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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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Augmentation of natural prey reduces cattle predation by puma (Puma concolor) and jaguar (Panthera onca) on a ranch in Sonora, Mexico Augmentation of natural prey reduces cattle predation by puma (Puma concolor) and jaguar (Panthera onca) on a ranch in Sonora, Mexico
Retaliatory killing of large carnivores due to livestock predation is one of the major threats for the conservation of many declining populations of predators. According to empirical observations, there is a higher incidence of livestock predation when native prey abundance is low. In this study, we applied a treatment consisting of augmentation of prey abundance by translocation of...
Authors
Ivonne Cassaigne, Ron W. Thompson, Rodrigo A. Medellin, Melanie Culver, Alexander Ochoa, Karla Vargas, Jack L. Childs, Manuel Galaz, Jim Sanderson
Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i Evaluating lava flow propagation models with a case study from the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i
The 2018 lower East Rift Zone (LERZ) eruption of Kīlauea, Hawai’i, provides an excellent natural laboratory with which to test models of lava flow propagation. During early stages of eruption crises, the most useful lava flow propagation equations utilize readily determined parameters and require fewer a priori assumptions about future behavior of the flow. Here, we leverage the numerous
Authors
Rebecca deGraffenried, Julia E. Hammer, Hannah R. Dietterich, Ryan L. Perroy, Matthew R. Patrick, Thomas Shea
Simulated atmospheric response to four projected land-use land-cover change scenarios for 2050 in the north-central United States Simulated atmospheric response to four projected land-use land-cover change scenarios for 2050 in the north-central United States
Land-use land-cover change (LULCC) has become an important topic of research for the central United States because of the extensive conversion of the natural prairie into agricultural land, especially in the northern Great Plains. As a result, shifts in the natural climate (minimum/maximum temperature, precipitation, etc.) across the north-central United States have been observed, as...
Authors
Paul Xavier Flanagan, Rezaul Mahmood, Terry L. Sohl, Mark Svoboda, Brian D. Wardlow, Michael Hayes, Eric Rappin
The seismic hazard implications of declustering and poisson assumptions inferred from a fully time‐dependent model The seismic hazard implications of declustering and poisson assumptions inferred from a fully time‐dependent model
We use the Third Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF3) epidemic‐type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model (UCERF3‐ETAS) to evaluate the effects of declustering and Poisson assumptions on seismic hazard estimates. Although declustering is necessary to infer the long‐term spatial distribution of earthquake rates, the question is whether it is also necessary to honor the...
Authors
Edward H. Field, Kevin R. Milner, Nico Luco
Grand challenges of hydrologic modeling for food-energy-water nexus security in high mountain Asia Grand challenges of hydrologic modeling for food-energy-water nexus security in high mountain Asia
Climate-influenced changes in hydrology affect water-food-energy security that may impact up to two billion people downstream of the High Mountain Asia (HMA) region. Changes in water supply affect energy, industry, transportation, and ecosystems (agriculture, fisheries) and as a result, also affect the region's social, environmental, and economic fabrics. Sustaining the highly...
Authors
Shruti K. Mishra, Summer Rupper, Sarah B. Kapnick, Kimberly Ann Casey, Hoi Ga Chan, Enrico Ciraci, Umesh Haritashya, John Hayse, Jeffrey S. Kargel, Rijan Kayatha, Nir Y. Krakauer, Sujay Kumar, Richard B. Lammers, Vivian Maggioni, Steven A. Margulis, Mathew Olson, Batuhan Osmanoglu, Yun Qian, Sasha McLarty, Karl Rittger, David R. Rounce, David Shean, Isabella Velicogna, Thomas D. Veselka, Anthony Arendt
Post-drought groundwater storage recovery in California’s Central Valley Post-drought groundwater storage recovery in California’s Central Valley
Groundwater depletion is a major threat to agricultural and municipal water supply in California's Central Valley. Recent droughts during 2007–2009 and 2012–2016 exacerbated chronic groundwater depletion. However, it is unclear how much groundwater storage recovered from drought-related overdrafts during post-drought years, and how climatic conditions and water management affected...
