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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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A heuristic method to evaluate consequences for flight control and stability induced by attachment of biologging devices to birds and bats A heuristic method to evaluate consequences for flight control and stability induced by attachment of biologging devices to birds and bats
Biologging is central to the study of wildlife, but questions remain about the minimization of effects of biologging devices. Rarely considered are changes biologging devices induce on an animal's centre of mass (COM) and resulting losses of flight control and stability.We applied established aeronautical principles to estimate how the COM of a flying bird or bat may be affected by the...
Authors
Todd E. Katzner, George Young
In-situ valve opening response of eastern oysters to estuarine conditions In-situ valve opening response of eastern oysters to estuarine conditions
High-frequency recordings of valve opening behavior (VOB) in bivalves are often used to detect changes in environmental conditions. However, generally a single variable such as temperature or the presence of toxicants in the water is the focus. A description of routine VOB under non-stressful conditions is also important for interpreting responses to environmental changes. Here we...
Authors
Romain Lavaud, Stephanie K. Archer, Megan K. La Peyre, Finella M. Campanino, Sandra M. Casas, Jerome F. La Peyre
The Amazon Basin’s rivers and lakes support Nearctic-breeding shorebirds during southward migration The Amazon Basin’s rivers and lakes support Nearctic-breeding shorebirds during southward migration
Identifying the migration routes and stopover sites used by declining species is critical for developing targeted conservation actions. Long-distance migratory shorebirds are among the groups of birds declining most rapidly, yet we frequently lack detailed knowledge about the routes and stopover sites they use during their hemisphere-spanning migrations. This is especially true for...
Authors
Jennifer A. Linscott, Enzo Basso, Rosalyn Bathrick, Juliana Bosi de Almeida, Alexandra Anderson, Fernando Angulo-Pratolongo, Bart M Ballard, Joël Bêty, Stephen Brown, Katherine S. Christie, Sarah J. Clements, Christian Friis, Callie Gesmundo, Marie-Andree Giroux, Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Christopher M. Harwood, Jason M. Hill, James A. Johnson, Bart Kempenaers, Benoit Laliberte, Jean-François Lamarre, Richard B. Lanctot, Christopher Latty, Nicolas Lecomte, Laura Anne McDuffie, Juan G. Navedo, Erica Nol, Zachary M. Pohlen, Jennie Rausch, R.B. Renfrew, Jorge Ruiz, Mike Russell, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Brett K. Sandercock, Shiloh A. Schulte, Paul A Smith, Audrey R. Taylor, T. Lee Tibbitts, Mihai Valcu, Mitch D. Weegman, James R. Wright, Nathan R. Senner
Comparison of imaging flow cytometry and microscopy for freshwater algal bloom detection Comparison of imaging flow cytometry and microscopy for freshwater algal bloom detection
Imaging flow cytometry (IFC) is an emerging tool that allows for rapid identification and enumeration of phytoplankton in freshwater systems. However, few studies have assessed the effects of preservation on IFC results or compared live IFC and microscopy results in freshwater systems. Understanding the effects of preservation and differences between IFC and microscopy will improve...
Authors
Sabina R. Gifford, A. St. Amand, Jennifer L. Graham, Guy M. Foster, Cory Sauve, Denise Clark, Hannah Schroeder-Larkins
Threshold changes in winter temperature and precipitation drive threshold responses across nine global climate zones and associated biomes Threshold changes in winter temperature and precipitation drive threshold responses across nine global climate zones and associated biomes
Globally, winter temperatures are rising, and snowpack is shrinking or disappearing entirely. Despite previous research and published literature reviews, it remains unknown whether biomes across the globe will cross important thresholds in winter temperature and precipitation that will lead to significant ecological changes. Here, we combine the widely used Köppen–Geiger climate...
Authors
Alexandra R. Contosta, Kyle A. Arndt, Helen M. Baulch, Nora J. Casson, Adrian Harpold, Toni Lyn Morelli, Alexej P.K. Siren, Pamela H. Templer
eZ flow metrics: Using z-scores to estimate deviations from natural flow in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam eZ flow metrics: Using z-scores to estimate deviations from natural flow in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam
River flow patterns are primary drivers of lotic ecosystems, and hundreds of metrics have been developed to quantify flow attributes. Although existing metrics have been a powerful tool in designing environmental flows, they are often developed with specific resources in mind and are rarely directly comparable with each other (i.e., units are often different). Here, we focus on natural...
