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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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Aquatic foods to nourish nations Aquatic foods to nourish nations
Despite contributing to healthy diets for billions of people, aquatic foods are often undervalued as a nutritional solution because their diversity is often reduced to the protein and energy value of a single food type (‘seafood’ or ‘fish’)1,2,3,4. Here we create a cohesive model that unites terrestrial foods with nearly 3,000 taxa of aquatic foods to understand the future impact of...
Authors
Christopher D. Golden, J. Zachary Koehn, Alon Shepon, Simone Passarelli, Christopher M. Free, Daniel Viana, Holger Matthey, Jacob G. Eurich, Jessica A. Gephart, Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, Elizabeth A. Nyboer, Abigail Lynch, Marian Kjellevold, Sabri Bromage, Pierre Charlebois, Manuel Barange, Stefania Vannuccini, Ling Cao, Kristin Kleisner, Eric Rimm, Goodarz Danaei, Camille DeDisto, Heather Kelahan, Kathryn J. Fiorella, David C. Little, Edward H. Allison, Jessica Fanzo, Shakuntala H. Thilsted
Lethal impacts of selenium counterbalance the potential reduction in mercury bioaccumulation for freshwater organisms☆ Lethal impacts of selenium counterbalance the potential reduction in mercury bioaccumulation for freshwater organisms☆
Mercury (Hg), a potent neurotoxic element, can biomagnify through food webs once converted into methylmercury (MeHg). Some studies have found that selenium (Se) exposure may reduce MeHg bioaccumulation and toxicity, though this pattern is not universal. Se itself can also be toxic at elevated levels. We experimentally manipulated the relative concentrations of dietary MeHg and Se (as
Authors
Jacqueline R. Gerson, Rebecca A. Consbrock, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Emily S. Bernhardt, David Walters
Fitting jet noise similarity spectra to volcano infrasound data Fitting jet noise similarity spectra to volcano infrasound data
Infrasound (low-frequency acoustic waves) has proven useful to detect and characterize subaerial volcanic activity, but understanding the infrasonic source during sustained eruptions is still an area of active research. Preliminary comparison between acoustic eruption spectra and the jet noise similarity spectra suggests that volcanoes can produce an infrasonic form of jet noise from...
Authors
Julia Gestrich, David Fee, Robin Matoza, John J. Lyons, Mario Ruiz
Scavengers reduce potential brucellosis transmission risk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Scavengers reduce potential brucellosis transmission risk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Scavengers likely play an important role in ecosystem energy flow as well as disease transmission, but whether they facilitate or reduce disease transmission is often unknown. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, scavengers are likely to reduce the transmission and subsequent spread of brucellosis within and between livestock and elk by consuming infectious abortion materials, thereby...
Authors
Kimberly E Szcodronski, Paul C. Cross
Predicting regional fluoride concentrations at public and domestic supply depths in basin-fill aquifers of the western United States using a random forest model Predicting regional fluoride concentrations at public and domestic supply depths in basin-fill aquifers of the western United States using a random forest model
A random forest regression (RFR) model was applied to over 12,000 wells with measured fluoride (F) concentrations in untreated groundwater to predict F concentrations at depths used for domestic and public supply in basin-fill aquifers of the western United States. The model relied on twenty-two regional-scale environmental and surficial predictor variables selected to represent factors...
Authors
Celia Z Rosecrans, Kenneth Belitz, Katherine Marie Ransom, Peter B. McMahon, Paul E. Stackelberg
Weakening of peridotite sheared at hydrothermal conditions Weakening of peridotite sheared at hydrothermal conditions
We conducted triaxial friction tests at hydrothermal conditions (25°C–350°C) on gouges of peridotite and its principal mineral constituents olivine and orthopyroxene. Pore-fluid chemistry was varied by the use of peridotite, granite, or quartzite driving blocks (representing wall rock) housing the gouge layer. Samples sheared at slow rates initially strengthen to a peak value, and then...
Authors
Diane E. Moore, David A. Lockner
Comparison of flea sampling methods and Yersinia pestis detection on prairie dog colonies Comparison of flea sampling methods and Yersinia pestis detection on prairie dog colonies
Scientists collect fleas (Siphonaptera) to survey for Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague. When studying fleas parasitizing prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), two primary methods are used: (1) combing fleas from live-trapped prairie dogs and (2) swabbing fleas from burrows with cloth swabs attached to metal cables. Ideally, burrow swabbing, the cheaper and easier method, would...
Authors
David A. Eads, Marc R. Matchett, Julia Poje, Dean E. Biggins
Avian community response to a novel environment: Commercial forestry in the Campos grasslands of South America Avian community response to a novel environment: Commercial forestry in the Campos grasslands of South America
Establishing commercial tree plantations in native grassland ecosystems introduces a different structural and functional vegetation cover type, with expected implications for biodiversity. To better understand biodiversity responses to afforestation, we conducted a resource-use study with birds as a focal group, during the 2013–2014 breeding season in the Northern Campos grasslands of...
Authors
J.A. Martinez-Lanfranco, Francisco Vilella, D.A. Miller
Contribution of deep-sourced carbon from hydrocarbon seeps to sedimentary organic carbon: Evidence from radiocarbon and stable isotope geochemistry Contribution of deep-sourced carbon from hydrocarbon seeps to sedimentary organic carbon: Evidence from radiocarbon and stable isotope geochemistry
Sulfate-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) limits the release of methane from marine sediments and promotes the formation of carbonates close to the seafloor in seepage areas along continental margins. It has been established that hydrocarbon seeps are a source of methane, dissolved inorganic carbon, and dissolved organic carbon to marine environments. However, questions remain...
Authors
Dong Feng, John Pohlman, Jorn Peckmann, Yuedong Sun, Yu Hu, Harry Roberts, Duofu Chen
Grasslands maintain stability in productivity through compensatory effects and dominant species stability under extreme precipitation patterns Grasslands maintain stability in productivity through compensatory effects and dominant species stability under extreme precipitation patterns
Extreme climatic events are likely to intensify under climate change and can have different effects on ecosystems depending on their timing and magnitude. Understanding how productivity responds to extreme precipitation patterns requires assessing stability and vulnerability during critical growing periods at the plant community level. In this study, we experimentally imposed two...
Authors
Wenlan Gao, Linfeng Li, Seth M. Munson, Xiaoyong Cui, Yanfen Wang, Yanbin Hao
Reproductive plasticity as an advantage of snakes during island invasion Reproductive plasticity as an advantage of snakes during island invasion
Most invasive species are not studied during their initial colonization of ecosystems to which they were recently introduced. Rather, research is typically performed after invasive species are well established and causing harm to the native biodiversity. Thus, novel adaptations of invasive species during their initial invasions are rarely identified. The California kingsnake...
Authors
S R Fisher, Robert N. Fisher, S E Alcaraz, R Gallo-Barneto, C Patino-Martinez, L F Lopez- Jurado, M Á Cabrera-Pérez, J L Grismer
Developing climate resilience in aridlands using rock detention structures as green infrastructure Developing climate resilience in aridlands using rock detention structures as green infrastructure
The potential of ecological restoration and green infrastructure has been long suggested in the literature as adaptation strategies for a changing climate, with an emphasis on revegetation and, more recently, carbon sequestration and stormwater management. Tree planting and “natural” stormwater detention structures such as bioswales, stormwater detention basins, and sediment traps are...
Authors
Laura M. Norman, Benjamin L. Ruddell, Deborah Tosline, Michael Fell, Blair P. Greimann, Jay Cederberg