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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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Site-level connectivity identified from multiple sources of movement data to inform conservation of a migratory bird Site-level connectivity identified from multiple sources of movement data to inform conservation of a migratory bird
Migratory birds depend on a suite of sites across their annual cycles, making them vulnerable to a wide variety of anthropogenic pressures. Current area-based conservation measures have been found inadequate to safeguard migratory birds, in part due to a lack of consideration for the connectivity between sites mediated by the movements of individuals.To address this issue, we develop a...
Authors
M. Beal, J. Nightingale, J.R. Belo, C. Batey, H. Belting, P. Bocher, M. Burgess, T.B. Craft, N. Crockford, P. Delaporte, L. Donaldson, G. Gelinaud, J.A. Gill, T.G. Gunnarsson, B. J. Morrison, J.S. Gutierrez, J. Hooijmeijer, R.A. Howison, P. Hunke, L. Jomat, H. Lemke, J. P. Ludwig, F.A. Majoor, C. Marlow, J.A. Masero, J. Melter, I. Nicholson, M. Parejo, B. O'Mahony, E. Pasanen, J. Pessa, T. Piersma, A.D. Rocha, F. Robin, M. Roodbergen, P. Rousseau, V. Salewski, L. Schmidt, J. Smart, A. Staneva, T. Lee Tibbitts, S. Timonen, J.A. Alves, M.P. Dias
Physicochemical properties and bioreactivity of sub-10 µm geogenic particles: Comparison of volcanic ash and desert dust Physicochemical properties and bioreactivity of sub-10 µm geogenic particles: Comparison of volcanic ash and desert dust
Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter of
Authors
Ines Tomašek, Julia Eychenne, David Damby, Adrian Hornby, Manolis N Romanias, Severine Moune, Gaëlle Uzu, Federica Schiavi, Maeva Dole, Emmanuel Gardes, Mickael Laumonier, Clara Gorce, Regine Minet-Quinard, Julie Durif, Corinne Belville, Ousmane Traore, Loic Blanchon, Vincent Sapin
Methylmercury in subarctic amphibians: Environmental gradients, bioaccumulation, and estimated flux Methylmercury in subarctic amphibians: Environmental gradients, bioaccumulation, and estimated flux
Rapid warming in polar regions is causing large changes to ecosystems, including altering environmentally available mercury (Hg). Although subarctic freshwater systems have simple vertebrate communities, Hg in amphibians remains unexplored. We measured total Hg (THg) in wetland sediments and methylmercury (MeHg) in multiple life-stages (eggs to adults) of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and...
Authors
Blake R. Hossack, Jon M. Davenport, C. Kabryn Mattison, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, LeeAnn Fishback, Brian J. Tornabene, Kelly L. Smalling
The importance of peripheral populations in the face of novel environmental change The importance of peripheral populations in the face of novel environmental change
Anthropogenically driven environmental change has imposed substantial threats on biodiversity, including the emergence of infectious diseases that have resulted in declines of wildlife globally. In response to pathogen invasion, maintaining diversity within host populations across heterogenous environments is essential to facilitating species persistence. White-nose syndrome is an...
Authors
Samantha Hoff, Joseph R. Hoyt, Kate E. Langwig, Luanne Johnson, Elizabeth Olson, Danielle O’Dell, Casey Pendergast, Carl J. Herzog, Katy L. Parise, Jeffrey T. Foster, Wendy Christine Turner
Cooling perspectives on the risk of pathogenic viruses from thawing permafrost Cooling perspectives on the risk of pathogenic viruses from thawing permafrost
Climate change is inducing wide-scale permafrost thaw in the Arctic and subarctic, triggering concerns that long-dormant pathogens could reemerge from the thawing ground and initiate epidemics or pandemics. Viruses, as opposed to bacterial pathogens, garner particular interest because outbreaks cannot be controlled with antibiotics, though the effects can be mitigated by vaccines and...
Authors
Rachel Mackelprang, Robyn A. Barbato, Andrew M. Ramey, Ursel M. E. Schutte, Mark P. Waldrop
Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) use of a staging site in the Chesapeake Bay Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) use of a staging site in the Chesapeake Bay
In 2021, we initiated fieldwork to assess the relative importance of a staging area for Sterna hirundo (Common Tern) at a pier at the confluence of the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay, MD. During the post-breeding periods of 2021 through 2023, we resighted 378 banded Common Terns at this staging area, with individuals originating from 6 breeding colonies. Most banded individuals were...
