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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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Breaking down Palila decline: Assessing the role of drought and vegetation health in the population loss of an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper Breaking down Palila decline: Assessing the role of drought and vegetation health in the population loss of an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper
The Palila (Loxioides bailleui), the last member of the once speciose finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreeper clade (Drepanidinae) in the main Hawaiian Islands, faces critical conservation challenges as an endangered species. Understanding the drivers of its decline is essential for effective management. We used additive decomposition models to examine temporal trends in climatic variables...
Authors
Erica M. Gallerani, Richard J. Camp, Paul C. Banko, Austin Madson, Chunyu Dong, Lucas Fortini, Zhimin Ma, Thomas W. Gillespie
Sulfide stress tolerance as a controller of methane production in temperate wetlands Sulfide stress tolerance as a controller of methane production in temperate wetlands
Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions and contribute to the observed increase in atmospheric methane over the last 20 years. Methane production in wetlands is the final step of carbon decomposition performed by anaerobic archaea. Although hydrogen/carbon dioxide and acetate are the substrates most often attributed to methanogenesis, other substrates—such as methylated...
Authors
Emily Bechtold, Jared B. Ellenbogen, Danhui Xin, Marcia Pacheco, Brandy M. Toner, Yu-Ping Chin, William A. Arnold, Sheel Bansal, Michael J. Wilkins
Hiding in plain sight: Genomic characterization of a novel nackednavirus and evidence of diverse adomaviruses in a hyperpigmented lesion of a largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) Hiding in plain sight: Genomic characterization of a novel nackednavirus and evidence of diverse adomaviruses in a hyperpigmented lesion of a largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Largemouth bass (LMB; Micropterus nigricans) are popular both as a sportfish and an aquaculture species. At present, six described viruses are associated with LMB, of which two are typically considered in cases of LMB mortality events. Advances in discovery and diagnostic capabilities using next-generation sequencing have augmented surveillance efforts and subsequently led to the...
Authors
Clayton D. Raines, John Odenkirk, Michael Isel, Patricia Mazik, Morgan Alexandra Biggs, Luke Iwanowicz
A 21st Century butterfly net: Using eDNA to detect the imperiled Dakota skipper A 21st Century butterfly net: Using eDNA to detect the imperiled Dakota skipper
The development of environmental DNA (eDNA) methods for terrestrial arthropods could be transformative for the difficult task of assessing the status of species of conservation concern. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the efficacy of detecting the Dakota skipper (Hesperia dacotae) from its DNA left behind on inflorescences as a means of inferring species presence. We...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Michaela Ray Grossklaus, Stacie A. Kageyama, Cale Nordmeyer, Jerry Reinisch, Erik Runquist, Stephen Frank Spear
New constraints on location and timing of the Great Lakes tectonic zone, central Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA New constraints on location and timing of the Great Lakes tectonic zone, central Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA
The Great Lakes tectonic zone (GLTZ) forms the boundary between the Wawa–Abitibi and Minnesota River Valley subprovinces within the Archean Superior Province. The GLTZ is concealed for all of its 1100 km length, except for a segment in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. There, it is exposed as a northwest-striking mylonite zone along a 11 km segment, extending to the onlap of...
Authors
Benjamin J. Drenth, Amanda Souders, William F. Cannon, Jay Michael Thompson
Desert ecosystems shape diversification in glossy snakes (genus Arizona) requiring a re-alignment of evolutionary and conservation units Desert ecosystems shape diversification in glossy snakes (genus Arizona) requiring a re-alignment of evolutionary and conservation units
Subspecies are often targets for conservation, yet many lack the genetic data necessary to validate their status as distinctive evolutionary lineages. In 2016, conservationists faced this issue when designating the California glossy snake, Arizona elegans occidentalis, as a Species of Special Concern in California, a decision prompted by population declines and habitat loss but absent of...
