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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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Population genetics of three at-risk tiger beetles Habroscelimorpha dorsalis dorsalis, H. d. media, and Ellipsoptera puritana Population genetics of three at-risk tiger beetles Habroscelimorpha dorsalis dorsalis, H. d. media, and Ellipsoptera puritana
Many tiger beetles (Family Cicindelidae) are critically imperiled due to their dependence on small patches of suitable habitat that are frequently threatened by natural and anthropogenic disturbances. In the eastern United States, conservation of three tiger beetles - Habroscelimorpha dorsalis dorsalis, H. dorsalis media, and Ellipsoptera puritana - has been inhibited by the absence of...
Authors
David C. Kazyak, Aaron W. Aunins, Shannon L. White, Michael S. Eackles, C. Barry Knisley
Arsenic in private well water and birth outcomes in the United States Arsenic in private well water and birth outcomes in the United States
Background Prenatal exposure to drinking water with arsenic concentrations >50 μg/L is associated with adverse birth outcomes, with inconclusive evidence for concentrations ≤50 μg/L. In a collaborative effort by public health experts, hydrologists, and geologists, we used published machine learning model estimates to characterize arsenic concentrations in private wells—federally...
Authors
Catherine Bulka, Molly Scannell Bryan, Melissa A. Lombard, Scott Bartell, Daniel K. Jones, Paul M. Bradley, Veronica Vieira, Debra Silverman, Michael J. Focazio, Patricia Toccalino, Johnni Daniel, Lorraine C. Backer, Joseph D. Ayotte, Matthew O. Gribble, Maria Argos
Population dynamics of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout in Henrys Lake, Idaho Population dynamics of Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout in Henrys Lake, Idaho
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (YCT) Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri is a species with significant ecological and recreational value. In many YCT fisheries, managers are tasked with balancing angler expectations and fish conservation. Henrys Lake supports a popular trophy trout fishery, but the increase of nonnative Utah Chub Gila atraria has caused concern for YCT. We summarized long-term...
Authors
Darcy K. McCarrick, Jeffrey Dillon, Brett High, Michael C. Quist
Fingerprinting historical tributary contributions to floodplain sediment using bulk geochemistry Fingerprinting historical tributary contributions to floodplain sediment using bulk geochemistry
Sediment deposition on floodplains is essential for the development and maintenance of riparian ecosystems. Upstream erosion is known to influence downstream floodplain construction, but linking these disparate processes is challenging, especially over large spatial and temporal scales. Sediment fingerprinting is thus a robust tool to establish process linkages between downstream...
Authors
John T. Kemper, Sara L. Rathburn, Jonathan M. Friedman, John M. Nelson, Erich R. Mueller, Kirk R Vincent
Spatial social value distributions for multiple user groups in a coastal national park Spatial social value distributions for multiple user groups in a coastal national park
Managing public lands to maximize societal benefits requires spatially explicit understanding of societal valuation, and public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) are increasingly used in coastal settings to accomplish this task. Social Values for Ecosystem Services (SolVES), a PPGIS tool that systematizes the mapping and modeling of social values and cultural ecosystem...
Authors
Zachary H. Ancona, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Lena Le, Darius J. Semmens, Benson C. Sherrouse, Grant Murray, Philip S. Cook, Eva DiDonato
Editorial: Rural land change and the capacity for ecosystem conservation and sustainable production in North America Editorial: Rural land change and the capacity for ecosystem conservation and sustainable production in North America
No abstract available.
Authors
Alisa W Coffin, Fardausi Akhter, Mark A. Drummond, David Huggins
Murky waters: Divergent ways scientists, practitioners, and landowners evaluate beaver mimicry Murky waters: Divergent ways scientists, practitioners, and landowners evaluate beaver mimicry
Beaver mimicry is a fast-growing conservation technique to restore streams and manage water that is gaining popularity within the natural resource management community because of a wide variety of claimed socio-environmental benefits. Despite a growing number of projects, many questions and concerns about beaver mimicry remain. This study draws on qualitative data from 49 interviews with
Authors
Tori Pfaeffle, Megan A. Moore, Amanda E. Cravens, Jamie McEvoy, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson
From flowering to foliage: Accelerometers track tree sway to provide high-resolution insights into tree phenology From flowering to foliage: Accelerometers track tree sway to provide high-resolution insights into tree phenology
Trees are bioindicators of global climate change and regional urbanization, but available monitoring tools are ineffective for fine-scale observation of many species. Using six accelerometers mounted on two urban ash trees (Fraxinus americana), we looked at high-frequency tree vibrations, or change in periodicity of tree sway as a proxy for mass changes, to infer seasonal patterns of...
Authors
Deidre M. Jaeger, A. M. C. Looze, M. S. Raleigh, Brian W. Miller, Jonathan M. Friedman, C. A. Wessman
FluOil: A novel tool for modeling the transport of oil-particle aggregates in inland waterways FluOil: A novel tool for modeling the transport of oil-particle aggregates in inland waterways
Spilled oil in inland waterways can aggregate with mineral and organic particles to form oil-particle aggregates (OPAs). OPAs can be transported in suspension or deposited to the bed. Modeling the fate and transport of OPAs can provide useful information for making mitigation decisions. A novel open-source tool, FluOil, is developed to predict where OPAs may deposit and when they arrive...
Authors
Yilan Li, Zhenduo Zhu, David Soong, Hamed Khorasani, Shu Wang, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Marcelo H. Garcia
Submarine landslide susceptibility mapping in recently deglaciated terrain, Glacier Bay, Alaska Submarine landslide susceptibility mapping in recently deglaciated terrain, Glacier Bay, Alaska
Submarine mass wasting events have damaged underwater structures and propagated waves that have inundated towns and affected human populations in nearby coastal areas. Susceptibility to submarine landslides can be pronounced in degrading cryospheric environments, where existing glaciers can provide high volumes of sediment, while cycles of glaciation and ice-loss can damage and...
Authors
Nikita N. Avdievitch, Jeffrey A. Coe
Nanoscale isotopic evidence resolves origins of giant Carlin-type ore deposits Nanoscale isotopic evidence resolves origins of giant Carlin-type ore deposits
The western North American Great Basin's Carlin-type deposits represent the largest accumulation of gold in the Northern Hemisphere. The controversy over their origins echoes the debate between Neptunists and Plutonists at the birth of modern geology: were the causative processes meteoric or magmatic? Sulfur isotopes have long been considered key to decoding metal cycling in the Earth's...
Authors
Elizabeth A. Holley, Alexandria M Fulton, C Jilly-Rehak, Craig A. Johnson, Michael J. Pribil
Novel insights on aquatic mammal MHC evolution: Evidence from manatee DQB diversity Novel insights on aquatic mammal MHC evolution: Evidence from manatee DQB diversity
The low diversity in marine mammal major histocompatibility complex (MHC) appears to support the hypothesis of reduced pathogen selective pressure in aquatic systems compared to terrestrial environments. However, the lack of characterization of the aquatic and evolutionarily distant Sirenia precludes drawing more generalized conclusions. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the MHC DQB...
Authors
Andre L.A. de, Pamela K.B. Baker, Breanna Breaux, Jairo M. Oliveira, Alex de Macedo Klautau, Kristian Legatzki, Fabia de Oliveira Luna, Fernanda L.N. Attademo, Margaret Hunter, Michael F. Criscitiello, Maria P. Schneider, Leonardo Sena