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.
Science Quality and Integrity
Science Quality and Integrity
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Mission Area Publications
Mission Area Publications
We are focused on some of the most significant issues society faces, and our science is making a substantial contribution to the well-being of the Nation and the world. Learn more about the major topics our research covers and the programs focused on those topics.
Filter Total Items: 175041
Projections of multiple climate-related coastal hazards for the US Southeast Atlantic Projections of multiple climate-related coastal hazards for the US Southeast Atlantic
Faced with accelerating sea level rise and changing ocean storm conditions, coastal communities require comprehensive assessments of climate-driven hazard impacts to inform adaptation measures. Previous studies have focused on flooding but rarely on other climate-related coastal hazards, such as subsidence, beach erosion and groundwater. Here, we project societal exposure to multiple...
Authors
Patrick L. Barnard, Kevin M. Befus, Jeffrey J. Danielson, Anita C Engelstad, Li H. Erikson, Amy C. Foxgrover, Maya Kumari Hayden, Daniel J. Hoover, Tim Leijnse, Chris Massey, Robert T. McCall, Norberto Nadal-Caraballo, Kees Nederhoff, Andrea C. O'Neill, Kai Alexander Parker, Manoochehr Shirzaei, Leonard O. Ohenhen, Peter W Swarzenski, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Maarten van Ormondt, Sean Vitousek, Killian Vos, Nathan J. Wood, Jeanne M. Jones, Jamie Jones
Database of surface water diversion sites and daily withdrawals for the upper Colorado River Basin, 1980–2022 Database of surface water diversion sites and daily withdrawals for the upper Colorado River Basin, 1980–2022
The Colorado River drains about 8% of the conterminous United States, provides water for 40 million people, and is one of the most overallocated rivers in the world. As the upper Colorado River Basin (UCOL) contributes an estimated 92% of the total basin natural streamflow, knowledge of the location and amount of surface water withdrawals in the UCOL is important for managing the...
Authors
Samuel Francisco Lopez, Jacob E. Knight, Fred D. Tillman, Melissa D. Masbruch, Daniel Wise, Casey J.R. Jones, Matthew P. Miller
A transferable approach for quantifying benthic fish sizes and densities in annotated underwater images A transferable approach for quantifying benthic fish sizes and densities in annotated underwater images
1. Benthic fishes are a common target of scientific monitoring but are difficult to quantify because of their close association to bottom habitats that are hard to access. Advances in image-acquisition technologies, machine vision, and deep learning have made capturing and quantifying fishes with cameras increasingly feasible. We present a method and open-source software called...
Authors
Peter C. Esselman, Shadi Moradi, Joseph K. Geisz, Christopher Roussi
Potentially toxic elements in wild Agassiz’s desert tortoises: Tissue concentrations and association with disease Potentially toxic elements in wild Agassiz’s desert tortoises: Tissue concentrations and association with disease
Background: Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) populations have continued to decline due to infectious and other diseases, predation, and habitat alteration. The potential contribution of minerals and heavy metals to tortoise health and susceptibility to disease remains uncertain. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of elemental analysis of trace minerals...
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Mary M. Christopher, Elliiott Jacobson
Assessing community needs for terrestrial analog studies Assessing community needs for terrestrial analog studies
Executive Summary The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed and released a survey to assess the terrestrial analog needs of the planetary science community. The goal was to assess the current state of terrestrial analog studies and determine community needs related to the use of field sites for training and research, data dissemination and archiving, and sample collections. The survey...
Authors
Lauren A. Edgar, M. Elise Rumpf, Skinner, Amber L. Gullikson, Laszlo P. Keszthelyi, Marc A. Hunter, Tenielle Gaither
River herring influence perch morphology, physiology, and life history River herring influence perch morphology, physiology, and life history
Anadromous fishes play important roles in nutrient dynamics for freshwater ecosystems; however, the trophic pathways have been less documented for iteroparous species like river herring (Alosa pseudoharengus and A. aestivalis) compared to semelparous species like Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Given recent increases in restoration activities to improve connectivity, an understanding...
