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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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Contaminant fluxes across ecosystems mediated by aquatic insects Contaminant fluxes across ecosystems mediated by aquatic insects
Metals and organic contaminants in aquatic systems affect the coupling of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through two pathways: contaminant-induced effects on insect emergence and emergence-induced contaminant transfer. Consequently, the impact of aquatic contaminants on terrestrial ecosystems can be driven by modifications in the quantity and quality of adult aquatic insects serving...
Authors
Mirco Bundschuh, Sebastian Pietz, Alexis P. Roodt, Johanna M. Kraus
Forbs included in conservation seed mixes exhibit variable blooming detection rates and cost-effectiveness: Implications for pollinator habitat design Forbs included in conservation seed mixes exhibit variable blooming detection rates and cost-effectiveness: Implications for pollinator habitat design
Although forb-rich plantings for pollinator habitat are becoming more common, natural resource managers lack insight on the cost-effectiveness of forbs seeded in private land conservation programs. Additional information on the possible benefits of including more forb species in a mix may help guide the design of future pollinator habitat. We examined the detection of blooming forbs from...
Authors
Stacy C. Simanonok, Clint R.V. Otto, Rich Iovanna
Atlantic circulation change still uncertain Atlantic circulation change still uncertain
Deep oceanic overturning circulation in the Atlantic (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)) is projected to decrease in the future in response to anthropogenic warming. Caesar et al.1 argue that an AMOC slowdown started in the nineteenth century and intensified during the mid-twentieth century. Although the argument and selected evidence proposed have some merits, we find...
Authors
K. Halimeda Kilbourne, Alan D. Wanamaker, Paola Moffa-Sanchez, David J. Reynolds, Daniel E. Amrhein, Paul G. Butler, Marlos Goes, Malte Jansen, Christopher M. Little, Madelyn Jean Mette, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro, Pablo Ortega, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Thomas Rossby, James Scourse, Nina M. Whitney
Wildfire probability models calibrated using past human and lightning ignition patterns can inform mitigation of post-fire hydrologic hazards Wildfire probability models calibrated using past human and lightning ignition patterns can inform mitigation of post-fire hydrologic hazards
Most wildfires are started by humans, however, geographic variation of potential ignition sources is not often explicitly accounted for in wildfire simulation modelling or risk assessments. In this study, we investigated how patterns of human and lightning ignitions can influence modelled fire simulations and demonstrate how these data can be used to assess post-fire flooding and...
Authors
Miguel L. Villarreal, Laura M. Norman, Erika Yao, Caroline Rose Conrad
Conflicts among protected native birds and valuable sport fishes: Potential pelican predation effects Conflicts among protected native birds and valuable sport fishes: Potential pelican predation effects
Reservoirs are examples of novel ecosystems that have developed into popular sport fisheries; these systems are also becoming seasonal refuges for migratory birds, including the piscivorous American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). We (1) investigated the proportion of cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) and other species consumed by pelicans, (2) compared whether...
Authors
Phaedra E. Budy, Gary P. Thiede, Kevin Chapman, Frank P. Howe
How similar was the 1983 Mw 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake rupture to its surface-faulting predecessors along the northern Lost River fault zone (Idaho, USA)? How similar was the 1983 Mw 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake rupture to its surface-faulting predecessors along the northern Lost River fault zone (Idaho, USA)?
We excavated trenches at two paleoseismic sites bounding a trans-basin bedrock ridge (the Willow Creek Hills) along the northern Lost River fault zone to explore the uniqueness of the 1983 Mw 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake compared to its prehistoric predecessors. At the Sheep Creek site on the southernmost Warm Springs section, two earthquakes occurred at 9.8−14.0 ka (95% confidence) and 6.5...
Authors
Christopher B. DuRoss, Richard W. Briggs, Ryan D. Gold, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Austin John Elliott, Jaime Delano, Ivan Medina-Cascales, Harrison J. Gray, Shannon A. Mahan, Sylvia Nicovich, Zachery Lifton, Emily J. Kleber, Greg N. McDonald, Adam Hiscock, Mike Bunds, Nadine G. Reitman
Mapping benthic algae and cyanobacteria in river channels from aerial photographs and satellite images: A proof-of-concept investigation on the Buffalo National River, AR, USA Mapping benthic algae and cyanobacteria in river channels from aerial photographs and satellite images: A proof-of-concept investigation on the Buffalo National River, AR, USA
Although rivers are of immense practical, aesthetic, and recreational value, these aquatic habitats are particularly sensitive to environmental changes. Increasingly, changes in streamflow and water quality are resulting in blooms of bottom-attached (benthic) algae, also known as periphyton, which have become widespread in many water bodies of US national parks. Because these blooms...
Authors
Carl J. Legleiter, Shawn W Hodges
Managing multiple species with conflicting needs in the Greater Everglades Managing multiple species with conflicting needs in the Greater Everglades
Given limited funding, natural resources decision making is riddled with tradeoffs, including which species or landscapes to prioritize for management action. Florida’s Everglades wetland is home to numerous indicator species, some of which are endangered. But with a multitude of species comes differing hydrologic requirements to yield appropriate foraging and breeding conditions for...
