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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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Mars sample return campaign: Biological risk and a proposed sample safety assessment protocol Mars sample return campaign: Biological risk and a proposed sample safety assessment protocol
Returning surface samples from Mars to Earth has been a major planetary science objective, with the potential for the detection of microbiological life and the possibility of improving our understanding of the origins of life. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the European Space Agency assembled a team to assess the level of risk that returned samples could contain...
Authors
G. McDonnell, L.E. Mayhew, A. Steele, S. Siljeström, B. M. Ahern, N. Baird, R.E. Davis, Katherine L. French, M. Glamoclija, H. Graham, K. B. Hummel, W. Page, N. Pearce, A. Regberg, D. Relman, M. A. Sephton, B. Sherwood Lollar, J. Vanhomwegen, M.B. Wilhelm, B. Shirey, D.W. Beaty
Moment magnitude for small earthquakes in the Delaware basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico, USA Moment magnitude for small earthquakes in the Delaware basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico, USA
The Delaware Basin region of west Texas and southeast New Mexico has become one of the most prolific regions of seismic activity in the continental United States due to widespread hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal injection. In response to the increased number of earthquakes in this region, rapid and accurate characterization of earthquake sources is necessary to understand...
Authors
Sydney Gable, Yihe Huang, David R. Shelly, Justin L. Rubinstein
Demographic responses to experimental manipulation of an enclosed population of invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) Demographic responses to experimental manipulation of an enclosed population of invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
Understanding how invasive species populations respond to perturbations can give insight into effective management. However, opportunities to test theoretical population responses are rare, as experimental perturbations often run counter to management goals (e.g., suppression). On the island of Guam, a 5-ha outdoor enclosure (with no immigration or emigration) constructed in 2003 serves...
Authors
Amanda Marie Kissel, Robert Reed, Björn Lardner, Gordon H. Rodda, Julie A. Savidge, Amy A. Yackel Adams
From start to stop: Simple methods for mapping susceptibility to landslide runout and debris-flow inundation From start to stop: Simple methods for mapping susceptibility to landslide runout and debris-flow inundation
Landslide runout and debris-flow inundation can disrupt areas well beyond their initial sources, causing widespread damage and extensive fatalities. Understanding where they start and how far they might travel is essential in many locations worldwide. However, most landslide susceptibility maps focus on initiation areas and fail to incorporate runout areas. Furthermore, hazards vary...
Authors
Mark E. Reid, Corina Cerovski-Darriau, Dianne L. Brien, Isaac Henry Leb, Andrew J. Cyr
Streamflow and surface-water presence data availability across the conterminous United States: A review for headwater systems Streamflow and surface-water presence data availability across the conterminous United States: A review for headwater systems
Water is essential for life on Earth, supporting ecosystems, human health, and economic activities. Hydrology relies on observational data, and this paper discusses regional and national datasets for the conterminous United States (CONUS) publicly available as of 2023, focusing on headwaters, defined as first- and second-order streams at 1:24000 scale. It identifies 72 primary and...
Authors
Roy Sando, Kristin Jaeger, Christa Kelleher, John C. Hammond, Jay R. Christensen, Catalina Segura, Heather E. Golden, Frederick Y. Cheng, Admin Husic, C. Nathan Jones, Charles R. Lane, Li Li, D. Tyler Mahoney, Hillary McMillan, Adam N. Price, Erin C. Seybold, Adam Ward, Margaret Zimmer, Steven James Pestana
Understanding co-invading species’ ecological strategies and interactions with causal inference and simple dynamic models: Bighead (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and Silver carp (H. molitrix) in the Illinois River, USA Understanding co-invading species’ ecological strategies and interactions with causal inference and simple dynamic models: Bighead (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and Silver carp (H. molitrix) in the Illinois River, USA
Species interactions among multiple invasive species can present hidden challenges for management and eradication efforts. Bighead and Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and H. molitrix, respectively) are closely related species that have co-invaded the Mississippi River and many of its tributaries, including the Illinois River. We used a combination of causal inference and dynamic...
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, James E. Garvey, Richard A. Erickson, Benjamin J. Mareck, David P. Coulter
An overview of the NASA Adaptation and Response in Drylands field experiment scoping study An overview of the NASA Adaptation and Response in Drylands field experiment scoping study
Drylands cover 41% of Earth’s land surface, support 36% of the global population, and contribute 60% of global food production. Despite these ecosystems’ importance and high vulnerability to droughts and heatwaves, drylands remain some of the most understudied systems on Earth. Monitoring drylands is challenging due to their complex ecosystem structure of visible soil mixed with diverse...
