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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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Navigating new threats: Prey naivete in native mammals Navigating new threats: Prey naivete in native mammals
1. Invasive predators pose a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Native prey species frequently exhibit naïveté to the cues of invasive predators, and this phenomenon may contribute to the disproportionate impact of invasive predators on prey populations. However, not all species exhibit naïveté, which has led to the generation of many hypotheses to explain patterns in prey...
Authors
Rebecca K. McKee, Kristen Hart, Spencer Zeitoune, Robert A. McCleery
Leveraging airborne imaging spectroscopy and multispectral satellite imagery to map glacial sediment plumes in Kachemak Bay, Alaska Leveraging airborne imaging spectroscopy and multispectral satellite imagery to map glacial sediment plumes in Kachemak Bay, Alaska
Study RegionKachemak Bay is a fjord-type estuary in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Water quality and habitat characteristics are strongly influenced by freshwater and sediment input from multiple glacierized catchments. Study FocusWe present a new method combining imaging spectroscopy from an airborne survey with Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery to map water surface turbidity originating...
Authors
Lea Hartl, Carl Schmitt, Martin Stuefer, J. Jenckes, Benjamin Patrick Page, Christopher J. Crawford, Gail L. Schmidt, R. Yang, R. Hock
Linking fire, food webs, and fish in stream ecosystems Linking fire, food webs, and fish in stream ecosystems
As wildfire regimes shift, resource managers are concerned about potential threats to aquatic ecosystems and the species they support, especially fishes. However, predicting fish responses can be challenging because wildfires affect aquatic ecosystems via multiple pathways. Application of whole-ecosystem approaches, such as food web modeling, can act as heuristic tools that offer...
Authors
David A. Roon, J. Ryan Bellmore, Joseph R. Benjamin, François-Nicolas Robinne, Rebecca L. Flitcroft, Jana E. Compton, Joseph L. Ebersole, Jason Dunham, Kevin D. Bladon
Spatiotemporal dynamics and habitat use of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) on the southeastern United States Atlantic continental shelf Spatiotemporal dynamics and habitat use of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) on the southeastern United States Atlantic continental shelf
Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is an iconic marine fish species along the southeast United States coast. Despite its ecological and economic importance, surprisingly little is known about red snapper biology and habitat use on the southeast United States Atlantic continental shelf (SEUS). We used data from a long-term baited trap and video survey (2011–2022), as well as from remotely...
Authors
Nathan M. Bacheler, William F. Patterson III, Joseph H. Tarnecki, Kyle W. Shertzer, Jeffrey A. Buckel, Nathan J. Hostetter, Krishna Pacifici, Viviane Zulian, Walter J. Bubley
Spatiotemporal synchrony of climate and fire occurrence across North American forests (1750-1880) Spatiotemporal synchrony of climate and fire occurrence across North American forests (1750-1880)
Aim Increasing aridity has driven widespread synchronous fire occurrence in recent decades across North America. The lack of historical (pre-1880) fire records limits our ability to understand long-term continental fire-climate dynamics. The goal of this study is to use tree-ring reconstructions to determine the relationships between spatiotemporal patterns in historical climate and...
Authors
Ellis Q. Margolis, Andreas Paul Wion, John T. Abatzoglou, Lori D. Daniels, Donald A. Falk, Chris Guiterman, James B. Johnston, Kurt F. Kipfmueller, Charles W. Lafon, Rachel A. Loehman, Maggie Lonergan, Cameron E. Naficy, Marc-Andre Parisien, Sean Parks, Jeanne Portier, Michael C. Stambaugh, Ellen Whitman, A. Park Williams, Larissa Yocom
Evaluating a simulation-based wildfire burn probability map for the conterminous US Evaluating a simulation-based wildfire burn probability map for the conterminous US
Background Wildfire simulation models are used to derive maps of burn probability (BP) based on fuels, weather, topography and ignition locations, and BP maps are key components of wildfire risk assessments. Aims Few studies have compared BP maps with real-world fires to evaluate their suitability for near-future risk assessment. Here, we evaluated a BP map for the conterminous US based...