Authors
Emily C. Palmquist, Bridget R. Deemer, Anya Metcalfe, Theodore Kennedy, Lucas Bair, Helen C. Fairley, Paul E. Grams, Joel B. Sankey, Charles B. Yackulic
Shallow faulting and folding beneath south‐central Seattle, Washington State, from land‐based high‐resolution seismic‐reflection imaging Shallow faulting and folding beneath south‐central Seattle, Washington State, from land‐based high‐resolution seismic‐reflection imaging
The geologic framework of the Seattle fault zone (SFZ) has been extensively studied, but the structure and fault strand locations in the central portion of the fault zone through the city of Seattle have remained controversial. Much of what is known about the SFZ has come from light detection and ranging (lidar)‐topographic surveys and paleoseismic investigations of fault scarps...
Authors
William J. Stephenson, Jack K. Odum, Thomas L. Pratt
Dopaminergic and anti-estrogenic responses in juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to bifenthrin Dopaminergic and anti-estrogenic responses in juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to bifenthrin
The frequency of detection and concentrations of bifenthrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, in the waterways inhabited by the endangered species, steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), has become a significant concern for regulatory agencies. Endocrine disruption has been observed with estrogenic and anti-estrogenic responses in fish species at different life stages. Since several studies...
Authors
Jason Tyler Magnuson, Nathan D. Sy, Philip Tanabe, Chenyang Ji, Jay Gan, Daniel Schlenk
Assessing the risk of climate maladaptation for Canadian polar bears Assessing the risk of climate maladaptation for Canadian polar bears
The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the world, threatening the persistence of many Arctic species. It is uncertain if Arctic wildlife will have sufficient time to adapt to such rapidly warming environments. We used genetic forecasting to measure the risk of maladaptation to warming temperatures and sea ice loss in polar bears (Ursus maritimus) sampled across the...
Authors
L. Ruth Rivkin, Evan Richardson, Joshua D. Miller, Todd C. Atwood, Steven Baryluk, Erik W. Born, Corey Davis, Marcus Dyck, Evelien de Greef, Kristin L. Laidre, Nick Lunn, Sarah McCarthy-Neumann, Martyn E. Obbard, Megan A. Owen, Nicholas Pilfold, Amelie Roberto-Charro, Oystein Wiig, Aryn Wilder, Colin J Garroway
Role of tributary cyanobacterial and nutrient transport and sediment processes on cyanobacterial bloom initiation in Lake Superior nearshore Role of tributary cyanobacterial and nutrient transport and sediment processes on cyanobacterial bloom initiation in Lake Superior nearshore
Watershed fluxes of suspended sediment (SS), nutrients, in particular phosphorus (P), and cyanobacteria may play a role in driving cyanobacterial blooms along the southwestern shore of oligotrophic Lake Superior. To understand how tributary loads contribute to nearshore blooms, we sampled two southwestern shore tributaries, Bois Brule and Siskiwit Rivers. We collected water-quality...
Authors
Rebecca M. Kreiling, Carrie E. Givens, Anna C. Baker, Richard L. Kiesling, Eric D. Dantoin, Patrik Mathis Perner, Shelby P. Sterner, Kenna J. Gierke, Paul Reneau
Asymmetric mate preference and reproductive interference mediate climate-induced changes in mate availability in a small mammal hybrid zone Asymmetric mate preference and reproductive interference mediate climate-induced changes in mate availability in a small mammal hybrid zone
Range expansion and contraction are among the most common biotic responses to changing environmental conditions, yet much is to be learned about the mechanisms that underlie range-edge population dynamics, especially when those areas are points of secondary contact between closely related species. Here, we present field-measured parentage data that document the reproductive outcomes of...
Authors
Marjorie D. Matocq, Elizabeth Ann Hunter, Peter J. Murphy, Casey L. Adkins, Kevin T. Shoemaker
The 2023 Alaska National Seismic Hazard Model The 2023 Alaska National Seismic Hazard Model
US Geological Survey (USGS) National Seismic Hazard Models (NSHMs) are used extensively for seismic design regulations in the United States and earthquake scenario development, as well as risk assessment and mitigation for both buildings and infrastructure. This 2023 update of the long-term, time-independent Alaska NSHM includes substantial changes to both the earthquake rupture forecast...
Authors
Peter M. Powers, Jason M. Altekruse, Andrea L. Llenos, Andrew J. Michael, Kirstie Lafon Haynie, Peter J. Haeussler, Adrian Bender, Sanaz Rezaeian, Morgan P. Moschetti, James Andrew Smith, Richard W. Briggs, Robert C. Witter, Charles Mueller, Yuehua Zeng, Demi Leafar Girot, Julie A. Herrick, Allison Shumway, Mark D. Petersen