Articles
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
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.
Filter Total Items: 77793
Using environmental DNA to assess the response of steelhead/Rainbow Trout and Coastrange Sculpin populations to postfire debris flows in coastal streams of Big Sur, California Using environmental DNA to assess the response of steelhead/Rainbow Trout and Coastrange Sculpin populations to postfire debris flows in coastal streams of Big Sur, California
Objective Debris flows are among the most extreme disturbances to streams and are predicted to become more frequent under climate change. We assessed the response of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss (anadromous Rainbow Trout)/Rainbow Trout (hereafter, collectively referred to as O. mykiss) and Coastrange Sculpin Cottus aleuticus populations to major postfire debris flows in two small...
Authors
David E. Rundio, Brian C. Spence, Dorothy M. Chase, Carl O. Ostberg
Likely ferromagnetic minerals identified by the Perseverance rover and implications for future paleomagnetic analyses of returned Martian samples Likely ferromagnetic minerals identified by the Perseverance rover and implications for future paleomagnetic analyses of returned Martian samples
Although Mars today does not have a core dynamo, magnetizations in the Martian crust and in meteorites suggest a magnetic field was present prior to 3.7 billion years (Ga) ago. However, the lack of ancient, oriented Martian bedrock samples available on Earth has prevented accurate estimates of the dynamo's intensity, lifetime, and direction. Constraining the nature and lifetime of the...
Authors
M.N. Mansbach, T.V. Kizovski, E. L. Scheller, T. Bosak, L. Mandon, B. Horgan, R.C. Wiens, C.D.K. Herd, S. Sharma, J.R. Johnson, Travis S.J. Gabriel, O. Forni, B.P. Weiss
Physics-based forecasts of eruptive vent locations at calderas Physics-based forecasts of eruptive vent locations at calderas
Constraining stresses in the Earth's crust in volcanic regions is critical for understanding many mechanical processes related to eruptive activity. Dike pathways, in particular, are shaped by the orientation of principal stress axes. Therefore, accurate models of dike trajectories and future vent locations rely on accurate estimates of stresses in the subsurface. This work presents a...
Authors
Lorenzo Mantiloni, Eleanora Rivalta, Kyle R. Anderson, Timothy W. Davis, Luigi Passarelli
A guide to environmental DNA extractions for non-molecular trained biologists, ecologists, and conservation scientists A guide to environmental DNA extractions for non-molecular trained biologists, ecologists, and conservation scientists
Ecologists, biologists, and conservation scientists are increasingly interested in the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) data for research and potentially decision-making. While commercial DNA extraction kits are typically user-friendly and accessible, they may fail to deliver the desired results with inherently complex eDNA samples, necessitating protocol optimization or educated...
Authors
Jessica Marie Rieder, Eliane Jemmi, Margaret Hunter, Irene Adrian-Kalchhauser
Characterizing variability in geochemistry and mineralogy of western US dust sources Characterizing variability in geochemistry and mineralogy of western US dust sources
Dust events originate from multiple sources in arid and semi-arid regions, making it difficult to quantify source contributions. Dust geochemical/mineralogical composition, if the sources are sufficiently distinct, can be used to quantify the contributions from different sources. To test the viability of using geochemical and mineralogical measurements to separate dust-emitting sites, we...
Authors
Abby L. Mangum, Gregory T. Carling, Barry R. Bickmore, Nicholas P. Webb, DeTiare L. Leifi, Janice Brahney, Diego P. Fernandez, Kevin A. Rey, Stephen T. Nelson, Landon Burgener, Joshua J. LeMonte, Alyssa N. Thompson, Beth A. Newingham, Michael C. Duniway, Zachary T. Aanderud
Are the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios of earthquakes and microtremors the same? Are the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios of earthquakes and microtremors the same?
We consider the similarities and differences between earthquake and microtremor horizontal‐to‐vertical spectral ratios (eHVSR and mHVSR, respectively) using a dataset of 161 sites in southern California. Quantitative comparisons are made in terms of the eHVSR and mHVSR lognormal median curves, as well as the frequencies and amplitudes associated with the fundamental‐ and higher‐mode...
