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Publications

Here you will find publications, reports and articles produced by Core Science System scientists. For a comprehensive listing of all USGS publications please click the button below.

Filter Total Items: 289

Integrating multiple data sources in species distribution modeling: A framework for data fusion Integrating multiple data sources in species distribution modeling: A framework for data fusion

The last decade has seen a dramatic increase in the use of species distribution models (SDMs) to characterize patterns of species’ occurrence and abundance. Efforts to parameterize SDMs often create a tension between the quality and quantity of data available to fit models. Estimation methods that integrate both standardized and non-standardized data types offer a potential solution to...
Authors
Krishna Pacifici, Brian Reich, David Miller, Beth Gardner, Glenn Stauffer, Susheela Singh, Alexa McKerrow, Jaime A. Collazo

Long-term fish monitoring in large rivers: Utility of “benchmarking” across basins Long-term fish monitoring in large rivers: Utility of “benchmarking” across basins

In business, benchmarking is a widely used practice of comparing your own business processes to those of other comparable companies and incorporating identified best practices to improve performance. Biologists and resource managers designing and conducting monitoring programs for fish in large river systems tend to focus on single river basins or segments of large rivers, missing...
Authors
David Ward, Andrew Casper, Timothy Counihan, Jennifer Bayer, Ian Waite, John Kosovich, Colin Chapman, Elise Irwin, Jennifer Sauer, Brian Ickes, Alexa McKerrow

Use of lidar point cloud data to support estimation of residual trace metals stored in mine chat piles in the Old Lead Belt of southeastern, Missouri Use of lidar point cloud data to support estimation of residual trace metals stored in mine chat piles in the Old Lead Belt of southeastern, Missouri

Historic lead and zinc (Pb-Zn) mining in southeast Missouri’s ―Old Lead Belt‖ has left large chat piles dominating the landscape where prior to 1972 mining was the major industry of the region. As a result of variable beneficiation methods over the history of mining activity, these piles remain with large quantities of unrecovered Pb and Zn and to a lesser extent cadmium (Cd)...
Authors
Emitt Witt

Uncertainty quantification and propagation for projections of extremes in monthly area burned under climate change: A case study in the coastal plain of Georgia, USA Uncertainty quantification and propagation for projections of extremes in monthly area burned under climate change: A case study in the coastal plain of Georgia, USA

Human‐caused climate change is predicted to affect the frequency of hazard‐linked extremes. Unusually large wildfires are a type of extreme event that is constrained by climate and can be a hazard to society but also an important ecological disturbance. This chapter focuses on changes in the frequency of extreme monthly area burned by wildfires for the end of the 21st century for a...
Authors
Adam Terando, Brian Reich, Krishna Pacifici, Jennifer Costanza, Alexa McKerrow, Jaime A. Collazo

Projected gains and losses of wildlife habitat from bioenergy-induced landscape change Projected gains and losses of wildlife habitat from bioenergy-induced landscape change

Domestic and foreign renewable energy targets and financial incentives have increased demand for woody biomass and bioenergy in the southeastern United States. This demand is expected to be met through purpose-grown agricultural bioenergy crops, short-rotation tree plantations, thinning and harvest of planted and natural forests, and forest harvest residues. With results from a forest...
Authors
Nathan M. Tarr, Matthew Rubino, Jennifer Costanza, Alexa McKerrow, Jaime A. Collazo, Robert Abt

Bioenergy production and forest landscape change in the southeastern United States Bioenergy production and forest landscape change in the southeastern United States

Production of woody biomass for bioenergy, whether wood pellets or liquid biofuels, has the potential to cause substantial landscape change and concomitant effects on forest ecosystems, but the landscape effects of alternative production scenarios have not been fully assessed. We simulated landscape change from 2010 to 2050 under five scenarios of woody biomass production for wood...
Authors
Jennifer Costanza, Robert Abt, Alexa McKerrow, Jaime A. Collazo

Book review: Mapping gendered routes and spaces in the early modern world Book review: Mapping gendered routes and spaces in the early modern world

This book encapsulates and extends many seminal ideas presented at the eighth “Attending to Early Modern Women” conference held at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in June 2012. Merry Wiesner-Hanks has done a masterful job editing these papers within a central theme of the interaction of spatial domains with gender-based phenomena. The fifteen chapters of this book are organized...
Authors
Dalia Varanka

Evaluating integration of inland bathymetry in the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program, 2014 Evaluating integration of inland bathymetry in the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program, 2014

Inland bathymetry survey collections, survey data types, features, sources, availability, and the effort required to integrate inland bathymetric data into the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program are assessed to help determine the feasibility of integrating three-dimensional water feature elevation data into The National Map. Available data from wading, acoustic, light detection...
Authors
Cynthia Miller-Corbett

Infrastructure system restoration planning using evolutionary algorithms Infrastructure system restoration planning using evolutionary algorithms

This paper presents an evolutionary algorithm to address restoration issues for supply chain interdependent critical infrastructure. Rapid restoration of infrastructure after a large-scale disaster is necessary to sustaining a nation's economy and security, but such long-term restoration has not been investigated as thoroughly as initial rescue and recovery efforts. A model of the...
Authors
Steven Corns, Suzanna Long, Thomas Shoberg

Shapes on a plane: Evaluating the impact of projection distortion on spatial binning Shapes on a plane: Evaluating the impact of projection distortion on spatial binning

One method for working with large, dense sets of spatial point data is to aggregate the measure of the data into polygonal containers, such as political boundaries, or into regular spatial bins such as triangles, squares, or hexagons. When mapping these aggregations, the map projection must inevitably distort relationships. This distortion can impact the reader’s ability to compare count...
Authors
Sarah Battersby, Daniel Strebe, Michael Finn

Isotopically constrained lead sources in fugitive dust from unsurfaced roads in the southeast Missouri mining district Isotopically constrained lead sources in fugitive dust from unsurfaced roads in the southeast Missouri mining district

The isotopic composition of lead (Pb) in fugitive dust suspended by a vehicle from 13 unsurfaced roads in Missouri was measured to identify the source of Pb within an established long-term mining area. A three end-member model using 207Pb/206Pb and concentration as tracers resulted in fugitive dust samples plotting in the mixing field of well characterized heterogeneous end members. End...
Authors
Emitt Witt, Michael Pribil, John Hogan, David Wronkiewicz

Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of Alaska Baseline and projected future carbon storage and greenhouse-gas fluxes in ecosystems of Alaska

This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to contribute to knowledge of the storage, fluxes, and balance of carbon and methane gas in ecosystems of Alaska. The carbon and methane variables were examined for major terrestrial ecosystems (uplands and wetlands) and inland aquatic ecosystems in Alaska in...
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