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: 77848
Quantifying large-scale continental shelf margin growth and dynamics across mid-Cretaceous Arctic Alaska with detrital zircon U-Pb dating Quantifying large-scale continental shelf margin growth and dynamics across mid-Cretaceous Arctic Alaska with detrital zircon U-Pb dating
Sequence stratigraphy provides a unifying framework for integrating diverse observations to interpret sedimentary basin evolution; however, key time assumptions about stratigraphic elements spanning hundreds of kilometers are rarely quantified. We integrate new detrital zircon U-Pb (DZ) dates from 28 samples with seismic mapping to establish a chronostratigraphic framework across 800 km...
Authors
Richard O. Lease, David W. Houseknecht, Andrew R. C. Kylander-Clark
A physical interpretation of asymmetric growth and decay of the geomagnetic dipole moment A physical interpretation of asymmetric growth and decay of the geomagnetic dipole moment
Observations of relative paleointensity reveal several forms of asymmetry in the time dependence of the virtual axial dipole moment (VADM). Slow decline of the VADM into a reversal is often followed by a more rapid rise back to a quasi-steady state. Asymmetry is also observed in trends of VADM during times of stable polarity. Trends of increasing VADM over time intervals of a few 10s of...
Authors
Bruce Buffett, Margaret Susan Avery, William E. Davis
Past terrestrial hydroclimate sensitivity controlled by Earth system feedbacks Past terrestrial hydroclimate sensitivity controlled by Earth system feedbacks
Despite tectonic conditions and atmospheric CO2 levels (pCO2) similar to those of present-day, geological reconstructions from the mid-Pliocene (3.3-3.0 Ma) document high lake levels in the Sahel and mesic conditions in subtropical Eurasia, suggesting drastic reorganizations of subtropical terrestrial hydroclimate during this interval. Here, using a compilation of proxy data and multi...
Authors
R. Feng, T. Bhattacharya, B. Otto-Bliesner, E. Brady, A. M. Haywood, J. Tindall, S. J. Hunter, A. Abe- Ouchi, W.-L. Chan, M. Kageyama, C. Contoux, C. Guo, X. Li, G. Lohmann, C. Stepanek, N. Tan, Q. Zhang, Z. Zhang, Z. Han, J.R. Williams, D. J. Lunt, Harry J. Dowsett, Deepak Chandan, W. Richard Peltier
Effect of adult male sterilization on the behavior and social associations of a feral polygynous ungulate: The horse Effect of adult male sterilization on the behavior and social associations of a feral polygynous ungulate: The horse
Castration is commonly used to control the behavior of companion animals and livestock, yet there have been few longitudinal studies of its effects. Despite the ubiquity of this surgery in ridden horses, the effects of castration (termed gelding in horses) have rarely been examined in a reproductive population. We tested effects of gelding on maintenance and social behaviors of...
Authors
Sarah R. B. King, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Mary J. Cole
Characteristics and sources of intense geoelectric fields in the United States: Comparative analysis of multiple geomagnetic storms Characteristics and sources of intense geoelectric fields in the United States: Comparative analysis of multiple geomagnetic storms
Intense geoelectric fields during geomagnetic storms drive geomagnetically induced currents in power grids and other infrastructure, yet there are limited direct measurements of these storm-time geoelectric fields. Moreover, most previous studies examining storm-time geoelectric fields focused on single events or small geographic regions, making it difficult to determine the typical...
Authors
Xueling Shi, Michael D Hartinger, Joseph B. H. Baker, Benjamin Scott Murphy, Paul A. Bedrosian, Anna Kelbert, Erin (Josh) Rigler
Mechanisms for retention of low molecular weight organic carbon varies with soil depth at a coastal prairie ecosystem Mechanisms for retention of low molecular weight organic carbon varies with soil depth at a coastal prairie ecosystem
Though primary sources of carbon (C) to soil are plant inputs (e.g., rhizodeposits), the role of microorganisms as mediators of soil organic carbon (SOC) retention is increasingly recognized. Yet, insufficient knowledge of sub-soil processes complicates attempts to describe microbial-driven C cycling at depth as most studies of microbial-mineral-C interactions focus on surface horizons...
