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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: 175041

Detrending Great Basin elevation to identify structural patterns for identifying geothermal favorability Detrending Great Basin elevation to identify structural patterns for identifying geothermal favorability

Topography provides information about the structural controls of the Great Basin and therefore information that may be used to identify favorable structural settings for geothermal systems. The Nevada Machine Learning Project (NVML) tested the use of a digital elevation map (DEM) of topography as an input feature to predict geothermal system favorability. A recent study re-examines the...
Authors
Jacob DeAngelo, Erick R. Burns, Stanley Paul Mordensky, Cary Ruth Lindsey

Modeling extreme water levels in the Salish Sea: The importance of including remote sea level anomalies for application in hydrodynamic simulations Modeling extreme water levels in the Salish Sea: The importance of including remote sea level anomalies for application in hydrodynamic simulations

Extreme water-level recurrence estimates for a complex estuary using a high-resolution 2D model and a new method for estimating remotely generated sea level anomalies (SLAs) at the model boundary have been developed. The hydrodynamic model accurately resolves the dominant physical processes contributing to extreme water levels across the Washington State waters of the Salish Sea...
Authors
Eric E. Grossman, Babak Tehranirad, Kees Nederhoff, Sean Crosby, Andrew W. Stevens, Nathan R. VanArendonk, Daniel J. Nowacki, Li H. Erikson, Patrick L. Barnard

A simple approach to modeling light attenuation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta using commonly available data A simple approach to modeling light attenuation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta using commonly available data

The diffuse attenuation coefficient of photosynthetically active radiation (KdPAR) is commonly used to predict light attenuation in aquatic productivity models, but obtaining measurements of PAR to compute KdPAR is difficult. In situ calculations of KdPAR require multiple measurements of PAR through the water column, and these measurements are infeasible for real-time recording. Instead
Authors
Emily T. Richardson, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Katy O’Donnell, Brian A. Bergamaschi

Divergent responses of western Alaska salmon to a changing climate Divergent responses of western Alaska salmon to a changing climate

HeadlinesWestern Alaska salmon abundance reached historic extremes during 2021-22, with record lows for Chinook and chum salmon (81% and 92% below the 30-year mean, respectively) and record highs for sockeye salmon (98% above the 30-year mean).Salmon are maturing at smaller sizes. Since the 1970s, for example, Yukon River Chinook salmon have decreased an estimated 6% in mean adult body...
Authors
Erik Schoen, Kathrine G. Howard, James Murphy, Daniel Schindler, Peter A. H. Westley, Vanessa R. von Biela

Comparison of δ13C analyses of individual foraminifer (Orbulina universa) shells by secondary ion mass spectrometry and gas source mass spectrometry Comparison of δ13C analyses of individual foraminifer (Orbulina universa) shells by secondary ion mass spectrometry and gas source mass spectrometry

Rationale: The use of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to perform micrometer-scale in situ carbon isotope (δ13C) analyses of shells of marine microfossils called planktic foraminifers holds promise to explore calcification and ecological processes. The potential of this technique, however, cannot be realized without comparison to traditional whole-shell δ13C values measured by gas...
Authors
Jody Brae Wycech, Daniel Clay Kelly, Reinhard Kozdon, Akizumi Ishida, Kouki Kitajima, Howard J. Spero, John W. Valley

Bridging the gap between mathematical biology and undergraduate education using applicable natural resource modeling Bridging the gap between mathematical biology and undergraduate education using applicable natural resource modeling

Mathematical biology is a wide field of study with many venues that undergraduate students can access through research. However, the topics of study for these students can be overwhelming, and many topics of study yield either only trivial results or abstract outcomes that are nonintuitive and diffcult to understand. We have used natural resource modeling, and more specifically, a...
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Douglas Baumann, Barbara Bennie, Wako Bungula, Aaron R. Cupp, James E. Diffendorfer, Eric A. Eager, Roger J. Haro, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Danelle M. Larson, Greg J. Sandland, Molly Van Appledorn, James P Peirce

Insights into glendonite formation from the upper Oligocene Sagavanirktok Formation, North Slope, Alaska Insights into glendonite formation from the upper Oligocene Sagavanirktok Formation, North Slope, Alaska

The type locality for the upper Oligocene Nuwok Member of the Sagavanirktok Formation (Carter Creek, North Slope, Alaska, USA) contains abundant occurrence of glendonite, a pseudomorph after the calcium carbonate mineral ikaite, which typically forms in the shallow subsurface of cold marine sediments. The region during the time of Nuwok Member deposition was located at a high latitude...
Authors
John W. Counts, Madeleine Vickers, Martha Stokes, Whittney Spivey, Kristina Frank Gardner, Jean Self-Trail, Jared T. Gooley, Ryan J. McAleer, Aaron M. Jubb, David W. Houseknecht, Richard O. Lease, Neil Patrick Griffis, Martin S. Vickers, Kasia Sliwinska, Hannah Gail Dooley Tompkins, Adam M. Hudson

A continuous classification of the 476,697 lakes of the conterminous US based on geographic archetypes A continuous classification of the 476,697 lakes of the conterminous US based on geographic archetypes

A variety of classification approaches are used to facilitate understanding, prediction, monitoring, and the management of lakes. However, broad-scale applicability of current approaches is limited by either the need for in situ lake data, incompatibilities among approaches, or a lack of empirical testing of approaches based on ex situ data. We developed a new geographic classification...
Authors
Jean-Francois Lapierre, Katherine E. Webster, Ephraim Hanks, Tyler Wagner, Patricia A. Soranno, Ian M. McCullough, Kaitlin L. Reinl, Marcella Domka, Noah R. Lotting

Aging, climate, and invasions threaten reservoirs in the Mississippi basin Aging, climate, and invasions threaten reservoirs in the Mississippi basin

Reservoirs in the Mississippi River basin are facing three momentous threats. The first two, aging and climate change, are relatively slow moving and their signal can be hard to discern given their stretched temporal scales. The third, species invasions, is faster paced and discernable within shorter temporal scales and restricted spatial scales. Aging and climate directly affect...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda

Book review of America’s public lands: From Yellowstone to Smokey Bear and beyond (2nd edition) Book review of America’s public lands: From Yellowstone to Smokey Bear and beyond (2nd edition)

Since the creation of the first public lands in the United States, they have been a source of turmoil, admiration, and prolonged political debate Nevertheless, our public lands have become an intrinsic part of our national identity and economic progress, exemplifying our divergent attitudes towards nature preservation and resource development. With this in mind, Randall K. Wilson makes a...
Authors
Ambar A. Melendez Perez, Denisse Camarena, Johanna M. H. Ford, Lindsey A. W. Gapinski, Anne M. Hatch, Brier E. Klossing, Aaron A. Yappert, Robert W. Klaver

The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Minnesota's economy The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Minnesota's economy

Introduction In Minnesota, high-quality elevation data are essential for agriculture and precision farming, natural resources conservation, flood risk management, infrastructure and construction management, water supply and quality, coastal zone management, and many other business uses. Critical applications that meet the State’s management needs depend on light detection and ranging...
Authors
Mitch Bergeson, David Nail

The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Montana’s economy The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Montana’s economy

Introduction Montana, America’s fourth largest State with an area of 147,040 square miles, is defined by its diverse terrain. The western two-fifths of the State falls within the Rocky Mountains and the eastern three-fifths is in the Great Plains. Because of its location along the Continental Divide, the rivers in Montana drain into either the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Montana...
Authors
Tom Carlson
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