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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American kestrel population trends and vital rates at the continental scale American kestrel population trends and vital rates at the continental scale
The American kestrel (Falco sparverius, hereafter referred to as kestrel) has declined across much of its North American range since at least the mid-1960s. Kestrel population dynamics have been explored through a multitude of local studies and two broad reviews of available data. Across large geographic extents, however, the demographic cause(s) of kestrel population declines remain(s)...
Authors
Paige E. Howell, Abigail Jean Lawson, Davis Kristin P., Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Orin J. Robinson, Matthew A. Boggie, Mitchell J. Eaton, Fitsum Abadi, Jessi L. Brown, Julie A. Heath, John A. Smallwood, Karen Steenhof, Ted Swem, Brian W. Rolek, Christopher J.W. McClure, Jean-Francois Therrien, Karl E. Miller, Brian A. Milsap
Amphibian use of recently created wetlands in the Palouse region of northern Idaho, USA Amphibian use of recently created wetlands in the Palouse region of northern Idaho, USA
Human development has resulted in the loss of natural wetlands in many regions and thus has led to amphibian habitat loss. Human-constructed wetlands are increasingly prevalent, particularly in human-modified landscapes, and can be used as breeding habitats by amphibians. It is important to identify factors influencing amphibian use of constructed wetlands to guide future wetland...
Authors
Rolllie M. Grinder, Charles R. Peterson, Edward O. Garton, Javan Mathias Bauder
An Antarctic ecosystem value index to quantify ecological value across trophic levels and over time An Antarctic ecosystem value index to quantify ecological value across trophic levels and over time
The Southern Ocean around Antarctica is one of the fastest changing regions on the planet and an emerging resource frontier for fisheries. Here, we present the Antarctic Ecosystem Value Index created by merging ecosystem information across food web trophic levels, from phytoplankton to fish and penguins, to quantify the ecological value of marine areas around the Antarctic continent. We...
Authors
Alice K. DuVivier, Kristen M. Krumhardt, Laura L. Landrum, Zephyr Sylvester, Bilgecan Sen, Sara Labrousse, Christian Joseph Che-Castaldo, Alice Eparvier, Marika M. Holland, Michelle A. LaRue, Cara Nissen, Michael N. Levy, Stephanie Jenouvrier, Cassandra M. Brooks
An automated geographic information system-based hydraulic modeling tool for developing preliminary culvert designs for stream crossings in Massachusetts An automated geographic information system-based hydraulic modeling tool for developing preliminary culvert designs for stream crossings in Massachusetts
Authors
Gardner C. Bent, Brendan A. McCarthy, Luke P. Sturtevant, Meghan A. McCallister, Amanda L. Tudor, Ian P. Armstrong, Mark W. Poe, Alexander P. Graziano, Carl S. Carlson
An energetic tradeoff best explains parturition timing in grizzly bears An energetic tradeoff best explains parturition timing in grizzly bears
Timing of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) parturition during hibernation has been explained by ancestral traits (delayed implantation, altricial young, obligate maternal denning), but the ultimate driver underlying precise timing has not been fully explored. Capitalizing on an observed latitudinal increase in denning duration among four populations in interior North America, we tested two...
Authors
C. M. Costello, Lori L. Roberts, D. D. Bjornlie, M. D. Cameron, J. G. Clapp, Mark A. Haroldson, G. V. Hilderbrand, Kyle Joly, Wayne F. Kasworm, J. M. Nicholson, Thomas G. Radandt, M. S. Sorum, J. E. Teisberg, Frank T. van Manen, M. A. Vinks
An entropic explanation for Gutenberg-Richter scaling An entropic explanation for Gutenberg-Richter scaling
We develop a simple explanation for Gutenberg-Richter (G-R) size scaling of earthquakes on a single fault. We discretize the fault and consider all possible contiguous ruptures at that level of discretization. In this static model, we assume that slip scales with rupture length, and that the rupture rates at each point along the fault are consistent with an a priori long-term slip rate...
Authors
Morgan T. Page, Edward H. Field
An improved empirical model for predicting postfire debris-flow volume in the western United States An improved empirical model for predicting postfire debris-flow volume in the western United States
Reliable estimates of debris-flow volume can be used to help predict the magnitude of debris-flow hazards following wildfire in the western United States. In this study, we compiled and used a database of 227 postfire debris-flow volumes that were collected across the western United States to develop a multiple linear regression model for predicting postfire debris-flow volume. We...
