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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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A brief note on substantial sub-daily arsenic variability in pumping drinking-water wells in New Hampshire A brief note on substantial sub-daily arsenic variability in pumping drinking-water wells in New Hampshire
Large variations in redox-related water parameters, like pH and dissolved oxygen (DO), have been documented in New Hampshire (United States) drinking-water wells over the course of a few hours under pumping conditions. These findings suggest that comparable sub-daily variability in dissolved concentrations of redox-reactive and toxic arsenic (As) also may occur, representing a...
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Emily C. Hicks, Joseph P. Levitt, David C. Lloyd, Mhairi M. McDonald, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly Smalling, Joseph D. Ayotte
Ecology of an insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine Ecology of an insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine
Wildlife populations at the peripheries of their distributions or on isolated islands often display divergent and poorly understood morphological or life-history characteristics compared to core populations. We used a capture–mark–recapture dataset collected over a 19-year period to characterize a northern, insular snake assemblage in coastal Maine. We captured 611 individual snakes of 4...
Authors
John D. Willson, Ethan J. Royal, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Meredith C. Swartwout, Chelsea S. Kross
Protocol for monitoring and analyzing pheromone-mediated behavioral response of sea lamprey in a natural system Protocol for monitoring and analyzing pheromone-mediated behavioral response of sea lamprey in a natural system
Olfactory-mediated behaviors in fish are often examined in artificial microcosms that enable well-controlled treatments but fail to replicate environmental and social contexts. However, observing these behaviors in nature poses challenges. Here, we describe a protocol for recording sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) behaviors in a natural system. We describe steps for administering and...
Authors
Anne M Scott, Nicholas S. Johnson, Michael J. Siefkes, Weiming Li
Developing a photography-based harvest survey to estimate age and subspecies composition of midcontinent sandhill cranes Developing a photography-based harvest survey to estimate age and subspecies composition of midcontinent sandhill cranes
Midcontinent sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) are managed as a single population, but hunting regulations are structured so harvest is targeted towards the more numerous lesser sandhill cranes (A. c. canadensis). However, research indicates that greater sandhill cranes (A. c. tabida) have been disproportionally exposed to harvest at a rate exceeding their proportion within the...
Authors
Andrew J. Dinges, Jay Alan VonBank, Aaron T. Pearse, David A. Brandt
Planned geological investigations of the Europa Clipper mission Planned geological investigations of the Europa Clipper mission
Geological investigations planned for the Europa Clipper mission will examine the formation, evolution, and expression of geomorphic structures found on the surface. Understanding geologic features, their formation, and any recent activity are key inputs in constraining Europa’s potential for habitability. In addition to providing information about the moon’s habitability, the geologic...
Authors
I. J. Daubar, A. G. Hayes, Gail C. Collins, K. Craft, J. A. Rathbun, J.R. Spencer, D. Wyrick, Michael T. Bland, A. G. Davies, C. M. Ernst, Samuel Howell, Erin J. Leonard, Alfred S. McEwen, J. M. Moore, C. B. Phillips, L. Prockter, L. C. Quick, J. E. C. Scully, J. M. Soderblom, S. M. Brooks, M. Cable, M. E. Cameron, K. Chan, C. J. Chivers, M. Choukroun, Corey Cochrane, S. Diniega, A. J. Dombard, Catherine Elder, Christopher Gerekos, Christopher R. Glein, T Greathouse, C. Grima, Murthy Gudipati, K. L. Hand, C. Hansen, Paul O. Hayne, M. Hedman, K. Hughson, X. Jia, J. Lawrence, H. M. Meyer, H. L. Miller, Gerald Wesley Patterson, D Persaud, S. Piqueux, K. Retherford, Kirk Scanlan, P. Schenk, B. Schmidt, D. Schroeder, Gregor Steinbrugge, A. Stern, Gabriel Tobie, Paul Withers, D. A. Young, B. Buratti, Haje Korth, D. Senske, Robert Pappalardo
Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams Krumholzibacteriota and Deltaproteobacteria contain rare genetic potential to liberate carbon from monoaromatic compounds in subsurface coal seams
Biogenic methane in subsurface coal seam environments is produced by diverse consortia of microbes. Although this methane is useful for global energy security, it remains unclear which microbes can liberate carbon from the coal. Most of this carbon is relatively resistant to biodegradation, as it is contained within aromatic rings. Thus, to explore for coal-degrading taxa in the...
Authors
Bronwyn C. Campbell, Paul Greenfield, Elliott P. Barnhart, Gong, David J. Midgley, Ian T. Paulsen, Simon C. George
Toward a US framework for continuity of satellite observations of Earth's climate and for supporting societal resilience Toward a US framework for continuity of satellite observations of Earth's climate and for supporting societal resilience
There is growing urgency for improved public and commercial services to support a resilient, secure, and thriving United States (US) in the face of mounting decision-support needs for environmental stewardship and hazard response, as well as for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Sustained space-based Earth observations are critical infrastructure to support the delivery of...
