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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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Wildfire smoke reduces the vocal activity of imperiled grassland birds in New York State Wildfire smoke reduces the vocal activity of imperiled grassland birds in New York State
Smoke from new fire regimes driven by climate change may affect biodiversity in new regions of the world. Wildfires that occurred in eastern Canada in 2023 burned nearly 7.8 million hectares of forest, sending smoke throughout the northeastern United States. We leveraged passive acoustic monitoring to investigate real-time effects of wildfire smoke on vocalization behavior of globally...
Authors
Trifosa I. Simamora, Timothy J. Boycott, Conner M. Wood, Steven Mark Grodsky
Diverse cyanopeptides follow distinct temporal succession patterns in freshwater harmful algal blooms Diverse cyanopeptides follow distinct temporal succession patterns in freshwater harmful algal blooms
Toxic cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) threaten freshwater resources globally and are intensifying with increasing eutrophication. Bloom toxicity is strongly influenced by intraspecific variation in the biosynthetic repertoires of toxic cyanobacteria, yet few studies examine the diversity of cyanobacterial cyanopeptides beyond hepatotoxic microcystins. To understand the...
Authors
Lauren N. Hart, Reagan Errera, Casey Godwin, Keith A. Loftin, Zachary R. Laughrey, Leon R. Katona, Emma C. Johnson, Rose M. Cory, E. Anders Kiledal, Paul Den Uyl, Jenan J. Kharbush, David H. Sherman, Gregory J. Dick
Depth-resolved carbon dioxide and methane concentrations in 522 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs worldwide Depth-resolved carbon dioxide and methane concentrations in 522 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs worldwide
Lakes, ponds, and reservoirs (hereafter: “lakes”) are important sources of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Emissions of CO2 and CH4 from lakes are regulated in part by in-lake processes, including the production and storage of gases in the lower parts of the water column (bottom waters). However, while substantial efforts have been made to improve estimates...
Authors
Joseph S. Rabaey, Abigail S. Lewis, Katrin Attermeyer, Patrick Aurich, Sheel Bansal, Maciej Bartosiewicz, Brittni L. Bertolet, Ingeborg Bussmann, Sarah B. Cadieux, Elisa Calamita, Camilla Capelli, Cayelan C. Carey, Carmen Cillero, Francois Clayer, Sofia L. D'Ambrosio, Thomas A. Davidson, Bridget R. Deemer, Blaize A. Denfeld, Werner Eckert, Chiara Esposito, Phillip Ford, Adrianna Gorsky, Natalie A. Griffiths, Hans-Peter F. Grossart, David P. Hamilton, Meredith A. Holgerson, Brian J. Huser, Tomoya Iwata, Joachim Jansen, Stuart E. Jones, Sari Juutinen, Pirkko Kortelainen, Matthias Koschorreck, Theis Kragh, Alo Laas, Tuula Larmola, Saskia Läubli, Isabelle Laurion, Moritz F. Lehmann, Liu Liu, Pertti J. Martikainen, Anna Matoušů, Stephen A. McCord, Jorge J. Montes-Pérez, Daniele Nizzoli, César Ordóñez, Mike Peacock, Rachel M. Pilla, Vilmantas Prėskienis, Junbing Pu, Tenna Riis, Taija Saarela, Arianto B. Santoso, Carsten Schubert, Armando Sepulveda-Jauregui, Bradford S. Sherman, Jonas S. Sø, Katherine J. Stenehjem, Kristin E.D. Strock, Kenji Tsuchiya, Katrin Wendt-Potthoff, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Petr Znachor, Jakob Zopfi
Generating geochemical and mineralogy distributions of soil in the conterminous United States using Bayesian hierarchical spatial models Generating geochemical and mineralogy distributions of soil in the conterminous United States using Bayesian hierarchical spatial models
Characterizing geochemical and mineralogical soil distributions across large spatial extents is essential for understanding mineral resources, ecosystem processes, and environmental risks. Rasters of soil geochemical distributions for the conterminous United States, however, are limited. We present a Bayesian modeling workflow and tool for generating predictive geochemical and mineralogy
Authors
Kristin J. Bondo, Tiffany M. Wolf, W. David Walter
Seasonal drivers of density in a subarctic population of northern red-backed voles Seasonal drivers of density in a subarctic population of northern red-backed voles
Northern red-backed voles (Clethrionomys rutilus) are an important species in the boreal forest ecosystem, both as herbivores and as a key food source for many mammalian and avian predators. They exhibit dramatic inter- and intra-annual population fluctuations, for which causes are not entirely known. We monitored northern red-backed vole densities in Denali National Park and Preserve...
