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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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Ground-motion characterization for the 2025 U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Ground-motion characterization for the 2025 U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
We develop the ground-motion characterization (GMC) for the 2025 U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (NSHM-PRVI) for earthquakes in active crustal, subduction interface, and subduction intraslab regimes. Using ground-motion models (GMMs) from the Next-Generation Attenuation (NGA)-West2 and NGA-Subduction projects, the GMC is parameterized by...
Authors
Morgan P. Moschetti, Brad T. Aagaard, Kyle B. Withers, Kevin Ross Milner, Jason M. Altekruse, Julie A. Herrick, Peter M. Powers, Sanaz Rezaeian, Allison M. Shumway, William J. Stephenson
Characterizing changes in postfire debris-flow hazard as burned areas recover Characterizing changes in postfire debris-flow hazard as burned areas recover
Emergency assessments of postfire debris-flow hazards that are performed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provide estimates of debris-flow likelihood and rainfall triggering conditions that are used for evaluating and managing runoff-generated debris-flow hazards in recently burned areas throughout the western United States. Although the immediate postfire period, within roughly one...
Authors
Andrew Paul Graber, Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean, Jonathan Michael King, Jaime Kostelnik
Poor population recovery of Lake Washington Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Pacific Northwestern USA may be associated with disease caused by Ceratonova shasta in an urban-influenced watershed Poor population recovery of Lake Washington Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Pacific Northwestern USA may be associated with disease caused by Ceratonova shasta in an urban-influenced watershed
Understanding the effects of anthropogenic changes on fish disease is vital for supporting mitigative actions for fisheries population recovery. The Lake Washington watershed in the Pacific Northwestern United States is influenced by high urban development and climate change, compromising the sustainability of anadromous salmon. We investigated Ceratonova shasta, a myxozoan parasite, in...
Authors
Jan Lovy, Sophie Amanda Hall, Carl O. Ostberg, Justin Blaine Greer, Dorothy M. Chase, Genevieve M. Kent, Timothy J. Kuzan, Carla M. Conway
Rapid expansion of genotype D1.1 A(H5N1) influenza viruses in wild birds across North America during the 2024 migratory season Rapid expansion of genotype D1.1 A(H5N1) influenza viruses in wild birds across North America during the 2024 migratory season
In late 2021, high pathogenicity avian influenza A(H5N1) clade 2.3.4.4b viruses entered North America and reassorted rapidly with local avian influenza viruses. In September 2024, we detected a new reassortant later classified as genotype D1.1. Using active and passive avian influenza surveillance across Canada and the USA, we tracked the emergence and rapid spread of D1.1 viruses in...
Authors
Walter N. Harrington, Anthony Signore, Lisa Kercher, Jolene A. Giacinti, Ahmed Kandeil, Christina A. Ahlstrom, Sarah N. Bevins, Beate Crossley, Tom P. Fabrizio, Trushar Jeevan, Julianna B. Lenoch, Jacqueline M. Nolting, Daniel Rejmanek, David E. Stallknecht, Trent Bollinger, Evan J. Buck, Deborah Carter, Bradley S. Cohen, Krista E. Dilione, Jamie C. Feddersen, John Franks, Dayna Goldsmith, Cory J. Highway, Chelsea Himsworth, Lydia P. Holmes, Claire M. Jardine, Mohammad Jawad Jahid, Paul K. Link, Lance Miller, Nicole M. Nemeth, Madison Owsiany, Margo J. Pybus, Laura C. Scott, Christopher Sharp, Lauren Smith, Nathan J. Steelman, Brian Stevens, Yohannes Berhane, Mia K. Torchetti, Andrew M. Ramey, Rebecca L. Poulson, Richard J. Webby
Hydrological control on soil redox condition and carbon loss of coastal wetland under sea-kevel rise Hydrological control on soil redox condition and carbon loss of coastal wetland under sea-kevel rise
Coastal wetlands are critical carbon sinks with their biogeochemical and ecological functioning shaped by dynamic hydrological conditions that are increasingly influenced by climate change. A key unresolved question is how hydrologic flow, vegetation response, and rising sea levels interact to regulate soil redox condition and carbon loss in coastal wetlands. Using a field-tested...
Authors
Kewei Chen, Fengming Yuan, Peter E. Thornton, Teri O'Meara, Eric J. Ward, Shannon Jones, Bailey Murphy, Melinda Martinez, Sergio Merino, Benjamin N. Sulman
Why are ornithological studies so focused on the breeding stage? A test of hypotheses Why are ornithological studies so focused on the breeding stage? A test of hypotheses
Unequal representation of focal research areas can arise during the initial stages of project development when investigators make decisions about what, when, and where to study. Regarding when research is conducted, publications on vertebrates are strongly skewed toward breeding-stage studies, leaving sizeable gaps in our knowledge pertaining to behavior and demography in nonbreeding...
