Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Articles

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.

Filter Total Items: 77863

Integrating regional and local monitoring data and assessment tools to evaluate habitat conditions and inform river restoration Integrating regional and local monitoring data and assessment tools to evaluate habitat conditions and inform river restoration

RRestoring degraded rivers requires initial assessment of the fluvial landscape to identify stressors and riverine features that can be enhanced. We associated local-scale river habitat data collected using standardized national monitoring tools with modeled regional water temperature and flow data on mid-sized northwest U.S. rivers (30–60 m wide). We grouped these rivers according to...
Authors
Francine H. Mejia, Jason M Connor, Phil R Kaufmann, Christian E. Torgersen, Eric K Berntsen, Todd Andersen

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies benefit from grassland/ pasture while bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) colonies in the same landscapes benefit from non-corn/soybean cropland Honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies benefit from grassland/ pasture while bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) colonies in the same landscapes benefit from non-corn/soybean cropland

Agriculturally important commercially managed pollinators including honey bees (Apis mellifera L., 1758) and bumble bees (Bombus impatiens Cresson, 1863) rely on the surrounding landscape to fulfill their dietary needs. A previous study in Europe demonstrated that managed honey bee foragers and unmanaged native bumble bee foragers are associated with different land uses. However, it is...
Authors
Gabriela Quinlan, Megan Milbrath, Clint Otto, Rufus Isaacs

Improving ESRI ArcGIS performance of coastal and seafloor analysis with the Python multiprocessing module Improving ESRI ArcGIS performance of coastal and seafloor analysis with the Python multiprocessing module

Coastal research frequently involves the use of a GIS to analyze large areas for changes in response to major weather events, human action, and other factors. The GIS workflows used to conduct these analyses can be complex and sometimes require multiple days to complete. Long runtimes often exist even on modern high-powered workstations if the GIS software does not use parallel computing
Authors
Jonathan Andrew Zieg, David G. Zawada

Stable isotopes used to infer trophic position of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Dry Tortugas National Park, Gulf of Mexico, United States Stable isotopes used to infer trophic position of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Dry Tortugas National Park, Gulf of Mexico, United States

Evaluating resource use patterns for imperiled species is critical for understanding what supports their populations. Here we established stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N) values for the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) population found within the boundaries of Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO), south Florida, USA. There is little gene flow between turtles sampled at DRTO and in...
Authors
David Roche, Michael Cherkiss, Brian J. Smith, Derek A. Burkholder, Kristen Hart

A comparison of methods for the long-term harness-based attachment of radio-transmitters to juvenile Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) A comparison of methods for the long-term harness-based attachment of radio-transmitters to juvenile Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Background While the period from fledging through first breeding for waterbird species such as terns (e.g., genus Sterna, Sternula) is of great interest to researchers and conservationists, this period remains understudied due in large part to the difficulty of marking growing juveniles with radio transmitters that remain attached for extended periods.Methods In an effort to facilitate...
Authors
Evan J Buck, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Cody M. Kent, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Diann Prosser

Integrating observations and models to determine the effect of seasonally frozen ground on hydrologic partitioning in alpine hillslopes in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA Integrating observations and models to determine the effect of seasonally frozen ground on hydrologic partitioning in alpine hillslopes in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, USA

This study integrated spatially distributed field observations and soil thermal models to constrain the impact of frozen ground on snowmelt partitioning and streamflow generation in an alpine catchment within the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research site, Colorado, USA. The study area was comprised of two contrasting hillslopes with notable differences in topography, snow depth and...
Authors
David M. Rey, Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley, Michelle A. Walvoord, Kamini Singha

Multi-run migratory behavior of adult male lake sturgeon in a short river Multi-run migratory behavior of adult male lake sturgeon in a short river

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) can migrate long distances to spawn, but many populations currently spawn in systems where the length of accessible riverine migratory habitat has been greatly reduced by dam construction. With the increased prevalence of shortened rivers, focusing on migratory dynamics in short rivers (
Authors
Donna L. Parrish, Lisa K. Izzo, Gayle Barbin Zydlewski

Tradeoffs in habitat value to maximize natural resource benefits from coastal restoration in a rapidly eroding wetland: Is monitoring land area sufficient? Tradeoffs in habitat value to maximize natural resource benefits from coastal restoration in a rapidly eroding wetland: Is monitoring land area sufficient?

Louisiana contains nearly 40% of estuarine herbaceous wetlands in the contiguous United States, supporting valuable ecosystem services and providing significant economic benefits to the state and the entire United States. However, coastal Louisiana is a hotspot for rapid land loss from factors including hurricanes, land use change, and high subsidence rates contributing to high relative...
Authors
Tim J. B. Carruthers, Erin P. Kiskaddon, Melissa M. Baustian, Kelly M. Darnell, Leland C. Moss, Carey L. Perry, Camille Stagg

Fishing gear performance nearshore is substantiated by spatial analyses Fishing gear performance nearshore is substantiated by spatial analyses

We estimated whether the fish assemblages nearshore represented by electrofishing and gillnetting indexed location of reservoirs in a river basin. We expected that location in the basin would reflect a multiplicity of factors that determine fish habitat and fish assemblage composition, and therefore also anticipated a correlation between fish species composition and spatial variables if...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, Nicky M. Faucheux, Kurt M. Lakin

Stratigraphic and structural controls on groundwater salinity variations in the Poso Creek Oil Field, Kern County, California, USA Stratigraphic and structural controls on groundwater salinity variations in the Poso Creek Oil Field, Kern County, California, USA

Groundwater total dissolved solids (TDS) distribution was mapped with a three-dimensional (3D) model, and it was found that TDS variability is largely controlled by stratigraphy and geologic structure. General TDS patterns in the San Joaquin Valley of California (USA) are attributed to predominantly connate water composition and large-scale recharge from the adjacent Sierra Nevada...
Authors
Michael J. Stephens, David H. Shimabukuro, Will Chang, Janice M. Gillespie, Zack Levinson

Shining a light on Laurentian Great Lakes cisco (Coregonus artedi): How ice coverage may impact embryonic development Shining a light on Laurentian Great Lakes cisco (Coregonus artedi): How ice coverage may impact embryonic development

Changes in winter conditions, such as decreased ice coverage and duration, have been observed in the Laurentian Great Lakes for more than 20 years. Such changes have been hypothesized to be linked to low Coregonus spp. survival to age-1 as most cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations are autumn spawners whose embryos incubate under ice throughout the winter. The quantity of light during...
Authors
Tara E. Stewart Merrill, Mark R. Vinson, Jason D. Stockwell

Distribution, abundance and spatial variability of microplastic pollution on the surface of Lake Superior Distribution, abundance and spatial variability of microplastic pollution on the surface of Lake Superior

In 2014, 94 paired neuston net samples (0.5 mm mesh) were collected from the surface waters of Lake Superior. These samples comprise the most comprehensive surface water survey for microplastics of any of the Great Lakes to date, and the first to employ double net trawls. Microplastic abundance estimates showed wide variability, ranging between 4000 to more than 100,000 particles/km2...
Authors
K Cox, E. Brocious, S Courtenay, Mark R. Vinson, Seth J. K. Mason
Was this page helpful?