Reports
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Browse more than 82,000 reports authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.
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User’s Manual for the National Water Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey: Aggregate Water-Use Data System, Version 3.2 User’s Manual for the National Water Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey: Aggregate Water-Use Data System, Version 3.2
The Aggregate Water-Use Data System (AWUDS) is the database management system used to enter, store, and analyze state aggregate water-use data. It is part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System. AWUDS has a graphical user interface that facilitates data entry, revision, review, and approval. This document provides information on the basic functions of AWUDS and...
Authors
John P. Nawyn, B. Pierre Sargent, Barbara Hoopes, Todd Augenstein, Kathleen M. Rowland, Nancy L. Barber
Biological and ecological science for Nevada—The Silver State Biological and ecological science for Nevada—The Silver State
Nevada is rich in minerals, energy, rangelands, mountains, deserts, lakes, fish, and wildlife. Many enterprises critical to Nevada's economy are based on natural resources including solar energy, livestock production, hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation. Nevada is a national leader in both geothermal and solar utility-scale energy production, and invested more than $1.2...
Authors
Program MAMO: Models for avian management optimization-user guide Program MAMO: Models for avian management optimization-user guide
The following chapters describe the structure and code of MAMO, and walk the reader through running the different components of the program with sample data. This manual should be used alongside a computer running R, so that the reader can copy and paste code into R, observe the output, and follow along interactively. Taken together, chapters 2–4 will allow the user to replicate a...
Authors
Alban Guillaumet, Eben H. Paxton
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Ventura Basin Province, California, 2016 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Ventura Basin Province, California, 2016
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a geology-based assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional and continuous oil and gas resources in the part of the Ventura Basin Province that lies onshore or within State waters (within 3 miles of the shoreline) of California (fig. 1). Conventional oil and gas resources are those that have migrated upward into structural...
Authors
Marilyn E. Tennyson, Christopher J. Schenk, Janet K. Pitman, Paul G. Lillis, Timothy R. Klett, Michael E. Brownfield, Thomas M. Finn, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Sarah J. Hawkins, Kristen R. Marra, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
Water-quality data from an earthen dam site in southern Westchester County, New York, 2015 Water-quality data from an earthen dam site in southern Westchester County, New York, 2015
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, sampled 37 sites in the reservoir area for nutrients, major ions, metals, pesticides and their degradates, volatile organic compounds, temperature, pH, and specific conductance during fall 2015. Data collection was done to characterize the local groundwater-flow system and identify...
Authors
Anthony Chu, Michael L. Noll
US Fish and Wildlife Service and the USA National Phenology Network US Fish and Wildlife Service and the USA National Phenology Network
Understanding the seasonal cycles of plants and animals, how they are changing, and how these changes can inform management, operations, and interpretation is critical to the mission of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS): to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Phenology...
Authors
Jake F. Weltzin, Theresa Crimmins, Erin E. Posthumus, Alyssa H. Rosemartin
Have mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) from the lower Penobscot River, Maine, developed tolerance to the toxic effects of mercury? Have mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus) from the lower Penobscot River, Maine, developed tolerance to the toxic effects of mercury?
Fish populations that are chronically exposed to mercury (Hg) can develop resistance to the toxic effects of this metal, including mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus; Weis 2002). Such resistance allows them to potentially accumulate very high levels of this contaminant (Stefansson et al. 2013). Mercury is a neurotoxin that affects behavior in fish, including swimming and the ability to...
Authors
Adria Elskus, Rebecca Van Beneden
The Conservation Efforts Database: Improving our knowledge of landscape conservation actions The Conservation Efforts Database: Improving our knowledge of landscape conservation actions
The Conservation Efforts Database (CED) is a secure, cloud-based tool that can be used to document and track conservation actions across landscapes. A recently released factsheet describes this tool ahead of the rollout of CED version 2.0. The CED was developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USGS, and the Great Northern Landscape Conservation Cooperative to support the 2015...
Authors
Matthew M. Heller, Justin L. Welty, Lief A. Wiechman
Nearshore fish community Nearshore fish community
Lake Ontario’s nearshore fish community consists of a diverse assemblage of warm- and cool-water species. The “nearshore zone,” loosely separated from the “offshore zones” by the 15-m depth contour, consists of complex habitats spanning a gamut from vast open-coastal areas to sheltered embayments and wetlands. Lake Ontario’s nearshore habitat has been affected to varying degrees by human
Authors
James A. Hoyle, Michael J. Connerton, Dawn E. Dittman, Dimitry Gorsky, Jana R. Lantry, Alastair Mathers, Scott L. Schlueter, Maureen Walsh, Brian Weidel, Michael J. Yuille
California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) census results, Spring 2017 California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) census results, Spring 2017
The 2017 census of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) was conducted between late April and early July along the mainland coast of central California and in April at San Nicolas Island in southern California. The 3-year average of combined counts from the mainland range and San Nicolas Island was 3,186, down by 86 sea otters from the previous year. This is the second year that...
Authors
M. Tim Tinker, Brian B. Hatfield
Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego, southern California—2016 data summary Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Middle San Luis Rey River, San Diego, southern California—2016 data summary
Executive Summary We surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (LBVI) (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (SWFL) (Empidonax traillii extimus) along the San Luis Rey River, between College Boulevard in Oceanside and Interstate 15 in Fallbrook, California (middle San Luis Rey River), in 2016. Surveys were done from March 30 to July 11 (LBVI) and from May 18 to July 30 (SWFL)...
Authors
Lisa D. Allen, Scarlett L. Howell, Barbara E. Kus