Authors
Sarah Swanson, Melanie J. Flamme, Joshua H. Schmidt, Shawn M. Crimmins, Carl A. Roland, Knut Kielland
Mixed support for the temperature-size rule in wild freshwater fishes Mixed support for the temperature-size rule in wild freshwater fishes
The temperature-size rule states that species living in warmer temperatures will grow faster and mature earlier at smaller sizes. While several studies have documented patterns in average body size consistent with the temperature-size rule in wild populations, a comprehensive test is lacking. Here, we use age and length data of 1.4 million fish across 7 species from 2704 lakes to...
Authors
George C. Brooks, Paul N. Frater, Olaf P. Jensen, Gretchen J.A. Hansen, Craig Paukert, Michael Verhoeven, Lyndsie Wszola, Luoliang Xu, Zachary S. Feiner
A comparison of non-contact methods for measuring turbidity in the Colorado River A comparison of non-contact methods for measuring turbidity in the Colorado River
Monitoring suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) is essential to better understand how sediment transport could adversely affect water availability for human communities and ecosystems. Aquatic remote sensing methods are increasingly utilized to estimate SSC and turbidity in rivers; however, an evaluation of their quantitative performance is limited. This study evaluates the performance...
Authors
Natalie K. Day, Tyler King, Adam R. Mosbrucker
Decreased water transparency of nearshore Laurentian Great Lakes habitats is driven by increased dissolved organic carbon. Decreased water transparency of nearshore Laurentian Great Lakes habitats is driven by increased dissolved organic carbon.
Little is understood of lake browning (due to increased dissolved organic carbon; DOC) in large lakes such as the Laurentian Great Lakes. Lake browning can alter whole lake ecosystems, including decreasing exposure to damaging ultraviolet radiation (UV-B) which is strongly and selectively attenuated by DOC more so than photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). We compared the changes in...
Authors
Nicole Lynn Berry, David B. Bunnell, Thomas J. Fisher, Erin P. Overholt, Elizabeth M. Mette, Todd Howell, Craig E. Williamson
Action in uncertainty: Data-driven decisions that acknowledge emotional responses and transcendental connections Action in uncertainty: Data-driven decisions that acknowledge emotional responses and transcendental connections
The increasing uncertainty with global change often stifles action and results in calls for more data before moving beyond status quo environmental decisions (Mahapatra & Ratha 2017; Ripple et al. 2017; Montefalcone et al. 2025). Advancing science and collecting more data is crucial; however, science alone (i.e., “western” or “positivist” science, as described in Fuller, 2001; Reid et al...
Authors
Nicole K. Ward, Kelly G. Guilbeau, Amanda L. Sesser, Abigail J. Lynch
Rising atmospheric CO2 reduces nitrogen availability in boreal forests Rising atmospheric CO2 reduces nitrogen availability in boreal forests
Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) pollution has been emphasized as a cause of eutrophication globally. However, several recent datasets have suggested widespread oligotrophication may be occurring in some ecosystems, which is suggested to be a response to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (eCO2). Plant δ15N chronologies have served as primary evidence for oligotrophication, however, there has...
Authors
Kelley R. Bassett, Stefan F. Hupperts, Sandra Jämtgård, Lars Östlund, Jonas Fridman, Steven S. Perakis, Michael J. Gundale
A targeted approach for mapping groundwater discharge to surface water and fish thermal refuge in four Lake Ontario tributaries A targeted approach for mapping groundwater discharge to surface water and fish thermal refuge in four Lake Ontario tributaries
The duration, magnitude, and frequency of heatwaves are predicted to increase in the coming decades, a combination that can reduce the survival of many fish species. Across the world, there is broad interest in identifying thermal refuge for heat-intolerant fish species and exploring opportunities to enhance or protect these areas. Because deeper groundwater maintains a relatively...
Authors
Joshua C. Woda, Neil C. Terry, David J Kelley, Jason S. Finkelstein, Christopher L. Gazoorian, James E. McKenna
Detecting snow avalanche activity using infrasound: Hooker Valley, New Zealand Detecting snow avalanche activity using infrasound: Hooker Valley, New Zealand
Snow avalanches pose considerable hazards to people and infrastructure in alpine environments. Traditional avalanche monitoring relies on meteorological data and visual observations, which can be limited in scope and timeliness. Infrasound offers a promising complementary monitoring tool by detecting the low-frequency sound waves generated by avalanches. Here, we present infrasound and...
Authors
Leighton Watson, Aubrey Miller, Jacob F. Anderson, Liam Toney, Alberto Ardid