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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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Lake sturgeon behavioral diversity in the Laurentian Great Lakes: Migratory patterns across populations and habitats Lake sturgeon behavioral diversity in the Laurentian Great Lakes: Migratory patterns across populations and habitats
Background
Authors
Skye D. Fissette, Charles C. Krueger, Lisa M. O'Connor, Thomas C. Pratt, Daniel A. Isermann, Dan Wilfond, John A. Sweka, Darryl W. Hondorp
Heat-driven functional extinction of Caribbean Acropora corals from Florida's Coral Reef Heat-driven functional extinction of Caribbean Acropora corals from Florida's Coral Reef
In 2023, a record-setting marine heat wave triggered the ninth mass coral bleaching event on Florida’s Coral Reef (FCR). We examined spatial patterns of heat exposure along the ~560-kilometer length of FCR and the mortality of two ecologically important, critically endangered reef-building corals. Sea surface temperatures were ≥31°C for an average of 40.7 days, leading to heat exposures...
Authors
Derek P. Manzello, Ross Cunning, Richard F. Karp, Andrew C. Baker, Erich Bartels, Ryan Bonhag, Alexandra Borreil, Amanda Bourque, Kristen T. Brown, Andrew W. Bruckner, Bryce Corbett, Martine D’Alessandro, Craig Dahlgren, Jenna Dilworth, Erick Gieger, David S. Gilliam, Maya Gomez, Grace Hanson, Cailin Harrell, Dalton Hesley, Lindsay K. Huebner, Carly D. Kenkel, Hannah R. Koch, Joe Kuehl, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Mark C. Ladd, Sophia Lee, Kathryn C. Lesneski, Amanda Lewan, Diego Lirman, Gang Liu, Shayla B. Matsuda, Phanor H. Montoya-Maya, Jennifer Moore, Erinn M. Muller, Ken Nedimeyer, John E. Parkinson, Rob Ruzicka, Jason Spadaro, Blake L. Spady, Jennifer Stein, Joseph D. Unsworth, Alexandra D. Wen, Dana E. Williams, Sara Williams, Olivia M. Williamson
Zircon as a pathfinder to REE mineralization Zircon as a pathfinder to REE mineralization
Carbonatites and alkaline silicate rocks are major primary sources of the rare earth elements (REE) and other critical metals, such as Nb. Despite the economic significance of these rocks, their formation and the processes of REE enrichment are poorly understood. Here, statistical analysis of a global dataset demonstrates that zircon geochemistry is a powerful recorder of REE...
Authors
Ian W. Hillenbrand
Using probability difference to compare streamflow information of alternatives for efficient operation of monitoring networks Using probability difference to compare streamflow information of alternatives for efficient operation of monitoring networks
Efficient operation of streamflow monitoring networks requires investments in technology and labor that provide the greatest benefits from available resources. Economic analyses comparing the costs and benefits from different types of alternatives for monitoring have not been practical to implement. Streamflow information provides a generic measure of benefits that can be incorporated...
Authors
Christopher Konrad
Precipitation timing mediates life-stage and population-level associations with climate for an indicator species Precipitation timing mediates life-stage and population-level associations with climate for an indicator species
Global climate change is contributing to declines in biodiversity, although changes vary across geographic regions and species. The iconic greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) is central to conservation within the North American sagebrush ecosystem, yet its vulnerability to climate effects remains poorly understood. We used hierarchical models to explore weather...
Authors
Shawn T. O’Neil, Carl Gregory Lundblad, Brianne E. Brussee, John Christopher Tull, Michael L. Casazza, Justin R. Small, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates
Linking bathythermal habitat selection to management of a migratory freshwater fish Linking bathythermal habitat selection to management of a migratory freshwater fish
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Authors
Richard Kraus, Matthew Faust, Scott F. Colborne, Christopher Vandergoot
Greenhouse gas emissions from ditches in oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands in Malaysia Greenhouse gas emissions from ditches in oil palm plantations on tropical peatlands in Malaysia
Tropical peatlands, which store 20% of global peat carbon, are increasingly threatened by conversion to alternative land-uses such as oil palm plantations, pulp wood plantations, crop growth or other economic activities. This transformation involves peatland drainage, which lowers water tables, exposes peat to oxygen, and alters greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: increasing carbon dioxide...
Authors
Kuno Kasak, Iryna Dronova, Kaido Soosaar, Lulie Melling, Wong Guan Xhuan, Faustina Sangok, Reti Ranniku, Jorge A. Villa, Sheel Bansal, Michael Peacock, Ülo Mander
Year-round daytime pCO2 undersaturation in an instream series of urban reservoirs with a history of harmful algal blooms Year-round daytime pCO2 undersaturation in an instream series of urban reservoirs with a history of harmful algal blooms
Daytime water quality was determined monthly over two years in an instream series of four urban reservoirs with recurring blooms of Prymnesium parvum—a cool-season toxigenic species. Temperature, pH, and laboratory-measured total alkalinity were used to estimate pCO2. System-wide, pCO2 was negatively associated with dissolved oxygen. Chlorophyll-a, phycocyanin (cyanobacterial pigment)...
Authors
Reynaldo Patino, Samantha Lehker
An approach to urban waterway assessment using holistic values and reciprocity An approach to urban waterway assessment using holistic values and reciprocity
Current aquatic ecosystem assessment methods and tools often focus on physical, chemical, and biological indicators of ecosystem health. This approach to ecosystem assessment is not always straightforward to execute in urban environments and ignores potential connectivity between social and environmental outcomes. During a workshop at the Symposium on Urbanization and Stream Ecology in...
Authors
Mateo Scoggins, Isabelle C. Barrett, Belinda I. Margetts, Eugenia Martí, Brian M. Murphy, Allison H. Roy, Ruth I. Shear, Sergia S. Sabat-Bonilla, Natalie A. Griffiths, Vinitha Nanjappa, Kate Mussett, Kasey M. Stirling, Susan Chiblow, Shayenna Nolan
The interface between rare plant management and genetics: Conserving Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) in the Great Lakes region, USA The interface between rare plant management and genetics: Conserving Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) in the Great Lakes region, USA
Background and Aims Tools showing best conservation practices are becoming critical for rare plant conservation as populations become isolated through habitat fragmentation and changing ecosystem processes. We illustrate the importance of reintroduction and assisted gene flow, using reintroduction of the USA federally threatened Pitcher’s thistle (Cirsium pitcheri), a monocarpic...
Authors
Noel B. Pavlovic, Jeremie B. Fant, Kathryn McEachern
Wind pumping dominates landward salt transport in a weakly tidal estuary Wind pumping dominates landward salt transport in a weakly tidal estuary
In tidally energetic estuaries, salinity dynamics vary with tidal forcing as well as factors such as river discharge and bathymetry. However, in weakly tidal estuaries, mechanisms governing salt transport remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate salt transport processes in a weakly tidal estuary, Albemarle Sound on the U.S. East Coast, using a deterministic numerical model. In 2022...
Authors
Dongxiao Yin, David K. Ralston, John C. Warner, Neil K. Ganju, Courtney K. Harris
Geochemical evidence for the origin of late Quaternary loess, Seward Peninsula, Alaska Geochemical evidence for the origin of late Quaternary loess, Seward Peninsula, Alaska
Loess is the most widespread surficial deposit in the state of Alaska. Although loess of last glacial age is common in mid-continental North America, records of last glacial loess in Alaska have been elusive. Here we report a record of last glacial loess on the Seward Peninsula, along with studies of a transect of loess localities also thought to date to the last glacial period. Highly...
Authors
Daniel R. Muhs, Jeffrey S. Pigati