Authors
Dustin Wood, Jonathan Q. Richmond, Michael F. Westphal, Bradford D. Hollingsworth, Robert D. Fisher, Amy G. Vandergast
Contribution of traffic emissions to PM2.5 concentrations at bus stops in Denver, Colorado Contribution of traffic emissions to PM2.5 concentrations at bus stops in Denver, Colorado
Individuals are routinely exposed to traffic-related air pollution on their commutes, which has significant health impacts. Mitigating exposure to traffic-related pollution is a key urban sustainability concern. In Denver, Colorado, low-income Americans are more likely to rely on buses and spend time waiting at bus stops. Evaluating the contribution of traffic emissions at bus stops can...
Authors
Priyanka deSouza, Phillip Hopke, Christian L'Orange, Peter Christian Ibsen, Carl Green, Brady Graeber, Brendan Cicione, Ruth Mekonnen, Saadhana Purushothama, Patrick Kinney, John Volckens
High-resolution multi-pollutant mapping in Denver, Colorado High-resolution multi-pollutant mapping in Denver, Colorado
Characterizing traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs), which significantly impact health, and greenhouse gases (GHGs) can be challenging in urban environments. Mobile monitoring has the potential to capture the spatial distribution of these pollutants. We present results from a campaign using the Denver Mobile Monitoring Laboratory (DMML) in the summer of 2023 when we measured ultrafine...
Authors
Priyanka deSouza, Benjamin Crawford, John L. Durant, Neelakshi Hudda, Peter Christian Ibsen, Christian L'Orange, Jose Jimenez, Brady Graeber, Brendan Cicione, Ruth Mekonnen, Saadhana Purushothama, Ralph Kahn, Patrick L. Kinney, John Volckens
Monitoring cyanobacteria temporal trends in a hypereutrophic lake using remote sensing: From multispectral to hyperspectral Monitoring cyanobacteria temporal trends in a hypereutrophic lake using remote sensing: From multispectral to hyperspectral
Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) and associated cyanotoxins are a concern for inland waters. Due to the extensive spatial coverage and frequent availability of satellite images, multispectral remote sensing tools demonstrate utility for monitoring these blooms. The next frontier for remote sensing of cyanoHABs in inland waters is hyperspectral data. Recent and upcoming...
Authors
Samantha L. Sharp, Alicia Cortes, Alexander L. Forrest, Carl J. Legleiter, Liane S. Guild, Yufang Jin, S. Geoffrey Schladow
Favorability mapping for hydrothermal power resource assessments of the Great Basin, USA Favorability mapping for hydrothermal power resource assessments of the Great Basin, USA
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is updating the 2008 assessment of conventional hydrothermal resources for the Great Basin in the western United States. As part of this work, the workflow for hydrothermal resource favorability maps is being modified to integrate modern data-driven machine learning (ML) methods. Improvements include: [1] using new and refined evidence layers (features)...
Authors
Stanley Paul Mordensky, Erick R. Burns, John Lipor, Jacob DeAngelo
Ten lessons for controlling invasive species: Wisdom from the long-standing sea lamprey control program on the Laurentian Great Lakes Ten lessons for controlling invasive species: Wisdom from the long-standing sea lamprey control program on the Laurentian Great Lakes
Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America is among the largest and most successful control programs of an invasive species anywhere on the planet. The effort began more than 75 years ago; it unites multiple nations, states, and provinces with the common goal of controlling this invasive species and protecting a valuable fishery. The science...
Authors
Steven J. Cooke, Carrie Baker, Julie L. Mida Hinderer, Michael Siefkes, Jessica Barber, Todd B. Steeves, Margaret F. Docker, Weiming Li, Michael Wilkie, Michael L. Jones, Kelly Filer Robinson, Erin S. Dunlop, Cory Brant, Nicholas S. Johnson, William Mattes, Marc Gaden, Andrew M. Muir
First record of twin and triplet embryos found in the clutch of a wild Burmese python in southern Florida First record of twin and triplet embryos found in the clutch of a wild Burmese python in southern Florida
No abstract available.
Authors
Génesis Aponte Santiago, Judith E. Baird-Lujano, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Derrick G. Biglin, John-Kaarli M. Rentof, George F. Bancroft, Christina M. Romagosa, Matthew McCollister, Kristen Hart