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: 175041
Riparian plant evapotranspiration and consumptive use for selected areas of the Little Colorado River watershed on the Navajo Nation Riparian plant evapotranspiration and consumptive use for selected areas of the Little Colorado River watershed on the Navajo Nation
Estimates of riparian vegetation water use are important for hydromorphological assessment, partitioning within human and natural environments, and informing environmental policy decisions. The objectives of this study were to calculate the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) (mm/day and mm/year) and derive riparian vegetation annual consumptive use (CU) in acre-feet (AF) for select riparian...
Authors
Pamela L. Nagler, Armando Barreto-Muñoz, Ibrahima Sall, Matthew R. Lurtz, Kamel Didan
Multiple dimensions of functional diversity affect stream fish β-diversity Multiple dimensions of functional diversity affect stream fish β-diversity
When investigating metacommunity dynamics, functional differences among species are often assumed to be as important as environmental differences between sites in determining β-diversity. However, few studies have examined the influence of functional diversity on β-diversity. We examine the relative importance of regional functional diversity partitioned by niche dimensions and...
Authors
Luke Max Bower, Lauren Stoczynski, Brandon K. Peoples, Christopher J. Patrick, Bryan L. Brown
Restoration research actions to address rapid change in drylands: Insights from the Colorado Plateau Restoration research actions to address rapid change in drylands: Insights from the Colorado Plateau
The rapid intensification of ecological extremes in response to climate change and human land use is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in drylands, including the semiarid region of the Colorado Plateau in the southwestern United States. Here, we describe research directions to aid in the restoration of Colorado Plateau ecosystems during the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030)...
Authors
Kristina E. Young, Brooke Bossert Osborne, Michala Lee Phillips, Daniel E. Winkler
Comparison of microscopy and metabarcoding to identify pollen used by the critically endangered rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis Comparison of microscopy and metabarcoding to identify pollen used by the critically endangered rusty patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis
Taxonomic analysis of pollen collected by bees can provide insights into their host plant use, providing information about the plant species selected for targeted conservation strategies. The two main identification approaches used are morphological analysis of pollen samples affixed to microscope slides (i.e., microscopic palynology) and molecular analysis of samples. Both methods are...
Authors
Michael P. Simanonok, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Clayton D. Raines, Thomas J. Wood, Rufus Isaacs, Robert S. Cornman, Clint Otto
Divergent climate impacts on C3 versus C4 grasses imply widespread 21st century shifts in grassland functional composition Divergent climate impacts on C3 versus C4 grasses imply widespread 21st century shifts in grassland functional composition
Aim Grasslands cover a third of Earth's landmass and provide critical ecosystem services. Anticipating how perennial C3 (cool-season) and C4 (warm-season) grasses respond to climate change will be key to predicting future composition and functioning of grasslands. Here, we evaluate environmental drivers of C3 and C4 perennial distributions and assess how C3 and C4 grass distributions...
Authors
Caroline A. Havrilla, John B. Bradford, Charles B. Yackulic, Seth M. Munson
New larger benthic foraminifera from the subsurface Lower to Middle Eocene Oldsmar Formation of southeastern Florida (USA) New larger benthic foraminifera from the subsurface Lower to Middle Eocene Oldsmar Formation of southeastern Florida (USA)
We describe two larger benthic foraminiferal taxa collected from wells drilled in the subsurface Eocene rocks of southeastern Florida that are new to peninsular Florida and the Caribbean region. Saudia floridana n.sp. is characteristic of a foraminiferal assemblage, along with Helicostegina gyralis, wide forms of the Cushmania americana group, and Gunteria floridana, in an upper part of...
Authors
Edward Robinson, Kevin J. Cunningham
Determining seasonal recharge, storage changes, and specific yield using repeat microgravity and water-level measurements in the Mesilla Basin alluvial aquifer, New Mexico, 2016–2018 Determining seasonal recharge, storage changes, and specific yield using repeat microgravity and water-level measurements in the Mesilla Basin alluvial aquifer, New Mexico, 2016–2018
Increasing water demand and multi-year drought conditions within the Mesilla/Conejos-Médanos Basin near the New Mexico-Texas- Chihuahua border have resulted in diminished surface-water supplies and increased groundwater withdrawals. To better understand recharge to the shallow aquifer, the spatial and temporal groundwater storage changes, and the variability of specific yield (Sy) in the...