Authors
Alexander Nicholas Gorr, Francis K. Rengers, Katherine R. Barnhart, Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean
An integrated drought early warning system to support coldwater fisheries management An integrated drought early warning system to support coldwater fisheries management
Low streamflow resulting from drought and human water use is a threat to freshwater fisheries throughout western North America, creating a need for effective tools to aid management and fisheries use. We developed a drought early warning framework that forecasts river conditions that could result in temporary fishery closures and restrictions across Montana’s renowned trout fisheries...
Authors
Justin T. Martin, Gregory T. Pederson, Timothy Cline, Andrew Biche Lahr, Jeffrey D. Walker, David Schmetterling, Donovan A. Bell, Clint C. Muhlfeld
An integrated mudstone facies classification scheme and revised interpretation of the sedimentologic processes driving carbon burial in the Cenomanian–Turonian Greenhorn Formation, Colorado, U.S.A. An integrated mudstone facies classification scheme and revised interpretation of the sedimentologic processes driving carbon burial in the Cenomanian–Turonian Greenhorn Formation, Colorado, U.S.A.
Standardizing facies descriptions has proven key to integrating interpretations of depositional processes and environments from sedimentologic observations with geochemistry data for mudstone lithologies. Because of their fine-grained nature, high degree of compaction, and heterogeneous composition, standardizing methods for mudstone descriptions has proven difficult, but it is critical...
Authors
Jason A. Flaum, Katherine L. French, Justin E. Birdwell, Kira K. Timm
An overview and participatory framework for choosing spatial boundaries in social–ecological systems modeling An overview and participatory framework for choosing spatial boundaries in social–ecological systems modeling
A common challenge when modeling social–ecological systems (SESs) is defining the spatial extent of the system. Boundaries that do not adequately capture both social and ecological processes and their interactions can lead to mischaracterization of the system, while expanding boundaries too widely can impact model complexity and required resources. Socially, boundaries can invoke and...
Authors
Christina D. Perella, Jelena Vukomanovic, Caleb R. Hickman, Adam J. Terando, Mitchell J. Eaton, Marie Schaefer
An overview of the NASA Adaptation and Response in Drylands field experiment scoping study An overview of the NASA Adaptation and Response in Drylands field experiment scoping study
Drylands cover 41% of Earth’s land surface, support 36% of the global population, and contribute 60% of global food production. Despite these ecosystems’ importance and high vulnerability to droughts and heatwaves, drylands remain some of the most understudied systems on Earth. Monitoring drylands is challenging due to their complex ecosystem structure of visible soil mixed with diverse...
Authors
Andrew F. Feldman, Sasha C. Reed, Konrad Wessels, Dennis S. Ojima, David J.P. Moore, William K. Smith, Niall P. Hanan, Cibele Amaral, Flurin Babst, Joel A. Biederman, Marcy Litvak, Natasha MacBean, Benjamin Poulter, Russell L. Scott, Alicja Babst-Kostecka, Julia K. Green, Raymond F. Kokaly, Ryan Pavlick, Robert Swap, Shawn P. Serbin, Compton J. Tucker, Lixin Wang, Jennifer D. Watts, Alejandro Flores, James Rattling Leaf Sr., Robert A. Washington-Allen, Karen Prentice, Emily Kachergis, Julian Reyes, Jasmine Ryan, Michael D. SanClements, Henry W. Loescher, Allison K Leidner, Tyson Swetnam
Analyses of eye lens stable isotopes across ontogeny of trophically diverse freshwater salmonids Analyses of eye lens stable isotopes across ontogeny of trophically diverse freshwater salmonids
Ontogenetic niche shifts in fishes are nearly universal but remain poorly understood in many species despite being fundamentally important for the persistence, management, and conservation of fish populations, including those of vulnerable salmonids. Eye lens stable isotope analysis has proven useful in studying ontogeny in some marine species but has rarely been applied in freshwater...
Authors
Glenn T. Schumacher, Ernst B. Peebles, Nathan B. Furey, Michael T. Kinnison, Gregory R. Kronisch, Christina Amy Murphy