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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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Guiding principles for using satellite-derived maps in rangeland management Guiding principles for using satellite-derived maps in rangeland management
On the GroundRangeland management has entered a new era with the accessibility and advancement of satellite-derived maps.Maps provide a comprehensive view of rangelands in space and time, and challenge us to think critically about natural variability.Here, we advance the practice of using satellite-derived maps with four guiding principles designed to increase end user confidence and...
Authors
Brady W Allred, Megan K Creutzburg, John C Carlson, Christopher C Cole, Colin M. Dovichin, Michael C. Duniway, Matthew O. Jones, Jeremy D Maestas, David E. Naugle, Travis W. Nauman, Gregory S Okin, Matthew C Reeves, Matthew B. Rigge, Shannon L Savage, Dirac Twidwell, Daniel R. Uden, Bo Zhou
Predicting flood damage probability across the conterminous United States Predicting flood damage probability across the conterminous United States
Floods are the leading cause of natural disaster damages in the United States, with billions of dollars incurred every year in the form of government payouts, property damages, and agricultural losses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency oversees the delineation of floodplains to mitigate damages, but disparities exist between locations designated as high risk and where flood damages...
Authors
Elyssa Collins, Georgina M. Sanchez, Adam Terando, Charles C. Stillwell, Helena Mitasova, Antonia Sebastian, Ross K. Meentemeyer
General guidance for custom-built structural equation models General guidance for custom-built structural equation models
Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) represents a quantitative methodology for specifying and evaluating causal network hypotheses. The application of SEM typically involves the use of specialized software packages that implement estimation procedures and automate model checking and the output of summary results. There are times when the specification details an investigator wishes to...
Authors
James B. Grace
Incorporating interpreter variability into estimation of the total variance of land cover area estimates under simple random sampling Incorporating interpreter variability into estimation of the total variance of land cover area estimates under simple random sampling
Area estimates of land cover and land cover change are often based on reference class labels determined by analysts interpreting satellite imagery and aerial photography. Different interpreters may assign different reference class labels to the same sample unit. This interpreter variability is typically not accounted for in variance estimators applied to area estimates of land cover. A...
Authors
Stephen V. Stehman, John Mousoupetros, Ronald E. McRoberts, Erik Naesset, Bruce Pengra, Dingfan Xing, Josephine Horton
Monitoring and characterizing multi-decadal variations of urban thermal condition using time-series thermal remote sensing and dynamic land cover data Monitoring and characterizing multi-decadal variations of urban thermal condition using time-series thermal remote sensing and dynamic land cover data
Urban development and associated land cover and land use change alter the thermal, hydrological, and physical properties of the land surface. Assessments of surface urban heat island (UHI) usually focused on using remote sensing and land cover data to quantify UHI intensity and spatial distribution within a certain period. However, the mechanisms and complex interactions in landscape...
Authors
George Z. Xian, Hua Shi, Qiang Zhou, Roger F. Auch, Kevin Gallo, Zhuoting Wu, Michael Kolian
Pathways of productivity and influences on top consumers in forested streams Pathways of productivity and influences on top consumers in forested streams
Forested stream ecosystems involve complex physical and biotic pathways that can influence fish in numerous ways. Consequently, the responses of fish communities to disturbance can be difficult to understand. In this study, we employed a food web model that links biotic (e.g., physiology, predator–prey interactions) and abiotic (e.g., temperature, sunlight) attributes to address fish...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason B. Dunham, Sherri L Johnson, Linda Ashkenas, Brooke E Penaluna, Robert E Bilby, Douglas S. Bateman, David W. Leer, James R Bellmore
Where groundwater seeps: Evaluating modeled groundwater discharge patterns with thermal infrared surveys at the river-network scale Where groundwater seeps: Evaluating modeled groundwater discharge patterns with thermal infrared surveys at the river-network scale
Predicting baseflow dynamics, protecting aquatic habitat, and managing legacy contaminants requires explicit characterization and prediction of groundwater discharge patterns throughout river networks. Using handheld thermal infrared (TIR) cameras, we surveyed 47 km of stream length across the Farmington River watershed (1,570 km2; CT and MA, USA), mapping locations of bank and waterline
Authors
Janet R. Barclay, Martin A. Briggs, Eric Moore, J. Jeffrey Starn, Ann E.H. Hanson, Ashley Helton
Sex‐related differences in aging rate are associated with sex chromosome system in amphibians Sex‐related differences in aging rate are associated with sex chromosome system in amphibians
Sex‐related differences in mortality are widespread in the animal kingdom. Although studies have shown that sex determination systems might drive lifespan evolution, sex chromosome influence on aging rates have not been investigated so far, likely due to an apparent lack of demographic data from clades including both XY (with heterogametic males) and ZW (heterogametic females) systems...
