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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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Climate consideration in environmental effects analyses on federal public lands in the United States Climate consideration in environmental effects analyses on federal public lands in the United States
Effects of a changing climate, including drought, wildfire, and invasive species encroachment, are evident on public lands across the United States. Decision making on Federal public lands requires analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and there are guidelines for considering climate in NEPA analyses. To better understand how climate most recently has been...
Authors
Sarah E. Whipple, Sarah K. Carter, Tait K. Rutherford, Samuel E. Jordan, Richard J. Lehrter, Christopher T. Domschke, Megan A. Gilbert, Julian Reyes, Ella M. Samuel, Karen M. Schank, John C. Tull, David J.A. Wood
‘The fish that stop’: Drivers of historical decline for Pacific cod and implications for modern management in an era of rapidly changing climate ‘The fish that stop’: Drivers of historical decline for Pacific cod and implications for modern management in an era of rapidly changing climate
n the Gulf of Alaska, a series of marine heat waves depleted Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) biomass to the lowest abundance ever recorded and led to the fishery’s closure in 2020. Although the fishery has been productive for decades, this collapse may have historical precedents. Traditional knowledge holders refer to cod as ‘the fish that stop’, and there is a suggested period of...
Authors
Loren McClenachan, Bruce T. Anderson, Jason A. Addison, Steven J. Barbeaux, Karoline Moore, Kai Muir, Katherine L. Reedy, Ingrid B. Spies, Catherine F. West
Identifying conditions associated with outliers produced by three different chlorophyll fluorometers: A comparison of instrumentation and development of correction formulae Identifying conditions associated with outliers produced by three different chlorophyll fluorometers: A comparison of instrumentation and development of correction formulae
Measurements of chlorophyll concentration reported by fluorometers (fChl) are used in environmental research and monitoring, as inputs to models, and in the interpretation of remote sensing data. Researchers and managers benefit from understanding how to interpret and ensure the accuracy of fChl data collected by in situ fluorometers. Although fChl values produced by different...
Authors
Emily T. Richardson, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Crystal Lee Sturgeon, Katy O’Donnell, Brian A. Bergamaschi
Snow refugia: Managing temperate forest canopies to maintain winter conditions Snow refugia: Managing temperate forest canopies to maintain winter conditions
Climate change is reducing snowpack across temperate regions with negative consequences for human and natural systems. Because forest canopies create microclimates that preserve snowpack, managing forests to support snow refugia—defined here as areas that remain relatively buffered from contemporary climate change over time that sustain snow quality, quantity, and/or timing appropriate...
Authors
M.A. Pastore, S.J. Nelson, E.A. Burakowski, A.R. Contosta, A.W. D’Amato, S. Garlick, E. O. Lindsey, D.A. Lutz, Toni Lyn Morelli, A. P.K. Siren, Grace A. Smith, A. Weiskittel
Comparative genomics of Bacillus anthracis A and B-clades reveals genetic variation in genes responsible for spore germination Comparative genomics of Bacillus anthracis A and B-clades reveals genetic variation in genes responsible for spore germination
Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is composed of three genetic clades (A, B, and C). Clade-A is the most common and distributed worldwide, B-clade has a narrow geographic distribution, and C-clade is rare. South Africa's Kruger National Park (KNP) has high diversity of B. anthracis, with strains from A and B clades described from its northernmost region, Pafuri. We...
Authors
Sankwetea P. Mokgokong, Ayesha Hassim, Tendo Mafuna, Wendy Christine Turner, Henriette van Heerden, Kgaugelo E. Lekota
Post-traumatic stress disorder in adult population of La Palma (Spain) after the 2021 Tajogaite eruption: Environmental and sociodemographic predictors Post-traumatic stress disorder in adult population of La Palma (Spain) after the 2021 Tajogaite eruption: Environmental and sociodemographic predictors
The adverse mental health effects of exposure to disasters have long been recognized, with earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and volcanoes (among others) contributing to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Concerning PTSD and volcanic eruptions specifically, most studies have highlighted risk factors related to demographic and social factors (e.g., gender, age...
