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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.
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Diet of Myotis ciliolabrum from six sites in the southwestern United States Diet of Myotis ciliolabrum from six sites in the southwestern United States
With bat populations declining in many parts of the world, detailed life history information will be critical for assessing vulnerabilities of bat populations and associated trophic effects. Myotis ciliolabrum (western small-footed bat) is a species of insectivorous bat distributed from the Great Plains to the Pacific Coast and from British Columbia to Central Mexico. The species is...
Authors
Ashley E Loehn, Dale W. Sparks, Ernest W. Valdez
Decoding paleomire conditions of Paleogene superhigh-organic-sulfur coals Decoding paleomire conditions of Paleogene superhigh-organic-sulfur coals
Superhigh-organic‑sulfur (SHOS) coals (coals with organic sulfur content >4 wt%) are unique coal deposits found at a few notable locations in the world. Specific peat accumulation and preservation conditions must be met to form SHOS coals. Organic sulfur is a major constituent of such coals, and it may have various sources depending on the prevailing paleomire conditions. Understanding...
Authors
Tushar Adsul, Molly D. O’Beirne, David Fike, Santanu Ghosh, Josef P. Werne, William P. Gilhooly, Paul C. Hackley, Javin J. Hatcherian, Bright Philip, Bodhisastwa Hazra, Sudip Bhattachryya, Ritam Konar, Atul Kumar Varma
Insufficient and biased representation of species geographic responses to climate change Insufficient and biased representation of species geographic responses to climate change
The geographic redistributions of species due to a rapidly changing climate are poised to perturb ecological communities and significantly impact ecosystems and human livelihoods. Effectively managing these biological impacts requires a thorough understanding of the patterns and processes of species geographic range shifts. While substantial recent redistributions have been identified...
Authors
Evan Parker, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Ruth Y Oliver, Madeleine A. Rubenstein, Walter Jetz
Seasonality of retreat rate of a wave-exposed marsh edge Seasonality of retreat rate of a wave-exposed marsh edge
Wave-driven erosion of marsh boundaries is a major cause of marsh loss, but little research has captured the effect of seasonal differences on marsh-edge retreat rates to illuminate temporal patterns of when the majority of this erosion is occurring. Using five surface models captured over a study year of a marsh with a steep escarped boundary in South San Francisco Bay, we find a...
Authors
Lukas T. WinklerPrins, Jessica R. Lacy, Mark T. Stacey, Joshua B. Logan, Andrew W. Stevens
On connecting hydro-social parameters to vegetation greenness differences in an evolving groundwater-dependent ecosystem On connecting hydro-social parameters to vegetation greenness differences in an evolving groundwater-dependent ecosystem
Understanding groundwater-dependent ecosystems (i.e., areas with a relatively shallow water table that plays a major role in supporting vegetation health) is key to sustaining water resources in the western United States. Groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in Colorado have non-pristine temporal and spatial patterns, compared to agro-ecosystems, which make it difficult to quantify...
Authors
Matthew R. Lurtz, Ryan R. Morrison, Pamela L. Nagler
Editorial: Enabling people-centered risk communication for geohazards Editorial: Enabling people-centered risk communication for geohazards
In the field of natural hazards, communicating science with the public and stakeholders (i.e., interested parties) involves entering the challenging and complex world of hazard and risk communication, the ultimate purpose of which is to reduce the impact of impending hazards on people and property at risk. Hazard and risk communication are adequate if they reach people with the...
Authors
Alessandro Amato, Sally H. Potter, Anna Scolobig, Eric M. Thompson
Next generation public supply water withdrawal estimation for the conterminous United States using machine learning and operational frameworks Next generation public supply water withdrawal estimation for the conterminous United States using machine learning and operational frameworks
Estimation of human water withdrawals is more important now than ever due to uncertain water supplies, population growth, and climate change. Fourteen percent of the total water withdrawal in the United States is used for public supply, typically including deliveries to domestic, commercial, and occasionally including industrial, irrigation, and thermoelectric water withdrawal. Stewards...
Authors
Ayman H. Alzraiee, Richard G. Niswonger, Carol L. Luukkonen, Joshua Larsen, Donald Martin, Deidre Mary Herbert, Cheryl A. Buchwald, Cheryl A. Dieter, Lisa D. Miller, Jana S. Stewart, Natalie Houston, Scott R. Paulinski, Kristen Valseth
Review of the life history and conservation of federally endangered plant species of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, U.S.A. Review of the life history and conservation of federally endangered plant species of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, U.S.A.
This review aims to summarize information critical to the conservation of the federally listed endangered species of South Texas, which occur along the border of Texas and Mexico. This paper describes the characteristics, habitat, population status, distribution, life history, threats, and restoration of endangered plant species of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, which includes...
Authors
Beth Middleton, Elizabeth A. Gonzalez, Emily J. Lain, Benito Trevino, Christopher A. Gabler, Jerald T. Garrett, Brenda Molano-Flores, Janice Coons, Laura M. de la Garza, Teresa P. Feria-Arroyo
Monitoring questing winter tick abundance on traditional moose hunting lands Monitoring questing winter tick abundance on traditional moose hunting lands
An important symbolic and subsistence animal for many Native American Tribes, the moose (Alces alces; mos in Algonquin, Penobscot language) has been under consistent threat in the northeastern United States because of winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) parasitism over the past several decades, causing declines in moose populations throughout the region. This decline has raised concern...
Authors
Juliana Berube, Alexej P. K. Siren, Benjamin Simpson, Kelly B. Klingler, Tammy L. Wilson
A probabilistic approach to training machine learning models using noisy data A probabilistic approach to training machine learning models using noisy data
Machine learning (ML) models are increasingly popular in environmental and hydrologic modeling, but they typically contain uncertainties resulting from noisy data (erroneous or outlier data). This paper presents a novel probabilistic approach that combines ML and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation to (1) detect and underweight likely noisy data, (2) develop an approach capable of...
Authors
Ayman H. Alzraiee, Richard G. Niswonger
Perfluorooctane sulfonamide induced autotoxic effects on the zebrafish immune system Perfluorooctane sulfonamide induced autotoxic effects on the zebrafish immune system
Perfluorooctane sulfonamide (PFOSA) is an immediate perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) precursor (PreFOS). Previous studies have shown PFOSA to induce stronger toxic responses compared to other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). However, the specific nature of PFOSA-induced toxicity, whether autonomous or mediated by its metabolite PFOS, has not been fully elucidated. This study...
Authors
Honghong Chen, Yao Zou, Xingyuan Kang, Ge Yang, Xinghe Yang, Yingying Yao, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Xinde Cao, Wenhui Qiu, Elvis Zu Genbo, Chunmiao Zheng
Understanding key mineral supply chain dynamics using economics-informed material flow analysis and Bayesian optimization Understanding key mineral supply chain dynamics using economics-informed material flow analysis and Bayesian optimization
The low-carbon energy transition requires significant increases in production for many mineral commodities. Understanding demand, technological requirements, and prices associated with this production increase requires understanding the supply chain dynamics of many minerals simultaneously, and via a consistent framework. A generalized economics-informed material flow method, global...
Authors
John W. Ryter, Karan Bhuwalka, Michelena O’Rourke, Luca Montanelli, David Cohen-Tanugi, Richard Roth, Elsa Olivetti