Book Chapters
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 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.
Filter Total Items: 6197
Remotely sensed data available from the US Geological Survey EROS Data Center Remotely sensed data available from the US Geological Survey EROS Data Center
The Center for Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) is a field center of the geography discipline within the US geological survey (USGS) of the Department of the Interior. The EROS Data Center (EDC) was established in the early 1970s as the nation’s principal archive of remotely sensed data. Initially the EDC was responsible for the archive, reproduction, and distribution of black...
Authors
John L. Dwyer
Risky business: Site selection by Acadian Flycatchers under threat of nest predation and brood parasitism Risky business: Site selection by Acadian Flycatchers under threat of nest predation and brood parasitism
Habitat quality is determined not only by habitat structure and the availability of resources, but also by competitors, cooperators, predators, and parasites. We hypothesized that, for passerines, minimizing risk from avian nest predators and brood parasites is an important factor in selecting a breeding site. Through the early part of two breeding seasons, we spot-mapped locations of...
Authors
K.R. HazIer, R.J. Cooper, D.J. Twedt
South Coast bioregion South Coast bioregion
This chapter investigates the South Coast bioregion in Southern California. There are two broad ecological zones: the coastal valleys and foothill zone and the montane zone. Grasslands are resilient to a wide range of fire frequencies. Fire regimes in big-cone Douglas-fir forests vary spatially and temporally. Lodgepole pine forests are at the highest end of the elevational gradient for...
Authors
Jon E. Keeley
Spatial and temporal variation in sea otter demography Spatial and temporal variation in sea otter demography
1) Better information on historical and current population dynamics is central to understanding patterns of growth and decline in the California sea otter population. We developed a maximum likelihood-based analytical method to estimate historical age/sex specific vital rates as well as spatial and temporal variation in vital rates from longitudinal databases on population census numbers...
Authors
M. Tim Tinker, Daniel F. Doak, James A. Estes, Brian B. Hatfield, Michelle M. Steadler, James L. Bodkin
Spatial nonlinearities: Cascading effects in the earth system Spatial nonlinearities: Cascading effects in the earth system
Nonlinear behavior is prevalent in all aspects of the Earth System, including ecological responses to global change (Gallagher and Appenzeller 1999; Steffen et al. 2004). Nonlinear behavior refers to a large, discontinuous change in response to a small change in a driving variable (Rial et al. 2004). In contrast to linear systems where responses are smooth, well-behaved, continuous...
Authors
Debra P.C. Peters, R.A. Pielke, B.T. Bestelmeyer, Craig D. Allen, Stuart Munson-McGee, K. M. Havstad
Spectroscopic and x-ray diffraction analyses of asbestos in the World Trade Center dust: Asbestos content of the settled dust Spectroscopic and x-ray diffraction analyses of asbestos in the World Trade Center dust: Asbestos content of the settled dust
On September 17 and 18, 2001, samples of settled dust and airfall debris were collected from 34 sites within a 1-km radius of the WTC collapse site, including a sample from an indoor location unaffected by rainfall, and samples of insulation from two steel beams at Ground Zero. Laboratory spectral and x-ray diffraction analyses of the field samples detected trace levels of serpentine...
Authors
Gregg A. Swayze, Roger N. Clark, Stephen J. Sutley, Todd M. Hoefen, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Gregory P. Meeker, Isabelle Brownfield, Keith E. Livo, Laurie C. Morath
Stable isotopic composition of chlorine and oxygen in synthetic and natural perchlorate Stable isotopic composition of chlorine and oxygen in synthetic and natural perchlorate
No abstract available.
Authors
Neil C. Sturchio, J.K. Bohlke, Baohua Gu, Juske Horita, Gilbert M. Brown, Abelardo D. Beloso, Leslie J. Patterson, Paul B. Hatzinger, W. Andrew Jackson, Jacimaria Batista
Sternotherus depressus Tinkle and Webb 1955. Flattened musk turtle Sternotherus depressus Tinkle and Webb 1955. Flattened musk turtle
Abstract not supplied at this time
Authors
C.K. Dodd
Terrapene carolina. Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina. Eastern Box Turtle
Abstract not supplied at this time
Authors
T.G. Farrell, C.K. Dodd, P.G. May
The MODIS reprojection tool The MODIS reprojection tool
The MODIS Reprojection Tool (MRT) is designed to help individuals work with MODIS Level-2G, Level-3, and Level-4 land data products. These products are referenced to a global tiling scheme in which each tile is approximately 10° latitude by 10° longitude and non-overlapping (Fig. 9.1). If desired, the user may reproject only selected portions of the product (spatial or parameter...
Authors
John L. Dwyer, Gail L. Schmidt
The northern Yellowstone elk herd; management policy and natural regulation The northern Yellowstone elk herd; management policy and natural regulation
No abstract available.
Authors
Dale R. McCullough, Koichi Kaji, Masami Yamanaka
The prairie dog as a keystone species The prairie dog as a keystone species
The prairie dog has a pronounced impact on its grassland ecosystem (King 1955; Uresk and Bjugstad 1983; Miller et al. 1994; Society for Conservation Biology 1994; Wuerthner 1997; Johnsgard 2005). They maintain short vegetation by their grazing and by selective removal of tall plants and shrubs; provide shelter, foraging grounds, and nesting habitat for a diverse array of animals; serve...
Authors
Natasha B. Kotliar, Brian J. Miller, Richard P. Reading, Timothy W. Clark