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The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
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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An accuracy assessment of satellite-derived rangeland fractional cover An accuracy assessment of satellite-derived rangeland fractional cover
Satellite-derived maps of vegetation cover provide detailed information about vegetation spatiotemporal patterns and are increasingly used to better understand and manage rangelands. Despite their utility, questions remain regarding the regional and site level accuracy for these maps, especially compared to field-collected data. We conducted an accuracy assessment of the Rangeland...
Authors
Georgia Harrison, Matthew B. Rigge, Timothy J. Assal, Cara Applestein, Darren K. James, Sarah E. McCord
Distribution and disturbances of ditches across salt marshes of the Northeast U.S. with implications for management and restoration Distribution and disturbances of ditches across salt marshes of the Northeast U.S. with implications for management and restoration
Effective management of valuable coastal systems, such as salt marshes requires an understanding of the complex stressors influencing their continued threat of drowning. However, efforts to determine the effects of one potential stressor, ditches, have produced diverging results complicating management efforts. Ditches (linear trenches dug to drain salt marshes for agriculture and...
Authors
Erin K. Peck, Julie E. Walker, Kate Ackerman, Joel A. Carr, Maureen D. Correll, Zafer Defne, Linda A. Deegan, Mitchell J. Eaton, Neil K. Ganju, Mitch Hartley, Catherine Johnson, Jason J Mercer, Katharine J. Ruskin, Jonathan D. Woodruff, Brian Yellen
Population vulnerability of residents, employees, and cruise-ship passengers to tsunami hazards of islands in complex seismic regions: A case study of the U.S. Virgin Islands Population vulnerability of residents, employees, and cruise-ship passengers to tsunami hazards of islands in complex seismic regions: A case study of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Reducing the potential for loss of life from tsunamis is challenging on islands located in complex seismic regions given the multiple sources that surround islands, differences among islands in the amount of time needed to evacuate before wave arrival, and the high number of residents, employees, and tourists in tsunami-hazard zones. We examine variations in population vulnerability in...
Authors
Nathan J. Wood, Jeff Peters, Christopher Moore
UAV-derived models of vegetation characteristics do not transfer to extreme drought and wet conditions across a northern Arizona landscape UAV-derived models of vegetation characteristics do not transfer to extreme drought and wet conditions across a northern Arizona landscape
Context Shifts in precipitation regimes due to climate change are significantly impacting dryland ecosystems, including vegetation composition and structure. Unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) are widely used to monitor vegetation, but whether models built to predict changes in these characteristics are robust under extreme precipitation regimes is unclear. Objectives We aimed to predict...
Authors
Ryan C. Blackburn, Ginger R. H. Allington, Nicole Motzer, Seth M. Munson, Qiongyu Huang
Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century
Reports of declining insect populations have received widespread media attention, but evidence for declines has been variable across regions and taxonomic groups. Edwards et al. examined trends in the most surveyed taxon: butterflies (see the Perspective by Inouye). Combining data from 35 citizen science programs across the continental US, the authors found declines in overall butterfly...
Authors
Collin B. Edwards, Elise F. Zipkin, Erica H. Henry, Nick M. Haddad, Matthew L. Forister, Kevin J. Burls, Steven P. Campbell, Elizabeth E. Crone, Jay Diffendorfer, Margaret R. Douglas, Ryan G. Drum, Candace E. Fallon, Jeffrey Glassberg, Eliza M. Grames, Richard G. Hatfield, Shiran V. Hershcovich, Scott Hoffman-Black, Elise A. Larsen, Wendy Leuenberger, Mary J. Linders, Travis Longcore, Daniel A. Marschalek, James Michielini, Naresh Neupane, Leslie Ries, Arthur M. Shapiro, Ann B. Swengel, Scott R. Swengel, Douglas J. Taron, Braeden Van Deynze, Jerome Wiedmann, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Cheryl B. Schultz
Using plant invasions to compare occurrence- and abundance-based calculations of biotic homogenisation: Are results complementary or contradictory? Using plant invasions to compare occurrence- and abundance-based calculations of biotic homogenisation: Are results complementary or contradictory?