Authors
Andrew F. Feldman, Sasha C. Reed, Konrad Wessels, Dennis S. Ojima, David J.P. Moore, William K. Smith, Niall P. Hanan, Cibele Amaral, Flurin Babst, Joel A. Biederman, Marcy Litvak, Natasha MacBean, Benjamin Poulter, Russell L. Scott, Alicja Babst-Kostecka, Julia K. Green, Raymond F. Kokaly, Ryan Pavlick, Robert Swap, Shawn P. Serbin, Compton J. Tucker, Lixin Wang, Jennifer D. Watts, Alejandro Flores, James Rattling Leaf Sr., Robert A. Washington-Allen, Karen Prentice, Emily Kachergis, Julian Reyes, Jasmine Ryan, Michael D. SanClements, Henry W. Loescher, Allison K Leidner, Tyson Swetnam
Expansion trends and impacts of Phragmites australis on the Louisiana Gulf Coast Expansion trends and impacts of Phragmites australis on the Louisiana Gulf Coast
Invasive plant species pose substantial threats to ecosystem integrity by disrupting ecosystem processes, reducing biodiversity, and complicating restoration and management efforts. Non-native lineages of Phragmites australis are invasive in wetlands across parts of North America, causing declines in the diversity of native wetland plants and disrupting biogeochemical cycles. Despite...
Authors
Yaolin Guo, Brian J. Roberts, John A. Nyman, Jeffrey D. Plumlee, Theresa M. Davenport, Garrett W. Hopper, Megan La Peyre
Recent spread of introduced swamp eels (Percomorpha, Synbranchiformes, Synbranchidae) in Central Florida, USA, including first documented collections of cuchia, Ophichthys cuchia (Hamilton, 1822), in Florida Recent spread of introduced swamp eels (Percomorpha, Synbranchiformes, Synbranchidae) in Central Florida, USA, including first documented collections of cuchia, Ophichthys cuchia (Hamilton, 1822), in Florida
Swamp eels (Percomorpha, Synbranchiformes, Synbranchidae) were discovered in Florida in the 1990s and were considered established in the Greater Miami and Greater Tampa regions as early as 1997. We report detection of established populations of Sunda swamp eel, Monopterus javanensis Lacepède, 1800 and cuchia, Ophichthys cuchia (Hamilton, 1822) across multiple Orlando area watersheds in...
Authors
Nicholas Trippel, Noah Peterson, Ted Lange, Robert H. Robins, Mary Brown, Daniel Nelson, Jennifer Moran
Growth and erosion of volcanic islands since 1963 analyzed by multi-sensor satellite data and historical records Growth and erosion of volcanic islands since 1963 analyzed by multi-sensor satellite data and historical records
Most volcanic activity is taking place in the oceans. Depending on water depth, eruption recurrence times and volumes, a new island can form. The power of erosional forces, the type of erupted material and the efficiency of secondary processes determine the island’s lifetime. Since the famous eruption of Surtsey (Iceland) in 1963, at least another 23 volcanic islands have appeared. Some...
Authors
Simon Plank, Ronni Grapenthin, Hannah R. Dietterich, Ulrich Küeppers, Francesco Marchese, Nicola Pergola, Emanuele Ciancia, Nicola Genzano, Franz J. Meyer, Sandro Martinis, Hannes Taubenböck, Tobias Ullmann, Thomas J. Walter
Restoring dryland water cycles for precipitation feedback and climate stability; a review Restoring dryland water cycles for precipitation feedback and climate stability; a review
Drylands across the globe are experiencing intensifying water scarcity, land degradation, and hydroclimatic extremes. This review integrates evidence from multidecadal field studies, hydrologic monitoring, geomorphic and ecological assessments, remote sensing, and land–atmosphere science to evaluate how restoration influences key components of the terrestrial water cycle. Low-tech...
Authors
Laura M. Norman, Michael M. Pollock, Francina Dominguez, Michael A. Crimmins, David Lawrence, Michael Dettinger
PFAS mixture composition and internal exposure profiles shape biological responses under field-realistic exposure PFAS mixture composition and internal exposure profiles shape biological responses under field-realistic exposure
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) occur as complex mixtures, yet mixture-dependent biological effects under environmentally realistic exposure conditions remain poorly understood. We conducted multiyear (2018, 2019, 2021) continuous-flow, field-based exposures of male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) using a low-PFAS reference well (REF; sum of measured PFAS (∑PFAS) 0.1–0.2...
Authors
Alan M. Vajda, Jill Jenkins, David Bertolatus, Denis R. LeBlanc, Christopher J. Martyniuk, Zachary Ryan Hopkins, Andrea K. Tokranov, A. R. Dethloff, Joseph C. Tucker, Rainer Lohmann, Larry B. Barber