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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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Potential cheatgrass abundance within lightly invaded areas of the Great Basin Potential cheatgrass abundance within lightly invaded areas of the Great Basin
Context Anticipating where an invasive species could become abundant can help guide prevention and control efforts aimed at reducing invasion impacts. Information on potential abundance can be combined with information on the current status of an invasion to guide management towards currently uninvaded locations where the threat of invasion is high. Objectives We aimed to support...
Authors
Helen Sofaer, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Erin K. Buchholtz, Brian S. Cade, John T. Abatzoglou, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick Comer, Daniel Manier, Lauren E. Parker, Julie A. Heinrichs
Explainable machine learning improves interpretability in the predictive modeling of biological stream conditions in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA Explainable machine learning improves interpretability in the predictive modeling of biological stream conditions in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA
Anthropogenic alterations have resulted in widespread degradation of stream conditions. To aid in stream restoration and management, baseline estimates of conditions and improved explanation of factors driving their degradation are needed. We used random forests to model biological conditions using a benthic macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity for small, non-tidal streams...
Authors
Kelly O. Maloney, Claire Buchanan, Rikke Jepsen, Kevin P. Krause, Matthew J. Cashman, Benjamin P. Gressler, John A. Young, Matthias Schmid
Evaluating the effect of nuclear inclusion X (NIX) infections on Pacific razor clam populations Evaluating the effect of nuclear inclusion X (NIX) infections on Pacific razor clam populations
ABSTRACT: Nuclear inclusion X (NIX), the etiological agent of bacterial gill disease in Pacific razor clams Siliqua patula, was associated with host mortality events in coastal Washington State, USA, during the mid-1980s. Ongoing observations of truncated razor clam size distributions in Kalaloch Beach, Washington, raised concerns that NIX continues to impact populations. We conducted a...
Authors
Maya L. Groner, Paul Hershberger, Steven C. Fradkin, Carla M. Conway, Aine C. Hawthorn, Maureen K. Purcell
Exploring metapopulation-scale suppression alternatives for a global invader in a river network experiencing climate change Exploring metapopulation-scale suppression alternatives for a global invader in a river network experiencing climate change
Invasive species can dramatically alter ecosystems, but eradication is difficult, and suppression is expensive once they are established. Uncertainties in the potential for expansion and impacts by an invader can lead to delayed and inadequate suppression, allowing for establishment. Metapopulation viability models can aid in planning strategies to improve responses to invaders and...
Authors
Brian D. Healy, Phaedra E. Budy, Charles B. Yackulic, Brendan P. Murphy, Robert C. Schelly, Mark C. McKinstry
Lake Sturgeon movement after trap and transfer around two dams on the Menominee River, Wisconsin-Michigan Lake Sturgeon movement after trap and transfer around two dams on the Menominee River, Wisconsin-Michigan
Fish behavior after passage or transfer around dams is a critical component in determining whether the goals of these efforts are achieved, but these behaviors are often poorly understood. An elevator was constructed in the lowermost hydroelectric dam on the Menominee River, Wisconsin–Michigan; it is the first elevator specifically designed to capture Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens...
Authors
Daniel A. Isermann, Joshua K. Raabe, Emma G. Easterly, Joshua C. Schulze, Nicholas J. Porter, Daniel J. Dembkowski, Michael C. Donofrio, Darren R. Kramer, Robert F. Elliott
Stream macroinvertebrate reintroductions: A cautionary approach for restored urban streams Stream macroinvertebrate reintroductions: A cautionary approach for restored urban streams
Macroinvertebrate assemblages often remain depauperate in physically restored urban streams despite efforts to improve habitat conditions and increase species abundance and diversity. The lack of biological recovery may be due to a lack of a natural, nearby source of colonists, and this has inspired researchers and practitioners to reintroduce macroinvertebrates in otherwise restored...
Authors
Sandra M. Clinton, Jacqueline Hartman, Kate H. Macneale, Allison H. Roy
Causality guided machine learning model on wetland CH4 emissions across global wetlands Causality guided machine learning model on wetland CH4 emissions across global wetlands
Wetland CH4 emissions are among the most uncertain components of the global CH4 budget. The complex nature of wetland CH4 processes makes it challenging to identify causal relationships for improving our understanding and predictability of CH4 emissions. In this study, we used the flux measurements of CH4 from eddy covariance towers (30 sites from 4 wetlands types: bog, fen, marsh, and...
