal time scales Controls on the geochemical evolution of Prairie Pothole Region lakes and wetlands over decadal time scales

One hundred sixty-seven Prairie Pothole lakes, ponds and wetlands (largely lakes) previously analyzed chemically during the late 1960’s and early to mid-1970’s were resampled and reanalyzed in 2011–2012. The two sampling periods differed climatically. The earlier sampling took place during normal to slightly dry conditions, whereas the latter occurred during and immediately following...
Authors
Martin Goldhaber, Christopher T. Mills, David Mushet, R. McCleskey, Jennifer Rover

Creating a Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) for science and conservation applications Creating a Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) for science and conservation applications

The U.S. Geological Survey is creating the Coastal National Elevation Database, an expanding set of topobathymetric elevation models that extend seamlessly across coastal regions of high societal or ecological significance in the United States that are undergoing rapid change or are threatened by inundation hazards. Topobathymetric elevation models are raster datasets useful for...
Authors
Cindy Thatcher, John Brock, Jeffrey Danielson, Sandra Poppenga, Dean Gesch, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, John Barras, Gayla Evans, Ann Gibbs

Lidar-based mapping of flood control levees in south Louisiana Lidar-based mapping of flood control levees in south Louisiana

Flood protection in south Louisiana is largely dependent on earthen levees, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the state’s levee system has received intense scrutiny. Accurate elevation data along the levees are critical to local levee district managers responsible for monitoring and maintaining the extensive system of non-federal levees in coastal Louisiana. In 2012, high...
Authors
Cindy Thatcher, Samsung Lim, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Jeffrey Danielson, Dustin Kimbrow

Is the geographic range of mangrove forests in the conterminous United States really expanding? Is the geographic range of mangrove forests in the conterminous United States really expanding?

Changes in the distribution and abundance of mangrove species within and outside of their historic geographic range can have profound consequences in the provision of ecosystem goods and services they provide. Mangroves in the conterminous United States (CONUS) are believed to be expanding poleward (north) due to decreases in the frequency and severity of extreme cold events, while sea...
Authors
Chandra Giri, Jordan Long

Hydropower assessment of Bolivia—A multisource satellite data and hydrologic modeling approach Hydropower assessment of Bolivia—A multisource satellite data and hydrologic modeling approach

This study produced a geospatial database for use in a decision support system by the Bolivian authorities to investigate further development and investment potentials in sustainable hydropower in Bolivia. The study assessed theoretical hydropower of all 1-kilometer (km) stream segments in the country using multisource satellite data and a hydrologic modeling approach. With the...
Authors
Naga Velpuri, Shahriar Pervez, W. Cushing

Optimizing selection of training and auxiliary data for operational land cover classification for the LCMAP initiative Optimizing selection of training and auxiliary data for operational land cover classification for the LCMAP initiative

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) initiative is a new end-to-end capability to continuously track and characterize changes in land cover, use, and condition to better support research and applications relevant to resource management and environmental change. Among the LCMAP product suite are annual land cover maps that will be...
Authors
Zhe Zhu, Alisa Gallant, Curtis Woodcock, Bruce Pengra, Pontus Olofsson, Thomas R. Loveland, Suming Jin, Devendra Dahal, Limin Yang, Roger Auch

Perspectives on monitoring gradual change across the continuity of Landsat sensors using time-series data Perspectives on monitoring gradual change across the continuity of Landsat sensors using time-series data

There are many types of changes occurring over the Earth's landscapes that can be detected and monitored using Landsat data. Here we focus on monitoring “within-state,” gradual changes in vegetation in contrast with traditional monitoring of “abrupt” land-cover conversions. Gradual changes result from a variety of processes, such as vegetation growth and succession, damage from insects...
Authors
James Vogelmann, Alisa Gallant, Hua Shi, Zhe Zhu

Grassland and cropland net ecosystem production of the U.S. Great Plains: Regression tree model development and comparative analysis Grassland and cropland net ecosystem production of the U.S. Great Plains: Regression tree model development and comparative analysis

This paper presents the methodology and results of two ecological-based net ecosystem production (NEP) regression tree models capable of up scaling measurements made at various flux tower sites throughout the U.S. Great Plains. Separate grassland and cropland NEP regression tree models were trained using various remote sensing data and other biogeophysical data, along with 15 flux towers
Authors
Bruce Wylie, Daniel Howard, Devendra Dahal, Tagir Gilmanov, Lei Ji, Li Zhang, Kelcy Smith
Was this page helpful?