Authors
Hugo Cayuela, Jean-François Lemaître, Jean-Paul Léna, Victor Ronget, Inigo Martinez-Solano, Erin L. Muths, David Pilliod, Benedikt Schmidt, Gregorio Sanchez-Montes, Jorge Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Graham Pyke, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Jaime Bosch, Karen H. Beard, Lawrence L. Woolbright, Brad A. Lambert, David M. Green, Justin M Garwood, Robert N. Fisher, Kathleen Matthews, David Dudgeon, Anthony Lau, Jeroen Speybroeck, Rebecca Homan, Robert Jehle, Eyup Baskale, Emiliano Mori, Jan W. Arntzen, Pierre Joly, Rochelle Stiles, Michael J Lannoo, John C. Maerz, Winsor H. Lowe, Andres Valenzuela-Sanchez, Ditte Christianson, Claudio Angelini, Jean-Marc Thirion, Juha Merila, Guarino R. Colli, Mariana M. Vasconcellos, Taissa C. Boas, Isis da C. Arantes, Pauline Levionnois, Beth A. Reinke, Cristina Vieira, Gabriel A. B. Marais, Jean-Michael Gaillard, David A.W. Miller
Galliform exclusion from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has produced an alternate conservation path, but no evidence for differences in population status Galliform exclusion from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act has produced an alternate conservation path, but no evidence for differences in population status
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) is critical to avian conservation in the United States, both through its protection of migratory birds and as a catalyst for a century of coordinated avian conservation. While more than 1,000 species are protected by MBTA, of extant bird species native to the continental U.S., only 20 species belonging to the order Galliformes are explicitly excluded
Authors
Erik J. Blomberg, Beth Ross, Casey J. Cardinal, Susan N. Ellis-Felege, Daniel Gibson, Adrian P. Monroe, P Schwalenberg
Modelling physiological costs to assess impacts of climate change on amphibians in Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A Modelling physiological costs to assess impacts of climate change on amphibians in Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A
Amphibians are vital elements of ecosystems, serving as predator and prey. Their biphasic nature makes them dependent on aquatic and terrestrial habitats; as wet-skinned ectotherms, they are vulnerable to a range of environmental threats, including climate change. Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is becoming warmer and drier, and some wetlands important to amphibians have diminished...
Authors
Paul E. Bartelt, Peter E. Thornton, Robert W. Klaver
Estimating bee abundance: Can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols? Estimating bee abundance: Can mark-recapture methods validate common sampling protocols?
Wild bees are essential pollinators in natural and agricultural systems, but populations of some species have declined. Efforts to assess the status of wild bees are hindered by uncertainty in common sampling methods, such as pan traps and aerial netting, which may or may not provide a valid index of abundance across species and habitats. Mark-recapture methods are a common and effective...
Authors
Emma L. Briggs, Christopher Baranski, Olivia Munzer Schaetz, Gabriela Garrison, Elsa Youngsteadt, Jaime A. Collazo
Characterizing the oral and distal gut microbiota of the threatened southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) to enhance conservation practice Characterizing the oral and distal gut microbiota of the threatened southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) to enhance conservation practice
The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) is a threatened sub-species in coastal ecosystems. To understand better the role of diet, monitor health, and enhance management of this and other marine mammal species, we characterized the oral (gingival) and distal gut (rectal and fecal) microbiota of 158 wild southern sea otters living off the coast of central California, USA, and 12...
Authors
Natasha K Dudek, Alexandra D Switzer, Elizabeth K Costello, Michael J. Murray, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Michelle M. Staedler, M. Tim Tinker, David A Relman