Authors
Joseph Vantassel, Makbule Ilgac, Adda Athanasopoulos Zekkos, Alan Yong, Behzad Hassani, Antony Martin
Agricultural tile drains increase the susceptibility of streams to longer and more intense streamflow droughts Agricultural tile drains increase the susceptibility of streams to longer and more intense streamflow droughts
Streamflow droughts are receiving increased attention worldwide due to their impact on the environment and economy. One region of concern is the Midwestern United States, whose agricultural productivity depends on subsurface pipes known as tile drains to improve trafficability and soil conditions for crop growth. Tile drains accomplish this by rapidly transporting surplus soil moisture...
Authors
Seth Adelsperger, Darren Ficklin, Scott Robeson, Margaret Ann Zimmer, John C. Hammond, Damon M. Hall, J.P. Gannon
GeoAI for science and the science of GeoAI GeoAI for science and the science of GeoAI
This paper reviews trends in GeoAI research and discusses cutting-edge ad- vances in GeoAI and its roles in accelerating environmental and social sciences. It ad- dresses ongoing attempts to improve the predictability of GeoAI models and recent re- search aimed at increasing model explainability and reproducibility to ensure trustworthy geospatial findings. The paper also provides...
Authors
Wenwen Li, Samantha T. Arundel, Song Gao, Michael F. Goodchild, Yingjie Hu, Shaowen Wang, Alexander Zipf
Population characteristics of silver carp from the source of their North American introduction in the Lower Mississippi River Population characteristics of silver carp from the source of their North American introduction in the Lower Mississippi River
Silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, escaped into the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) over 50 years ago, established reproductive populations, and spread across much of the Mississippi River Basin. Demographic rates of silver carp are needed to inform decisions on control and management of this invasive species, but have not been published for the LMR. The purpose of this paper is to...
Authors
Kenneth J. Killgore, Jan J. Hoover, William T. Slack, James P. Kirk, Bradley R. Lewis, Steven G. George, Leandro E. Miranda
Chronology and Paleoenvironment of the Tunga Formation, a new lowermost Miocene sequence in the East Pisco Basin of southern Peru Chronology and Paleoenvironment of the Tunga Formation, a new lowermost Miocene sequence in the East Pisco Basin of southern Peru
The East Pisco Basin, occupying the coastal plain of Peru between 13°S and 16°S, is widely known for its extensive Eocene to Quaternary biosiliceous deposits and excellent preservation of fossil marine vertebrates. Biochronologic studies published over the past 35 years record a hiatus of about 13 million years (*32–19 Ma) separating the youngest Paleogene deposits (Otuma Formation) from...
Authors
Thomas J. Devries, John A. Barron, Diana Ochoa, Kristen McDougall
Adaptation and Response in Drylands (ARID): Community insights for scoping a NASA terrestrial ecology field campaign in drylands Adaptation and Response in Drylands (ARID): Community insights for scoping a NASA terrestrial ecology field campaign in drylands
Dryland ecosystems cover 40% of our planet's land surface, support billions of people, and are responding rapidly to climate and land use change. These expansive systems also dominate core aspects of Earth's climate, storing and exchanging vast amounts of water, carbon, and energy with the atmosphere. Despite their indispensable ecosystem services and high vulnerability to change...
Authors
Andrew F. Feldman, Sasha C. Reed, Cibele Amaral, Alicja Babst-Kostecka, Flurin Babst, Joel A. Biederman, Charles Devine, Zheng Fu, Julia K. Green, Jessica Guo, Niall P. Hanan, Raymond F. Kokaly, Marcy Litvak, Natasha MacBean, David Moore, Dennis S. Ojima, Benjamin Poulter, Russell L. Scott, William K. Smith, Robert Swap, Compton J. Tucker, Lixin Wang, Jennifer D. Watts, Konrad Wessels, Fangyue Zhang, Wen Zhang
Two-million-year eruptive history of Laguna del Maule volcanic field Two-million-year eruptive history of Laguna del Maule volcanic field
The Laguna del Maule (LdM) volcanic field, which surrounds the 54-km2 lake of that name, covers ∼500 km2 of mountainous glaciated terrain with Quaternary lavas and tuffs that extend 40 km westward from the Argentine frontier and 30 km north-south from the Río Campanario to Laguna Fea. Complementing recent investigations of postglacial volcanism and the ongoing geophysical unrest around...
Authors
Edward Hildreth, Judith E. Fierstein