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: 175479
The persistence of time: The lifespan of Bacillus anthracis spores in environmental reservoirs The persistence of time: The lifespan of Bacillus anthracis spores in environmental reservoirs
Anthrax is a lethal bacterial zoonosis primarily affecting herbivorous wildlife and livestock. Upon host death Bacillus anthracis vegetative cells form spores capable of surviving for years in soil. Anthrax transmission requires host exposure to large spore doses. Thus, conditions that facilitate higher spore concentrations or promote spore survival will increase the probability that a...
Authors
Zoe R. Barandongo, Amelie C. Dolfi, Spencer A. Bruce, Kristyna Rysava, Yen-Hua Huang, Hendrina Joel, Ayesha Hassim, Pauline L. Kamath, Henriette van Heerden, Wendy Christine Turner
Geomorphometric analysis of the Summit and Ridge classes of the Geographic Names Information System Geomorphometric analysis of the Summit and Ridge classes of the Geographic Names Information System
This research aims to conduct a geosemantic comparison of landforms classified in the Summit and Ridge feature classes in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The comparison is based on a 2D shape analysis of manually delineated polygons produced by USGS staff to correspond to 33,304 Summit and 8,006 Ridge features. Five shape measures were chosen for this specific...
Authors
Sinha Gaurav, Samantha T. Arundel, Romim Somadder, David P. Martin, Kevin G McKeehan
Tool 4: Suggested communication deliverables for coproduced projects Tool 4: Suggested communication deliverables for coproduced projects
An informational tool provided as part of a toolkit for researchers and practitioners with an interest in coproducing actionable science to support public land management
Authors
Lea B. Selby, Sarah K. Carter, Travis Haby, D. J. A. Wood, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Patrick J. Anderson, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Ella M. Samuel, John C. Tull
Tool 5: A Problem-solving checklist for coproduction Tool 5: A Problem-solving checklist for coproduction
An informational tool provided as part of a toolkit for researchers and practitioners with an interest in coproducing actionable science to support public land management
Authors
Lea B. Selby, Sarah K. Carter, Travis Haby, D. J. A. Wood, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Patrick J. Anderson, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Ella M. Samuel, John C. Tull
Tool 1: Coproduction in the public lands context Tool 1: Coproduction in the public lands context
An informational tool provided as part of a toolkit for researchers and practitioners with an interest in coproducing actionable science to support public land management
Authors
Lea B. Selby, Sarah K. Carter, Travis Haby, D. J. A. Wood, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Patrick J. Anderson, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Ella M. Samuel, John C. Tull
Tool 2: What level of coproduction makes sense for my project Tool 2: What level of coproduction makes sense for my project
An informational tool provided as part of a toolkit for researchers and practitioners with an interest in coproducing actionable science to support public land management
Authors
Lea B. Selby, Sarah K. Carter, Travis Haby, D. J. A. Wood, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Patrick J. Anderson, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Ella M. Samuel, John C. Tull
Illegal shooting is now a leading cause of death of birds along power lines in the western USA Illegal shooting is now a leading cause of death of birds along power lines in the western USA
Human actions, both legal and illegal, affect wildlife in many ways. Inaccurate diagnosis of cause of death undermines law enforcement, management, threat assessment, and mitigation. We found 410 dead birds collected along 196 km of power lines in four western USA states during 2019 – 2022. We necropsied these carcasses to test conventional wisdom suggesting that electrocution is the...
Authors
Eve C. Thomason, Natalie J.S. Turley, James R. Belthoff, Tara Conkling, Todd E. Katzner
Tool 3: Suggested coproduction steps and practices Tool 3: Suggested coproduction steps and practices
An information sheet provided as part of a toolkit for researchers and practitioners with an interest in coproducing actionable science to support public land management
Authors
Lea B. Selby, Sarah K. Carter, Travis Haby, D. J. A. Wood, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Patrick J. Anderson, Jeffrey E. Herrick, Ella Samuel, John C. Tull
Contemporary record and photographs of the rarely seen and poorly known Mona Blindsnake, Antillotyphlops monensis (Schmidt, 1926), with comments on its ecology and conservation Contemporary record and photographs of the rarely seen and poorly known Mona Blindsnake, Antillotyphlops monensis (Schmidt, 1926), with comments on its ecology and conservation
No abstract available.
Authors
Danielle Rivera, Jan P. Zegarra, Cielo E. Figuerola-Hernandez, Nahira Arocho-Hernandez, Nathan J. Hostetter, Jaime A. Collazo, Rayna C. Bell
Bayesian spatio-temporal survival analysis for all types of censoring with application to a wildlife disease study Bayesian spatio-temporal survival analysis for all types of censoring with application to a wildlife disease study
In this article, we consider modeling arbitrarily censored survival data with spatio-temporal covariates. We demonstrate that under the piecewise constant hazard function, the likelihood for uncensored or right-censored subjects is proportional to the likelihood of multiple conditionally independent Poisson random variables. To address left- or interval-censored subjects, we propose to...
Authors
Kehui Yao, Jun Zhu, Daniel J. O'Brien, Daniel P. Walsh
Sacramento River nutrient change study Sacramento River nutrient change study
The Sacramento River Nutrient Change Study (SRiNCS) was developed with input from multiple stakeholders in the Delta Regional Monitoring Program, as well as the State Water Contractors. We tracked the effects of changes in nutrient loading resulting from a short-term wastewater hold at the Sacramento River Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP). In the summer of 2019, scheduled wastewater...
Authors
Lisa Thompson, Timothy D. Mussen, Michael Cook, Justin Nordin, James Noss, Ursula Bigler, Srividhya Ramamoorthy, Gry Mine Berg, Sara Driscoll, Clifton Herrmann, Wim J. Kimmerer, Toni Ignoffo, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Joseph K. Fackrell, Brian Bergamaschi, Marianne Guerin, Richard Rachiele
Understanding drivers of mercury in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), a top-predator fish in southwest Alaska's parklands Understanding drivers of mercury in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), a top-predator fish in southwest Alaska's parklands
Mercury (Hg) is a widespread element and persistent pollutant, harmful to fish, wildlife, and humans in its organic, methylated form. The risk of Hg contamination is driven by factors that regulate Hg loading, methylation, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification. In remote locations, with infrequent access and limited data, understanding the relative importance of these factors can pose a...
Authors
Krista K. Bartz, Michael P. Hannam, Tammy L. Wilson, Ryan F. Lepak, Jacob M. Ogorek, Daniel Young, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft