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: 175056
Perspectives on the future of ecology, evolution, and biodiversity from the Council on Microbial Sciences of the American Society for Microbiology Perspectives on the future of ecology, evolution, and biodiversity from the Council on Microbial Sciences of the American Society for Microbiology
The field of microbial ecology, evolution, and biodiversity (EEB) is at the leading edge of understanding how microbes shape our biosphere and influence the well-being of humankind. To that end, EEB is developing new tools to analyze the massive, complex, transdisciplinary datasets that result from such studies. The American Society for Microbiology’s Council on Microbial Sciences hosted...
Authors
Denise M. Akob, A. Elizabeth Oates, Peter R. Girguis, Brian Badgley, Vaughn Cooper, Rachel Poretsky, Braden T. Tierney, Elena Litchman, Rachel J. Whitaker, Katrine L. Whiteson, C. Jessica E. Metcalf, Ecology Evolutionary and Biodiversity Retreat Participants
Phenology forecasting models for detection and management of invasive annual grasses Phenology forecasting models for detection and management of invasive annual grasses
Non-native annual grasses can dramatically alter fire frequency and reduce forage quality and biodiversity in the ecosystems they invade. Effective management techniques are needed to reduce these undesirable invasive species and maintain ecosystem services. Well-timed management strategies, such as grazing, that are applied when invasive grasses are active prior to native plants can...
Authors
Janet S. Prevey, Ian Pearse, Dana M. Blumenthal, Armin J. Howell, Julie A. Kray, Sasha C. Reed, Mitchell B. Stephenson, Catherine S. Jarnevich
Linking resource selection to population performance spatially to identify species' habitat across broad scales: An example of greater sage-grouse in a distinct population segment Linking resource selection to population performance spatially to identify species' habitat across broad scales: An example of greater sage-grouse in a distinct population segment
Management decisions often focus on the habitat selection of marked individuals without considering the contribution to demographic performance in selected habitats. Because habitat selection is not always adaptive, understanding the spatial relationship between habitat selection and demographic performance is critical to management decisions. Mapping both habitat selection and...
Authors
Megan C. Milligan, Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Shawn T. O’Neil, Steven R. Mathews, Shawn P. Espinosa, Katherine Miller, Daniel A. Skalos, Lief A. Wiechman, Steve Abele, John Boone, Kristie Boatner, Heather Stone, Michael L. Casazza
State of science, gap analysis, and prioritization for southeastern United States water-quality impacts from coastal storms—Fiscal year 2023 program report to the Water Resources Mission Area from the Water Availability Impacts of Extreme Events Program—H State of science, gap analysis, and prioritization for southeastern United States water-quality impacts from coastal storms—Fiscal year 2023 program report to the Water Resources Mission Area from the Water Availability Impacts of Extreme Events Program—H
Tropical cyclones (coastal storm events that include tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes) cause landscape-scale disturbances that can lead to impaired water quality and thus reduce water availability for use. Stakeholders and scientists at local and national scales have illustrated a need for understanding these risks to water quality. A regional and comprehensive...
Authors
Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Tara L. Root, Matthew D. Petkewich, MaryLynn Musgrove, Amy C. Gill, J. Curtis Weaver, Christopher H. Conaway, Bruce D. Lindsey, Francis Parchaso, Noah Knowles, Elizabeth J. Tomaszewski
Hyperspectral Image Transects during Transient Events in Rivers (HITTER): Framework development and application to a tracer experiment on the Missouri River, USA Hyperspectral Image Transects during Transient Events in Rivers (HITTER): Framework development and application to a tracer experiment on the Missouri River, USA
Rivers convey a broad range of materials, such as sediment, nutrients, and contaminants. Much of this transport can occur during or immediately after an episodic, pulsed event like a flood or an oil spill. Understanding the flow processes that influence the motion of these substances is important for managing water resources and conserving aquatic ecosystems. This study introduces a new...