Authors
Duane E. Waliser, Waleed Abdalati, Nancy Baker, Stacey Boland, Michael Bonadonna, Carol Anne Clayson, Belay Demoz, Kelsey Foster, Christian Frankenburg, Maria Hakuba, Therese Jorgensen, Ryan J. Kramer, Daniel Limonadi, Anna M. Michalak, Asal Naseri, Pat Patterson, Peter Pilewskie, Steven Platnick, Charlie Powell, Jeff Privette, Chris Ruf, Tapio Schneider, Jorg Schulz, Paul C. Selmants, Rashmi Shah, Qianqian Song, Graeme Stephens, Timothy S. Stryker
A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables A conserved interdomain microbial network underpins cadaver decomposition despite environmental variables
Microbial breakdown of organic matter is one of the most important processes on Earth, yet the controls of decomposition are poorly understood. Here we track 36 terrestrial human cadavers in three locations and show that a phylogenetically distinct, interdomain microbial network assembles during decomposition despite selection effects of location, climate and season. We generated a...
Authors
Zachary M. Burcham, Aeriel D. Belk, Bridget B. McGivern, Amina Bouslimani, Parsa Ghadermazi, Cameron Martino, Liat Shenhav, Anru R. Zhang, Pixu Shi, Alexandra Emmons, Heather Deel, Zhenjiang Zech Xu, Victoria Nieciecki, Qiyun Zhu, Michael Shaffer, Morgan Panitchpakdi, Kelly Weldon, Kalen Cantrell, Asa Ben-Hur, Sasha C. Reed, Greg C. Humphry, Gail Ackermann, Daniel McDonald, Siu Hung Joshua Chan, Melissa Connor, Derek Boyd, Jake Smith, Jenna Watson, Giovanna Vidoli, Dawnie Steadman, Aaron M. Lynne, Sibyl Bucheli, Pieter C. Dorrestein, Kelly C. Wrighton, David O. Carter, Rob Knight, Jessica L. Metcalf
Net carbon sequestration implications of intensified timber harvest in Northeastern U.S. forests Net carbon sequestration implications of intensified timber harvest in Northeastern U.S. forests
U.S. forests, particularly in the eastern states, provide an important offset to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Some have proposed that forest-based natural climate solutions can be strengthened via a number of strategies, including increases in the production of forest biomass energy. We used output from a forest dynamics model (SORTIE-ND) in combination with a GHG accounting tool...
Authors
Michelle L. Brown, Charles D. Canham, Thomas Buchholz, John S. Gunn, Therese M. Donovan
Lake water temperature modeling in an era of climate change: Data sources, models, and future prospects Lake water temperature modeling in an era of climate change: Data sources, models, and future prospects
Lake thermal dynamics have been considerably impacted by climate change, with potential adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems. To better understand the potential impacts of future climate change on lake thermal dynamics and related processes, the use of mathematical models is essential. In this study, we provide a comprehensive review of lake water temperature modeling. We begin by...
Authors
Sebastiano Piccolroaz, Senlin Zhu, Robert Ladwig, Laura Carrea, Samantha K. Oliver, Adam Piotrowski, Mariusz Ptak, Ryuichiro Shinohara, Mariusz Sojka, Richard Woolway, David Z. Zhu
Climate change will impact surface water extents and dynamics across the central United States Climate change will impact surface water extents and dynamics across the central United States
Climate change is projected to impact river, lake, and wetland hydrology, with global implications for the condition and productivity of aquatic ecosystems. We integrated Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 based algorithms to track monthly surface water extent (2017–2021) for 32 sites across the central United States (U.S.). Median surface water extent was highly variable across sites, ranging...
Authors
Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Jay R. Christensen, Laurie C. Alexander, Charles R. Lane, Heather E. Golden
Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning Trajectories and tipping points of piñon–juniper woodlands after fire and thinning
Piñon–juniper (PJ) woodlands are a dominant community type across the Intermountain West, comprising over a million acres and experiencing critical effects from increasing wildfire. Large PJ mortality and regeneration failure after catastrophic wildfire have elevated concerns about the long-term viability of PJ woodlands. Thinning is increasingly used to safeguard forests from fire and...
Authors
Michala Lee Phillips, Cara Marie Lauria, Tova Spector, John B. Bradford, Catherine A. Gehring, Brooke B. Osborne, Armin J. Howell, Edmund E. Grote, Renee Rondeau, Gillian Trimber, Benjamin Robinson, Sasha C. Reed