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: 175084
Wetlands under global change Wetlands under global change
Wetlands are among the ecosystem types most threatened by global change, including both climate change and other anthropogenic factors such as sea level rise, urban development, deforestation, agricultural land use, drainage, levees, tidal flow restrictions, pollution, eutrophication, and fires. Wetlands not only store disproportionate amounts of carbon compared to other terrestrial...
Authors
Eric Ward
Earthquakes and tsunami Earthquakes and tsunami
Earthquakes occur as a burst of sudden ground shaking created by the release of accumulated stress along a fault, often influenced by movement of the world’s tectonic plates. Ground shaking from an earthquake can generate additional hazards, including landslides, liquefaction, and tsunami. According to the 2019 “Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction”, earthquakes combined...
Authors
Julia S. Becker, Sara K. McBride, Lauren Vinnell, Wendy Saunders, Graham S. Leonard, Timothy J. Sullivan, Ken Gledhill
Societal values of inland fishes Societal values of inland fishes
a. Aim: To demonstrate the societal values of inland fishes through nine services provided by inland fishes. Each service is defined, key stakeholders identified, and threats enumerated. Diverse case studies (geography, taxonomy, fishery-type) provide examples to highlight the societal values around the world. b. Main concepts: Nine societal services of inland fishes – 1. Livelihoods and...
Authors
Abigail J. Lynch, Robert I. Arthur, Claudio Baigun, Julie E. Claussen, Külli Kangur, Aaron A. Koning, Karen J. Murchie, Bonnie Myers, Gretchen L. Stokes, Ralph William Tingley, So-Jung Youn
Selenium in the Kootenai River Basin, Montana and Idaho, United States, and British Columbia, Canada Selenium in the Kootenai River Basin, Montana and Idaho, United States, and British Columbia, Canada
Selenium entering the 90-mile long transboundary Koocanusa Reservoir (also called Lake Koocanusa) in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northwestern Montana, United States, has been measured at concentrations above State and Federal water-quality and aquatic life standards. The reservoir is within the international Kootenai (or “Kootenay” in Canada) drainage basin, which contains...
Authors
Intrapopulation differences in polar bear movement and step selection patterns Intrapopulation differences in polar bear movement and step selection patterns
Background The spatial ecology of individuals often varies within a population or species. Identifying how individuals in different classes interact with their environment can lead to a better understanding of population responses to human activities and environmental change and improve population estimates. Most inferences about polar bear (Ursus maritimus) spatial ecology are based on...
Authors
Ryan R. Wilson, Michelle St Martin, Eric V. Regehr, Karyn D. Rode
Environmental drivers of cyanobacterial abundance and cyanotoxin production in backwaters of the Upper Mississippi River Environmental drivers of cyanobacterial abundance and cyanotoxin production in backwaters of the Upper Mississippi River
High densities of cyanobacteria in aquatic ecosystems can cause impacts to ecosystem services because they serve as a poor-quality food resource, produce toxins and can indirectly cause a variety of other negative impacts to water quality. There are many hypotheses about the potential environmental drivers of variation in cyanobacterial abundance and toxicity, but these hypotheses have...
Authors
Shawn M. Giblin, James H. Larson, Jeremy D. King
Cryptic extinction risk in a western Pacific lizard radiation Cryptic extinction risk in a western Pacific lizard radiation
Cryptic ecologies, the Wallacean Shortfall of undocumented species’ geographical ranges and the Linnaean Shortfall of undescribed diversity, are all major barriers to conservation assessment. When these factors overlap with drivers of extinction risk, such as insular distributions, the number of threatened species in a region or clade may be underestimated, a situation we term ‘cryptic...
Authors
Peter J. McDonald, Rafe M. Brown, Frederick Kraus, Philip Bowles, Umilaela Arifin, Samuel J Eliades, Robert N. Fisher, Maren Gaulke, L Lee Grismer, Ivan Ineich, Benjamin R. Karin, Camila G Meneses, Stephen J Richards, Marites B Sanguila, Cameron D Siler, Paul M. Oliver
Linking capture–recapture and movement Linking capture–recapture and movement
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah J. Converse, Brett T. McClintock, Paul B. Conn
Greenhouse gas balances in coastal ecosystems: Current challenges in “blue carbon” estimation and significance to national greenhouse gas inventories Greenhouse gas balances in coastal ecosystems: Current challenges in “blue carbon” estimation and significance to national greenhouse gas inventories
Coastal wetlands are defined herein as inundated, vegetated ecosystems with hydrology, and biogeochemistry influenced by sea levels, at timescales of tides to millennia. Coastal wetlands are necessary components of global greenhouse gas estimation and scenario modeling, both for continental and oceanic mass balances. The carbon pools and fluxes on coastal lands, especially those...
Authors
Lisamarie Windham-Myers, James R. Holmquist, Kevin D. Kroeger, Tiffany G. Troxler
How beavers are changing Arctic landscapes and Earth’s climate How beavers are changing Arctic landscapes and Earth’s climate
Beavers build dams that change the way water moves between streams, lakes, and the land. In Alaska, beavers are moving north from the forests into the Arctic tundra. When beavers build dams in the Arctic, they cause frozen soil, called permafrost, to thaw. Scientists are studying how beavers and the thawing of permafrost are impacting streams and rivers in Alaska’s national parks. For...
Authors
Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Michael P. Carey, Brett Poulin, Ken Tape, Joshua C. Koch
Influences of seasonality and habitat quality on Great Lakes coastal wetland fish community composition and diets Influences of seasonality and habitat quality on Great Lakes coastal wetland fish community composition and diets
Great Lakes coastal wetlands (GLCW) have been severely degraded by anthropogenic activity over the last several decades despite their critical role in fish production. Many Great Lakes fish species use coastal wetland habitats for spawning, feeding, shelter, and nurseries throughout the year. The goal of our study was to compare GLCW fish community composition in the spring, summer, and...
Authors
Sara Diller, Anna M. Harrison, Kurt P. Kowalski, Valerie J. Brady, Jan J.H. Ciborowski, Matthew J. Cooper, Joshua D. Dumke, Joseph P. Gathman, Carl R. III Ruetz, Donald G. Uzarski, Douglas A. Wilcox, Jeffrey S Schaeffer
Long-term assessments are critical to determining persistence and shoreline protection from oyster reef nature-based coastal defenses Long-term assessments are critical to determining persistence and shoreline protection from oyster reef nature-based coastal defenses
Nature-based coastal defense using bivalve reefs provides a potentially self-sustaining approach for regions facing high coastal land loss, relative sea level rise and increasing frequency and intensity of storms. Success of such nature-based coastal defense depends on the reef-building species' life history, habitat requirements, and ability to thrive through short-term and longer-term
Authors
Megan K. La Peyre, Sarah Catherine Leblanc Buie, Ryann Rossi, Brian J. Roberts