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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Mission Area Publications
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At the leading edge: Advancing and bridging the science and management of range-shifting species At the leading edge: Advancing and bridging the science and management of range-shifting species
Climate-mediated shifts in species distributions are reshaping ecosystems worldwide, creating major challenges for conservation and resource management. These range shifts have far-reaching ecological and socio-economic consequences, requiring managers to address complex ecological dynamics while navigating diverse regulatory and value systems. Despite growing attention, key gaps remain...
Authors
Lise Comte, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Laura M. Thompson, Jackson Brear Valler, Madeleine A. Rubenstein, Casey C. O'Hara, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Abigail J. Lynch, T.J. Clark-Wolf, Ophelie Ocouriot, Solomon Z. Dobrowski, Laura L. Figueroa, Gabriel M. Filippelli, Heather E. Johnson, Meade Krosby, Joshua J. Lawlor, David A. Moeller, Sean A. Parks, Elliott W. Parsons, Jeremy D. Ross, Brett R. Scheffers, Helen R. Sofaer, Erica Francis Stuber, Shawn Carter
Availability of dark daytime refuge may limit mysid abundance in the Laurentian Great Lakes Availability of dark daytime refuge may limit mysid abundance in the Laurentian Great Lakes
The zooplankton Mysis diluviana is a major component of the Laurentian Great Lakes food web and has recently declined in abundance in both lakes Michigan and Huron. Drivers of these declines are not well understood. Here, we explore the hypothesis that recent increases in water clarity have contributed to the decline of M. diluviana (mysids) by limiting the availability of daytime dark...
Authors
Kayden C. Nasworthy, James M. Watkins, Thomas M. Evans, Hannah B. Blair, Sarah D. Lawhun, Suresh A. Sethi, Timothy P. O’Brien, David M. Warner, Steven A. Pothoven, Anne E. Scofield, Peter C. Esselman, Lars G. Rudstam
Avoiding common pitfalls in the implementation of adaptive forest wildlife management Avoiding common pitfalls in the implementation of adaptive forest wildlife management
Forest management planning requires the evaluation of tradeoffs in proposed management actions to meet multiple objectives, including providing the habitat required to sustain wildlife populations. However, various species-specific life history strategies and ecological uncertainties complicate our understanding of the responses of wildlife to disturbances, such as wildfires and forest...
Authors
Adam Duarte, James T. Peterson
Background and geologic model for the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in the Norphlet Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast Background and geologic model for the 2024 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered conventional petroleum resources in the Norphlet Formation, U.S. Gulf Coast
The Upper Jurassic Norphlet Formation is a stratigraphic unit located in the subsurface of the United States Gulf coastal plain and offshore Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico). The Norphlet consists of clastic sediments derived from the southern Appalachian highlands, and was deposited in a continental dryland setting on the margins of the early Gulf of America rift basin. The formation...
Authors
John W. Counts
Background, methods, goals, challenges, opportunities, and information needs Background, methods, goals, challenges, opportunities, and information needs
Understanding how climate change and variability will impact grassland ecosystems is crucial for successful grasslands management in the future. In 2020, the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center began a project to establish a baseline of information to best serve grassland managers (that is, those individuals who develop grassland management plans, implement those plans on the...
Bank-dwelling beavers contribute to the wood regime in a dryland river Bank-dwelling beavers contribute to the wood regime in a dryland river
Our findings suggest that the influence of dwelling beavers on large wood budgets may substantially determine the structure and function of medium to large rivers, particularly in dryland systems such as the White River. Recognizing the role of bank-dwelling beavers expands our understanding of biotic drivers of riverscape complexity and provides new opportunities to integrate ecology...
Authors
Casey A. Pennock, William W. Macfarlane, Phaedra E. Budy, Julianne Scamardo, Daniel C. White
Basal area loss from fire using field-calibrated remote sensing refines western US fire severity measurements Basal area loss from fire using field-calibrated remote sensing refines western US fire severity measurements
The spatial patterns of fire effects and tree mortality have profound consequences for forest resilience. Cost-effective, medium-resolution, and spatiotemporally extensive fire severity measurements are essential for informing post-fire restoration and improving our understanding of wildfires—from forest stands to continents and from days to decades. Remote sensing advancements have...
Authors
Sara Winsemius, Yufang Jin, Hugh D. Safford, Michelle C. Agne, Robert A. Andrus, C. Alina Cansler, Anthony C. Caprio, W. Wallace Covington, Joseph E. Crouse, Calvin A. Farris, Peter Z. Fulé, Brian J. Harvey, Sharon M. Hood, David W. Huffman, Emma J. McClure, Alicia L. Reiner, John P. Roccaforte, Saba J. Saberi, Michael T. Stoddard, Laura Trader, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Michael J. Koontz
Baseflow and snowmelt sustained streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2020 Baseflow and snowmelt sustained streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2020
The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) faces substantial water availability limitations. Although most streamflow originates as snowmelt, the partitioning of snowmelt between surface runoff and groundwater recharge and subsequent groundwater discharge to streams is highly uncertain. On average, over half of the streamflow in the UCRB is estimated to originate from groundwater discharge to...
Authors
Olivia L. Miller, Matthew P. Miller, Patrick C. Longley, Noah M. Schmadel, Daniel R. Wise, Morgan C. McDonnell, Jay R. Alder
Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River near Kansas City, Missouri, August 8–9, 2023 Bathymetric and velocimetric surveys at highway bridges crossing the Missouri River near Kansas City, Missouri, August 8–9, 2023
Bathymetric and velocimetric data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation, near 8 bridge crossings of the Missouri River near Kansas City, Missouri, on August 8–9, 2023. A multibeam echosounder mapping system was used to obtain channel-bed elevations for river reaches that extended about 1,550 to 1,640 feet...
Authors
Richard J. Huizinga, Benjamin C. Rivers
Bathymetric survey and storage capacity of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona in 2024 Bathymetric survey and storage capacity of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona in 2024
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the city of Flagstaff, collected bathymetric, light detection and ranging (lidar), and land- survey data of Upper Lake Mary in Arizona during the months of April and October 2024. The city of Flagstaff uses a combination of groundwater from well fields throughout the Flagstaff area and surface water, mainly from Upper Lake Mary, for...
Authors
Joseph Anthony Affinati, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Paul E. Grams, Katherine A. Chapman
Bayesian belief network model to predict human-wildlife conflict in protected areas Bayesian belief network model to predict human-wildlife conflict in protected areas
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) poses a pervasive global challenge, affecting livelihoods and threatening biodiversity. To better anticipate and mitigate HWC risk, we developed a large-scale predictive model using a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN). We surveyed 1,011 park rangers across 135 terrestrial protected areas in three Andean countries, documenting recent HWC incidents involving...
Authors
Santiago Garcia-Llore, Richard C Stedman, Angela K. Fuller