Authors
Andrew J. Robertson, Jeffrey R. Kennedy, Libby M. Wildermuth, Meghan T. Bell, Erek H. Fuchs, Alex Rinehart, Irene Fernald
Fracture-mesh faulting in the swarm-like 2020 Maacama sequence revealed by high-precision earthquake detection, location, and focal mechanisms Fracture-mesh faulting in the swarm-like 2020 Maacama sequence revealed by high-precision earthquake detection, location, and focal mechanisms
In August of 2020, an earthquake sequence initiated within the Maacama fault zone in northern California, raising questions about its relationship with the larger-scale fault. To investigate the faulting geometry and its implications for physical processes driving seismicity, we applied an integrated, multi-faceted seismic analysis including waveform-correlation-based event detection...
Authors
David R. Shelly, Robert John Skoumal, Jeanne L. Hardebeck
Borealization of nearshore fishes on an interior Arctic shelf over multiple decades Borealization of nearshore fishes on an interior Arctic shelf over multiple decades
Borealization is a type of community reorganization where Arctic specialists are replaced by species with more boreal distributions in response to climatic warming. The process of borealization is often exemplified by the northward range expansions and subsequent proliferation of boreal species on the Pacific and Atlantic inflow Arctic shelves (i.e., Bering/Chukchi and Barents seas...
Authors
Vanessa R. von Biela, Sarah M. Laske, Ashley E. Stanek, Randy J Brown, Kenneth H. Dunton
Comparing translocated beavers used as passive restoration tools to resident beavers in degraded desert rivers Comparing translocated beavers used as passive restoration tools to resident beavers in degraded desert rivers
Wildlife translocation facilitates conservation efforts, including recovering imperiled species, reducing human–wildlife conflict, and restoring degraded ecosystems. Beaver (American, Castor canadensis; Eurasian, C. fiber) translocation may mitigate human–wildlife conflict and facilitate ecosystem restoration. However, few projects measure outcomes of translocations by monitoring beaver
Authors
E. Doden, Phaedra E. Budy, M. Conner, J. K. Young
Priorities for translating goodwill between movement ecologists and conservation practitioners into effective collaboration Priorities for translating goodwill between movement ecologists and conservation practitioners into effective collaboration
Addressing ongoing biodiversity loss requires collaboration between conservation scientists and practitioners. However, such collaboration has proved challenging. Despite the potential importance of tracking animal movements for conservation, reviews of the tracking literature have identified a gap between the academic discipline of movement ecology and its application to biodiversity...
Authors
Rascha J. M. Nuijten, Todd E. Katzner, Andrew M. Allen, Allert I. Bijleveld, Tjalle Boorsma, Luca Borger, Francesca Cagnacci, Tom Hart, Michelle Henley, Richard M. Herren, Eva Kok, Bronwyn Maree, Bruno Nebe, David Shohami, Susanne Marieke Vogel, Paul Walker, Ignas M. A. Heitkonig, E. J. Milner-Gulland
Environmental implications of Ptolemaic Period rodents and shrews from the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna, Egypt (Mammalia: Muridae and Soricidae) Environmental implications of Ptolemaic Period rodents and shrews from the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at Quesna, Egypt (Mammalia: Muridae and Soricidae)
Background Assemblages of mummified and preserved animals in necropoleis of Ptolemaic Period Egypt (ca. 332–30 BC) document some aspects of the ceremonial and religious practices of the ancient Egyptians, but study of these animal remains can also provide insight into the local environments in which the animals and humans lived.Results Excavations of the Sacred Falcon Necropolis at...
Authors
Neal Woodman, Salima Ikram, Joanne Rowland