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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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Full-service hotels, convenience stores, or fire escapes? Evaluating the functional role of stopover sites for Neotropical migrants following passage across the Gulf of Mexico in autumn Full-service hotels, convenience stores, or fire escapes? Evaluating the functional role of stopover sites for Neotropical migrants following passage across the Gulf of Mexico in autumn
Nearctic Neotropical migratory songbirds incur the highest mortality during migration. En-route, songbirds rely on a network of stopover sites to rest, refuel, and/or seek refuge during poor weather. Conservation strategies prioritize protection of sites that best meet these needs. However, the specific function of a stopover site is expected to vary in relation to factors, such as...
Authors
Lauren E. Solomon, Antonio Celis-Murillo, Michael P. Ward, Jill L. Deppe
The devil is in the details: Variation in public acceptance of fuels treatments across western fire-prone communities The devil is in the details: Variation in public acceptance of fuels treatments across western fire-prone communities
Implementation of broad landscape management goals to confront the wildfire crisis occurs at the project level and is subject to public scrutiny. Although the research literature demonstrates broad public acceptability of fuels treatments, a closer examination of the studies reveals notable variation in acceptance. Survey data from thirteen western U.S. communities using the same...
Authors
Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Julia Goolsby, Patricia A. Champ, James R. Meldrum, Colleen Donovan, Carolyn Wagner, Christopher M. Barth, Chiara Forrester, Suzanne Wittenbrink
Stochastic simulation of earthquake ground motions for the seismic assessment of monumental masonry structures: Source-based vs site-based approaches Stochastic simulation of earthquake ground motions for the seismic assessment of monumental masonry structures: Source-based vs site-based approaches
Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural disasters and have resulted in a massive number of fatalities and economic losses all over the world. Simulated ground motion records are valuable, particularly for regions lacking seismic stations or with a limited history of large-magnitude earthquakes. Notably, a significant percentage of monumental masonry buildings are located in...
Authors
Shaghayegh Karimzadeh, Marco F. Funari, Simon Szabó, S. M. Sajad Hussaini, Sanaz Rezaeian, Paulo B. Lourenço
Identifying predictors of translocation success in rare plant species Identifying predictors of translocation success in rare plant species
The fundamental goal of a rare plant translocation is to create self-sustaining populations with the evolutionary resilience to persist in the long-term. Yet most plant translocation syntheses focus on a few factors influencing short-term benchmarks of success (e.g., survival and reproduction). Short-term benchmarks can be misleading when trying to infer future growth and viability...
Authors
Joe Bellis, Oyomoare L. Osazuwa-Peters, Joyce Maschinski, Matthew J. Keir, Elliott W. Parsons, Thomas N. Kaye, Michael Kunz, Jennifer Possley, Eric Menges, Stacy A. Smith, Daniela Roth, Debbie Brewer, William E. Brumback, James J. Lange, Christal Niederer, Jessica B. Turner-Skoff, Megan Bontrager, Richard Braham, Michelle Coppoletta, Karen D. Holl, Paula Williamson, Timothy J. Bell, Jayne L. Jonas, Kathryn McEachern, Kathy L. Robertson, Sandra J. Birnbaum, Adam Dattilo, John J. Dollard, Jeremie Fant, Wendy Kishida, Peter Lesica, Steven O. Link, Noel B. Pavlovic, Jackie Poole, Charlotte M. Reemts, Peter Stiling, David D. Taylor, Jonathan H. Titus, Priscilla J. Titus, Edith D. Adkins, Timothy Chambers, Mark W. Paschke, Katherine D. Heinman, Matthew A. Albrecht
Silver carp herding: A telemetry evaluation of efficacy and implications for design and application Silver carp herding: A telemetry evaluation of efficacy and implications for design and application
Removal of invasive Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix is a primary control action in North America. Strong avoidance responses to underwater sound and electricity have been shown to facilitate herding and mass removal of these fish. We conducted a telemetry study on a closed population of Silver Carp (i.e., 10 telemetered fish) to assess fine-scale movement responses to herding...
