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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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Simulating past and future refugia for temperate trees in northern Italy Simulating past and future refugia for temperate trees in northern Italy
During the Quaternary, trees responded to the climatic changes of glacial–interglacial cycles with large-scale range shifts. Over cold glacials, temperate tree species contracted their ranges and survived in areas known as refugia. Several studies point to the Euganean Hills (Colli Euganei), in Veneto, northern Italy, as one of the northernmost European refugia of temperate tree species...
Authors
Azzurra Pistone, Paul Henne, Petra Boltshauser-Kaltenrieder, Willy Tinner, Christoph Schworer
Multi-proxy thermal history of basin heating during Cordilleran orogenesis in the Magallanes-Austral retroarc foreland basin, Patagonian Andes Multi-proxy thermal history of basin heating during Cordilleran orogenesis in the Magallanes-Austral retroarc foreland basin, Patagonian Andes
Resolving thermal histories in sedimentary basins is crucial for interpreting orogenic growth, basin burial, and tectonic processes during Cordilleran orogenesis. In the Magallanes–Austral Basin, Patagonian Andes, we integrate new (U-Th)/He thermochronology, vitrinite reflectance (%Ro), calcite-cement clumped isotope data and thermal history modelling to resolve the origin of the...
Authors
Rebecca A. VanderLeest, Julie C. Fosdick, Theresa Maude Schwartz, E.G. Hyland, M. Mastalerz
Spawning habitat suitability models for Lake Erie cisco (Coregonus artedi) during the historical period of pre- and post-population declines 1877–1957 Spawning habitat suitability models for Lake Erie cisco (Coregonus artedi) during the historical period of pre- and post-population declines 1877–1957
Coregonine fishes play a key role in the food webs and fisheries of the Laurentian Great Lakes and are a major focus of basin-wide conservation efforts. In Lake Erie, management goals prioritize rebuilding spawning populations of cisco (Coregonus artedi). However, the historical distribution of cisco spawning habitat and the environmental conditions that influence early life-stage...
Authors
Katelyn King, Cory Brant, Arthur Cooper, Gust Annis, Matthew Herbert, Karen M Alofs
Melanoma and other melanistic lesions in brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus from waterbodies in the northeastern United States and Canada: Identification of risk factors Melanoma and other melanistic lesions in brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus from waterbodies in the northeastern United States and Canada: Identification of risk factors
Melanistic lesions, including non-raised black areas due to proliferations of melanocytes and melanomacrophages in the dermis and epidermis, as well as raised black areas consistent with melanoma, are described in brown bullhead (BBH) Ameiurus nebulosus from three water bodies in the northeastern United States and Quebec, Canada. First observed in the Vermont portion of Lake Memphremagog...
Authors
Vicki S. Blazer, P. Emerson, M. Bodnar, Thomas Jones, D. R. Russel, M. Pehrson, Cheyenne R. Smith, Danielle M. Cleveland, Mark J. Henderson, Patricia Mazik
Feathers and flu: Identifying data gaps in avian influenza host dynamics to prioritize wildlife conservation Feathers and flu: Identifying data gaps in avian influenza host dynamics to prioritize wildlife conservation
Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) have had disastrous, worldwide effects on wild birds and domestic poultry since the emergence of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (Gs/GD/96) lineage. The currently circulating H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has an expanded set of susceptible hosts, including many migratory wild birds, and is associated with higher transmission rates, increased...
Authors
Johanna Harvey, Matthew Gonnerman, Shenglai Yin, Cody M. Kent, Joshua Cullen, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Jonathan Dain, Nichola J. Hill, Diann Prosser, Jennifer Mullinax
Baseflow and snowmelt sustained streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2020 Baseflow and snowmelt sustained streamflow in the Upper Colorado River Basin, 1986-2020
The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) faces substantial water availability limitations. Although most streamflow originates as snowmelt, the partitioning of snowmelt between surface runoff and groundwater recharge and subsequent groundwater discharge to streams is highly uncertain. On average, over half of the streamflow in the UCRB is estimated to originate from groundwater discharge to...
Authors
Olivia L. Miller, Matthew P. Miller, Patrick C. Longley, Noah M. Schmadel, Daniel R. Wise, Morgan C. McDonnell, Jay R. Alder
Quantifying southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) reactions to a quadcopter drone in central California Quantifying southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) reactions to a quadcopter drone in central California
Drones are useful for wildlife research and management, but they can cause disturbance and harassment to wildlife. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are candidates for drone-based observation and monitoring but are vulnerable to disturbance. No studies have evaluated drone effects on sea otter behavior, but based on prior disturbance studies, we hypothesized: (1) sea otters would exhibit...
