Articles
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
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.
Filter Total Items: 78958
Evaluating the effect of expert elicitation techniques on population status assessment in the face of large uncertainty Evaluating the effect of expert elicitation techniques on population status assessment in the face of large uncertainty
Population projection models are important tools for conservation and management. They are often used for population status assessments, for threat analyses, and to predict the consequences of conservation actions. Although conservation decisions should be informed by science, critical decisions are often made with very little information to support decision-making. Conversely...
Authors
Jennifer F. Moore, Julien Martin, Hardin Waddle, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Jillian Elizabeth Fleming, Eve Bohnett, Thomas S.B. Akre, Donald J. Brown, Michael T. Jones, Jessica R. Meck, Kevin J. Oxenrider, Anthony Tur, Lisabeth L. Willey, Fred A Johnson
Increasing the uptake of ecological model results in policy decisions to improve biodiversity outcomes Increasing the uptake of ecological model results in policy decisions to improve biodiversity outcomes
Models help decision-makers anticipate the consequences of policies for ecosystems and people; for instance, improving our ability to represent interactions between human activities and ecological systems is essential to identify pathways to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. However, use of modeling outputs in decision-making remains uncommon. We share insights from a...
Authors
Sarah R. Weiskopf, Zuzana Harmáčková, Ciara G. Johnson, Maria Cecilia Londono-Murcia, Brian W. Miller, Bonnie J.E. Myers, Laura M. Pereira, Maria Isabel Arce-Plata, Julia L. Blanchard, Simon Ferrier, Elizabeth A. Fulton, Mike Harfoot, Forest Isbell, Justin A. Johnson, Akira S. Mori, Ensheng Weng, Isabel M.D. Rosa
Radial growth decline of white spruce (Picea glauca) during hot summers without drought: Preliminary results from a study site south of a boreal forest border Radial growth decline of white spruce (Picea glauca) during hot summers without drought: Preliminary results from a study site south of a boreal forest border
If the modern climate trend continues for an additional 20–40 years, forests along the southern border of Canadian taiga may shift into new ranges of annual temperature and precipitation that are similar to the modern climate of central New York State, United States. Here we investigate the possible future response of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) to a warmer climate by...
Authors
Andrei Lapenis, George Robinson, Gregory B. Lawrence
UAS-based tools for mapping and monitoring hydrothermal systems: An example from Mammoth Lakes, California UAS-based tools for mapping and monitoring hydrothermal systems: An example from Mammoth Lakes, California
Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) can accommodate a variety of tools for mapping and monitoring hydrothermal systems (e.g., magnetic, gas, photogrammetry, and thermal infrared [TIR]). These platforms offer increased speed, coverage area, and uniformity compared to ground-based measurements, as well as lower flight height – and therefore higher resolution – than occupied aircraft. We...
Authors
Laurie Antoinette Zielinski, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Tait E. Earney, Grant H. Rea-Downing, R. Greg Vaughan, Peter J. Kelly, Gordon H. Keller, Branden James Dean, William Schermerhorn
A borehole test for chlorinated solvent diffusion and degradation rates in sedimentary rock A borehole test for chlorinated solvent diffusion and degradation rates in sedimentary rock
We present a new field measurement and numerical interpretation method (combined termed ‘test’) to parameterize the diffusion of trichloroethene (TCE) and its biodegradation products (DPs) from the matrix of sedimentary rock. The method uses a dual-packer system to interrogate a low-permeability section of the rock matrix adjacent to a previously contaminated borehole and uses the...
Authors
Richelle M. Allen-King, Rebecca L. Kiekhaefer, Daniel J. Goode, Paul A. Hsieh, Michelle M. Lorah, Thomas E. Imbrigiotta
Paleoclimatology and paleoceanography perspectives on integrated, coordinated, open, networked (ICON) science Paleoclimatology and paleoceanography perspectives on integrated, coordinated, open, networked (ICON) science
This article is composed of three independent commentaries about the state of Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) principles (Goldman et al., 2021, https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10508554.1) in the AGU section paleoclimatology and paleoceanography (P&P), and a discussion on the opportunities and challenges of adopting them. Each commentary focuses on a different topic:...