Authors
Stephanie Romanach, Saira M. Haider, Caitlin E. Hackett, Mark McKelvy, Leonard G. Pearlstine
MASTREE+: Time-series of plant reproductive effort from six continents MASTREE+: Time-series of plant reproductive effort from six continents
Significant gaps remain in understanding the response of plant reproduction to environmental change. This is partly because measuring reproduction in long-lived plants requires direct observation over many years and such datasets have rarely been made publicly available. Here we introduce MASTREE+, a data set that collates reproductive time-series data from across the globe and makes...
Authors
Andrew Hacket-Pain, Jessie Foest, Ian S. Pearse, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Walter D. Koenig, Giorgio Vacchiano, Michal Bogdziewicz, Thomas Caignard, Paulina Celebias, Joep Van Dormolen, Marcos Fernandez-Martinez, Jose V. Moris, Ciprian Palaghianu, Mario B. Pesendorfer, A. Satake, Eliane Schermer, A. Tanentzap, Peter A. Thomas, Davide Vecchio, Andreas P. Wion, T. Wohlgemuth, Tingting Xue, Katherine Abernethy, Marie-Claire Aravena Acuna, Marcelo Daniel Barrera, Jessica H. Barton, Stan Boutin, Emma R. Bush, Sergio Donoso Calderon, Felipe Carevic, Carolina Volkmer de Castilho, Juan Manuel Cellini, Colin A. Chapman, Hazel Chapman, Francesco Chianucci, Patricia da Costa, Luc Croise, Andrea Cutini, Ben Dantzer, R. Justin DeRose, Jean-Thoussaint Dikangadissi, Edmond Dimoto, Fernanda Lopes da Fonseca, Leonardo Gallo, Georg Gratzer, David F. Greene, Martin A. Hadad, Alejandro Huertas Herrera, Kathryn J. Jeffery, Jill F. Johnstone, Urs Kalbitzer, Wladyslaw Kantorowicz, Christie A. Klimas, Jonathan G. A. Lageard, Jeffrey Lane, Katharina Lapin, Mateusz Ledwon, Abigail C. Leeper, Maria Vanessa Lencinas, Ana Claudia Lira-Guedes, Michael Lordon, Paula Marchelli, Shealyn Marino, Harald Schmidt Van Marle, A. McAdam, Ludovic R. W. Momont, Manuel Nicolas, Lucia Helena de Oliveira Wadt, Parisa Panahi, Guillermo Martinez Pastur, T. Patterson, Pablo Luis Peri, Lukasz Piechnik, Mehdi Pourhashemi, Claudia Espinoza Quezada, Fidel A. Roig, Karen Pena Rojas, Yamina Micaela Rosas, Silvio Schueler, Barbara Seget, Rosina Soler, Michael A. Steele, Monica Toro-Manriquez, Caroline E. G. Tutin, Tharcisse Ukizintambara, Lee White, Biplang Yadok, John L. Willis, Anita Zolles, Magdalena Zywiec, Davide Ascoli
Genomically diverse carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae from wild birds provide insight into global patterns of spatiotemporal dissemination Genomically diverse carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae from wild birds provide insight into global patterns of spatiotemporal dissemination
Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a threat to public health globally, yet the role of the environment in the epidemiology of CRE remains elusive. Given that wild birds can acquire CRE, likely from foraging in anthropogenically impacted areas, and may aid in the maintenance and dissemination of CRE in the environment, a spatiotemporal comparison of isolates from different...
Authors
Christina A. Ahlstrom, Hanna Woksepp, Linus Sandegren, Mashkoor Mohsin, Badrul Hasan, Denys Muzyka, Jorge Hernandez, Filip Aguirre, Atalay Tok, Jan Soderman, Bjorn Olsen, Andrew M. Ramey, Jonas Bonnedahl
Quantitative meta-analysis reveals no association between mercury contamination and body condition in birds Quantitative meta-analysis reveals no association between mercury contamination and body condition in birds
Mercury contamination is a major threat to the global environment, and is still increasing in some regions despite international regulations. The methylated form of mercury is hazardous to biota, yet its sublethal effects are difficult to detect in wildlife. Body condition can vary in response to stressors, but previous studies have shown mixed effects of mercury on body condition in...
Authors
Alice Carravieri, Orsolya Vincze, Paco Bustamante, Joshua T. Ackerman, Evan M. Adams, Frederic Angelier, Olivier Chastel, Yves Cherel, Olivier Gilg, Elena Golubova, Alexander Kitaysky, Katelyn Luff, Chad L. Seewagen, Hallvard Strom, Alexis P. Will, Glenn Yannic, Mathieu Giraudeau, Jerome Fort
Conterminous United States land-cover change (1985-2016): New insights from annual time series Conterminous United States land-cover change (1985-2016): New insights from annual time series
Sample-based estimates augmented by complete coverage land-cover maps were used to estimate area and describe patterns of annual land-cover change across the conterminous United States (CONUS) between 1985 and 2016. Most of the CONUS land cover remained stable in terms of net class change over this time, but a substantial gross change dynamic was captured by the annual and cumulative...
Authors
Roger F. Auch, Danika Fay Wellington, Janis L. Taylor, Stephen V. Stehman, Heather J. Tollerud, Jesslyn F. Brown, Thomas Loveland, Bruce Pengra, Josephine Horton, Zhe Zhu, Alemayehu Midekisa, Kristi L. Sayler, George Z. Xian, Christopher Barnes, Ryan R. Reker