Authors
Steven Mattocks, Steven Bittner, Vasili Luzanau, Habibollah Mohammadi, Allison H. Roy, Michelle D. Staudinger, Adrian Jordaan
Resource selection of the southern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger niger) in the coastal plain of Virginia Resource selection of the southern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger niger) in the coastal plain of Virginia
The southern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger niger) is a subspecies of fox squirrel that ranges from southeastern Virginia to northern Florida. Throughout its Southeastern range, southern fox squirrel habitat of natural mixed pine-hardwood forests has been fragmented by agriculture and short-rotation pine plantations. In Virginia, remaining habitat has been transformed by fire suppression on...
Authors
Marissa H. Guill, Jesse L. De La Cruz, K. Marc Puckett, W. Mark Ford
Increased mercury concentrations in walleye and yellow perch in lakes invaded by zebra mussels Increased mercury concentrations in walleye and yellow perch in lakes invaded by zebra mussels
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are invasive species that alter ecosystems and food webs with the potential to affect aquatic mercury cycling and bioaccumulation in fishes, although the effect of zebra mussels on fish tissue mercury has not been tested in inland lakes. We assessed differences in fish tissue mercury concentrations and food webs in Minnesota lakes with and without...
Authors
Naomi S. Blinick, Denver Link, Tyler D. Ahrenstoroff, Bethany J. Bethke, Abram B. Fleishman, Sarah E. Janssen, David P. Krabbenhoft, Jenna K.R. Nelson, Heidi M. Rantala, Claire L. Rude, Gretchen J.A. Hansen
Themed social networking groups as effective sources of data: A country-wide survey on invasive bigheaded carp (Hipophthalmichthys molitrix and H. nobilis) detection and distribution Themed social networking groups as effective sources of data: A country-wide survey on invasive bigheaded carp (Hipophthalmichthys molitrix and H. nobilis) detection and distribution
Citizen science commonly uses social networking platforms because they provide the easiest way to contact people. Social networking platforms can also be especially effective in that they gather people by interest and region. By sharing questionnaires and collecting photographs in angling-themed Facebook groups, we assessed the applicability of social networking groups in citizen science...
Authors
Zoltán Vitál, Duane Chapman, Béla Halasi-Kovács, Attila Mozsár
Surveying waterfowl broods in wetlands using aerial drones Surveying waterfowl broods in wetlands using aerial drones
Effective waterfowl management relies on the collection of relevant demographic data to inform land management decisions; however, some types of data are difficult to obtain. For waterfowl, brood surveys are difficult to conduct because wetland habitats often obscure ducklings from being visually assessed. Here, we used Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) to assess what wetland habitat...
Authors
Desmond Alexander Mackell, Michael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, Kevin Buffington, Chase M. Freeman, Joshua T. Ackerman, Karen M. Thorne
Evaluation of a carbon dioxide fish barrier through numerical modelling Evaluation of a carbon dioxide fish barrier through numerical modelling
The Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS) is a potential route for the migration of aquatic invasive species from the Mississippi River Basin into the Great Lakes. Electric dispersal barriers were installed in the Chicago Sanitary Ship Canal, within CAWS, to prevent invasive fish from reaching the Great Lakes. Despite the high efficiency of these barriers, occasional maintenance events...
Authors
Marcela Politano, Aaron R. Cupp, David Smith, Avery Schemmel, P. Ryan Jackson, Jeff Zuercher
Model sensitivity analysis for coastal morphodynamics: Investigating sediment parameters and bed composition in Delft3D Model sensitivity analysis for coastal morphodynamics: Investigating sediment parameters and bed composition in Delft3D
Numerical simulation of sediment transport and subsequent morphological evolution rely on accurate parameterizations of sediment characteristics. However, these data are often not available or are spatially and/or temporally limited. This study approaches the problem of limited sediment grain-size data with a series of simulations assessing model sensitivity to sediment parameters and...
Authors
Robert L. Jenkins, Christopher G. Smith, Davina Passeri, Alisha M. Ellis