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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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Effects-based monitoring of bioactive compounds associated with municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge to the South Platte River, Colorado, USA Effects-based monitoring of bioactive compounds associated with municipal wastewater treatment plant effluent discharge to the South Platte River, Colorado, USA
Previous studies have detected numerous organic contaminants and in vitro bioactivities in surface water from the South Platte River near Denver, Colorado, USA. To evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of selected contaminants of emerging concern, water samples were collected throughout 2018 and 2019 at 11 sites within the S. Platte River and surrounding tributaries with varying
Authors
J.E. Cavallin, J. Beihoffer, B.R. Blackwell, A.R. Cole, D.R. Ekman, R. Hofer, A. Jastrow, J. Kinsey, K. Keteles, E.M. Maloney, J Parman, Dana L. Winkelman, D.L. Villeneuve
A multi-decadal geochemical record from Rano Aroi (Easter Island/Rapa Nui): Implications for the environment, climate and humans during the last two millennia A multi-decadal geochemical record from Rano Aroi (Easter Island/Rapa Nui): Implications for the environment, climate and humans during the last two millennia
The small and remote Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has a complex and still partially unknown history of human colonization and interactions with the environment. Previous research from sedimentary archives collected in the three freshwater bodies of Rapa Nui document dramatic environmental changes over the last two millennia. Yet, the characteristics of sediments and paleoenvironmental...
Authors
Marco Roman, David B. McWethy, Natalie Kehrwald, Evans Osayuki Erhenhi, Amy E. Myrbo, José M. Ramirez Aliaga, Anibal Pauchard, Clara Turetta, Carlo Barbante, Matthew Prebble, Elena Argiriadis, Dario Battistel
Biocrust and the soil surface: Influence of climate, disturbance, and biocrust recovery on soil surface roughness Biocrust and the soil surface: Influence of climate, disturbance, and biocrust recovery on soil surface roughness
Biocrust communities promote soil surface roughness, a key functional characteristic for soil ecology. However, the spatial scales at which biocrust communities contribute to surface roughness are not well understood. To refine our understanding of the spatial dynamics between biocrust and soil surface roughness, we used mm-resolution terrestrial LiDAR to measure micro-topographic...
Authors
Joshua Caster, Temuulen T. Sankey, Joel B. Sankey, Matthew A. Bowker, Daniel D. Buscombe, Michael C. Duniway, Nichole Barger, Akasha M. Faist, Taylor Joyal
The US Geological Survey ground failure product: Near-real-time estimates of earthquake-triggered landslides and liquefaction The US Geological Survey ground failure product: Near-real-time estimates of earthquake-triggered landslides and liquefaction
Since late 2018, the US Geological Survey (USGS) ground failure (GF) earthquake product has provided publicly available spatial estimates of earthquake-triggered landslide and liquefaction hazards, along with the qualitative hazard and population exposure-based alerts for M > 6 earthquakes worldwide and in near real time (within ∼30 min). Earthquake losses are oftentimes greatly...
Authors
Kate E. Allstadt, Eric M. Thompson, Randall W. Jibson, David J. Wald, Mike Hearne, Edward J. Hunter, Jeremy Fee, Heather Schovanec, Daniel Slosky, Kirstie Lafon Haynie
Native mammals lack resilience to invasive generalist predator Native mammals lack resilience to invasive generalist predator
Invasive predators have caused catastrophic declines in native wildlife across the globe. Though research has focused on the initial establishment, rapid growth, and spread of invasive predators, our understanding of prey resilience to established invasive predators remains limited. As a direct result of invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus), medium- to large-bodied native...
Authors
Paul J. Taillie, Kristen Hart, Adia R. Sovie, Robert A. McCleery
Invaders from islands: Thermal matching, potential or flexibility? Invaders from islands: Thermal matching, potential or flexibility?
Native-range thermal constraints may not reflect the geographical distributions of species introduced from native island ranges in part due to rapid physiological adaptation in species introduced to new environments. Correlative ecological niche models may thus underestimate potential invasive distributions of species from islands. The northern curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus carinatus...
Authors
Natalie M. Claunch, Colin Goodman, Robert Reed, Robert P. Guralnick, Christina M. Romagosa, Emily N. Taylor
NGA-subduction global ground motion models with regional adjustment factors NGA-subduction global ground motion models with regional adjustment factors
We develop semi-empirical ground motion models (GMMs) for peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and 5%-damped pseudo-spectral accelerations for periods from 0.01 to 10 s, for the median orientation-independent horizontal component of subduction earthquake ground motion. The GMMs are applicable to interface and intraslab subduction earthquakes in Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Central...
Authors
Grace Alexandra Parker, Jonathan P. Stewart, David Boore, Gail M. Atkinson, Behzad Hassani
Social identity, values, and trust in government: How stakeholder group, ideology, and wildlife value orientations relate to trust in a state agency for wildlife management Social identity, values, and trust in government: How stakeholder group, ideology, and wildlife value orientations relate to trust in a state agency for wildlife management
Our objective was to understand how social identity and values influenced general public and stakeholder trust in a state wildlife management agency (SWMA). In particular, we wanted to examine how stakeholder group, political ideology, and wildlife value orientation influenced trust in a SWMA. Data were derived from a study of state residents, hunters and livestock producers related to...
Authors
Susan A. Schroeder, Adam C. Landon, David C. Fulton, Leslie McInenly
Characterization of water use and water balance for the croplands of Kansas using satellite, climate, and irrigation data Characterization of water use and water balance for the croplands of Kansas using satellite, climate, and irrigation data
Kansas is one of the most productive agricultural states in the United States, where agricultural irrigation is a primary user of underground and surface water. Because of low precipitation and declining groundwater levels in western and central Kansas, sustainable management of irrigation water resources is a critical issue in the agricultural productivity of the state. The objective of...
Authors
Lei Ji, Gabriel B. Senay, MacKenzie Friedrichs, Matthew Schauer, Olena Boiko
Predicted spatial distribution of the Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius) in Virginia using detection and non-detection records Predicted spatial distribution of the Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius) in Virginia using detection and non-detection records
The geographic distribution of a species is a fundamental component in understanding its ecology and is necessary for forming effective conservation plans. For rare and elusive species of conservation concern, accurate maps of predicted occurrence are particularly problematic and often highly subjective. Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk) populations have experienced large...
Authors
Emily D. Thorne, W. Mark Ford
Divergent, plausible, and relevant climate futures for near- and long-term resource planning Divergent, plausible, and relevant climate futures for near- and long-term resource planning
Scenario planning has emerged as a widely used planning process for resource management in situations of consequential, irreducible uncertainty. Because it explicitly incorporates uncertainty, scenario planning is regularly employed in climate change adaptation. An early and essential step in developing scenarios is identifying “climate futures”—descriptions of the physical attributes of...
Authors
David J. Lawrence, Amber N. Runyon, John E. Gross, Gregor W. Schuurman, Brian W. Miller
Wetland selection by female Ring-Necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) in the Southern Atlantic Flyway Wetland selection by female Ring-Necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) in the Southern Atlantic Flyway
On the wintering grounds, wetland selection by waterfowl is influenced by spatiotemporal resource distribution. The ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) winters in the southeastern United States where a disproportionate amount of Atlantic Flyway ring-necked duck harvest occurs. We quantified female ring-necked duck selection for wetland characteristics during and after the 2017–2018 and...
Authors
Tori D. Mezebish, Richard Chandler, Glenn H. Olsen, Michele Goodman, Frank C. Rohwer, Nicholas J. Meng, Mark D. McConnell