Authors
A Belem, T Bell, H L Burdett, D Ibarra, N Kaushal, B Keenan, A Klimaszewski-Patterson, Madelyn Jean Mette, S Naeher, O D Onafeso, C Panmei, S Ratnayake, O Truax
Microcontinent breakup and links to possible plate boundary reorganization in the northern Gulf of California, México Microcontinent breakup and links to possible plate boundary reorganization in the northern Gulf of California, México
Faults on microcontinents record the dynamic evolution of plate boundaries. However, most microcontinents are submarine and difficult to study. Here, we show that the southern part of the Isla Ángel de la Guarda (IAG) microcontinent, in the northern Gulf of California rift, is densely faulted by a late Quaternary-active normal fault zone. To characterize the onshore kinematics of this...
Authors
Justin T. Higa, Nathan D. Brown, Seulgi Moon, Joann M. Stock, Leah Sabbeth, Scott E.K. Bennett, Arturo Martin-Barajas, Marina O. Argueta
Spatial personalities: A meta-analysis of consistent individual differences in spatial behavior Spatial personalities: A meta-analysis of consistent individual differences in spatial behavior
Individual variation in behavior, particularly consistent among-individual differences (i.e., personality), has important ecological and evolutionary implications for population and community dynamics, trait divergence, and patterns of speciation. Nevertheless, individual variation in spatial behaviors, such as home range behavior, movement characteristics, or habitat use has yet to be
Authors
Erica Francis Stuber, Ben Carlson, Brett Jesmer
Non-target effects of herbicides on the Zerene silverspot butterfly, a surrogate subspecies for the threatened Oregon silverspot butterfly Non-target effects of herbicides on the Zerene silverspot butterfly, a surrogate subspecies for the threatened Oregon silverspot butterfly
Herbicides are used as management tools to improve habitat for native plants and animals, but their application may also have harmful effects on the native community. The federally threatened Oregon silverspot butterfly (Speyeria = Argynnis zerene hippolyta) resides in remnant native grasslands along the Pacific Northwest coast. However, like many grasslands, many of these areas have...
Authors
Cassandra F. Doll, Sarah J. Converse, Cheryl B. Schultz
Quantifying regional effects of best management practices on nutrient losses from agricultural lands Quantifying regional effects of best management practices on nutrient losses from agricultural lands
Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural areas have degraded the water quality of downstream rivers, lakes, and oceans. As a result, investment in the adoption of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) has grown, but assessments of their effectiveness at large spatial scales have lagged. This study applies regional Spatially Referenced Regression On Watershed...
Authors
Victor L. Roland, Ana Maria Garcia, David A. Saad, Scott W. Ator, Dale M. Robertson, Gregory E. Schwarz
Economical defence of resources structures territorial space use in a cooperative carnivore Economical defence of resources structures territorial space use in a cooperative carnivore
Ecologists have long sought to understand space use and mechanisms underlying patterns observed in nature. We developed an optimality landscape and mechanistic territory model to understand mechanisms driving space use and compared model predictions to empirical reality. We demonstrate our approach using grey wolves (Canis lupus). In the model, simulated animals selected territories to
Authors
Sarah N. Sells, Michael S. Mitchell, David Edward Ausband, Angela D. Luis, Douglas J. Emlen, Kevin M. Podruzny, Justin A. Gude
Characterization of bituminite in Kimmeridge Clay by confocal laser scanning and atomic force microscopy Characterization of bituminite in Kimmeridge Clay by confocal laser scanning and atomic force microscopy
This work investigates bituminite (amorphous sedimentary organic matter) in Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay source rock via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These petrographic tools were used to provide better understanding of the nature of bituminite, which has been historically difficult to identify and differentiate from similar organic...
Authors
Paul C. Hackley, Jolanta Kus, Joao Graciano Mendonca Filho, Andrew D. Czaja, Angeles G. Borrego, Dragana Životić, Brett J. Valentine, Javin J. Hatcherian