Authors
Kunxiaojia Yuan, Qing Zhu, Fa Li, William J. Riley, Margaret Torn, Housen Chu, Gavin McNicol, Mingshu Chen, Sara Knox, Kyle B. Delwiche, Huayi Wu, Dennis Baldocchi, Hongxu Ma, Ankur R. Desai, Jiquan Chen, Torsten Sachs, Masahito Ueyama, Oliver Sonnentag, Manuel Helbig, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Gerald Jurasinski, Franziska Koebsch, David I. Campbell, Hans Peter Schmid, Annalea Lohila, Mathias Goeckede, Mats B. Nilsson, Thomas Friborg, Joachim Jansen, Donatella Zona, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Eric Ward, Gil Bohrer, Zhenong Jin, Licheng Liu, Hiroki Iwata, Jordan P. Goodrich, Robert B. Jackson
Upper Rio Grande Basin water-resource status and trends: Focus area study review and synthesis Upper Rio Grande Basin water-resource status and trends: Focus area study review and synthesis
The Upper Rio Grande Basin (URGB) is a critical international water resource under pressure from a myriad of climatic, ecological, infrastructural, water-use, and legal constraints. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the spatial distribution and temporal trends of selected water-budget components (snow processes, evapotranspiration (ET), streamflow...
Authors
Kyle R. Douglas-Mankin, Christine Rumsey, Graham A. Sexstone, Tamara I. Ivahnenko, Natalie Houston, Shaleene Chavarria, Gabriel B. Senay, Linzy K. Foster, Jonathan V. Thomas, Allison K. Flickinger, Amy E. Galanter, C. David Moeser, Toby L. Welborn, Diana E. Pedraza, Patrick M. Lambert, Michael Scott Johnson
A RADical approach to conservation in Alaska: Rapid climate change requires a new perspective A RADical approach to conservation in Alaska: Rapid climate change requires a new perspective
In Alaska, conservation areas are managed to promote the persistence of wild species, habitats, cultural resources, visitor experiences, and ecosystem services. Many conservation areas are managed by federal or state agencies, and have specific boundaries, missions, and legislative mandates. Many are also the domains of Indigenous and local people who derive livelihoods and cultural...
Authors
Jeremy S. Littell, Gregor W. Schuurman, Joel H. Reynolds, John M. Morton, Nicole Schmitt
What makes wildfires destructive in California? What makes wildfires destructive in California?
As human impacts from wildfires mount, there is a pressing need to understand why structures are lost in destructive fires. Despite growing research on factors contributing to structure loss, fewer studies have focused on why some fires are destructive and others are not. We characterized overall differences between fires that resulted in structure loss (“destructive fires”) and those...
Authors
Alexandra D. Syphard, Jon Keeley, Mike Gough, Mitchell Lazarz, John Rogan
Environmental DNA metabarcoding read numbers and their variability predict species abundance, but weakly in non-dominant species Environmental DNA metabarcoding read numbers and their variability predict species abundance, but weakly in non-dominant species
Metabarcoding of environmental DNA (eDNA) provides more comprehensive, efficient, and non-invasive sampling of biological communities than conventional methods. However, limitations of metabarcoding include taxon-specific biases in amplification and sequencing that distort assessments of community composition. Further, hyper-abundant species may disproportionately affect community...
Authors
James Skelton, Allison R. Cauvin, Margaret Hunter
Mortality associated with extreme heat in Washington State: The historical and projected public health burden Mortality associated with extreme heat in Washington State: The historical and projected public health burden
Extreme heat is one of the most important pathways illustrating the connection between climate and human health, and climate change is expected to exacerbate this public health issue. This study first used a case-crossover analysis to characterize the historical (1980–2018) association between summertime heat and non-traumatic mortality in Washington State. A separate analysis was...
Authors
Logan Arnold, Mark David Scheuerell, T.B. Isaksen