Publications
Filter Total Items: 36
Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity
Biodiversity—the variety of life on Earth—provides vital services that support and improve human health and well-being. Ecosystems, which are composed of living things that interact with the physical environment, provide numerous essential benefits to people. These benefits, termed ecosystem services, encompass four primary functions: provisioning materials, such as food and fiber...
Authors
Douglas Lipton, Madeleine A. Rubenstein, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Shawn L. Carter, Jay Peterson, Lisa Crozier, Michael Fogarty, Sarah Gaichas, Kimberly J. W. Hyde, Toni Lyn Morelli, Jeffrey Morisette, Hassan Moustahfid, Roldan Munoz, Rajendra Poudel, Michelle D. Staudinger, Charles Stock, Laura Thompson, Robin S. Waples, Jake Weltzin
Southeast Southeast
The Southeast includes vast expanses of coastal and inland low-lying areas, the southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains, numerous high-growth metropolitan areas, and large rural expanses. These beaches and bayous, fields and forests, and cities and small towns are all at risk from a changing climate. While some climate change impacts, such as sea level rise and extreme downpours...
Authors
Lynne Carter, Adam J. Terando, Kirstin Dow, Kevin Hiers, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Aranzazu R. Lascurain, Doug Marcy, Michael J. Osland, Paul Schramm
Alaska Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the Nation, almost one-fifth the size of the combined lower 48 United States, and is rich in natural capital resources. Alaska is often identified as being on the front lines of climate change since it is warming faster than any other state and faces a myriad of issues associated with a changing climate. The cost of infrastructure damage from a warming...
Authors
Carl Markon, Stephen Gray, Matthew Berman, Laura Eerkes-Medrano, Thomas Hennessy, Henry P. Huntington, Jeremy Littell, Molly McCammon, Richard Thoman, Sarah Trainor
Coastal effects Coastal effects
The Coasts chapter of the Third National Climate Assessment, published in 2014, focused on coastal lifelines at risk, economic disruption, uneven social vulnerability, and vulnerable ecosystems. This Coastal Effects chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment updates those themes, with a focus on integrating the socioeconomic and environmental impacts and consequences of a changing...
Authors
Elizabeth Fleming, Jeffrey Payne, William V. Sweet, Michael Craghan, John W. Haines, Juliette Finzi Hart, Heidi Stiller, Ariana Sutton-Grier
Northern Great Plains Northern Great Plains
In the Northern Great Plains, the timing and quantity of both precipitation and runoff have important consequences for water supplies, agricultural activities, and energy production. Overall, climate projections suggest that the number of heavy precipitation events (events with greater than 1 inch per day of rainfall) is projected to increase. Moving forward, the magnitude of year-to...
Authors
Richard T. Conant, Doug Kluck, Mark T. Anderson, Andrew Badger, Barbara M. Boustead, Justin D. Derner, Laura Farris, Michael Hayes, Ben Livneh, Shannon McNeeley, Dannele Peck, Martha Shulski, Valerie Small
U.S. Caribbean U.S. Caribbean
Historically, the U.S. Caribbean region has experienced relatively stable seasonal rainfall patterns, moderate annual temperature fluctuations, and a variety of extreme weather events, such as tropical storms, hurricanes, and drought. However, the Caribbean climate is changing and is projected to be increasingly variable as levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase. The high...
Authors
William A. Gould, Ernesto L. Diaz, Nora L. Alvarez-Berrios, Felix Aponte-Gonzalez, Wayne Archibald, Jared H. Bowden, Lisamarie Carrubba, Wanda Crespo, Stephen J. Fain, Grizelle Gonzalez, Annmarie Goulbourne, Eric Harmsen, Eva Holupchinski, Azad H. Khalyani, James P. Kossin, Amanda J. Leinberger, Vanessa I. Marrero-Santiago, Odalys Martinez-Sanchez, Kathleen McGinley, Pablo Mendez-Lazaro, Julio Morrell, Melissa Melendez Oyola, Isabel K. Pares-Ramos, Roger Pulwarty, William V. Sweet, Adam J. Terando, Sigfredo Torres-González
Northeast Northeast
The distinct seasonality of the Northeast’s climate supports a diverse natural landscape adapted to the extremes of cold, snowy winters and warm to hot, humid summers. This natural landscape provides the economic and cultural foundation for many rural communities, which are largely supported by a diverse range of agricultural, tourism, and natural resource-dependent industries (see Ch...
Authors
Lesley-Ann L. Dupigny-Giroux, Ellen L. Mecray, Mary D. Lemcke-Stampone, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Erika E. Lentz, Katherine E. Mills, Erin D. Lane, Rawlings Miller, David Y. Hollinger, William D. Solecki, Gregory A. Wellenius, Perry E. Sheffield, Anthony B. McDonald, Christopher Caldwell
Scientific integrity - Recent Department of the Interior policies, codes, and their implementation Scientific integrity - Recent Department of the Interior policies, codes, and their implementation
Established on January 28, 2011, the Department of Interior's (DOI’s) Scientific and Scholarly Integrity Policy was the first federal agency policy to respond to the Presidential Memorandum on Scientific Integrity (March 9, 2009) and guidance issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy Memorandum on Scientific Integrity (December 17, 2010). The increasingly important role of...
Authors
Alan D. Thornhill, Richard Coleman
Case studies of riparian and watershed restoration in the southwestern United States—Principles, challenges, and successes Case studies of riparian and watershed restoration in the southwestern United States—Principles, challenges, and successes
Globally, rivers and streams are highly altered by impoundments, diversions, and stream channelization associated with agricultural and water delivery needs. Climate change imposes additional challenges by further reducing discharge, introducing variability in seasonal precipitation patterns, and increasing temperatures. Collectively, these changes in a river or stream’s annual hydrology...
Authors
Barbara E. Ralston, Daniel A. Sarr
Student and recent graduate employment opportunities Student and recent graduate employment opportunities
As an unbiased, multidisciplinary science organization, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the health of our ecosystems and environment, our natural resources, the impacts of climate and land-use change, and the natural hazards that affect our lives. Opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent...
Authors
Grant opportunities for academic research and training Grant opportunities for academic research and training
As an unbiased, multidisciplinary science organization, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the health of our ecosystems and environment, our natural resources, the impacts of climate and land-use change, and the natural hazards that affect our lives. Grant opportunities for researchers and faculty to participate in USGS science...
Authors
Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Conference of research on the Colorado Plateau Proceedings of the 12th Biennial Conference of research on the Colorado Plateau
Introduction The Colorado Plateau is a physiographic region that encompasses 330,000 square kilometers in parts of four states in the southwestern United States (Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona). Known for its high deserts, the Colorado Plateau also includes isolated mountains, high plateaus, and rugged canyons. Not only is the region topographically diverse, but geologically...