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
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.
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Rapid prototyping for quantifying belief weights of competing hypotheses about emergent diseases Rapid prototyping for quantifying belief weights of competing hypotheses about emergent diseases
Emerging diseases can have devastating consequences for wildlife and require a rapid response. A critical first step towards developing appropriate management is identifying the etiology of the disease, which can be difficult to determine, particularly early in emergence. Gathering and synthesizing existing information about potential disease causes, by leveraging expert knowledge or...
Authors
Ellen Padgett Robertson, Daniel P. Walsh, Julien Martin, Thierry M. Work, Christina A. Kellogg, James S. Evans, Aine C. Hawthorn, Greta Aeby, Valerie J. Paul, Brian Walker, Yasu Kiryu, Cheryl M. Woodley, Julie L. Meyer, Stephanie M. Rosales, Michael S. Studivan, Jennifer Moore, Marilyn E. Brandt, Andrew Bruckner
The RACE for freshwater biodiversity: Essential actions to create the social context for meaningful conservation The RACE for freshwater biodiversity: Essential actions to create the social context for meaningful conservation
Freshwater habitats are experiencing two to three times the rate of biodiversity loss of terrestrial and marine habitats. As status quo actions within the conservation community are not reversing the downward trajectory for freshwater biodiversity, we propose four actions to shift the narrative such that freshwater biodiversity is no longer invisible and overlooked, but rather explicitly
Authors
Kim Birnie-Gauvin, Abigail Lynch, Paul A. Franklin, Andrea J. Reid, Sean J. Landsman, David Tickner, James Dalton, Kim Aarestrup, Steve J. Cooke
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) suppress Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) feeding activity and increase aggressive behaviours at warmer temperatures Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) suppress Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) feeding activity and increase aggressive behaviours at warmer temperatures
By 2050, mean temperature in the state of Maine, located in the Northeastern USA, is expected to increase nearly 1°C, which could directly affect native coldwater salmonid behaviour and increase competition with warmwater smallmouth bass. We conducted a microcosm experiment to examine the feeding and agonistic behaviour of endangered juvenile Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) at two...
Authors
Nicole C. Ramberg-Pihl, Amanda J. Klemmer, Joseph D. Zydlewski, Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Hamish S. Greig
Update on U.S. Geological Survey Fundamental Science Practices Update on U.S. Geological Survey Fundamental Science Practices
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) are a set of standard principles fundamental to how USGS conducts and carries out its science activities and how resulting information products and data are reviewed, approved, and released. These policies, practices, philosophical premises, and operational principles serve as the foundation for all USGS research and...
Why hibernate? Tests of four hypotheses to explain intraspecific variation in hibernation phenology Why hibernate? Tests of four hypotheses to explain intraspecific variation in hibernation phenology
Hibernation is a remarkable behaviour deployed by a diverse array of endotherms within many clades that greatly reduces metabolic need, but also has somatic costs. Hibernation in modern endotherms is often assumed to be an adaptation allowing animals to avoid extreme thermal conditions or food shortages in seasonal environments. However, many animals hibernate when foraging conditions...
Authors
Austin A Z. Allison, Courtney J. Conway, Alice E Morris
Environmental transmission of Pseudogymnoascus destructans to hibernating little brown bats Environmental transmission of Pseudogymnoascus destructans to hibernating little brown bats
Pathogens with persistent environmental stages can have devastating effects on wildlife communities. White-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused widespread declines in bat populations of North America. In 2009, during the early stages of the WNS investigation and before molecular techniques had been developed to readily detect P. destructans...
Authors
Alan C. Hicks, Scott Darling, Joel Flewelling, Ryan von Linden, Carol Meteyer, Dave Redell, J. Paul White, Jennifer A. Redell, Ryan Smith, David S. Blehert, Noelle L. Rayman-Metcalf, Joseph R. Hoyt, Joseph C. Okoniewski, Kate E. Langwig
Evolving radon diffusion through earthen barriers at uranium waste disposal sites Evolving radon diffusion through earthen barriers at uranium waste disposal sites
Field measurements of Rn-222 fluxes from the tops and bottoms of compacted clay radon barriers were used to calculate effective Rn diffusion coefficients (DRn) at four uranium waste disposal sites in the western United States to assess cover performance after more than 20 years of service. Values of DRn ranged from 7.4 × 10−7 to 6.0 × 10−9 m2/s, averaging 1.42 × 10−7. Water saturation...
