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Browse more than 65,000 articles authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.
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Assessing future hydrologic extremes using an integrated hydrology and river operations model in the Russian River watershed Assessing future hydrologic extremes using an integrated hydrology and river operations model in the Russian River watershed
Study regionThe Russian River watershed, situated in coastal, northern California, experiences hydrologic extremes, including periodic droughts and flooding. Water managers are working to maintain sustainable water supplies and environmental flows, while mitigating flood risks.Study focusThis paper introduces an integrated hydrology and river operations model for the Russian River...
Authors
Saalem Tilahun Adera, Ayman H. Alzraiee, Richard G. Niswonger, Enrique Triana, Derek W. Ryter, John A. Engott
Magnitude conversion relations create substantial differences in seismic hazard models Magnitude conversion relations create substantial differences in seismic hazard models
Earthquake catalogs are essential data inputs for seismic hazard modeling. Because earthquake magnitudes are reported in a variety of types (e.g., local magnitudes and moment magnitudes), magnitude conversion relationships must be used to convert the different magnitude types present in a catalog to a uniform magnitude type to avoid biases in the hazard computation. However, these...
Authors
Andrea L. Llenos, David R. Shelly, Allison Shumway
Rapid characterization of the 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia earthquake Rapid characterization of the 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia earthquake
The 29 July 2025 Mw 8.8 Kamchatka, Russia, earthquake was the sixth largest instrumentally recorded earthquake. This event was seismically well observed at regional and teleseismic distances, but publicly available near‐source data were sparse at the time of the event, presenting unique challenges for rapid source and impact characterization. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National...
Authors
Harriet Zoe Yin, Kate E. Allstadt, William D Barnhart, Samantha Ann Clapp, Paul S. Earle, Dara Elyse Goldberg, Alex R. Grant, Matt Herman, Kishor S. Jaiswal, Sara K. McBride, Adam T. Ringler, Max Schneider, Eric M. Thompson, Nicholas van der Elst, David Wald, Dun Wang, Charles Worden, William L. Yeck
Insights into widespread landsliding in southern Appalachia from Hurricane Helene Insights into widespread landsliding in southern Appalachia from Hurricane Helene
Between 23 and 27 September 2024, antecedent rain followed by Hurricane Helene produced one of the most damaging weather events in southern Appalachia history. The back-to-back storm events resulted in a maximum cumulative rainfall of 848 mm and hurricane-force wind gusts over 170 km/h in western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. The resulting regional...
Authors
Lauren N. Schaefer, Francis K. Rengers, Benjamin Mirus, Liam Toney, Kate E. Allstadt, Richard Wooten, Patrick Moore, Paula Madeline Burgi, Anne Witt, Eric Leland Bilderback, Jennifer Bauer, David Korte, Matthew Crawford
The 2025 “Hacking Limnology” Workshop Series and DSOS Virtual Summit: A half decade of data-intensive aquatic science The 2025 “Hacking Limnology” Workshop Series and DSOS Virtual Summit: A half decade of data-intensive aquatic science
No abstract available.
Authors
Michael Frederick Meyer, Jorrit Mesman, Carolina C. Barbosa, Jonathan J Borelli, Johannes Feldbauer, Merritt Elizabeth Harlan, Robert T. Hensley, Burak Kuyumcu, Robert Ladwig, Isabella Oleksy, Rachel M. Pilla, Jacob Aaron Zwart, Matthew Biddle, Paul J. Kinzel, Carl J. Legleiter, Tadhg Moore, Tylar Murray, Lipa Nkwalale, Brandon Overstreet, Mehraz Rumman, Whitney M. Woelmer
Capturing the uncertainty of seismicity observations in earthquake rate estimates: Implications for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model Capturing the uncertainty of seismicity observations in earthquake rate estimates: Implications for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model
The rate of earthquakes in a region is a fundamental input to Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis. We present a Monte Carlo method for computing that rate from seismicity catalogs while including a range of data and analysis uncertainties. This method is applied to regions for which the b value is assumed to be spatially invariant. Each region is broken down into epochs for which each...