Authors
Benjamin Springer, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Diann J. Prosser, Kyle Rambo, J. Jordan Price
Factors regulating the potential for freshwater mineral soil wetlands to function as natural climate solutions Factors regulating the potential for freshwater mineral soil wetlands to function as natural climate solutions
There are increasing global efforts and initiatives aiming to tackle climate change and mitigate its impacts via natural climate solutions (NCS). Wetlands have been considered effective NCS given their capacity to sequester and retain atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) while also providing a myriad of other ecosystem functions that can assist in mitigating the impacts of climate change...
Authors
Shizhou Ma, Purbasha Mistry, Pascal Badiou, Sheel Bansal, Irena F. Creed
Exploring management and environment effects on edge-of-field phosphorus losses with linear mixed models Exploring management and environment effects on edge-of-field phosphorus losses with linear mixed models
Evaluating how weather, farm management, and soil conditions impact phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural sites is essential for improving our waterways in agricultural watersheds. In this study, rainfall characteristics, manure application timing, tillage, surface condition, and soil test phosphorus (STP) were analyzed to determine their effects on total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved...
Authors
Kelsey Krueger, Anita Thompson, Qiang Li, Amber Radatz, Eric Cooley, Todd D. Stuntebeck, Christopher J. Winslow, Emily Oldfield, Matthew Ruark
Post-fire sediment yield from a western Sierra Nevada watershed burned by the 2021 Caldor Fire Post-fire sediment yield from a western Sierra Nevada watershed burned by the 2021 Caldor Fire
Watershed sediment yield commonly increases after wildfire, often causing negative impacts to downstream infrastructure and water resources. Post-fire erosion is important to understand and quantify because it is increasingly placing water supplies, habitat, communities, and infrastructure at risk as fire regimes intensify in a warming climate. However, measurements of post-fire sediment
Authors
Amy E. East, Joshua B. Logan, Peter Dartnell, Helen Willemien Dow, Donald N. Lindsay, David B. Cavagnaro
Prioritizing chemicals of emerging concern in the Great Lakes Basin using covariance of chemical concentrations and diverse biological responses from a variety of species Prioritizing chemicals of emerging concern in the Great Lakes Basin using covariance of chemical concentrations and diverse biological responses from a variety of species
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative aims to protect and restore the nation’s largest freshwater resource, in part, by furthering our understanding of the effects of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and chemical mixtures on aquatic and terrestrial organisms. To address this goal, an interagency team conducted field studies at sites along the Maumee River in Ohio, USA, in 2016...
Authors
Kelsey Vitense, Luke C. Loken, Erin C Maloney, Brett R. Blackwell, Timothy W. Collette, Steven R. Corsi, Christine M. Custer, Erik Davenport, Satomi Kohno, Stephanie E. Hummel
Exposure, sensitivity, or adaptive capacity? Reviewing assessments that use only two of three elements of climate change vulnerability Exposure, sensitivity, or adaptive capacity? Reviewing assessments that use only two of three elements of climate change vulnerability
As climate change accelerates, understanding which species are most vulnerable and why they are vulnerable will be vital to inform conservation action. Climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVAs) are tools to assess species' responses to climate change, detect drivers of vulnerability, and inform conservation planning. CCVAs are commonly composed of three elements: exposure...
Authors
Amanda A. Hyman, Erin R. Crone, Abigail Benson, Jason Dunham, Abigail J. Lynch, Laura Thompson, Meryl C. Mims
A landscape-scale view of soil organic matter dynamics A landscape-scale view of soil organic matter dynamics
Soil carbon is an important component of the terrestrial carbon cycle and could be augmented through improved soil management to mitigate climate change. However, data gaps for numerous regions and a lack of understanding of the heterogeneity of biogeochemical processes across diverse soil landscapes hinder the development of large-scale representations of soil organic matter (SOM)...
Authors
Sebastian Doetterl, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, Katherine Heckman, Corey Lawrence, Jörg Schnecker, Rodrigo Vargas, Cordula Vogel, Rota Wagai