Authors
Colleen Young, Julie L. Yee, Gena Bentall, Michelle M. Staedler, Lilian P. Carswell, Margaret Daly
VegET evapotranspiration for Africa: Continental-scale simulation, multi-product evaluation, and drought assessment VegET evapotranspiration for Africa: Continental-scale simulation, multi-product evaluation, and drought assessment
Study regionContinental Africa, encompassing diverse climatic zones—tropical, arid, and temperate—and spanning major transboundary river basins such as the Nile, Niger, Congo, Volta, and Zambezi River Basins. The region exhibits pronounced hydroclimatic gradients and heterogeneous land use systems ranging from rainfed croplands and rangelands to dense tropical forests and irrigated...
Authors
Komlavi Akpoti, Naga Manohar Velpuri, Mansoor Leh, Stefanie Kagone, Kirubel Mekonnen, Afua Owusu, Mulugeta Tadesse, Paranamana T. Prabhath, Lahiru Madushanka, Tharindu Perera, Gabriel Edwin Lee Parrish, Vinay Nangia, Souleymane Sy, Jan Bliefernicht, Samuel Guug, Abdulkarim Seid, Gabriel B. Senay
Predictable seismic cycles result from structural rupture barriers on oceanic transform faults Predictable seismic cycles result from structural rupture barriers on oceanic transform faults
Earthquakes of magnitude (M) >5.5 on oceanic transform faults (OTFs) repeatedly rupture the same locked patches, sometimes quasiperiodically. These patches are separated by “barriers” that halt earthquake propagation and slip mostly aseismically. However, the physical processes governing this systematic behavior remain unclear. We analyzed two barriers along the Gofar transform fault...
Authors
Jianhua Gong, Wenyuan Fan, Jeffrey J. McGuire, Mark D. Behn, Jessica M. Warren, Emily Roland, M. S. Boettcher, J. A. Collins, Y. Liu, C. R. German
Syn-magmatic subsidence during the early stages of continental rifting in the Mesoproterozoic—A reanalysis of legacy data for the Midcontinent Rift, western Lake Superior Syn-magmatic subsidence during the early stages of continental rifting in the Mesoproterozoic—A reanalysis of legacy data for the Midcontinent Rift, western Lake Superior
The Midcontinent Rift system (ca. 1.1 Ga) is a 2000-km-long series of elongated volcanic and sedimentary troughs and associated intrusive centers exposed chiefly in the Lake Superior region of North America. The rift system represents a long history of intense magmatism and subsequent sedimentation that was arrested by far-field tectonic events before sea-floor spreading was established...
Authors
V. J. Grauch, Laurel G. Woodruff, Samuel J. Heller, Esther K. Stewart
Timing, uncertainty, and opportunity cost: Lessons for ecosystem modification on the Colorado River Timing, uncertainty, and opportunity cost: Lessons for ecosystem modification on the Colorado River
While conservation goals have long been pursued through traditional species-augmenting actions, a broader set of episodic ecosystem modification (EEM) actions, such as hydropower dam releases, prescribed fire, and beach nourishment, is garnering attention. EEM actions face several implementation challenges stemming from high opportunity costs, delayed effect mechanisms, reliance on...
Authors
Pierce Donovan, Lucas Bair, Matthew N. Reimer, Michael R. Springborn, Charles B. Yackulic
Integrating mark-recapture, catch, and expert habitat assessments to quantify recent increases in humpback chub abundance over a 200 km long river segment of the Colorado River in western Grand Canyon Integrating mark-recapture, catch, and expert habitat assessments to quantify recent increases in humpback chub abundance over a 200 km long river segment of the Colorado River in western Grand Canyon
Humpback chub, Gila cypha, were historically distributed throughout large portions of the Colorado River basin and were federally listed in 1967. In the Grand Canyon segment of the Colorado River, located below Glen Canyon Dam, chub abundances continued to decline through the early 2000s. Recently, catch has increased substantially, especially in the western Grand Canyon. Here, we...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, David R. Van Haverbeke, Kirk Young, Charles B. Yackulic, Pilar Rinker, Michael D. Yard