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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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The accuracy of capture per unit effort in predicting density of a cryptic snake was more sensitive to reductions in spatial than temporal coverage The accuracy of capture per unit effort in predicting density of a cryptic snake was more sensitive to reductions in spatial than temporal coverage
A critical component of monitoring wildlife populations is understanding changes in population size or abundance. However, for most populations a complete census is not possible; thus, trends or abundance need to be estimated through alternative means, such as indexes. An important aspect of using indexes, such as capture per unit effort (CPUE), is validating them as accurate or precise...
Authors
Melia Gail Nafus, Emma B. Hanslowe, Scott Michael Goetz
A fire deficit persists across diverse North American forests despite recent increases in area burned A fire deficit persists across diverse North American forests despite recent increases in area burned
Rapid increases in wildfire area burned across North American forests pose novel challenges for managers and society. Increasing area burned raises questions about whether, and to what degree, contemporary fire regimes (1984–2022) are still departed from historical fire regimes (pre-1880). We use the North American tree-ring fire-scar network (NAFSN), a multi-century record comprising...
Authors
Sean Parks, Chris Guiterman, Ellis Q. Margolis, Maggie Lonergan, Ellen Whitman, John T. Abatzoglou, Donald A. Falk, James B. Johnston, Lori D. Daniels, Charles W. Lafon, Rachel A. Loehman, Kurt F. Kipfmueller, Cameron E. Naficy, Marc-Andre Parisien, Jeanne Portier, Michael C. Stambaugh, A. Park Williams, Andreas Paul Wion, Larissa Yocom
Long-term trends in microseismicity during operational shut-ins at the Coso Geothermal Field, California Long-term trends in microseismicity during operational shut-ins at the Coso Geothermal Field, California
Pausing injection and production can lead to induced seismicity in a variety of settings, with some of the largest events occurring during these so-called shut-ins. In geothermal fields, shut-ins are periodically conducted for maintenance on wells and surface infrastructure, thereby offering recurring means of estimating stress changes in the subsurface that lead to increased seismicity...
Authors
Joanna Holmgren, J. Ole Kaven, Volker Oye
Filling the gaps: A Bayesian mixture model for imputing missing soil water content data Filling the gaps: A Bayesian mixture model for imputing missing soil water content data
Soil water content (SWC) data are central to evaluating how soil moisture varies over time and space and influences critical plant and ecosystem functions, especially in water-limited drylands. However, sensors that record SWC at high frequencies often malfunction, leading to incomplete timeseries and limiting our understanding of dryland ecosystem dynamics. We developed an analytical...
Authors
Kiona Ogle, Emma Reich, Kimberly Samuels-Crow, Marcy Litvak, John B. Bradford, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Megan Devan
Climate change effects on ecosystem services: Disentangling drivers of mixed responses Climate change effects on ecosystem services: Disentangling drivers of mixed responses
Climate change is a pervasive hazard that impacts the supply and demand of ecosystem goods and services (EGS) that maintain human well-being. A recent review found that the impacts of climate change on EGS are sometimes mixed, posing challenges for managers who need to adapt to these changes. We expand on earlier work by exploring drivers of varying responses of EGS to climate within...
Authors
Marcy C. Delos, Ciara G. Johnson, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Janet Alice Cushing
A real-time fish detection system for partially dewatered fish to support selective fish passage A real-time fish detection system for partially dewatered fish to support selective fish passage
Recent advances in fish transportation technologies and deep machine learning-based fish classification have created an opportunity for real-time, autonomous fish sorting through a selective passage mechanism. This research presents a case study of a novel application that utilizes deep machine learning to detect partially dewatered fish exiting an Archimedes Screw Fish Lift (ASFL). A...
Authors
Jonathan Gregory, Scott M. Miehls, Jesse Eickholt, Daniel Zielinski
Applications of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) in landscape ecology: A review of recent research, challenges and emerging opportunities Applications of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) in landscape ecology: A review of recent research, challenges and emerging opportunities
Context Unoccupied aerial systems/vehicles (UAS/UAV, a.k.a. drones) have become an increasingly popular tool for ecological research. But much of the recent research is concerned with developing mapping and detection approaches, with few studies attempting to link UAS data to ecosystem processes and function. Landscape ecologists have long used high resolution imagery and spatial...
