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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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Trophic interactions and feedbacks maintain intact and degraded states of Hawaiian tropical forests Trophic interactions and feedbacks maintain intact and degraded states of Hawaiian tropical forests
Feedbacks within ecosystems can lead to internal reinforcement of the current state providing ecosystem resilience. Often, multiple biotic interactions across trophic levels play a role in such feedbacks, yet these are generally studied independently, obscuring the relative importance of interactions among different factors. We look at various potential feedbacks in intact and degraded...
Authors
Stephanie G. Yelenik, Eli T. Rose, Eben H. Paxton
Marine mammal hotspots across the circumpolar Arctic Marine mammal hotspots across the circumpolar Arctic
Aim
Authors
Charmain Hamilton, Christian Lydersen, Jon Aars, Mario Acquarone, Todd C. Atwood, Alastair Baylis, Martin Biuw, Andrei N. Boltunov, Erik W. Born, Peter L. Boveng, Tanya M. Brown, Michael Cameron, John J. Citta, Justin A. Crawford, Rune Dietz, Jim Elias, Steven H. Ferguson, Aaron T. Fisk, Lars P. Folkow, Kathryn J. Frost, Dmitri M. Glazov, Sandra M. Granquist, Rowenna Gryba, Lois A. Harwood, Tore Haug, Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen, Nigel E. Hussey, Jimmy Kalinek, Kristin L. Laidre, Dennis I. Litovka, Josh M. London, Lisa Loseto, Shannon MacPhee, Marianne Marcoux, Cory J. D. Matthews, Kjell J Nilssen, Erling S. Nordoy, Greg O’Corry-Crowe, Nils Oien, Morten Tange Olsen, Lori T. Quakenbush, Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid, Varvara Semenova, Kim E. W. Shelden, Olga V. Shpak, Garry Stenson, Luke Storrie, Signe Sveegaard, Jonas Teilmann, Fernando Ugarte, Andrew L. Von Duyke, Cortney Watt, Oystein Wiig, Ryan R. Wilson, David J. Yurkowski, Kit M. Kovacs
The gap between experts, farmers and non-farmers on perceived environmental vulnerability and the influence of values and beliefs The gap between experts, farmers and non-farmers on perceived environmental vulnerability and the influence of values and beliefs
Science has played a mixed role in guiding conservation and sustainability-oriented decision-making by individuals, policymakers, institutions, and governments. Not all science-based conservation and sustainability initiatives that address issues facing humanity and ecosystems and global problems have gained public support. Conservation decisions and policy prescriptions are and may be...
Authors
J.S. Bergtold, M.M. Caldas, S.R. Ramsey, M.R. Sanderson, G. Granco, Martha E. Mather
Counterfactuals to assess effects to species and systems from renewable energy development Counterfactuals to assess effects to species and systems from renewable energy development
Renewable energy production, mostly via wind, solar, and biofuels, is central to goals worldwide to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate anthropogenic climate change (IPCC, 2014; Pörtner et al., 2021). Nevertheless, adverse impacts to natural systems, especially fatalities of wildlife and alteration of habitat, are key challenges for renewable energy production (Allison et al., 2019...
Authors
Todd E. Katzner, Taber D Allison, Jay E. Diffendorfer, Amanda Hale, Eric J. Lantz, Paul Veers
Isotopic analysis of radium geochemistry at discrete intervals in the Midwestern Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system Isotopic analysis of radium geochemistry at discrete intervals in the Midwestern Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system
Radium (Ra) is a geogenic radioactive contaminant that frequently occurs at elevated levels in the Midwestern Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system (MCOAS). Geochemical indicators (e.g., redox conditions or total dissolved solids) can broadly characterize conditions associated with elevated Ra levels in groundwater, but do not consistently correlate to elevated Ra within specific...
Authors
Madeleine J Mathews, Sean R Scott, Madeline B Gotkowitz, Randall J. Hunt, Matthew Ginder-Vogel
Age of the late Holocene Bonneville landslide and submerged forest of the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon and Washington, USA, by radiocarbon dating Age of the late Holocene Bonneville landslide and submerged forest of the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon and Washington, USA, by radiocarbon dating
The late Holocene Bonneville landslide, a 15.5 km2 rockslide-debris avalanche, descended 1000 m from the north side of the Columbia River Gorge and dammed the Columbia River where it bisects the Cascade Range of Oregon and Washington, USA. The landslide, inundation, and overtopping created persistent geomorphic, ecologic, and cultural consequences to the river corridor, reported by...