Authors
Erin R. Stewart, Courtney J. Conway
Overstorey mortality promotes juvenile piñon pine growth during favourable weather at cooler, wetter sites Overstorey mortality promotes juvenile piñon pine growth during favourable weather at cooler, wetter sites
Hotter droughts have resulted in widespread tree die-off events globally, frequently leading to regeneration failure. Dry forest recovery often depends on the growth and survival of extant juvenile trees. However, it is unclear how microenvironmental changes following overstorey tree die-off affect juvenile trees, particularly in dryland systems where tree recruitment is typically...
Authors
Hill Edward, Troy W. Ocheltree, John B. Bradford, Alexandra K. Urza, Miranda D. Redmond
The global proliferation of aquatic, benthic Microcoleus: Taxonomy, distribution, toxin production, ecology, and future directions The global proliferation of aquatic, benthic Microcoleus: Taxonomy, distribution, toxin production, ecology, and future directions
There have been sporadic reports of aquatic, benthic Microcoleus proliferations in freshwater rivers, lakes, and reservoirs for four decades, with reports increasing in frequency over the last twenty years, suggesting a possible rise in their global distribution, frequency, and intensity. Microcoleus can produce anatoxins which are neurotoxic, and ingestion of toxic mats has caused...
Authors
Laura T. Kelly, Daniel G Beach, Joanna R. Blaszczak, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Sydney M. Brown, Haowu Cheng, Janette L. Davidson, Jutta Fastner, Marcus Francis, Andrea Garcia Jimenez, Laurel Genzoli, Ramesh Goel, Diego Gonzalez, Kim M. Handley, Sabine Hilt, Jean-Francois Humbert, Rob Jamieson, Lindsay Johnston, Pilar Junier, Janice Lawrence, Pearse McCarron, Sven Meissner, Jacob Mormando, Jonathan Puddick, Catherine Quiblier, Nagasaijanani Rajpirathap, Charlotte Schampera, Andy Selwood, Karen Shearer, Abeer Sohrab, Rosalina Stancheva, Cecilio Valadez-Cano, Jordan M. Zebrecky, Susanna A. Wood
The influence of riparian zone grazing on channel stability in an arroyo The influence of riparian zone grazing on channel stability in an arroyo
The introduction of large herds of domesticated grazing animals by European immigrants in the late 19th century is one primary hypothesis used to explain the initiation of arroyo cutting in the American West. But studies designed to quantify the effects of grazing on watershed hydrology and sedimentation have had conflicting results that are often scale dependent. We used a before-and...
Authors
Jason S. Alexander, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Jacob B. Stout, Haylie M. Brown
Agency approach to allocation of human capital and program composition for human-marine mammal interaction management in the United States Agency approach to allocation of human capital and program composition for human-marine mammal interaction management in the United States
Introduction: Marine mammals have served important and diverse roles throughout human history. Once exploited to near extinction, many species in the United States (U.S.) have recovered dramatically under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has jurisdiction to administer the MMPA for cetaceans and most pinnipeds. While most take is...
Authors
Melissa E. Flye, Carly C. Sponarski, Kristina M. Cammen, Adam Daigneault, Danielle Frechette, Joseph D. Zydlewski
Tidal wetland inundated volume estimates using L-band radar imagery and synthetic tide gauging Tidal wetland inundated volume estimates using L-band radar imagery and synthetic tide gauging
Tidal inundation dynamics are a principal driver of hydrological and biogeochemical processes in coastal ecosystems, controlling the exchange of carbon, nutrients, and sediments between wetlands and estuaries. In this study, we assessed the utility of L-band radar imagery in deriving tidal wetland inundated volume estimates (pixel-wise water depths), which provide a more robust...
Authors
Brian T. Lamb, Kyle C. McDonald, Maria Tzortziou, Nicholas Steiner
The mineral chemistry networks of tin and tungsten reflect metallogenic eras of the Mesozoic The mineral chemistry networks of tin and tungsten reflect metallogenic eras of the Mesozoic
Continental remobilization is a crucial driver of metallogenesis and the formation of ore deposits. Some of the world’s largest mineral deposits of the economically valuable elements tin (Sn), tungsten (W), gold (Au), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) formed during the Mesozoic Era. Additionally, the chemistry and distribution of the elements Sn and W have been investigated in...
Authors
Elisha Kelly Moore, Shaunna M. Morrison, Amber Hatter