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.
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: 175495
Evaluation of nearshore bathymetric inversion algorithms using camera observations and synthetic numerical input of surface waves during storms Evaluation of nearshore bathymetric inversion algorithms using camera observations and synthetic numerical input of surface waves during storms
Nearshore bathymetry is difficult to measure using survey methods when wave heights approach the breaking limit. Remote sensing using digital cameras offers a way to observe the surf zone and calculate water depths based on phase speed but comes with its challenges of potentially noisy data that can introduce error into estimates of frequency and wavenumber used in phase speed...
Authors
Elora Oades, Ryan Mulligan, Margaret L. Palmsten
Historical DNA reveals climate adaptation in an endangered songbird Historical DNA reveals climate adaptation in an endangered songbird
To cope with climate change, species may shift their distributions or adapt in situ to changing environmental conditions. However, clear examples of genetic changes via adaptation are limited. We explore evolutionary responses to climate change in the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) through whole-genome comparisons between historical specimens...
Authors
Sheela P. Turbek, Christen Bossu, Christine Rayne, Cristian Gruppi, Barbara E. Kus, Mary J. Whitfield, Thomas B. Smith, Eben H. Paxton, Rachael A. Bay, Kristen C Ruegg
Using simulated GEDI waveforms to evaluate the effects of beam sensitivity and terrain slope on GEDI L2A relative height metrics over the Brazilian Amazon Forest Using simulated GEDI waveforms to evaluate the effects of beam sensitivity and terrain slope on GEDI L2A relative height metrics over the Brazilian Amazon Forest
The vertical structure of forests provides important parameters for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) and it can be measured by LiDAR sensors. The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) full-waveform LiDAR sensor collects data systematically over the Earth’s surface from the International Space Station. Since GEDI became operational, it has collected billions of ~25 m diameter
Authors
Pedro V. C. Oliveira, Xiaoyang Zhang, Birgit Peterson, Jean P. Ometto
Synthesis of larval lamprey responses to dewatering: State of the science, critical uncertainties, and management implications Synthesis of larval lamprey responses to dewatering: State of the science, critical uncertainties, and management implications
Objective Dewatering of fine sediments in rivers and streams can kill many thousands of larval lampreys (order Petromyzontiformes) that are burrowed in these habitats. The larval life stage for lampreys lasts 3–10 years, and because larvae often aggregate in large numbers, negative impacts from dewatering could potentially deplete local populations and affect multiple year-classes...
Authors
Theresa L. Liedtke, Julianne E. Harris, Monica R. Blanchard, Joseph J. Skalicky, Ann B. Grote
The Colorado River water crisis: Its origin and the future The Colorado River water crisis: Its origin and the future
During much of the 21st century, natural runoff in the Colorado River basin has declined, while consumption has remained relatively constant, leading to historically low reservoir storage. Between January 2000 and April 2023, the amount of water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two largest reservoirs in the United States, declined by 33.5 million acre feet (41.3 billion cubic...
Authors
John C. Schmidt, Charles B. Yackulic, Eric Kuhn
Modeling the effects of large-scale interior headland restoration on tidal hydrodynamics and salinity transport in an open coast, marine-dominant estuary Modeling the effects of large-scale interior headland restoration on tidal hydrodynamics and salinity transport in an open coast, marine-dominant estuary
The effects of large-scale interior headland restoration on tidal hydrodynamics and salinity transport in an open coast, marine dominant estuary (Grand Bay, Alabama, U.S.A) are investigated using a two-dimensional model, the Discontinuous-Galerkin Shallow Water Equations Model (DG-SWEM). Three restoration alternatives are simulated for present-day conditions, as well as under 0.5 m of...
Authors
Davina Passeri, Robert L. Jenkins, Autumn C. Poisson, Matthew V. Bilskie, Peter Bacopoulos
Is chemical control for crayfish in hatchery fish shipments practical? Is chemical control for crayfish in hatchery fish shipments practical?
Invasive crayfish (family Cambaridae) displace native crayfish species and alter aquatic habitat, community structure, and ecosystem function. We evaluated whether chemical control can be a reliable control agent for crayfish to ensure that shipments from fish hatcheries did not result in new infestations of invasive crayfish. A series of acute (≤1 h) toxicity tests were conducted to...
Authors
Ann Allert, Daniel J. Westrich, David W. Whites, Katrina Knott, Nathan Storts, Robert J. DiStefano
Late Pleistocene-Holocene age and stratigraphy of the Currituck Slide Complex, U.S. mid-Atlantic continental slope: Implications for landslide triggering Late Pleistocene-Holocene age and stratigraphy of the Currituck Slide Complex, U.S. mid-Atlantic continental slope: Implications for landslide triggering
Considerable effort has been made to link submarine slope failures to changes in local and global-scale environmental conditions, in order to assess landslide hazard probability. Here we provide the first radiocarbon dates of hemipelagic sediment overlying mass transport deposits and inferred failure surfaces of the Currituck Slide Complex (CSC), a prominent landslide scar on the U.S...
Authors
Jason Chaytor, Uri S. ten Brink, Christopher D. P. Baxter
A century of hydrologic data collection prepares western Long Island for current and future water-resources challenges A century of hydrologic data collection prepares western Long Island for current and future water-resources challenges
Freshwater is a vital natural resource. New York is a water-rich State; however, even here, the economical use of water resources is needed to ensure there is enough water of adequate quality for human and ecological needs—now and into the future. Nowhere in New York is this more evident than on Long Island where public-water supply is obtained from the sole-source aquifers directly...
Authors
Robert F. Breault, John P. Masterson, Ronald Busciolano, Irene Fisher
Northwest Forest Plan — The first 25 years (1994–2018): Watershed condition status and trends Northwest Forest Plan — The first 25 years (1994–2018): Watershed condition status and trends
This report describes status and trends in watershed condition across the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) area over the first 25 years since its inception in 1994. The program charged with this task is the Aquatic and Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Program (AREMP), which has assembled information from field data collection, spatial datasets, and a host of landscape models to evaluate the...
Authors
Jason Dunham, Christine Hirsch, Sean Gordon, Rebecca L. Flitcroft, Nathan Chelgren, Marcia N. Snyder, David P Hockman-Wert, Gordon H. Reeves, Heidi V. Andersen, Scott K. Anderson, William A. Battaglin, Tom A. Black, Jason Brown, Shannon Claeson, Lauren Hay, Emily D. Heaston, Charles H. Luce, Nathan Nelson, Colin Penn, Mark Raggon
Pathology and infectious agents of unionid mussels: A primer for pathologists in disease surveillance and investigation of mortality events Pathology and infectious agents of unionid mussels: A primer for pathologists in disease surveillance and investigation of mortality events
Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of organisms in the world, and more than 30 species have gone extinct in the last century. While habitat alteration and destruction have contributed to the declines, the role of disease in mortality events is unclear. In an effort to involve veterinary pathologists in disease surveillance and the investigation of freshwater mussel...
Authors
Susan Knowles, Michelle Dennis, Andrew McElwain, Eric Leis, Jordan C. Richard
Nest usurpation by a female Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) Nest usurpation by a female Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)
No abstract available.
Authors
Clint W. Boal