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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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Waterfront property owners' shoreline preferences amid salt marsh to mangrove transitions Waterfront property owners' shoreline preferences amid salt marsh to mangrove transitions
1. We examined the influence of mangrove encroachment into salt marsh areas along the northern Gulf of Mexico (USA) on waterfront property owners' perceptions of coastal health and preferences for shoreline management. 2. Using mail-in and online surveys, we targeted over 3000 waterfront property owners across four jurisdictions experiencing or anticipating mangrove encroachment. 3. Our...
Authors
Jahson B. Alemu I, A. Randall Hughes, Michael Osland, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina A. Thorne, Remi Bardou, Christine C. Shepard, Steven B. Scyphers
Not all who meander are lost: Migrating sea lamprey follow river thalwegs to facilitate safe and efficient passage upstream Not all who meander are lost: Migrating sea lamprey follow river thalwegs to facilitate safe and efficient passage upstream
Efficient navigation is crucial for the reproductive success of many migratory species, often driven by competing pressures to conserve energy and reduce predation risk. Little is known about how non-homing species achieve this balance. We show that sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an ancient extant vertebrate, uses persistent patterns in hydro-geomorphology to quickly and efficiently...
Authors
Kandace R. Griffin, Christopher M. Holbrook, Daniel P. Zielinski, Christopher L. Cahill, C. Michael Wagner
Development of ‘SedCam’— A close-range remote sensing method of estimating suspended-sediment concentration in small rivers Development of ‘SedCam’— A close-range remote sensing method of estimating suspended-sediment concentration in small rivers
The adaptation of suspended-sediment surrogate technologies continues to rapidly expand across geomorphology and fluvial sediment monitoring efforts. Over a decade of research and development shows increased reliability and accuracy of in-situ surrogates with reduced program cost as compared to traditional sample-based methods, but environmental fouling and probe damage can be...
Authors
Adam R. Mosbrucker, Molly S. Wood
Determining the effects of reduced water availability on seed germination of five bottomland hardwood tree species Determining the effects of reduced water availability on seed germination of five bottomland hardwood tree species
Globally, floodplain forests are experiencing shifts in species composition associated with drier conditions and disruptions of flood pulse hydrology. The specific processes behind these shifts in composition are not fully understood, but differential effects of drought on regeneration processes such as seed germination may be partially responsible. To determine how reduced water...
Authors
Charles J. Pell, Sammy L. King, Tracy S. Hawkins, Matt Symmank
Is sexual size dimorphism in walleye, Sander vitreus, a driver of seasonal movements in Lake Erie? Is sexual size dimorphism in walleye, Sander vitreus, a driver of seasonal movements in Lake Erie?
Walleye (Sander vitreus) are a sexually dimorphic species in which females are larger than males in adulthood. Walleye can also exhibit sex- and population-based differences in migration behavior. In Lake Erie, we used acoustic telemetry to test the prediction that female walleye exhibit larger broad-scale movements than males during the summer and autumn. This prediction was based on...
Authors
Christian J. Bihun, Matthew Faust, Richard Kraus, Thomas MacDougall, Jason Robinson, Christopher Vandergoot, Graham D. Raby
Mammalian predator co‐occurrence affected by prey and habitat more than competitor presence at multiple time scales Mammalian predator co‐occurrence affected by prey and habitat more than competitor presence at multiple time scales
The behavior and abundance of sympatric predators can be affected by a complex dominance hierarchy. The strength of antagonistic interactions in predator communities is difficult to study and remains poorly understood for many predator assemblages. Predators directly and indirectly influence the broader ecosystem, so identifying the relative importance of competition, prey, and habitat...
Authors
Sarah B. Bassing, David Edward Ausband, Matthew A. Mumma, Sarah Thompson, Mark A. Hurley, Matthew Richard Falcy
Artificial neural network multilayer perceptron models to classify California’s crops using Harmonized Landsat Sentinel (HLS) data Artificial neural network multilayer perceptron models to classify California’s crops using Harmonized Landsat Sentinel (HLS) data
Advances in remote sensing and machine learning are enhancing cropland classification, vital for global food and water security. We used multispectral Harmonized Landsat 8 Sentinel-2 (HLS) 30-m data in an artificial neural network (ANN) multi-layer perceptron (MLP) model to classify five crop classes (cotton, alfalfa, tree crops, grapes, and others) in California's Central Valley. The...
Authors
Richard L. McCormick, Prasad Thenkabail, Itiya Aneece, Pardhasaradhi Teluguntla, Adam Oliphant, Daniel Foley
Integration of Indigenous Research Methodologies, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and molecular scatology in an assessment of mesocarnivore presence, diet and habitat use on Yurok Ancestral Lands. Integration of Indigenous Research Methodologies, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and molecular scatology in an assessment of mesocarnivore presence, diet and habitat use on Yurok Ancestral Lands.
Partnerships between Tribes and researchers in wildlife monitoring and application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) have taken a variety of forms, and some scholars have noted a need for culturally sensitive approaches. Guided by Indigenous Research Methodologies, this research is coupled with Yurok TEK, or hlkelonah 'ue-megetohl ('to take care of the earth'), enabling an...
Authors
Seafha C. Ramos, Melanie Culver
Direct and legacy effects of varying cool-season precipitation totals on ecosystem carbon flux in a semi-arid mixed grassland Direct and legacy effects of varying cool-season precipitation totals on ecosystem carbon flux in a semi-arid mixed grassland
In the semi-arid grasslands of the southwest United States, annual precipitation is divided between warm-season (July–September) convective precipitation and cool-season (December–March) frontal storms. While evidence suggests shifts in precipitation seasonal distribution, there is a poor understanding of the ecosystem carbon flux responses to cool-season precipitation and the potential...
Authors
Fangyue Zhang, Joel A. Biederman, Nathan A. Pierce, Daniel L. Potts, Sasha C. Reed, William K. Smith
Exosomal micro RNA isolation in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for diagnostic biomarker discovery Exosomal micro RNA isolation in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for diagnostic biomarker discovery
Molecular approaches are becoming more prevalent for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases in human medicine and can be extended to diagnosis of wildlife diseases such as chronic wasting disease and other prion diseases. These diseases have been associated with exosome-bound molecular biomarkers of disease progression, such as proteins and micro RNA molecules (miRNA). We tested and...
Authors
Maite De Maria, Lillian G. Maxwell, Margaret Hunter, Jason Ferrante
Catastrophic lava flow levee failure: Precursors, processes, and implications Catastrophic lava flow levee failure: Precursors, processes, and implications
During an effusive eruption crisis the initial advance of a lava flow is typically the primary focus of model forecasts and hazard management efforts. Flow branching and lateral expansion of lava flows can pose significant dangers within evolving flow fields throughout the duration of an eruption and are an underappreciated hazard. We use field monitoring, infrasound, time lapse imagery...
Authors
Elisabeth Gallant, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick, David M.R. Hyman, Brett B Carr, John J. Lyons, Elinor S. Meredith
Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems
From a resource management perspective, climate change is considered to be one of the main threats to high-elevation ecosystems. However, these valuable ecosystems present unique challenges to climate change adaptation (actions in response to environmental change and its effects in a way that seeks to reduce harm) due to their rugged and remote characteristics. Within this context, we...
Authors
Meagan Ford Oldfather, Alyson Ennis, Brian W. Miller, Kyra Clark-Wolf, Imtiaz Rangwala, Hailey Robe, Caitlin Littlefield