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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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Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins
The magnitude and timing of extreme events such as debris and floodflows (collectively referred to as floodflows) in post-wildfire basins are difficult to measure and are even more difficult to predict. To address this challenge, a sensor ensemble consisting of noncontact, ground-based (near-field), Doppler velocity (velocity) and pulsed (stage or gage height) radars, rain gages, and a...
Authors
John W, Fulton, Nicholas Graff Hall, Laura A. Hempel, J.J. Gourley, Mark F. Henneberg, Michael S. Kohn, William H. Farmer, William H. Asquith, Daniel Wasielewski, Andrew S. Stecklein, Amanullah Mommandi, Aziz Khan
Characterising, quantifying, and accessing eruption source parameters of explosive volcanic eruptions for operational simulation of tephra dispersion: A current view and future perspectives Characterising, quantifying, and accessing eruption source parameters of explosive volcanic eruptions for operational simulation of tephra dispersion: A current view and future perspectives
Eruption source parameters (ESPs) are crucial for characterising volcanic eruptions and are essential inputs to numerical models used for hazard assessment. Key ESPs of explosive volcanic eruptions include plume height, mass eruption rate, eruption duration, and grain-size distribution. Some of these ESPs can be directly observed during an eruption, but others are difficult to measure in...
Authors
Samantha Engwell, Larry G. Mastin, Contanza Bonadonna, Sara Barsotti, Natalia I. Deligne, Bergrun A. Oladottir
Reach-scale mapping of surface flow velocities from thermal images acquired by an uncrewed aircraft system along the Sacramento River, California, USA Reach-scale mapping of surface flow velocities from thermal images acquired by an uncrewed aircraft system along the Sacramento River, California, USA
An innovative payload containing a sensitive mid-wave infrared camera was flown on an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to acquire thermal imagery along a reach of the Sacramento River, California, USA. The imagery was used as input for an ensemble particle image velocimetry (PIV) algorithm to produce near-continuous maps of surface flow velocity along a reach approximately 1 km in length...
Authors
Paul J. Kinzel, Carl J. Legleiter, Christopher L. Gazoorian
An update of the ichthyofauna of West Virginia with notes on historic sportfish stockings An update of the ichthyofauna of West Virginia with notes on historic sportfish stockings
The management and conservation of faunas at regional scales depend on current data on species diversity and distribution. Relative to the ichthyofauna of West Virginia, few studies have recently documented the richness and distribution of fishes in the state, with even the most comprehensive publications rarely discussing either the conservation status of individual fishes or historical...
Authors
D. A. Cincotta, S.A. Welsh
A fire-use decision model to improve the United States’ wildfire management and support climate change adaptation A fire-use decision model to improve the United States’ wildfire management and support climate change adaptation
The US faces multiple challenges in facilitating the safe, effective, and proactive use of fire as a landscape management tool. This intentional fire use exposes deeply ingrained communication challenges and distinct but overlapping strategies of prescribed fire, cultural burning, and managed wildfire. We argue for a new conceptual model that is organized around ecological conditions...
Authors
Aaron Daniel Russell, Nina Fontana, Tyler Hoecker, Alyssa Kamanu, Reetam Majumder, Jilmarie Stephens, Adam Young, Amanda E. Cravens, Christian Giardina, Kevin Hiers, Jeremy S. Littell, Adam Terando
Geological context and significance of the clay-sulfate transition region in Mount Sharp, Gale crater, Mars: An integrated assessment based on orbiter and rover data Geological context and significance of the clay-sulfate transition region in Mount Sharp, Gale crater, Mars: An integrated assessment based on orbiter and rover data
On Mars, phyllosilicate (“clay”) minerals are often associated with older terrains, and sulfate minerals are associated with younger terrains, and this dichotomy is taken as evidence that Mars’ surface dried up over time. Therefore, in situ investigation of the Mount Sharp strata in Gale crater, which record a shift from dominantly clay-bearing to sulfate-bearing minerals, as seen in...
Authors
Melissa J. Meyer, Ralph E. Milliken, Kathryn M. Stack, Lauren A. Edgar, Elizabeth B. Rampe, Madison L. Turner, Kevin W. Lewis, Edwin S. Kite, Gwenael Caravaca, Ashwin R. Vasavada, William E. Dietrich, Alex B. Bryk, Olivier Gasnault, Stephane Le Mouelic, Christina H. Seeger, Rachel Y. Sheppard
Seismically detected cratering on Mars: Enhanced recent impact flux? Seismically detected cratering on Mars: Enhanced recent impact flux?
Seismic observations of impacts on Mars indicate a higher impact flux than previously measured. Using six confirmed seismic impact detections near the NASA InSight lander and two distant large impacts, we calculate appropriate scalings to compare these rates with lunar-based chronology models. We also update the impact rate from orbital observations using the most recent catalog of new...
Authors
Ingrid J. Daubar, Raphael F. Garcia, Alexander E. Stott, Benjamin Fernando, Gareth S. Collins, Colin M. Dundas, Natalia Wojcicka, Geraldine Zenhausern, Alfred S. McEwen, Simon C. Stahler, Matthew P. Golombek, Constantinos Charalambous, Domenico Giardini, Philippe Lognonne, W. Bruce Banerdt
Coyote use of prairie dog colonies is most frequent in areas used by American badgers Coyote use of prairie dog colonies is most frequent in areas used by American badgers
The consequences of intraguild predation on vulnerable subordinate species are an important consideration in the recovery of endangered species. In prairie ecosystems, coyotes (Canis latrans) are the primary predator of endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes; hereafter, ferrets) and presumably compete for prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) prey. Coyote predation of ferrets is thought...