Authors
Carl J. Legleiter, Victoria Mary Scholl, Brandon James Sansom, Matthew Alexander Burgess
Quantification of threats to bats at localized spatial scales for conservation and management Quantification of threats to bats at localized spatial scales for conservation and management
In a rapidly changing world, where species conservation needs vary by local habitat, concentrated conservation efforts at small spatial scales can be critical. Bats provide an array of value to the ecosystems they inhabit; many bat species are also of conservation concern. San Diego County, California, contains 22 of the 41 bat species that occur in the United States, 16 of which are on
Authors
Brian M. Myers, Drew Stokes, Kristine L. Preston, Robert N. Fisher, Amy G. Vandergast
Continental-scale nutrient and contaminant delivery by Pacific salmon Continental-scale nutrient and contaminant delivery by Pacific salmon
The movement of large amounts of nutrients by migrating animals has ecological benefits for recipient food webs1,2 that may be offset by co-transported contaminants3,4. Salmon spawning migrations are archetypal of this process, carrying marine-derived materials to inland ecosystems where they stimulate local productivity but also enhance contaminant exposure5,6,7. Pacific salmon...
Authors
Jessica E. Brandt, Jeff S. Wesner, Gregory T. Ruggerone, Timothy D. Jardine, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Gabrielle E. Ruso, Craig A. Stricker, Cristofor A. Voss, David Walters
Discerning sediment provenance in the Outer Banks (USA) through detrital zircon geochronology Discerning sediment provenance in the Outer Banks (USA) through detrital zircon geochronology
Detrital zircon data from modern barrier island and estuarine environments in the Outer Banks (Atlantic Coast, USA) were statistically compared to sands from nearby rivers to assist in determining source-to-sink pathways. Fluvial samples, collected from near the Fall Line contact between the Appalachian Orogen and sediments of the coastal plain, all have age unique distributions, making...
Authors
John W. Counts, Jared T. Gooley, Joshua Long, William H. Craddock, Paul O’Sullivan
Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE)
The Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) was formed to leverage resources from several Federal agencies for the characterization of remote sensing data and to share those results across the remote sensing community (U.S. Geological Survey, 2024). Remote sensing data and the quality of that data are vital to (1) understanding the physical world and (2) supporting the science...
Authors
Jeff Clauson, Cody Anderson, Jim Vrabel
Geologic input databases for the 2025 Puerto Rico – U.S. Virgin Islands National Seismic Hazard Model update: Crustal faults component Geologic input databases for the 2025 Puerto Rico – U.S. Virgin Islands National Seismic Hazard Model update: Crustal faults component
The last National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (PRVI) was published in 2003. In advance of the 2025 PRVI NSHM update, we created three geologic input databases to summarize new onshore and offshore fault source information in the northern Caribbean region between 62°–70° W and 16°–21° N. These databases, of fault sections, fault‐zone polygons...
Authors
Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Richard W. Briggs, Uri S. ten Brink, Thomas L. Pratt, K. Stephen Hughes, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Christopher DuRoss, Nadine G. Reitman, Julie A. Herrick, Sylvia R. Nicovich, Camille Collett, Katherine M. Scharer, Stephen B. DeLong
Oxidation is a potentially significant methane sink in land-terminating glacial runoff Oxidation is a potentially significant methane sink in land-terminating glacial runoff
Globally, aquatic ecosystems are one of the largest but most uncertain sources of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. It is unclear how climate change will affect methane emissions, but recent work suggests that glacial systems, which are melting faster with climate change, may be an important source of methane to the atmosphere. Currently, studies quantifying glacial emissions are limited...
Authors
Kristin E. Strock, Rachel Krewson, Nicole M. Hayes, Bridget Deemer
Challenges and future directions in quantifying terrestrial evapotranspiration Challenges and future directions in quantifying terrestrial evapotranspiration
Terrestrial evapotranspiration is the second-largest component of the land water cycle, linking the water, energy, and carbon cycles and influencing the productivity and health of ecosystems. The dynamics of ET across a spectrum of spatiotemporal scales and their controls remain an active focus of research across different science disciplines. Here, we provide an overview of the current...
Authors
K. Yi, Gabriel B. Senay, Jousha B. Fisher, Lixin Wang, Kosana Suvocarev, Housen Chu, Georgianne W. Moore, Kimberly A. Novick, Mallory L. Barnes, Trevor F. Keenan, Kanishka Mallick, Xiangzhong Luo, Justine E.C. Missik, Kyle B. Delwiche, Jacob A. Nelson, Stephen P. Good, Xiangming Xiao, Steven A. Kannenberg, Arman Ahmadi, Tianxin Wang, Gil Bohrer, Marcy E. Litvak, David E. Reed, A. Christopher Oishi, Margaret S. Torn, Dennis Baldocchi