Articles
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.
Filter Total Items: 78877
Spatial and temporal drivers of variability in abundance of two stream fishes Spatial and temporal drivers of variability in abundance of two stream fishes
An understanding of how and why animal populations vary in space and time informs effective conservation and management. We used spatial and temporal flow metrics to explore flow-ecology relationships for two fish species, Mountain Sucker Pantosteus platyrhynchus (Cope, 1874) and Mottled Sculpin Cottus bairdii Girard, 1850, across 64 sites and 8 years in Wyoming, U.S.A. We found...
Authors
Richard H. Walker, Robert Mollenhauer, Ryan R. McShane, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Annika W. Walters
Population structure and genetic stock identification in southeastern United States loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) using genome-wide SNPs Population structure and genetic stock identification in southeastern United States loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) using genome-wide SNPs
Characterizing the genetic structure and connectivity between populations of endangered species can be used to inform management actions. In vagile species with high gene flow or recently established populations, such characterizations can be difficult to undertake using traditional genetic markers, and genetic stock identification (GSI) may be confounded by allele-sharing between...
Authors
Ian Silver-Gorges, Lisa M. Komoroske, Jamie Adkins Stoll, John D. Swenson, David S. Addison, Derek A. Burkholder, Dean A. Bagley, Glenn D. Goodwin, Kristen Hart, Joseph B. Pfaller, Brian M. Shamblin, Mariana M.P.B. Fuentes
Cyanobacterial bloom occurrence and emergency department visits for asthma or wheeze, Wisconsin, 2017–2019 Cyanobacterial bloom occurrence and emergency department visits for asthma or wheeze, Wisconsin, 2017–2019
Authors
Amy M. Lavery, Jordan Murray, Audrey F. Pennington, Blake Schaeffer, Bridget Seegers, Elizabeth D. Hilborn, Keith A. Loftin, Stephen Scroggins, Lorraine Backer
Effects of external water on volcanic column height and collapse Effects of external water on volcanic column height and collapse
Volcanic plumes are important because they spread volcanic material, can impact climate, and pose hazards to aviation. Among eruption processes, column collapse is arguably the most consequential in terms of direct impacts, as it marks the onset of ground-hugging pyroclastic density currents that pose the greatest immediate threat to life and infrastructure. This study inves- tigates how...
Authors
Edgar Carillo, Kristen E Fauria, Tushar Mittal, Larry G. Mastin
Population dynamics of Northern Pearl Dace Margariscus nachtriebi in anthropogenically altered headwater streams of the Nebraska Sandhills Ecoregion Population dynamics of Northern Pearl Dace Margariscus nachtriebi in anthropogenically altered headwater streams of the Nebraska Sandhills Ecoregion
Empirical evidence of population demographic responses to environmental perturbations is a major knowledge gap for aquatic vertebrate populations. Extensive habitat alteration including channelization of headwater streams influences the habitat template on which small-bodied fish are dependent to carry out distinct life stages and maintain or increase population growth. The objectives of...
Authors
Joseph Spooner, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
Sustainability trade-offs at the nexus of solar energy, agriculture, and biodiversity Sustainability trade-offs at the nexus of solar energy, agriculture, and biodiversity
A rapid transition to renewable energy is necessary for achieving global decarbonization targets, but siting conflicts, particularly beyond the built environment, remain a key barrier to sustainable development. At the same time, climate-induced pressures on biodiversity intensify the socio-ecological trade-offs within the energy-agriculture-biodiversity nexus. Using New York State as a...
Authors
Adam Gallaher, Theodore Koch, Elizabeth L. Kalies, Peter B. Woodbury, Steven Mark Grodsky
Fish body midline segmentation using binary search Fish body midline segmentation using binary search
Body and caudal fin locomotion is ubiquitous in aquatic vertebrates, and kinematic models describing it are used in robotics, biomechanics and fisheries research. This paper presents a new algorithm to translate continuous body midlines of fish into a series of interconnected segments by identifying favorable joint positions along the body. The algorithm employs binary search to generate
Authors
Robert M.H. Sterling, Elsa Marie-Catherine Goerig, M Buzdalov, Theodore Castro-Santos, O. Akanyeti
Spatially consistent but temporally divergent changes in nitrate and phosphorus loads and yields in Illinois watersheds, 1997–2022 Spatially consistent but temporally divergent changes in nitrate and phosphorus loads and yields in Illinois watersheds, 1997–2022
Illinois contributes substantial nutrient loads to the Gulf of America, warranting watershed-scale assessment. This study estimated nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate-N) and total phosphorus (TP) loads and yields for 49 Illinois 8-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC8) watersheds draining to the Mississippi River Basin from 1997–2022, comparing recent (2018–2022) to baseline (1997–2011) conditions...
Authors
Brock J.W. Kamrath, Jennifer C. Murphy, Lindsey Ayn Schafer, Hannah Lee Podzorski, Gregory F. McIsaac
Spatial heterogeneity of salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise: Dual controls of hydrological setting and salinity regime Spatial heterogeneity of salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise: Dual controls of hydrological setting and salinity regime
Salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise (SLR) is typically assessed using point measurements of vertical accretion, neglecting three-dimensionality of geomorphic evolution and spatial variability. Recent studies suggest links between vertical and horizontal vulnerability, with differences between oligohaline and polyhaline marshes, yet these relationships remain untested in estuary...
Authors
Dongxiao Yin, Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, John C. Warner, David K. Ralston, Courtney K. Harris, Bin Li
Dynamic drainage reorganization in Eastern Tibet: Insights from the Yangtze River first bend Dynamic drainage reorganization in Eastern Tibet: Insights from the Yangtze River first bend
The modern drainage network of eastern Tibet is widely believed to have developed through a series of river capture and flow reversal events; however, the timing and mechanisms driving this reorganization remain contentious. Among these events, the river capture that formed the First Bend of the Yangtze River (YFB) stands out as both iconic and particularly debated. Here we present...
Authors
Xudong Zhao, Yifei Li, Huiping Zhang, Richard O. Lease, Ying Wang, Yuqi Hao, Zifa Ma, Hao Xie, Huan Kang, Jianguo Xiong, Peizhen Zhang
Geophysical architecture and geochronology of the Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex, northwestern Minnesota: Largest anorthosite complex of the Superior Province? Geophysical architecture and geochronology of the Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex, northwestern Minnesota: Largest anorthosite complex of the Superior Province?
The Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex (MAIC) lies within the Wawa subprovince in northwestern Minnesota, in a region where the Wawa, Quetico, and Wabigoon subprovinces are juxtaposed in close proximity. Archean rocks are entirely concealed, and interpretations are developed from aeromagnetic, gravity, and borehole samples. The MAIC includes both anorthosite (dense, weakly...
Authors
Benjamin J. Drenth, Amy L. Radakovich, Amanda Kate Souders, George J. Hudak, Stacy Saari
A site prioritization tool for invasive species management: Integrating diverse spatial data to improve decision making A site prioritization tool for invasive species management: Integrating diverse spatial data to improve decision making
Resource managers are tasked with protecting natural areas from invasive species with limited resources. Further, invasive management goals can vary greatly based on different management priorities specific to management agencies or taxa of interest. The site prioritization tool for invasive species management addresses these challenges by creating a platform to view and combine diverse...
Authors
Janet S. Prevéy, Cameron J. Reimer, Peder S. Engelstad, Pairsa N. Belamaric, Terri Hogan, Jillian M. LaRoe, Colter J. Mumford, Jennifer L. Sieracki, Catherine S. Jarnevich