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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.

Filter Total Items: 175070

Artificial intelligence applied to big data reveals that lake invasions are predicted by human traffic and co-occurring invasions Artificial intelligence applied to big data reveals that lake invasions are predicted by human traffic and co-occurring invasions

Preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species is an important management action. Identifying the characteristics of lakes that are susceptible to invasion creates an opportunity for management groups to prioritize limited resources for high-risk areas. In this study, we leveraged big data from a popular fishing app and other publicly available sources of environmental and human-use...
Authors
Jessica L. Weir, Wesley Daniel, Kieran Hyder, Christian Skov, Paul A. Venturelli

Reproducing age variability in grass carp egg samples from the lower Sandusky River, Ohio, USA, using an egg-drift model Reproducing age variability in grass carp egg samples from the lower Sandusky River, Ohio, USA, using an egg-drift model

Invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are currently reproducing in several tributaries to Lake Erie and threatening the Great Lakes ecosystem and fisheries. Grass carp are pelagic river spawners whose fertilized eggs drift downstream from the spawning site, developing as they drift. Variability in spawning time and location together with nonuniform velocities in natural rivers...
Authors
David Soong, P. Ryan Jackson, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Lori Morrison, Tatiana Garcia, Santiago Santacruz, Cindy Chen, Zhenduo Zhu, Holly Susan Embke

Responses of marginal and intrinsic water-use efficiency to changing aridity using FLUXNET observations Responses of marginal and intrinsic water-use efficiency to changing aridity using FLUXNET observations

According to classic stomatal optimization theory, plant stomata are regulated to maximize carbon assimilation for a given water loss. A key component of stomatal optimization models is marginal water-use efficiency (mWUE), the ratio of the change of transpiration to the change in carbon assimilation. Although the mWUE is often assumed to be constant, variability of mWUE under changing...
Authors
Koong Yi, Kimberly A. Novick, Quan Zhang, Lixin Wang, Taehee Hwang, Xi Yang, Kanishka Mallick, Martin Beland, Gabriel B. Senay, Dennis Baldocchi

Mast seeding in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is associated with reduced fungal sporocarp production and community diversity Mast seeding in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is associated with reduced fungal sporocarp production and community diversity

Mast seeding is a well-documented phenomenon across diverse forest ecosystems. While its effect on aboveground food webs has been thoroughly studied, how it impacts the soil fungi that drive soil carbon and nutrient cycling has not yet been explored. To evaluate the relationship between mast seeding and fungal resource availability, we paired a Swiss 29-year fungal sporocarp census with
Authors
Talia Michaud, Ian Pearse, H Kauserud, Carrie Andrews, Peter Kennedy

Variation in Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) eggshell thickness: DDT, measurement methods, and location Variation in Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) eggshell thickness: DDT, measurement methods, and location

We collected Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) eggshells from nests in the Tucson, Arizona, USA, area in the 1990s incidental to other activities and compared them to pre-DDT Cooper's Hawk eggshells (119 museum specimens from 14 states, 1894–1939) ranging from 0.284–0.402 mm (x̄= 0.348 mm, SD = 0.0243) and we also compared them to reported thicknesses found in the literature. We found...
Authors
G. M. Santolo, Clint W. Boal

Accuracy assessment of three-dimensional point cloud data collected with a scanning total station on Shinnecock Nation Tribal lands in Suffolk County, New York Accuracy assessment of three-dimensional point cloud data collected with a scanning total station on Shinnecock Nation Tribal lands in Suffolk County, New York

A combined point cloud of about 85.6 million points was collected during 27 scans of a section of the western shoreline along the Shinnecock Peninsula of Suffolk County, New York, to document baseline geospatial conditions during July and October 2022 using a scanning total station. The three-dimensional accuracy of the combined point cloud is assessed to identify potential systematic...
Authors
Michael L. Noll, William D. Capurso, Anthony Chu

Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2019–2021 Groundwater, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona—2019–2021

The Navajo (N) aquifer is an extensive aquifer and the primary source of groundwater in the 5,400-square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Water availability is an important issue in the Black Mesa area because of the arid climate, past industrial water use, and continued water requirements for municipal use by a growing population. Precipitation in the area typically ranges...
Authors
Jon P. Mason

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2023 annual report Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2023 annual report

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, carries out research into magmatic processes occurring beneath Yellowstone caldera, and issues timely warnings and guidance related to potential future geologic hazards. YVO is a collaborative consortium that includes the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)...
Authors
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory

Identifying new invasive plants in the face of climate change: A focus on sleeper species Identifying new invasive plants in the face of climate change: A focus on sleeper species

Sleeper populations are established populations of introduced species whose population growth is limited by one or more abiotic or biotic conditions. Sleeper populations pose an invasion risk if a change in those limiting conditions, such as climate change, enables population growth and invasion. With thousands of established introduced species, it is critical that we identify and...
Authors
A.C. O'Uhuru, Toni Lyn Morelli, Annette E. Evans, J.D. Salva, B.A. Bradley

Designing count-based studies in a world of hierarchical models Designing count-based studies in a world of hierarchical models

Advances in hierarchical modeling have improved estimation of ecological parameters from count data, especially those quantifying population abundance, distribution, and dynamics by explicitly accounting for observation processes, particularly incomplete detection. Even hierarchical models that account for incomplete detection, however, cannot compensate for data limitations stemming...
Authors
Quresh S. Latif, Jonathon Joseph Valente, Alison Johnston, Kayla L. Davis, Frank A. Fogarty, Adam W. Green, Gavin M. Jones, Matthias Leu, Nicole L. Michel, David C. Pavlacky, Elizabeth A. Rigby, Clark S. Rushing, Jamie S. Sanderlin, Morgan W. Tingley, Qing Zhao

National Aquatic Environmental DNA Strategy National Aquatic Environmental DNA Strategy

Aquatic life is the engine of ecosystems and economies. In environments ranging from freshwater through marine, this biodiversity underpins the health, culture, opportunities, and economic wellbeing of the Nation -- from local communities to the entire country. The ability to evaluate the status, trends, and future projections of nature is key to maintaining national prosperity, and this...
Authors
Kelly D Goodwin, Mike Weise, Christopher P. Meyer, Masha Edmondson, Katie Fillingham, Dee Allen, Alicia Amerson, Meredith L. Barton, Abby Benson, Gabrielle Canonico, Zachary Gold, Jennifer Gumm, Margaret Hunter, Nina Joffe, Richard Lance, Alyse Larkin, Ricardo Letelier, Christine Lipsky, Dana McCoskey, Cheryl Morrison, Karen Clark, John A. Darling, Amelia-Juliette Demery, Meredith Everett, Colette Fletcher-Hoppe, Krista M. Nichols, Kim M. Parsons, James Price, Kimberly Puglise, Katie Scholl, Mike K Schwartz, Adam Sepulveda, Janet Shannon, Woody Turner, Timothy White

Evaluation of coal mine drainage and associated precipitates for radium and rare earth element concentrations Evaluation of coal mine drainage and associated precipitates for radium and rare earth element concentrations

Coal mine drainage (CMD) and associated metal-rich precipitates have recently been proposed as unconventional sources of rare earth elements (REEs). However, the potential occurrence of radium (Ra), a known carcinogen, with the REE-bearing phases has not been investigated. We hypothesized that Ra may occur in solids that are precipitated from CMD as a “radiobarite” solid solution ((Ba,Sr...
Authors
Bonnie McDevitt, Charles A. III Cravotta, Ryan J. McAleer, John C Jackson, Aaron M. Jubb, Glenn D. Jolly, Benjamin C. Hedin, Nathaniel R. Warner
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