Authors
Jack McFarland, Corey Lawrence, Courtney Creamer, Marjorie S. Schulz, Christopher H. Conaway, Sara Peek, Mark Waldrop, Sabrina N. Sevilgen, Monica Haw
Volatile organic compounds in groundwater used for public supply across the United States: Occurrence, explanatory factors, and human-health context Volatile organic compounds in groundwater used for public supply across the United States: Occurrence, explanatory factors, and human-health context
This systematic assessment of occurrence for 85 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in raw (untreated) groundwater used for public supply across the United States (U.S.), which includes 43 compounds not previously monitored by national studies, relates VOC occurrence to explanatory factors and assesses VOC detections in a human-health context. Samples were collected in 2013 through 2019...
Authors
Laura M. Bexfield, Kenneth Belitz, Miranda S. Fram, Bruce D. Lindsey
The use of continuous sediment-transport measurements to improve sand-load estimates in a large sand-bedded river: The Lower Chippewa River, WI The use of continuous sediment-transport measurements to improve sand-load estimates in a large sand-bedded river: The Lower Chippewa River, WI
Accurately determining sediment loads is necessary for managing river environments but is difficult because multiple processes can lead to large discharge-independent changes in sediment transport. Thus, estimations of sediment load using discharge–sediment rating curves fit to sparse or historical sediment-transport measurements can be inaccurate, necessitating alternative approaches to...
Authors
David J. Dean, David J. Topping, D. D. Buscombe, Joel T. Groten, Jeffrey R. Ziegeweid, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, J. William Lund, Erin Nicole Coenen
Functional wetland loss drives emerging risks to waterbird migration networks Functional wetland loss drives emerging risks to waterbird migration networks
Migratory waterbirds (i.e., shorebirds, wading birds, and waterfowl) rely on a diffuse continental network of wetland habitats to support annual life cycle needs. Emerging threats of climate and land-use change raise new concerns over the sustainability of these habitat networks as water scarcity triggers cascading ecological effects impacting wetland habitat availability. Here we use...
Authors
J Patrick Donnelly, Johnnie N Moore, Michael L. Casazza, Shea P Coons
Seasonal and multi-year changes in CO2 degassing at Mammoth Mountain explained by solid-earth-driven fault valving Seasonal and multi-year changes in CO2 degassing at Mammoth Mountain explained by solid-earth-driven fault valving
Changes in CO2 emissions from volcanoes may evidence volcanic unrest. We use a multiyear time series of CO2 flux collected at the Horseshoe Lake Tree Kill area on Mammoth Mountain, CA, to understand processes that cause variations in flux from this system. Seasonal variations are systematically lowest during the winter months and reach maximum values during the summer season. A...
Authors
George E. Hilley, Jennifer L. Lewicki, Curtis W Baden
Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event
Wildfire and post-fire rainfall have resounding effects on hillslope processes and sediment yields of mountainous landscapes. Yet, it remains unclear how fire–flood sequences influence downstream coastal littoral systems. It is timely to examine terrestrial–coastal connections because climate change is increasing the frequency, size, and intensity of wildfires, altering precipitation...
Authors
Jonathan A. Warrick, Kilian Vos, Amy E. East, Sean Vitousek
Temporal variability in TiO2 engineered particle concentrations in rural Edisto River Temporal variability in TiO2 engineered particle concentrations in rural Edisto River
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is widely used in engineered particles including engineered nanomaterial (ENM) and pigments, yet its occurrence, concentrations, temporal variability, and fate in natural environmental systems are poorly understood. For three years, we monitored TiO2 concentrations in a rural river basin (Edisto River, 1% urban land cover) in South Carolina, United States. The...
Authors
Mahmudun Nabi, J. Wang, Celeste A. Journey, Paul M. Bradley, Mohammed Baalousha