Authors
Sarfaraz Alam, Mekonnen Gebremichael, Zhaoxin Ban, Bridget R. Scanlon, Gabriel B. Senay, D. P. Lettenmaier
Iñupiaq knowledge of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the southern Beaufort Sea, Alaska Iñupiaq knowledge of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the southern Beaufort Sea, Alaska
Successful wildlife management depends upon coordination and consultation with local communities. However, much of the research used to inform management is often derived solely from data collected directly from wildlife. Indigenous people living in the Arctic have a close connection to their environment, which provides unique opportunities to observe their environment and the ecology of...
Authors
Karyn D. Rode, Hannah Voorhees, Henry P. Huntington, George M. Durner
High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate High-speed lava flow infrasound from Kīlauea’s fissure 8 and its utility in monitoring effusion rate
The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano produced large and destructive lava flows from the fissure 8 (Ahu ‘aila ‘au) vent with flow velocities up to 17 m s−1, highly variable effusion rates over both short (minutes) and long (hours) time scales, and a proximal channel or spillway that displayed flow features similar to open channel flow in river systems. Monitoring such dynamic vent and...
Authors
John J. Lyons, Hannah R. Dietterich, Matthew R. Patrick, David Fee
Complex vulnerabilities of the water and aquatic carbon cycles to permafrost thaw Complex vulnerabilities of the water and aquatic carbon cycles to permafrost thaw
The spatial distribution and depth of permafrost are changing in response to warming and landscape disturbance across northern Arctic and boreal regions. This alters the infiltration, flow, surface and subsurface distribution, and hydrologic connectivity of inland waters. Such changes in the water cycle consequently alter the source, transport, and biogeochemical cycling of aquatic...
Authors
Michelle A. Walvoord, Robert G. Striegl
Tamm review: Postfire landscape management in frequent-fire conifer forests of the southwestern United States Tamm review: Postfire landscape management in frequent-fire conifer forests of the southwestern United States
The increasing incidence of wildfires across the southwestern United States (US) is altering the contemporary forest management template within historically frequent-fire conifer forests. An increasing fraction of southwestern conifer forests have recently burned, and many of these burned landscapes contain complex mosaics of surviving forest and severely burned patches without surviving...
Authors
Jens T. Stevens, Collin Haffey, Jonathan D. Coop, Paula J. Fornwalt, Larissa Yocom, Craig D. Allen, Anne Bradley, Owen T. Burney, Dennis Carril, Marin E. Chambers, Theresa B. Chapman, Sandra L. Haire, Matthew D. Hurteau, Jose M. Iniguez, Ellis Q. Margolis, Christopher Marks, Laura A. E. Marshall, Kyle C. Rodman, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann, Andrea E. Thode, Jessica J. Walker
Local environment and individuals’ beliefs: The dynamics shaping public support for sustainability policy in an agricultural landscape Local environment and individuals’ beliefs: The dynamics shaping public support for sustainability policy in an agricultural landscape
Agricultural landscapes are the bleeding-edge in the advancement of sustainability and climate change adaptation. Our study focuses on how individual support for sustainability policy is shaped in coupled natural and human systems. We present an agent-based model in which a cultural decision-rule quantifies the probability that a stakeholder decides to support an easement policy for a...
Authors
Gabriel Granco, Marcellus Caldas, Jason Bergtold, Jessica L. Heier Stamm, Martha E. Mather, Matthew Sanderson, Melinda Daniels, Aleksey Y. Sheshukov, David A. Haukos, Steven M. Ramsey
Use of non-lethal endpoints to establish water quality requirements and optima of the endangered Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) Use of non-lethal endpoints to establish water quality requirements and optima of the endangered Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka)
Water quality standards based on sub-lethal effects and performance optima for aquatic organisms, rather than onset of mortality, are more ecologically relevant for management of species of conservation concern. We investigated the effects of hypoxia, temperature (with acclimation), nitrogenous chemical compounds, and chloride on Topeka shiners (Notropis topeka) by monitoring behavioral...
Authors
Amanda E. Rosenberger, Rory T. Mott