Authors
Mark Fuhrmann, Todd Caldwell, William J. Likos, W. Jodi Waugh, Morgan M. Williams, Craig H. Benson
Understanding the spatiotemporal distribution of snow refugia in the rain-snow transition zone of north-central Idaho Understanding the spatiotemporal distribution of snow refugia in the rain-snow transition zone of north-central Idaho
Knowledge of snow cover distribution and disappearance dates over a wide range of scales is imperative for understanding hydrological dynamics and for habitat management of wildlife species that rely on snow cover. Identification of snow refugia, or places with relatively late snow disappearance dates (SDDs) compared to surrounding areas, is especially important as climate change alters...
Authors
Kaitlyn M. Strickfaden, Adrienne M. Marshall, Leona K. Svancara, Katie Dugger, Timothy E. Link
Extensive regional variation in the phenology of insects and their response to temperature across North America Extensive regional variation in the phenology of insects and their response to temperature across North America
Climate change models often assume similar responses to temperatures across the range of a species, but local adaptation or phenotypic plasticity can lead plants and animals to respond differently to temperature in different parts of their range. To date, there have been few tests of this assumption at the scale of continents, so it is unclear if this is a large-scale problem. Here, we...
Authors
Peter Dunn, Insiyaa Ahmed, Elise Armstrong, Natasha Barlow, Malcolm Barnard, Marc Belisle, T.J. Benson, Lisha Berzins, Chloe Boynton, T. Anders Brown, Melissa Cady, Kyle Cameron, Xuan Chen, Bob Clark, Ethan Clotfelter, Kara Cromwell, Russ Dawson, Elsie Denton, Andrew Forbes, Kendrick Fowler, Kamal J.K. Gandhi, Dany Garant, Megan Hiebert, Claire Houchen, Jennifer Houtz, Tara Imlay, Brian Inouye, David Inouye, Michelle Jackson, Andrew Jacobson, Kristen Jayd, Christy Juteau, Andrea Kautz, Caroline Killian, Kimberly J Komatsu, Kirk Larsen, Andrew Laughlin, Valerie Levesque-Beaudin, Ryan Leys, Elizabeth Long, Stephen Lougheed, Stu Mackenzie, Jen Marangelo, Colleen Miller, Brenda Molano-Flores, Christy Morrissey, Emony Nicholls, Jessica Orlofske, Ian Pearse, Kristen Peck, Fanie Pelletier, Amber Pitt, Joe Poston, Danielle Racke, Jeannie A. Randall, Matthew Richardson, Olivia Rooney, A. Rose Ruegg, Scott Rush, Sadie J. Ryan, Mitchell Sadowski, Ivana Schoepf, Lindsay Schulz, Brenna Shea, Tom Sheehan, Lynn Siefferman, Derek Sikes, Mark Stanback, Jennifer Styrsky, John Styrsky, Conor Taff, Jennifer Uehling, Kit Uvino, Thomas Wassmer, Katie Weglarz, Megan Weinberger, John Wenzel, Linda A Whittingham
Integrating terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to constrain estimates of land-atmosphere carbon exchange Integrating terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to constrain estimates of land-atmosphere carbon exchange
In this Perspective, we put forward an integrative framework to improve estimates of land-atmosphere carbon exchange based on the accumulation of carbon in the landscape as constrained by its lateral export through rivers. The framework uses the watershed as the fundamental spatial unit and integrates all terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as well as their hydrologic carbon exchanges...
Authors
Joan Casas-Ruiz, Pascal Bodmer, Kelly Ann Bona, David Butman, Mathilde Couturier, Erik J.S. Emilson, Kerri Finlay, Helene Genet, Daniel B. Hayes, Jan Karlsson, David Pare, Changhui Peng, Robert G. Striegl, Jackie Webb, Xinyuan Wei, Sue Ziegler, Paul Del Giorgio
Prolonged influence of urbanization on landslide susceptibility Prolonged influence of urbanization on landslide susceptibility
Landslides pose a threat to life and infrastructure and are influenced by anthropogenic modifications associated with land development. These modifications can affect susceptibility to landslides, and thus quantifying their influence on landslide occurrence can help design sustainable development efforts. Although landslide susceptibility has been shown to increase following urban...
Authors
Tyler Rohan, Eitan Shelef, Benjamin B. Mirus, Tim Coleman
Classifying freshwater salinity regimes in central and western U.S. streams and rivers Classifying freshwater salinity regimes in central and western U.S. streams and rivers
Freshwater salinization of rivers is occurring across the globe because of nonpoint source loading of salts from anthropogenic activities such as agriculture, urbanization, and resource extraction that accelerate weathering and release salts. Multidecadal trends in river salinity are well characterized, yet our understanding of annual regimes of salinity in rivers draining diverse...
Authors
Lauren Bolotin, Betsy Summers, Philip Savoy, Joanna Blaszczak