Authors
Nathaniel D. Reynolds, Jim E. O'Connor, Patrick T. Pringle, Alex C. Bourdeau, Robert L. Schuster
A new indicator approach to reconstruct agricultural land use in Europe from sedimentary pollen assemblages A new indicator approach to reconstruct agricultural land use in Europe from sedimentary pollen assemblages
The reconstruction of human impact is pivotal in palaeoecological studies, as humans are among the most important drivers of Holocene vegetation and ecosystem change. Nevertheless, separating the anthropogenic footprint on vegetation dynamics from the impact of climate and other environmental factors (disturbances such as fire, erosion, floods, landslides, avalanches, volcanic eruptions)...
Authors
Mara Deza-Araujo, Cesar Morales-Molino, Marco Conedera, Paul D. Henne, Patrick Krebs, Martin Hinz, Caroline Heitz, Albert Hafner, Willy Tinner
Controlling invasive fish in fluctuating environments: Model analysis of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in a shallow lake Controlling invasive fish in fluctuating environments: Model analysis of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in a shallow lake
Climate change can act to facilitate or inhibit invasions of non-native species. Here, we address the influence of climate change on control of non-native common carp (hereafter, carp), a species recognized as one of the “world's worst” invaders across the globe. Control of this species is exceedingly difficult, as it exhibits rapid population growth and compensatory density dependence...
Authors
James B Pearson, J. Ryan Bellmore, Jason B. Dunham
A progressive flow-routing model for rapid assessment of debris-flow inundation A progressive flow-routing model for rapid assessment of debris-flow inundation
Debris flows pose a significant hazard to communities in mountainous areas, and there is a continued need for methods to delineate hazard zones associated with debris-flow inundation. In certain situations, such as scenarios following wildfire, where there could be an abrupt increase in the likelihood and size of debris flows that necessitates a rapid hazard assessment, the computational...
Authors
Alexander N. Gorr, Luke A. McGuire, Ann Youberg, Francis K. Rengers
Water-use data in the United States: Challenges and future directions Water-use data in the United States: Challenges and future directions
In the United States, greater attention has been given to developing water supplies and quantifying available waters than determining who uses water, how much they withdraw and consume, and how and where water use occurs. As water supplies are stressed due to an increasingly variable climate, changing land-use, and growing water needs, greater consideration of the demand side of the...
Authors
Landon Marston, Abdel Abdallah, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Kerim Dickson, Pierre D. Glynn, Sara Larsen, Forrest Melton, Kyle Onda, Jaime A. Painter, James Prairie, Benjamin Ruddell, Richard Rushforth, Gabriel B. Senay, Kimberly Shaffer
Black carbon dominated dust in recent radiative forcing on Rocky Mountain snowpacks Black carbon dominated dust in recent radiative forcing on Rocky Mountain snowpacks
The vast majority of surface water resources in the semi-arid western United States start as winter snowpack. Solar radiation is a primary driver of snowmelt, making snowpack water resources especially sensitive to even small increases in concentrations of light absorbing particles such as mineral dust and combustion-related black carbon (BC). Here we show, using fresh snow measurements...
Authors
Kelly Gleason, Joseph R. McConnell, Monica Arienzo, Graham A. Sexstone, Stefan Rahimi
Grassland conservation supports migratory birds and produces economic benefits for the commercial beekeeping industry in the U.S. Great Plains Grassland conservation supports migratory birds and produces economic benefits for the commercial beekeeping industry in the U.S. Great Plains
Although declines in grassland birds have been documented, national initiatives to conserve grasslands and their biota have fallen short in part because the non-market values of natural ecosystems and species are often not recognized in political decision making. Identifying shared, anthropogenic threats faced by market-valued and non-market-valued species may generate additional support...
Authors
Clint R.V. Otto, Haochi Zheng, Torre Hovick, Max Post van der Burg, Benjamin A. Geaumont