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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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Exploratory analysis of machine learning techniques in the Nevada geothermal play fairway analysis Exploratory analysis of machine learning techniques in the Nevada geothermal play fairway analysis
Play fairway analysis (PFA) is commonly used to generate geothermal potential maps and guide exploration studies, with a particular focus on locating and characterizing blind geothermal systems. This study evaluates the application of machine learning techniques to PFA in the Great Basin region of Nevada. Following the evaluation of various techniques, we identified two approaches to PFA...
Authors
Connor M. Smith, James E. Faulds, Stephen C. Brown, Mark Coolbaugh, Jacob DeAngelo, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Erick R. Burns, Drew Lorenz Siler, Sven Treitel, Eli Mlawsky, Michael Fehler, Chen Gu, Bridget F. Ayling
Stream temperature prediction in a shifting environment: The influence of deep learning architecture Stream temperature prediction in a shifting environment: The influence of deep learning architecture
Stream temperature is a fundamental control on ecosystem health. Recent efforts incorporating process guidance into deep learning models for predicting stream temperature have been shown to outperform existing statistical and physical models. This performance is in part because deep learning architectures can actively learn spatiotemporal relationships that govern how water and energy...
Authors
Simon Nemer Topp, Janet R. Barclay, Jeremy Alejandro Diaz, Alexander Y. Sun, Xiaowei Jia, Daniel Lubin, Jeffrey M Sadler, Alison P. Appling
Variable effects of long-term livestock grazing across the western United States suggest diverse approaches are needed to meet global change challenges Variable effects of long-term livestock grazing across the western United States suggest diverse approaches are needed to meet global change challenges
Aims
Authors
Stella M. Copeland, David L. Hoover, David J. Augustine, Jonathan D Bates, Chad S. Boyd, Kirk W. Davies, Justin D. Derner, Michael C. Duniway, Lauren M. Porensky, Lance T Vermeire
Plant water-use strategies predict restoration success across degraded drylands Plant water-use strategies predict restoration success across degraded drylands
Plant strategies for coping with water limitation are likely to mediate restoration outcomes in degraded dryland ecosystems. Trade-offs in traits related to water acquisition and use can intensify in more arid environments, making their effects on dryland restoration success even more salient. However, isolating the effects of drought responses from those of other environmental factors...
Authors
Bradley J. Butterfield, Seth M. Munson, Hannah L. Farrell
Forecasting natural regeneration of sagebrush after wildfires using population models and spatial matching Forecasting natural regeneration of sagebrush after wildfires using population models and spatial matching
Context
Authors
Andrii Zaiats, Megan E Cattau, David S. Pilliod, Liu Rongsong, Juan M. Requena-Mullor, Trevor Caughlin
Field assessment of Naled and its primary degradation product (dichlorvos) in aquatic ecosystems following aerial ultra-low volume application for mosquito control Field assessment of Naled and its primary degradation product (dichlorvos) in aquatic ecosystems following aerial ultra-low volume application for mosquito control
Naled, an organophosphate insecticide, is applied aerially at ultra-low volumes over aquatic ecosystems near Sacramento, California, USA, during summer months for mosquito control. Two ecosystem types (rice fields and a flowing canal) were sampled in 2020 and 2021. Naled and its primary degradation product (dichlorvos) were measured in water, biofilm, grazer macroinvertebrates, and...
Authors
Cassandra Smith, Michelle L. Hladik, Kathryn Kuivila, Ian R. Waite
Migrating ducks and submersed aquatic vegetation respond positively after invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exclusion from a freshwater coastal marsh Migrating ducks and submersed aquatic vegetation respond positively after invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exclusion from a freshwater coastal marsh
Invasive carp can negatively affect waterbirds through habitat degradation, including removal of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV). At a freshwater coastal marsh of great ecological and cultural significance, we excluded invasive common carp (Cyprinus carpio) with the goal of restoring the marsh to historical conditions to support fall-migrating waterfowl. We used a multi-pronged...
Authors
Lauren E Bortolotti, Robert B Emery, Paige D Kowal, Llwellyn M Armstrong, Vanessa B Harriman, Howard Singer, Michael J. Anteau, Frank B Baldwin, Cameron Meuckon, Dale A Wrubleski
Climate-driven tradeoffs between landscape connectivity and the maintenance of the coastal carbon sink Climate-driven tradeoffs between landscape connectivity and the maintenance of the coastal carbon sink
Ecosystem connectivity tends to increase the resilience and function of ecosystems responding to stressors. Coastal ecosystems sequester disproportionately large amounts of carbon, but rapid exchange of water, nutrients, and sediment makes them vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal erosion. Individual components of the coastal landscape (i.e., marsh, forest, bay) have contrasting...
Authors
Kendall Valentine, Ellen R. Herbert, David Walters, Yaping Chen, Alexander J. Smith, Matthew L. Kirwan
A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies A call for strategic water-quality monitoring to advance assessment and prediction of wildfire impacts on water supplies
Wildfires pose a risk to water supplies in the western U.S. and many other parts of the world, due to the potential for degradation of water quality. However, a lack of adequate data hinders prediction and assessment of post-wildfire impacts and recovery. The dearth of such data is related to lack of funding for monitoring extreme events and the challenge of measuring the outsized...
Authors
Sheila F. Murphy, Charles N. Alpers, Chauncey W. Anderson, John R. Banta, Johanna Blake, Kurt D. Carpenter, Gregory D. Clark, David W. Clow, Laura A. Hempel, Deborah A. Martin, Michael R. Meador, Gregory Mendez, Anke Mueller-Solger, Marc A. Stewart, Sean E. Payne, Cara L. Peterman-Phipps, Brian A. Ebel
Exploring effects of vessels on walrus behaviors using telemetry, automatic identification system data and matching Exploring effects of vessels on walrus behaviors using telemetry, automatic identification system data and matching
Arctic marine mammals have had little exposure to vessel traffic and potential associated disturbance, but sea ice loss has increased accessibility of Arctic waters to vessels. Vessel disturbance could influence marine mammal population dynamics by altering behavioral activity budgets that affect energy balance, which in turn can affect birth and death rates. As an initial step in...
Authors
Rebecca L. Taylor, Chadwick V. Jay, William S. Beatty, Anthony S. Fischbach, Lori T. Quakenbush, Justin A. Crawford
Climate change impacts on native cutthroat trout habitat in Colorado streams Climate change impacts on native cutthroat trout habitat in Colorado streams
Headwater streams support vital aquatic habitat yet are vulnerable to changing climate due to their high elevation and small size. Coldwater fish are especially sensitive to the altered streamflow and water temperature regimes during summer low flow periods. Though previous studies have provided insights on how changes in climate and alterations in stream discharge may affect habitat...
Authors
Chenchen Ma, Ryan R. Morrison, Daniel C. White, James J. Roberts, Yoichiro Kanno
Adjusting design floods for urbanization across groundwater-dominated watersheds of Long Island, NY Adjusting design floods for urbanization across groundwater-dominated watersheds of Long Island, NY
The magnitude and variability of floods have increased for many nontidal streams on Long Island (LI), NY since the mid-20th century. One of the most densely populated regions of the United States, LI has experienced amplified floods in step with increases in impervious land cover, storm, and sanitary sewers that have accompanied urban development. To better understand the drivers of...
Authors
Robin L. Glas, Jory Seth Hecht, Amy E. Simonson, Christopher L. Gazoorian, Christopher Schubert