Authors
Amanda Renee Carlson, Todd Hawbaker, Lucas Bair, Chad Michael Hoffman, James R. Meldrum, L. Scott Baggett, Paul F. Steblein
Shoreline change of western Long Island, New York, from satellite-derived shorelines Shoreline change of western Long Island, New York, from satellite-derived shorelines
Shoreline measurement techniques using satellite-derived imagery can provide decades of observations of shoreline change. Here we apply these techniques to the western south shore of Long Island, New York, which has three distinct beaches, Rockaway Peninsula, Long Beach, and Jones Beach Island, which are 18, 15, and 24 km in length, respectively. These beaches are recreation areas for...
Authors
Catherine N. Janda, Jonathan A. Warrick, Daniel D. Buscombe, Sharon F. Batiste
Advancing the science of headwater streamflow for global water protection Advancing the science of headwater streamflow for global water protection
The protection of headwater streams faces increasing challenges, exemplified by limited global recognition of headwater contributions to watershed resiliency and a recent US Supreme Court decision limiting federal safeguards. Despite accounting for ~77% of global river networks, the lack of adequate headwaters protections is caused, in part, by limited information on their extent and...
Authors
Heather E. Golden, Jay Christiensen, Hilary McMillan, Christa A. Kelleher, Charles R. Lane, Admin Husic, Li Li, Adam S. Ward, John C. Hammond, Erin C. Seybold, Kristin L. Jaeger, Margaret Ann Zimmer, Roy Sando, C. Nathan Jones, Catalina Segura, D. Tyler Mahoney, Adam N. Price, Frederick Chang
Fish-assemblage evaluation in the lower Sandusky River, Ohio, following dam removal Fish-assemblage evaluation in the lower Sandusky River, Ohio, following dam removal
The Sandusky River, Ohio, USA, has experienced more than a century of alterations, including dam implementation and removal, causing a cascade of habitat changes. The physical changes in the river led to establishment of several invasive species. Ten hoop-net sampling sites, spaced about 500 m apart were established in the river to monitor fish assemblage and their habitat preferences...
Authors
Kailee Amanda Schulz, Matthew Ross Acre, Andrew T. Mueller, James J. Wamboldt, Dustin Broaddus, Tyler Hessler, Tammy Michelle Wilson, Robert L. Mapes, Jon Amberg, Robin D. Calfee
The progression of basaltic–rhyolitic melt storage at Yellowstone Caldera The progression of basaltic–rhyolitic melt storage at Yellowstone Caldera
Yellowstone Caldera is one of the largest volcanic systems on Earth, hosting three major caldera-forming eruptions in the past two million years, interspersed with periods of less explosive, smaller-volume eruptions1. Caldera-forming eruptions at Yellowstone are sourced by rhyolitic melts stored within the mid- to upper crust. Seismic tomography studies have suggested that a broad region...
Authors
Ninfa Lucia Bennington, Adam Schultz, Paul A. Bedrosian, Esteban Bowles-Martinez, Kendra J. Lynn, Mark E. Stelten, Xiaolei Tu, Clifford Thurber
Sex differences in migration routes and non-breeding areas of a declining shorebird Sex differences in migration routes and non-breeding areas of a declining shorebird
Migratory birds face different threats and pressures across their annual cycle, and understanding the impact of these factors on individuals is critical to the conservation of avian populations. Individuals from the same breeding population may share the same non-breeding areas, and thus experience similar conditions, or they may travel to different habitats or regions during migration...
Authors
Ann E. McKellar, Cheri L Gratto-Trevor, T. Lee Tibbitts
Evaluating effects of tracking device attachment methods on Black Oystercatchers Haematopus bachmani Evaluating effects of tracking device attachment methods on Black Oystercatchers Haematopus bachmani
Advances in tracking technology are greatly improving our understanding of many aspects of avian ecology. However, the diversity of tracking devices and attachment methods necessitates better evaluation of how they affect particular taxa. We evaluated effects of tracking devices mounted on leg bands or attached using leg-loop harnesses on resighting rates of Black Oystercatchers...
Authors
Cole Rankin, Lena Ware, Brian H. Robinson, Daniel Esler, Heather Coletti, Mark Maftei, J Mark Hipfner, David Green