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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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Shoreline behavior at California groin fields from satellite-based measurements Shoreline behavior at California groin fields from satellite-based measurements
Satellite imagery has helped to provide decades of shoreline change data to coastal regions all over the world. Although shorelines around the globe have been armored with different types of coastal structures to try and protect beaches and properties from erosion, there are few studies of shoreline dynamics within structures such as groin fields using satellite images. Here we apply...
Authors
Catherine N. Janda, Teresa Hachey, Sharon Batiste, Mark A. Lundine, Daniel D. Buscombe, Jonathan A. Warrick
Functional traits can explain coordinated seedling responses to drought and freezing stress Functional traits can explain coordinated seedling responses to drought and freezing stress
Limited plant establishment creates demographic bottlenecks that can alter vegetation trajectories in changing environments, yet it is unclear how common eco-evolutionary indicators of plant strategy shape early response to key stressors. We evaluated how early functional traits, phylogeny, and adult climate niche jointly explain seedling drought and freezing tolerance across 49 semi...
Authors
Julie E. Larson, Bradley J. Butterfield, Seth M. Munson, Dylan F. Neuhaus, Stella M. Copeland
Using a temporary emigration model to estimate abundance of stream fishes from hybrid removal surveys with and without block nets Using a temporary emigration model to estimate abundance of stream fishes from hybrid removal surveys with and without block nets
Monitoring programs are often faced with a decision to allocate resources into either robust spatiotemporal coverage to estimate a population index (e.g., not true abundance) or confirming closed sampling conditions (e.g., with block nets) for an unbiased population estimate at the cost of spatiotemporal coverage. However, making accurate and precise abundance estimates at robust...
Authors
Brock M. Huntsman, Russell Perry, Kai Palenscar, Brett Mills, Kerwin Russell, Marissa L. Wulff, Heather Dyer, Russell Barabe
Exhumation history of the Sangre de Cristo Range, Colorado, from mid- to low-temperature thermochronology: New insights into Laramide contraction and Oligocene–Miocene extension in the northern Rio Grande rift, USA Exhumation history of the Sangre de Cristo Range, Colorado, from mid- to low-temperature thermochronology: New insights into Laramide contraction and Oligocene–Miocene extension in the northern Rio Grande rift, USA
The Sangre de Cristo Range in southern Colorado records a complex tectonic history that includes Late Cretaceous–Eocene Laramide contraction and Oligocene–Quaternary Rio Grande rift extension. We present new thermochronologic data (40Ar/39Ar, fission-track, (U-Th)/He) and thermal history models that provide insight into this polyphase history and spatiotemporal patterns of extensional...
Authors
John S. Singleton, Samantha Malavarca, Alexis K. Ault, Omar Ghamedi, M. Cole Sitar, Paul O’Sullivan, Martin Wong, Jonathan Saul Caine, James R. Metcalf, Dylan Frawley, Jeffrey M. Rahl
Lake trout colonization of artificial reefs: Who’s interested, and how long does it take? Lake trout colonization of artificial reefs: Who’s interested, and how long does it take?
Restoring self-sustaining lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) populations has been a major management objective for decades across the species’ native range. Reproduction has been observed but recruitment has been limited in many areas of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Reef restoration and construction have been proposed to increase recruitment, leading to the construction of experimental...
Authors
Matthew H. Futia, Tyler Reid Funnell, Ji He, J. Ellen Marsden, Thomas R Binder
Estimating submersed aquatic vegetation biomass using a hierarchical Bayesian model of ordinal measurements and structural zeros Estimating submersed aquatic vegetation biomass using a hierarchical Bayesian model of ordinal measurements and structural zeros
This study explores the prediction of a continuous target variable that is primarily measured as an ordinal outcome. Interest in such prediction may occur given data from double- or two-phase sampling designs, where an auxiliary variable is measured at all sampling units and a target and predictor variable, X, at a subset of those units. This study focuses on the case where X is...
