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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 5,500 book chapters 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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Analysis options for estimating status and trends in long-term monitoring Analysis options for estimating status and trends in long-term monitoring
This chapter describes methods for estimating long-term trends in ecological parameters. Other chapters in this volume discuss more advanced methods for analyzing monitoring data, but these methods may be relatively inaccessible to some readers. Therefore, this chapter provides an introduction to trend analysis for managers and biologists while also discussing general issues relevant to...
Authors
Jonathan Bart, Hawthorne L. Beyer
Future opportunities and challenges in remote sensing of drought Future opportunities and challenges in remote sensing of drought
The value of satellite remote sensing for drought monitoring was first realized more than two decades ago with the application of Normalized Difference Index (NDVI) data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) for assessing the effect of drought on vegetation. Other indices such as the Vegetation Health Index (VHI) were also developed during this time period, and...
Authors
Brian D. Wardlow, Martha C. Anderson, Justin Sheffield, Brad Doorn, James Verdin, Xiwu Zhan, Matt Rodell
Smolt physiology and endocrinology Smolt physiology and endocrinology
The parr-smolt transformation of anadromous salmonids is a suite of behavioral, morphological, and physiological changes that are preparatory for downstream migration and seawater entry. The timing of smolt development varies among species, occurring soon after hatching in pink and chum salmon and after one to several years in Atlantic salmon. In many species the transformation is size...
Authors
Stephen D. McCormick
Advances in spectroscopic methods for quantifying soil carbon Advances in spectroscopic methods for quantifying soil carbon
The current gold standard for soil carbon (C) determination is elemental C analysis using dry combustion. However, this method requires expensive consumables, is limited by the number of samples that can be processed (~100/d), and is restricted to the determination of total carbon. With increased interest in soil C sequestration, faster methods of analysis are needed, and there is...
Authors
James B. Reeves, Gregory W. McCarty, Francisco Calderon, W. Dean Hively
Shrews, rats, and a polecat in "the pardoner’s tale" Shrews, rats, and a polecat in "the pardoner’s tale"
While historically existing animals and literary animal characters inform allegorical and metaphorical characterization in The Canterbury Tales, figurative usage does not erase recognition of the material animal. "The Pardoner's Tale," for one, challenges the terms of conventional animal metaphors by refocusing attention on common animals as common animals and common human creatures as...
Authors
Sandy Feinstein, Neal Woodman
Ecological consequences of manipulative parasites Ecological consequences of manipulative parasites
This chapter considers the context in which manipulative parasites could have noticeable ecological effects. By this, we mean that a manipulation of a host that benefits a parasite can also indirectly affect other non-hosts in the system, sometimes in dramatic fashion. Such ecosystem-level changes could occur for manipulative parasites that have a strong effect on their host, a high rate...
Authors
Kevin D. Lafferty, A. M. Kuris, Michel Loreau
The science, information, and engineering needed to manage water availability and quality in 2050 The science, information, and engineering needed to manage water availability and quality in 2050
This chapter explores four water resources issues: 1) hydrologic variability, hazards, water supply and ecosystem preservation; 2) urban landscape design; 3) non-point source water quality, and 4) climate change, resiliency, and nonstationarity. It also considers what science, technology, and engineering practice may be needed in the coming decades to sustain water supplies and...
Authors
Robert M. Hirsch
Airborne LiDAR methods applied to riverine environments Airborne LiDAR methods applied to riverine environments
No abstract available.
Authors
Jean-Stephane Bailly, Paul J. Kinzel, Tristan Allouis, Denis Feurer, Yann Le Coarer
An atlas of Mars sedimentary rocks as seen by HiRISE An atlas of Mars sedimentary rocks as seen by HiRISE
Images of distant and unknown places have long stimulated the imaginations of both explorers and scientists. The atlas of photographs collected during the Hayden (1872)expedition to the Yellowstone region was essential to its successful advocacy and selection in 1872 as America’s first national park. Photographer William Henry Jackson of the Hayden expedition captured the public’s...
Authors
Ross Beyer, Kathryn M. Stack, Jennifer L. Griffes, Ralph E. Milliken, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Shane Byrne, John W. Holt, John P. Grotzinger
Anguillidae: Freshwater eels Anguillidae: Freshwater eels
No abstract available.
Authors
Alexander Haro
Appendix A: other methods for estimating trends of Arctic birds Appendix A: other methods for estimating trends of Arctic birds
The Arctic PRISM was designed to determine shorebird population size and trend. During an extensive peer review of PRISM, some reviewers suggested that measuring demographic rates or monitoring shorebirds on migration would be more appropriate than estimating population size on the breeding grounds. However, each method has its own limitations. For demographic monitoring, an unbiased...
Authors
Jonathan Bart, Stephen Brown, R.I. Guy Morrison, Paul A. Smith
Application of radiotelemetry to wildlife conservation in mountainous Asian landscapes Application of radiotelemetry to wildlife conservation in mountainous Asian landscapes
No abstract available.
Authors
M.S. Mitchell, L.N. Rich, L. S. Mills