Authors
Rebecca Windell, Larissa L. Bailey, Travis Livieri, David A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Stewart Breck
Evaluating post-wildfire debris-flow rainfall thresholds and volume models at the 2020 Grizzly Creek Fire in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, USA Evaluating post-wildfire debris-flow rainfall thresholds and volume models at the 2020 Grizzly Creek Fire in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, USA
As wildfire increases in the western United States, so do postfire debris-flow hazards. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed two separate models to estimate (1) rainfall intensity thresholds for postfire debris-flow initiation and (2) debris-flow volumes. However, the information necessary to test the accuracy of these models is seldom available. Here, we studied how well...
Authors
Francis K. Rengers, Samuel Bower, Andrew Knapp, Jason W. Kean, Danielle W. vonLembke, Matthew A. Thomas, Jaime Kostelnik, Katherine R. Barnhart, Matthew Bethel, Joseph E. Gartner, Madeline Hille, Dennis M. Staley, Justin K. Anderson, Elizabeth K. Roberts, Stephen B. DeLong, Belize Lane, Paxton Ridgeway, Brendan Murphy
Pasture and diurnal temperature are key predictors of regional Plains Spotted Skunk (Spilogale interrupta) distribution Pasture and diurnal temperature are key predictors of regional Plains Spotted Skunk (Spilogale interrupta) distribution
The Plains Spotted Skunk (Spilogale interrupta) is a small carnivore native to central North America that has experienced significant population reductions, and there is a lack of information about the species that could inform conservation. Our study aimed to address knowledge gaps about the distribution and habitat associations of the species in South Dakota using species distribution...
Authors
Kara M. White, Amanda E. Cheeseman, Joshua D. Stafford, Robert Charles Lonsinger
Climate, food and humans predict communities of mammals in the United States Climate, food and humans predict communities of mammals in the United States
Aim The assembly of species into communities and ecoregions is the result of interacting factors that affect plant and animal distribution and abundance at biogeographic scales. Here, we empirically derive ecoregions for mammals to test whether human disturbance has become more important than climate and habitat resources in structuring communities.Location Conterminous United States...
Authors
Roland Kays, Matthew H. Snider, George Hess, Michael V. Cove, Alex Jensen, Hila Shamon, William J. McShea, Brigit Rooney, Maximilian L. Allen, Charles E. Pekins, Christopher C. Wilmers, Mary E. Pendergast, Austin M. Green, Justin Suraci, Matthew S. Leslie, Sophie Nasrallah, Dan Farkas, Mark Jordan, Melissa Grigione, Michael LaScaleia, Miranda L. Davis, Chris Hansen, Josh Millspaugh, Jesse S. Lewis, Michael Havrda, Robert Long, Kathryn R. Remine, Kodi J. Jaspers, Diana J. R. Lafferty, Tru Hubbard, Colin E. Studds, Erika L. Barthelmess, Katherine Andy, Andrea Romero, Brian J. O’Neill, Melissa T.R. Hawkins, Jason V. Lombardi, Maksim Sergeyev, M. Caitlin Fisher-Reid, Michael S. Rentz, Christopher Nagy, Jon D Davenport, Christine C. Rega-Brodsky, Cara L. Appel, Damon B. Lesmeister, Sean T. Giery, Christopher A. Whittier, Jesse M. Alston, Chris Sutherland, Christopher Rota, Thomas Murphy, Thomas E. Lee, Alessio Mortelliti, Dylan L. Bergman, Justin A. Compton, Brian D. Gerber, Jess Burr, Kylie Rezendes, Brett Alexander DeGregorio, Nathaniel H. Wehr, John F. Benson, M. Teague O’Mara, David S. Jachowski, Morgan Gray, Dean E. Beyer, Jerrold L. Belant, Robert V. Horan, Robert Charles Lonsinger, Kellie M. Kuhn, Steven C. M. Hasstedt, Marketa Zimova, Sophie M. Moore, Daniel J. Herrera, Sarah Fritts, Andrew J. Edelman, Elizabeth A. Flaherty, Tyler R. Petroelje, Sean A. Neiswenter, Derek R. Risch, Fabiola Iannarilli, Marius van der Merwe, Sean P. Maher, Zach J. Farris, Stephen L. Webb, David S. Mason, Marcus A. Lashley, Andrew M. Wilson, John P. Vanek, Samuel R. Wehr, L. Mike Conner, James C. Beasley, Helen L. Bontrager, Carolina Baruzzi, Susan N. Ellis-Felege, Mike D. Proctor, Jan Schipper, Katherine Weiss, Andrea K. Darracq, Evan G. Barr, Peter D. Alexander, Cagan H. Sekercioglu, Daniel A. Bogan, Christopher M. Schalk, Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Scott LaPoint, Laura S. Whipple, Helen Ivy Rowe, Kayleigh Mullen, Tori Bird, Adam Zorn, LaRoy Brandt, Richard G. Lathrop, Craig McCain, Anthony P. Crupi, James Clark, Arielle Parsons
An integrated perspective of paleoenvironmental change in the Western Interior Seaway before and during OAE-2 reveals how organic-rich mudstones form in dynamic environments An integrated perspective of paleoenvironmental change in the Western Interior Seaway before and during OAE-2 reveals how organic-rich mudstones form in dynamic environments
Organic and inorganic geochemistry was integrated with sedimentology from the Eagle Ford Group in the U.S. Geological Survey Gulf Coast-3 drill core to investigate why organic matter enrichment and anoxia predate the Cenomanian–Turonian oceanic anoxic event (OAE-2) at the southern Western Interior Seaway (WIS). The relationship between the degree of organic matter sulfurization and...
Authors
Katherine L. French, Jason A. Flaum, Justin E. Birdwell