Authors
Julie Sherman, Katie St Clair, Brian R. Gray, Danelle M. Larson
Root biomass and productivity in coastal swamp forests of Louisiana (USA) Root biomass and productivity in coastal swamp forests of Louisiana (USA)
Coastal swamp forests (CSF) occupy approximately 225,000 ha in Southeastern Louisiana (USA), and across a large percentage of this area, CSF are subjected to sediment starvation, salinity intrusion, and chronic submergence. We assessed root biomass and productivity in nine CSF in Louisiana, and found that root biomass ranged from 420.8 g m−2 to 1712.2 g m−2 to a soil depth of 30 cm. Root...
Authors
Ken W. Krauss, Jorge A. Villa, Blair A. Miller, Eric J. Ward, Andrew S. From, Gregory B. Noe
Testing characteristic magnitude distributions in modern PSHA models Testing characteristic magnitude distributions in modern PSHA models
The characteristic magnitude distribution hypothesis predicts a higher rate of large earthquakes than a Gutenberg–Richter extrapolation of the small‐earthquake rate would imply. Characteristic magnitude distributions have been commonly applied to faults in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA), and in modern models they can emerge from the way short‐term seismicity constraints are...
Authors
Morgan T. Page, Kevin Ross Milner, Edward H. Field
The value of electronic tagging and tracking studies for understanding fish–hypoxia interactions The value of electronic tagging and tracking studies for understanding fish–hypoxia interactions
Objective Hypoxia (i.e., low dissolved oxygen availability) is a natural phenomenon but can also be induced by human activities (e.g., nutrient enrichment from runoff). Given that dissolved oxygen is essential for aquatic life, periods of hypoxia tend to have negative consequences (e.g., sublethal disturbances, mortality) for most fishes. Extensive laboratory research has documented...
Authors
Steven J. Cooke, Robert J. Lennox, Knut Wiik Vollset, Myra Thapar, Claudia Junge, Kim Birnie-Gauvin, Petter Lundberg, Gaute Velle, Lotte S. Dahlmo, Morgan L. Piczak, R. Dean Grubbs, Caleb T. Hasler, Jessica A. Robichaud, Richard Kraus
Ecological transformations of coastal wetlands of the conterminous United States in response to contemporaneous sea-level rise Ecological transformations of coastal wetlands of the conterminous United States in response to contemporaneous sea-level rise
Coastal wetlands are among the most important ecosystems on the planet but are increasingly imperiled by accelerating sea-level rise (SLR). In the past, biogeomorphic feedbacks have allowed coastal wetlands to adjust vertically and persist through periods of accelerated SLR. Recent rates of SLR are faster than any in recent geologic history, making the fate of coastal wetlands highly...
Authors
Justine Annaliese Neville, Katya E. Kovalenko, Gregg A. Snedden, Michael J. Osland, Karen M. Thorne, Laura C. Feher, Michelle C. Moorman, Jena A. Moon, Ken W. Krauss, James B. Grace, Tiffany C. Lane, Colt R. Sanspree, Donald R. Cahoon, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
Climate-adaptive urban planning: Quantitative assessment of drought impacts and practical strategies for climate-resilient urban green spaces Climate-adaptive urban planning: Quantitative assessment of drought impacts and practical strategies for climate-resilient urban green spaces
Urban green spaces (UGSs) are vital for enhancing a city’s resilience and livability; however, their functionality is increasingly jeopardized by drought, particularly in water-scarce regions. This study evaluates drought impact on UGSs in Metropolitan Adelaide, Australia, a representative semi-arid urban system, using satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time...
Authors
Sattar Chavoshi Borujeni, Alfredo Huete, Biswajeet Pradhan, Hamideh Nouri, Neda Abbasi, Pamela L Nagler
PFAS exposure suppresses leaf litter decomposition in a stream ecosystem PFAS exposure suppresses leaf litter decomposition in a stream ecosystem
Decomposition of organic matter is critical to the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nutrients in all ecosystems. In streams, decomposition can be influenced by anthropogenic impacts, including contaminants. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are resistant to degradation and widespread in freshwater ecosystems, yet little is known about their influence on organic matter...
Authors
Alison M. Zachritz, Abagael N. Pruitt, Therese M. Reisch, Daniele A. Miranda, Brittany G. Perrotta, Laura E. Hubbard, Christopher James Kotalik, Dana W. Kolpin, David M. Walters, Jennifer L. Tank, Gary A. Lamberti