Authors
Andrew J. Michael, Andrea L. Llenos
Neotectonic origins for the Meadow Bank scarp, Wabash Valley seismic zone USA Neotectonic origins for the Meadow Bank scarp, Wabash Valley seismic zone USA
The Meadow Bank scarp (MBS) in southeastern Illinois is a linear geomorphic expression, ∼10 km long and ∼8 m high above a relatively flat landscape. It parallels an underlying northeast‐oriented Late‐Precambrian–Early‐Cambrian structural fabric, called the Wabash Valley fault zone, and is within an area of modern, historic, and paleo seismicity, called the Wabash Valley seismic zone. In...
Authors
Edward W Woolery, William J. Stephenson, Kevin Woller, Alena L. Leeds, Noah Silas Lindberg, Jackson K. Odum, Cooper Cearley, Ron Counts
Natural source zone depletion of crude oil in the subsurface: Processes controlling mass losses of individual compounds Natural source zone depletion of crude oil in the subsurface: Processes controlling mass losses of individual compounds
At many petroleum hydrocarbon spill sites, residual spilled product forms a long-term source of groundwater contamination. The phrase source zone natural depletion is used to refer to the mass loss rates. Overall mass lost under environmental conditions was analyzed using conservative biomarker concentrations for a 1979 oil spill in northern Minnesota, USA. After 40–41 years, an average...
Authors
Barbara Bekins, William Herkelrath
Effect of passive integrated transponder tag size on survival, tag loss, and growth of Santa Ana Sucker Effect of passive integrated transponder tag size on survival, tag loss, and growth of Santa Ana Sucker
Objective The Santa Ana Sucker Pantosteus santaanae is endemic to southern California and is listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Seasonal limitations on conventional sampling and inconsistencies in survey methodologies have led to an incomplete understanding of population dynamics. Alternative sampling methods have the potential to fill important knowledge gaps in...
Authors
Jordan Mae-Jean Buxton, Marissa L. Wulff, Brock Huntsman, Kai Palenscar, Brett Mills, Kerwin Russell, Alicia Ruan, Tevin Bui
Pleistocene porcupine (Erethizontidae) records in arid southwestern North America and comparisons with the modern distribution of Erethizon dorsatum in southern California and Arizona Pleistocene porcupine (Erethizontidae) records in arid southwestern North America and comparisons with the modern distribution of Erethizon dorsatum in southern California and Arizona
he North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is widely distributed throughout many ecosystems on the continent from northern Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, except for the southeastern portion of the United States. Habitats include the arid Desert Southwest region where modern records are generally sparse. The paleogeographic range in the Desert Southwest is not unlike the modern...
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, George T. Jefferson
Toward an efficient framework for remote sensing of river bathymetry: Comparing sensors and algorithms on an inaccessible proglacial river in Alaska Toward an efficient framework for remote sensing of river bathymetry: Comparing sensors and algorithms on an inaccessible proglacial river in Alaska
Remote sensing can provide reliable information on river depths and this approach might be particularly valuable in areas that are difficult to survey via conventional field methods. In this study, we assessed the potential to map the bathymetry of an inaccessible proglacial river in Alaska from both aerial orthophotos and a multispectral satellite image. In addition, we evaluated a...
Authors
Carl J. Legleiter, Christina M. Leonard, Paul A. Burger, Addison G. Pletcher, Paul J. Kinzel
Ecovoltaic solar energy development effects to microclimate, temperature, and soil moisture in panel array interspaces in a warm desert Ecovoltaic solar energy development effects to microclimate, temperature, and soil moisture in panel array interspaces in a warm desert
Solar energy development is increasing in warm deserts of the southwestern United States, and ecovoltaics has emerged as an approach to maintain ecosystem function within solar facilities while meeting increasing regional energy demands. The Solar Gemini Project, located in the northeastern Mojave Desert, USA, is one of largest photovoltaic facilities incorporating an ecovoltaics...
Authors
Juan Pinos, Seth Munson, Claire C Karban, Matthew D. Petrie