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: 77868
Life-cycle model reveals sensitive life stages and evaluates recovery options for a dwindling Pacific salmon population Life-cycle model reveals sensitive life stages and evaluates recovery options for a dwindling Pacific salmon population
Population models, using empirical survival rates estimates for different life stages, can help managers explore whether various management options could stabilize a declining population or restore it to former levels of abundance. Here we used two decades of data on five life stages of the Cedar River, USA Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, population to create and parameterize a life...
Authors
Neala W. Kendall, Julia R. Unrein, Carol Volk, David Beauchamp, Kurt L. Fresh, Thomas P. Quinn
Assessing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sediments and fishes in a large, urbanized estuary and the potential human health implications Assessing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sediments and fishes in a large, urbanized estuary and the potential human health implications
The primary source of chronic exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in humans is through the ingestion of contaminated foods and drinking water, with fish and other seafood being a major contributor. Nevertheless, there is scant literature on the dietary exposure to PFASs for the general United States (U.S.) population. The Tampa Bay (Florida, USA) region has the...
Authors
Erin L. Pulster, Kylee Rullo, Sherryl Gilbert, Thomas M. Ash, Barbara Goetting, Kevin Campbell, Sara Markham, Steven A. Murawski
Introduction to the special issue on fire impacts on hydrological processes Introduction to the special issue on fire impacts on hydrological processes
Fire has been present on the Earth since vegetation began colonizing the continents (Santos et al., 2017). The role of fire on terrestrial sedimentation processes was already highlighted by Schumm (1968) in his pioneering research to understand the detachment, transport, and sedimentation of material on the Planet. The use of fire by humans as a tool that transformed the landscapes of...
Authors
Artemi Cerdà, Brian A. Ebel, Dalila Serpa, Lubomir Lichner
An interactive viewer to improve operational aftershock forecasts An interactive viewer to improve operational aftershock forecasts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) issues forecasts for aftershocks about 20 minutes after most earthquakes above M 5 in the United States and its territories, and updates these forecasts 75 times during the first year. Most of the forecasts are issued automatically, but some forecasts require manual intervention to maintain accuracy. It is important to identify the sequences whose...
Authors
Gabrielle Madison Paris, Andrew J. Michael
Habitat associations of riverine fishes among rocky shoals Habitat associations of riverine fishes among rocky shoals
Understanding species' associations with physical habitat conditions is a fundamental goal of ecology. For organisms that occupy lotic ecosystems, relationships to streamflow are of particular importance, but these associations are unstudied for most species. We tested the predictability of fish–microhabitat relationships in river shoals (shallow, rocky areas with relatively swift water...
Authors
Anna Y. Baynes, Mary Freeman, S. Kyle McKay, Seth J. Wenger
Towards real-time probabilistic ash deposition forecasting for New Zealand Towards real-time probabilistic ash deposition forecasting for New Zealand
Volcanic ashfall forecasts are highly dependent on eruption source parameters (ESPs) and synoptic weather conditions at the time and location of the eruption. In New Zealand, MetService and GNS Science have been jointly developing an ashfall forecast system that incorporates four-dimensional high-resolution numerical weather prediction (NWP) and ESPs into the HYSPLIT model, a state-of...
Authors
Rosa Transcoso, Yannik Behr, Tony Hurst, Natalia I. Deligne
Evidence of active Quaternary deformation on the Great Valley fault system near Winters, northern California Evidence of active Quaternary deformation on the Great Valley fault system near Winters, northern California
The Great Valley fault system defines the tectonic boundary between the Coast Ranges and the Central Valley in California, is active throughout the Quaternary, and has been the source of several significant ( M > 6) historic earthquakes, including the 1983 M 6.5 Coalinga earthquake and the 1892 Vacaville–Winters earthquake sequence. However, the locations and geometries of individual...
Authors
Charles Cashman Trexler, Alexander E. Morelan, Rufus D. Catchings, Mark Goldman, Jack Willard
High resolution spatiotemporal patterns of flow at the landscape scale in montane non-perennial streams High resolution spatiotemporal patterns of flow at the landscape scale in montane non-perennial streams
Intermittent and ephemeral streams in dryland environments support diverse assemblages of aquatic and terrestrial life. Understanding when and where water flows provide insights into the availability of water, its response to external controlling factors, and potential sensitivity to climate change and a host of human activities. Knowledge regarding the timing of drying/wetting cycles...
Authors
Romy Sabathier, Michael Bliss Singer, John C Stella, Dar A. Roberts, Kelly K. Caylor, Kristin L. Jaeger, Julian Olden
Seismic evidence for magmatic underplating along the Kodiak-Bowie Seamount Chain, Gulf of Alaska Seismic evidence for magmatic underplating along the Kodiak-Bowie Seamount Chain, Gulf of Alaska
Oceanic crust formed at mid-ocean ridges may be later modified by off-ridge magmatism forming seamounts, guyots, and islands. We investigate processes associated with seamount formation in the Gulf of Alaska Seamount Province using two coincident seismic reflection/wide-angle profiles. A north-south profile crosses the Kodiak-Bowie Seamount Chain and Aja fracture zone (FZ), and an...
Authors
Gail L. Christeson, Sean P.S. Gulick, Maureen A. L. Walton, Ginger Barth
High-density genomic data reveal fine-scale population structure and pronounced islands of adaptive divergence in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) from Lake Michigan High-density genomic data reveal fine-scale population structure and pronounced islands of adaptive divergence in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) from Lake Michigan
Understanding patterns of genetic structure and adaptive variation in natural populations is crucial for informing conservation and management. Past genetic research using 11 microsatellite loci identified six genetic stocks of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) within Lake Michigan, USA. However, ambiguity in genetic stock assignments suggested those neutral microsatellite markers...
Authors
Yue Shi, Jared Joseph Homola, Peter T. Euclide, Daniel A. Isermann, David C. Caroffino, Megan V. McPhee
Microhabitat use of larval fish in a South Carolina Piedmont stream Microhabitat use of larval fish in a South Carolina Piedmont stream
Understanding habitat use and nursery areas of larval fish is a key component to managing and conserving riverine fishes. Yet, freshwater researchers often focus only on adult fishes, resulting in a limited understanding of the habitat requirements for the early life stages of freshwater fishes. The goal of this study was to quantify the larval fish microhabitat use of three fish...
Authors
Luke Max Bower, B.K. Peoples
Estrogenic activity response to best management practice implementation in agricultural watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed Estrogenic activity response to best management practice implementation in agricultural watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Best management practices (BMPs) have been predominantly used throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW) to reduce nutrients and sediments entering streams, rivers, and the bay. These practices have been successful in reducing loads entering the estuary and have shown the potential to reduce other contaminants (pesticides, hormonally active compounds, pathogens) in localized studies...
Authors
Stephanie E. Gordon, Tyler Wagner, Kelly L. Smalling, Olivia H. Devereux