Authors
Lisa Fourgassie, María Cristo Rodríguez-Pérez, Manuel Enrique Fuentes Ferrer, Elena Zwirner, Agnès Borbon, Aurélie Colomb, Francisco Jose Perez Torrado, David Jessop, Séverine Moune, Raphaël Paris, Lucie Sauzéat, Ines Tomašek, David Damby, Guillaume Dezecache, Julia Eychenne
Ecosystem-engineered infections: Beaver-modified wetlands are associated with conflicting drivers of amphibian pathogen prevalence Ecosystem-engineered infections: Beaver-modified wetlands are associated with conflicting drivers of amphibian pathogen prevalence
Beavers are ecosystem engineers and keystone species that protect freshwater resources and increase biodiversity. Beaver reintroductions are promoted for amphibian conservation, yet their impact on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a pathogen linked with amphibian population declines worldwide, remains unclear. We investigated the abiotic and biotic drivers of Bd prevalence in...
Authors
Leah M Fischer, Angela D Luis, Blake Hossack, Taegan A. McMahon, Winsor H. Lowe
Principles of riverscape health Principles of riverscape health
Riverscapes are the integration of terrestrial and aquatic systems from headwaters to estuaries that provide habitat and ecosystem benefits when in good health. However, current riverscape degradation is pervasive, impairing the function and resulting benefits of these systems. Healthy riverscapes are adaptive and some can ‘heal’ after disturbance with minimal to no human assistance. As...
Authors
Hayley Corrine Glassic, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Joseph Wheaton, William W. Macfarlane, Christopher Jordan, Brian M. Murphy, Scott Shahverdian, Stephen Bennett, Nicolaas Bouwes, Kirstie Fryirs, Gary Brierley, Damion Ciotti, Philip Bailey, Karen Bartlet, Barbara Belletti, Simone Bizzi, James Brasington, Reid Camp, Emily Fairfax, Jordan Gilbert, Justin Jimenez, Jeremy D Maestas, Timmie Mandish, Amy McNamara, Scott R Miller, Baptiste Marizot, Mathias Perle, Herve Piegay, Helen Reid, Lindsay V. Reynolds, William Saunders, Alden Shallcross, Peter Skidmore, Rose Smith, Benoît Terrier, Gus Wathen, Nick Weber
The breeding season and movement ecology of male white‐tailed deer in southwest Wisconsin The breeding season and movement ecology of male white‐tailed deer in southwest Wisconsin
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter, deer) have been widely studied regarding their breeding ecology and responses to hunting pressures. However, variations in defining the breeding season—its duration and timing—across studies have created uncertainty about whether regional differences in deer breeding ecology stem from ecological factors or methodological...
Authors
Matthew Hunsaker, Marie L.J. Gilbertson, Daniel J. Storm, Wendy Christine Turner
2022 McKinney rain-on-wildfire event, dissolved oxygen sags, and a fish kill on the Klamath River, California 2022 McKinney rain-on-wildfire event, dissolved oxygen sags, and a fish kill on the Klamath River, California
The longitudinal propagation of water-quality and ecological impairments in rivers during and after wildfires remain poorly understood. In Northern California, the 2022 McKinney Fire burned 243 km2 of the Klamath National Forest, with 83% of the burned area classified as moderate to high severity. During the active wildfire, a high-intensity monsoonal rain event triggered sediment-laden...
Authors
Jennifer A. Curtis, Grant Johnson, Josh Cahill, Laurel Genzoli, Clifford Dahm, Liam N. Schenk, John Oberholzer
Spatial and temporal variability of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in major rivers of New Mexico, USA Spatial and temporal variability of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in major rivers of New Mexico, USA
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous in the environment, but sources that contribute to temporal and spatial variability in surface waters are not well defined. Many states are assessing PFAS in water resources, and insight from these statewide assessments can help guide future sampling efforts. A statewide assessment of 28 PFAS was conducted in New Mexico...
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner
Unintended indirect effects limit elk productivity from supplemental feeding in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Unintended indirect effects limit elk productivity from supplemental feeding in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
The widespread practice of supplemental feeding, a bottom-up forcing of resource availability, is intended to improve wildlife population health and survival. However, supplemental feeding could trigger indirect effects by altering predation rates and disease dynamics. We investigated the effects of feeding on three key elk (Cervus canadensis) population productivity metrics (calf:cow...
Authors
Brian Scott Dugovich, Emily M. Tomaszewski, Eric K. Cole, Sarah Dewey, Daniel MacNulty, Brandon Scurlock, Daniel Stahler, Paul C. Cross