Authors
Miguel L. Villarreal, Tara B.B. Bishop, Temuulen Ts. Sankey, William K. Smith, Matthew Alexander Burgess, Trevor Caughlin, Jeffrey K. Gillan, Caroline Havrilla, Tao Huang, Raymond LeBeau, Cindy L. Norton, Joel B. Sankey, Victoria Mary Scholl, Joshua W. Von Nonn, Erika Yao
Using GPS tracking data to validate the conservation value of bird migration counts Using GPS tracking data to validate the conservation value of bird migration counts
Effective conservation of migratory birds requires gathering of information about their population trends, often acquired using migratory bird counts. These schemes ideally operate at migratory bottlenecks, through which a significant portion of the counted migratory populations is funneled. Yet it is rare to validate the conservation value of the data from these counts. Here we perform...
Authors
Ron Efrat, Yael Lehnardt, Daniel Berkowic, Yossi Leshem, Roi Dor, Alexander E. Bragin, Evgeny Bragin, Todd E. Katzner, Nir Sapir
Triangulating habitat suitability for the locally extirpated California grizzly bear Triangulating habitat suitability for the locally extirpated California grizzly bear
Reintroducing locally extirpated wildlife species is often necessary to meet recovery goals. However, because current field data cannot be gathered about these species, efforts to identify suitable habitat are often complicated and controversial. Here we present a case study examining a novel approach for identifying suitable habitat for the locally extirpated brown bear, known as the...
Authors
Michael C Mcinturff, Peter S. Alagona, Scott D. Cooper, Kaitlyn M. Gaynor, Sarah E. Anderson, Elizabeth S. Forbes, Robert Heilmayr, Elizabeth H.T. Hiroyasu, Bruce E. Kendall, Alexis M. Mychajliw, Molly Hardesty-Moore
Possible influence of water level management on nutrient flux in nearshore sediments of Kabetogama Lake, Minnesota, USA Possible influence of water level management on nutrient flux in nearshore sediments of Kabetogama Lake, Minnesota, USA
Lake water level fluctuations are an important factor driving variation in many ecosystem processes. The nearshore sediments that are periodically exposed and re-inundated can develop distinct physical and chemical characteristics, especially in relationship to the organic matter content of the sediments and the particle size distribution. These sediment characteristics in turn can alter...
Authors
James H. Larson, Sean Bailey, Ryan P. Maki, Victoria Christensen, Erin A. Stelzer, James C. Smith, Jamie F. LeDuc, Seth McWhorter
Climate-related drivers of migratory bird health in the south-central USA Climate-related drivers of migratory bird health in the south-central USA
Migratory birds are species of concern that play important ecological roles while also supporting recreational opportunities for the hunting and birdwatching public. Direct and indirect effects of climate variability, extremes, and change on migratory bird health manifest at the individual, population, species, and community levels. This review focuses on the effects of climate on...
Authors
Renee A. McPherson, Katrina E. Alger, Erik K. Hofmeister
ShakeAlert® version 3: Expected performance in large earthquakes ShakeAlert® version 3: Expected performance in large earthquakes
The ShakeAlert earthquake early warning (EEW) system partners along with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) licensed operators deliver EEW alerts to the public and trigger automated systems when a significant earthquake is expected to impact California, Oregon, or Washington. ShakeAlert’s primary goal is to provide usable warning times before the arrival of damaging shaking. EEW is most...
Authors
Jeffrey J. McGuire, Carl W. Ulberg, Angela I. Lux, Maren Bose, J.R. Andrews, Deborah Smith, B. Crowell, Jessica R. Murray, I. Henson, R. Hartog, C. Felizardo, Minh Huynh, M. Aranha, Grace Alexandra Parker, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Mark Hunter Murray, Glenn Biasi, Stephen Guiwits, Jessie K. Saunders, Andrew D. Good, V. Marcelo Santillan, C.W. Scrivener, Walter M. Szeliga, Timothy I. Melbourne, Victor Kress, Robert M. de Groot, Sara K. McBride, Douglas D. Given, Richard Allen, Thomas H. Heaton, Allen L. Husker, Valerie Thomas, Harold Tobin, Sumant Jha, Julian Bunn