Authors
Josey Lee Ridgway, Matthew Ross Acre, Tyler Michael Hessler, Dustin Broaddus, Jessica Morris, Robin D. Calfee
Move it or lose it: Predicted effects of culverts and population density on Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) connectivity Move it or lose it: Predicted effects of culverts and population density on Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) connectivity
Roadways and railways can reduce wildlife movements across landscapes, negatively impacting population connectivity. Connectivity may be improved by structures that allow safe passage across linear barriers, but connectivity could be adversely influenced by low population densities. The Mojave desert tortoise is threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and population declines. The...
Authors
Kirsten E. Dutcher, Kenneth E. Nussear, Jill S. Heaton, Todd Esque, Amy G. Vandergast
Temporal, environmental, and demographic correlates of Ichthyophonus sp. infections in mature Pacific herring populations Temporal, environmental, and demographic correlates of Ichthyophonus sp. infections in mature Pacific herring populations
Causes of population collapse and failed recovery often remain enigmatic in marine forage fish like Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) that experience dramatic population oscillations. Diseases such as ichthyophoniasis are hypothesized to contribute to these declines, but lack of long-term datasets frequently prevents inference. Analysis of pathogen surveillance and population assessment...
Authors
Maya L. Groner, Eliana D. Bravo-Mendosa, Ashley MacKenzie, Jacob L. Gregg, Carla M. Conway, John T. Trochta, Paul Hershberger
A multifault earthquake threat for the Seattle metropolitan region revealed by mass tree mortality A multifault earthquake threat for the Seattle metropolitan region revealed by mass tree mortality
Compound earthquakes involving simultaneous ruptures along multiple faults often define a region’s upper threshold of maximum magnitude. Yet, the potential for linked faulting remains poorly understood given the infrequency of these events in the historic era. Geological records provide longer perspectives, although temporal uncertainties are too broad to clearly pinpoint single...
Authors
Bryan Black, Jessie K. Pearl, Charlotte Pearson, Patrick T. Pringle, David C. Frank, Morgan T. Page, Brendan M. Buckley, Edward R. Cook, Grant L. Harley, Karen J. King, Jonathan F. Hughes, David J. Reynolds, Brian L. Sherrod
Thirteen years of turtle capture–mark–recapture in a small urban pond complex in Louisiana, USA Thirteen years of turtle capture–mark–recapture in a small urban pond complex in Louisiana, USA
Turtles are one of the most imperiled vertebrate groups in the world. With habitat destruction unabated in many places, urban and suburban greenspaces may serve as refugia for turtles, at least those species able to tolerate heavily altered landscapes. In south-central Louisiana, we have conducted a turtle capture–mark–recapture effort in two ponds in an urban greenspace for 13 yr to...
Authors
Brad Glorioso, J. Hardin Waddle, Doug P. Armstrong
A guide to creating an effective big data management framework A guide to creating an effective big data management framework
Many agencies and organizations, such as the U.S. Geological Survey, handle massive geospatial datasets and their auxiliary data and are thus faced with challenges in storing data and ingesting it, transferring it between internal programs, and egressing it to external entities. As a result, these agencies and organizations may inadvertently devote unnecessary time and money to convey...
Authors
Samantha T. Arundel, Kevin G McKeehan, Bryan B Campbell, Andrew N. Bulen, Philip T. Thiem
Using down-scan capabilities from recreational-grade side-scan sonar systems to sample paddlefish and evaluate depth use in a reservoir Using down-scan capabilities from recreational-grade side-scan sonar systems to sample paddlefish and evaluate depth use in a reservoir
Recreational-grade side-scan sonar (SSS) has only recently been applied to estimate abundance of Paddlefish Polyodon spathula, a large pelagic planktivore, in reservoirs. Current recreational-grade SSS units also have a dedicated down-scan channel, which may be useful for detecting Paddlefish in reservoirs because the range of depths they inhabit. We investigated the utility of down-scan...
Authors
James M. Long, P. Joyce, L. Bruckerhoff, Robert Charles Lonsinger, W. Wolfenkoehler
Multiphysics modelling in PyLith: Poroelasticity Multiphysics modelling in PyLith: Poroelasticity
PyLith, a community, open-source code for modelling quasi-static and dynamic crustal deformation with an emphasis on earthquake faulting, has recently been updated with a flexible multiphysics implementation. We demonstrate the versatility of the multiphysics implementation by extending the code to model fully coupled continuum poromechanics. We verify the newly incorporated physics...
Authors
Robert L. Walker, Matthew G. Knepley, Brad T. Aagaard, Charles A. Williams