Aim Beta diversity quantifies the similarity of ecological assemblages. Its increase, known as biotic homogenisation, can be a consequence of biological invasions. However, species occurrence (presence/absence) and abundance-based analyses can produce contradictory assessments of the magnitude and direction of changes in beta diversity. Previous work indicates these contradictions should...
Authors
D.M. Buonaiuto, David Barnett, Dana M. Blumenthal, Andrea N. Nebhut, Ian S. Pearse, Helen Sofaer, Cascade J.B. Sorte, Jeffrey D. Corbin, Regan Early, Magda Garbowski, Ines Ibanez, Daniel C. Laughlin, Laís Petri, Montserrat Vilà, Bethany A. Bradley
First documentation of pelagic larvae of Prickly Sculpin Cottus asper in Willamette Basin reservoirs using a novel light trapping method First documentation of pelagic larvae of Prickly Sculpin Cottus asper in Willamette Basin reservoirs using a novel light trapping method
Although sculpin can play important ecological roles, serving as abundant key meso-predators in freshwater aquatic systems, much remains to be learned about their development and ecology. Depth discrete light traps effectively captured larval sculpin from Lookout Point Reservoir in the Willamette Basin, Oregon, USA. We confirm that these larvae were Prickly Sculpin (Cottus asper) based...
Authors
Christina Amy Murphy, Alvaro Cortes, Amanda M.M. Pollock, William J. Gerth, Ivan Arismendi, Peter Konstantinidis
Letter to Editor regarding “Potential impact of the 2023 Lahaina wildfire on the marine environment: Modeling the transport of ash-laden benzo[a]pyrene and pentachlorophenol” by Downs et al. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176346 Letter to Editor regarding “Potential impact of the 2023 Lahaina wildfire on the marine environment: Modeling the transport of ash-laden benzo[a]pyrene and pentachlorophenol” by Downs et al. (2024) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176346
No abstract available.
Authors
Curt D. Storlazzi, Renee K. Takesue, Alicia Hendrix
A wetland for all seasons? Evaluating congruence in avian species richness and habitat associations within restored wetlands across the annual cycle A wetland for all seasons? Evaluating congruence in avian species richness and habitat associations within restored wetlands across the annual cycle
Wetland restoration on agricultural land to enhance wildlife habitat through the Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program has substantially increased wetland area within the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV). Studies assessing avian response to wetland restoration often focus on specific communities during one season such as passerines in spring or waterfowl during winter. However...
Authors
J. Podoliak, Elisabeth B. Webb, D. Hicks
Measuring polar bear health using allostatic load Measuring polar bear health using allostatic load
The southern Beaufort Sea polar bear sub-population (Ursus maritimus) has been adversely affected by climate change and loss of sea ice habitat. Even though the sub-population is likely decreasing, it remains difficult to link individual polar bear health and physiological change to sub-population effects. We developed an index of allostatic load, which represents potential physiological
Authors
Sarah J. Teman, Todd C. Atwood, Sarah J. Converse, Tricia Fry, Kristin L. Laidre
Why the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: A case for population-level management Why the whole is greater than the sum of its parts: A case for population-level management
Catch-and-release regulations in recreational fisheries have been implemented for decades with the intention of allowing fishing while reducing fishing mortality. In addition, voluntary catch-and-release behaviors are increasingly common. Social and scientific interest in fish handling practices in catch-and-release fisheries as they relate to stress, reflex impairment, reproductive...
Authors
Matthew P. Corsi, Michael C. Quist, Joseph Kozfkay, Curtis J. Roth, Daniel J. Schill
Preferential groundwater discharges along stream corridors are disregarded sources of greenhouse gases Preferential groundwater discharges along stream corridors are disregarded sources of greenhouse gases
Groundwater delivery of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to stream banks and riparian areas, before mixing with surface waters, has not been well quantified. We measured preferential groundwater delivery of GHGs to stream banks within three stream reaches, and found that stream banks with discharging groundwater emitted more CO2 and were sources of N2O compared to stream banks without actively...
Authors
A.M. Bisson, F. Liu, Eric M. Moore, Martin A. Briggs, A. M. Helton