Publications
Browse more than 160,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS. Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.
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Filter Total Items: 173098
Relative abundance, seasonal occurrence, and distribution of marine birds in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Marine birds in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico have long been poorly studied. Given statutory obligations to protect migratory birds and endangered species, three broad-scale vessel and aerial programs initiated since 2010 have now surveyed the entire northern Gulf. Vessel coverage alone exceeds 700 d and 74,000 km of observer effort using 300-m strip transects. We supplemented these survey...
Authors
J. Christopher Haney, Pamela E. Michael, Jeffery S. Gleason, Randy Wilson, Yvan G. Satgé, Kathy M. Hixson, Patrick G.R. Jodice
Volcanic gases reflect magma stalling and launching depths
Many open-vent arc volcanoes display two modes in their continuous gas emissions, one with a characteristic CO2/ ST ratio typical of periods of quiescent degassing and another punctuated by high CO2/ ST gas emitted in the weeks before eruption, a recently recognized eruption precursor. In this study we explore the origin of the two modes of degassing revealed by time-series gas data at...
Authors
Shuo Ding, Terry Plank, J. Maarten de Moor, Yves Moussallam, Maryjo Brounce, Peter J. Kelly
RIce-Net: Integrating ground-based cameras and machine learning for automated river ice detection
River ice plays a critical role in controlling streamflow in cold regions. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) qualifies affected water-level measurements and inferred streamflow by ice conditions at a date later than the day of the actual measurements. This study introduces a novel computer vision-based framework, River Ice-Network (RIce-Net), that uses the USGS nationwide network of...
Authors
Mahmoud Ayyad, Marouane Temini, Mohamed Abdelkader, Moheb Henein, Frank L. Engel, R. Russell Lotspeich, John R. Eggleston
From hydrated silica to quartz: Potential hydrothermal precipitates found in Jezero crater, Mars
On Earth, silica-rich phases from opal to quartz are important indicators and tracers of geological processes. Hydrated silica, such as opal, is a particularly good matrix for the preservation of molecular and macroscopic biosignatures. Cherts, a type of silica-dominated rocks, provide a unique archive of ancient terrestrial life while quartz is the emblematic mineral of the Earth's...
Authors
P.S.A. Beck, Olivier Beyssac, Erwin Dehouck, S. Bernard, M. Pineau, Lucia Mandon, C. Royer, Elise Clave, S. Schroder, O. Forni, R. Francis, N. Mangold, C.C. Bedford, A.P. Broz, E.A. Cloutis, J.R. Johnson, F. Poulet, Thierry Fouchet, Cathy Quantin-Nataf, C. Pilorget, William Rapin, P.-Y. Meslin, Travis S.J. Gabriel, Gorka Arana, J.M. Madariaga, A. J. Brown, S. Maurice, S. M. Clegg, Olivier Gasnault, Agnès Cousin, R.C. Wiens, The SuperCam Team
Effects of chronic metal exposure and metamorphosis on the microbiomes of larval and adult insects and riparian spiders through the aquatic-riparian food web
The macroinvertebrate microbiome controls various aspects of the host's physiology, from regulation of environmental contaminants to reproductive output. Aquatic insects provide critical nutritional subsidies linking aquatic and riparian food webs while simultaneously serving as a contaminant pathway for riparian insectivores in polluted ecosystems. Previous studies have characterized...
Authors
Brittany G. Perrotta, Karen A. Kidd, Amy M Marcarelli, Gordon Paterson, David C Walters
Seismic moment and local magnitude scales in Ridgecrest, CA from the SCEC/USGS Community Stress Drop Validation Study
We illustrate the systematic difference between moment magnitude and local magnitude caused by underlying earthquake source physics, using seismic moments submitted to the Statewide California Earthquake Center/United States Geological Survey Community Stress Drop Validation Study 2019 Ridgecrest data set. While the relationship between seismic moment and moment magnitude (M or Mw) of...
Authors
Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Rachel E. Abercrombie
Characterizing Meteor Crater impact melts through geochemistry and textural analysis
The U.S. Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center houses the Meteor Crater sample collection, an assemblage of over 2,500 meters of cuttings from 161 drill holes into Meteor Crater’s rim, flanks, and ejecta blanket. We have utilized this unique collection to study the composition and spatial distribution of impact-generated materials from within the ejecta blanket. Meteor Crater has...
Authors
Amber L. Gullikson, Tenielle A. Gaither, Justin J. Hagerty
Potential water-quality and hydrology stressors on freshwater mussels with development of environmental DNA assays for selected mussels and macroinvertebrates in Big Darby Creek Basin, Ohio, 2020–22
The richness and abundance of freshwater mussels in the Big Darby Creek Basin has declined in recent decades, according to survey results published by the Ohio Biological Survey. In October 2016, a major mussel die-off of undetermined cause reportedly affected over 50 miles of Big Darby Creek; however, fishes and other wildlife were not noticeably impacted. Pollution, habitat destruction...
Authors
Carrie A. Huitger, Greg F. Koltun, Erin Stelzer, Lauren D. Lynch
Data gap analysis for estimation of agricultural return flows in the Upper Gunnison River Basin, Colorado
The Gunnison River and many tributaries in the Upper Gunnison River Basin provide water to irrigate agricultural crops. The application of irrigation water can recharge some aquifers locally by water percolating below the root zone and eventually flowing back to the stream or river through the subsurface. Diverting surface water for irrigation reduces streamflow during the irrigation...
Authors
Rachel G. Gidley, Quinn M. Miller, Wayne R. Belcher
Lead exposure in waterfowl before contoxic shot requirements: A nationwide study, 1983−1986
Before implementing nontoxic shot requirements for hunting waterfowl and American coots Fulica americana in the United States in 1991, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitored lead poisoning in waterfowl on federal and state wildlife hunting areas during 1983-1986. Federal and state collaborators collected gizzards and livers from 9,029 hunter-killed waterfowl (10 species of dabbling...
Authors
J. Christian Franson, Christine M. Bunck
Solution-collapse breccia pipe uranium deposits of the southern Colorado Plateau, northwestern Arizona, USA
Some of the highest-grade uranium deposits in the United States occur in breccia pipes that formed by solution and collapse of sedimentary strata, which occur in the southern portion of the Colorado Plateau in northwestern Arizona. The host breccia pipes are up to 1200 m in vertical extent, average about 90 m in diameter, and can cross-cut strata from their base in the Mississippian...
Authors
Bradley S. Van Gosen, Susan M. Hall, Craig A. Johnson, William Benzel
A quantitative classification of the geography of non-native flora in the United States
AimNon-native plants have the potential to harm ecosystems. Harm is classically related to their distribution and abundance, but this geographical information is often unknown. Here, we assess geographical commonness as a potential indicator of invasive status for non-native flora in the United States. Geographical commonness could inform invasion risk assessments across species and...
Authors
Bethany A. Bradley, Annette Evans, Helen Sofaer, Montserrat Vilà, David Barnett, Evelyn M. Beaury, Dana M. Blumenthal, Jeffrey Corbin, Jeffrey Dukes, Regan Early, Ines Ibanez, Ian Pearse, Lais Petri, Cascade J.B. Sorte