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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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Insects in high-elevation streams: Life in extreme environments imperiled by climate change Insects in high-elevation streams: Life in extreme environments imperiled by climate change

Climate change is altering conditions in high-elevation streams worldwide, with largely unknown effects on resident communities of aquatic insects. Here, we review the challenges of climate change for high-elevation aquatic insects and how they may respond, focusing on current gaps in knowledge. Understanding current effects and predicting future impacts will depend on progress in three...
Authors
Jackson H. Birrell, Alisha A. Shah, Scott Hotaling, J. Joseph Giersch, Craig E. Williamson, Dean Jacobsen, H. Arthur Woods

Latency and geofence testing of wireless emergency alerts intended for the ShakeAlert® earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States of America Latency and geofence testing of wireless emergency alerts intended for the ShakeAlert® earthquake early warning system for the West Coast of the United States of America

ShakeAlert, the earthquake early warning (EEW) system for the West Coast of the United States, attempts to provides crucial warnings before strong shaking occurs. However, because the alerts are triggered only when an earthquake is already in progress, and the alert latencies and delivery times are platform dependent, the time between these warnings and the arrival of shaking is variable...
Authors
Sara K. McBride, Danielle F. Sumy, Andrea L. Llenos, Grace Alexandra Parker, Jeffrey J. McGuire, Jessie Kate Saunders, Men-Andrin Meier, Pascal Schuback, Douglas D. Given, Robert Michael deGroot

Phosphorus sources, forms, and abundance as a function of streamflow and field conditions in a Maumee River tributary, 2016-2019 Phosphorus sources, forms, and abundance as a function of streamflow and field conditions in a Maumee River tributary, 2016-2019

Total phosphorus (TP), dissolved P (DP), and suspended sediment (SS) were sampled in Black Creek, Indiana, monthly during base flow and for 100 storm events during water years 2016–2019, enabling analysis of how each of these varied as a function of streamflow and field conditions at nested edge-of-field sites. Particulate P was normalized for SS (PSS = [TP − DP]/SS). Streamflow events...
Authors
Tanja N. Williamson, Edward G. Dobrowolski, Rebecca M. Kreiling

Signatures of high-latitude waves in observations of geomagnetic acceleration Signatures of high-latitude waves in observations of geomagnetic acceleration

Models for the second time-derivative of the geomagnetic field reveal prominent activity at high latitudes. Alternating patches of positive and negative geomagnetic acceleration propagate to the west at speeds that exceed nominal fluid velocities in the core. We show that waves are a viable interpretation of these observations. Magnetic Rossby waves produce a high-latitude response with...
Authors
Rodrigo Chi-Duran, Margaret Susan Avery, Bruce Buffett

The presence of silicate melt may enhance rates of cation diffusion in olivine The presence of silicate melt may enhance rates of cation diffusion in olivine

Olivine is commonly used as a ‘crystal clock’ to extract timescales relevant to pre-eruptive perturbations within mafic magmatic systems. Diffusion chronometry applications require accurate calibrations for the rates at which Fe-Mg or other commonly measured elements like Ni, Mn, and Ca diffuse through the crystal lattice. In the past, these rates have been mainly characterized using...
Authors
Thomas Shea, Dawn Catherine Sweeney Ruth, Michael Jollands, Kenta Ohtaki, Hope Ishii, John Bradley

A review of Arctomecon californica (Papaveraceae) with a focus on the species’ potential for propagation and reintroduction and conservation needs A review of Arctomecon californica (Papaveraceae) with a focus on the species’ potential for propagation and reintroduction and conservation needs

Las Vegas bearpoppy (Arctomecon californica) occurrences have fluctuated during the past several decades, in part due to interannual variability in rainfall that influences recruitment and mortality events; yet, development in the Las Vegas Valley continues to threaten habitat supporting this species. Arctomecon californica was petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act in...
Authors
Alexander Stosich, Lesley A. DeFalco, Sara J. Scoles-Sciulla

Relative-condition parameters for fishes of Montana, USA Relative-condition parameters for fishes of Montana, USA

Body condition indices are commonly used in the management of fish populations and are a surrogate to physiological attributes such as tissue-energy reserves. Relative condition factor (Kn) describes the condition of species relative to populations in a geographic area. We developed models to allow for the calculation of Kn in Montana, USA by using the weight–length data collected by...
Authors
Robert W. Eckelbecker, Nathaniel M. Heili, Christopher S. Guy, David A. Schmetterling

Trace elements in blood of sea ducks from Dutch Harbor and Izembek Lagoon, Alaska Trace elements in blood of sea ducks from Dutch Harbor and Izembek Lagoon, Alaska

In 2001, we collected whole blood from sea ducks (Steller’s eider Polysticta stelleri, harlequin duck Histrionicus histrionicus, black scoter Melanitta nigra, and long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis) wintering at Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and from Steller’s eiders molting at Izembek Lagoon on the Alaska Peninsula. Blood samples were analyzed for 19 trace elements, of which 17 were detected in...
Authors
J. Christian Franson, Tuula E. Hollmen, Paul L. Flint, Angela C. Matz

The curious case of the old dog in the sand The curious case of the old dog in the sand

The discovery of a large fossil canid jawbone in Idaho gives clues to the region’s diverse, verdant past.
Authors
Kari A. Prassack, Laura Walkup

Perspectives on premetamorphic stratabound tourmalinites Perspectives on premetamorphic stratabound tourmalinites

Stratabound tourmalinites are metallogenically important rocks that locally show a close spatial association with diverse types of mineralization, especially volcanogenic massive sulfides (VMS) and clastic-dominated (CD) Zn-Pb deposits. These tourmalinite occurrences pan the geologic record from Eoarchean to Jurassic. Host lithologies are dominated by clastic metasedimentary rocks but in...
Authors
John F. Slack

Assessment of cropland inundation due to the operation of the Reelfoot Lake spillway in West Tennessee Assessment of cropland inundation due to the operation of the Reelfoot Lake spillway in West Tennessee

Running Reelfoot Bayou (RRB) is the outlet canal of Reelfoot Lake, the largest natural lake in Tennessee. RRB is not able to contain discharge from Reelfoot Lake greater than the bankfull discharge of 28 m3/s (1000 ft3/s), which typically occurs at the beginning of the growing season (April–June). Historically, the planting of crops has been delayed until flooding subsides and cropland...
Authors
N.M. Bhuyian, Chayan Lahiri, Timothy H. Diehl, Elizabeth Heal
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