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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.
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Browse more than 82,000 reports 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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Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2019 breeding season Abundance and productivity of marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) off central California during the 2019 breeding season
Marbled murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) have been listed as “endangered” by the State of California and “threatened” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1992 in California, Oregon, and Washington. Information regarding marbled murrelet abundance, distribution, population trends, and habitat associations is critical for risk assessment, effective management, evaluation of...
Authors
Jonathan J. Felis, Emily C. Kelsey, Josh Adams, Cheryl Horton, Laura White
Groundwater quality and geochemistry of West Virginia’s southern coal fields Groundwater quality and geochemistry of West Virginia’s southern coal fields
Coal mining has been the dominant industry and land use in West Virginia’s southern coal fields since the mid-1800s. Mortality rates for a variety of serious chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer in Appalachian coal mining regions, are higher than in areas lacking substantial coal mining activity within the Appalachian Region or elsewhere in the...
Authors
Mark D. Kozar, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Karl B. Haase
Louisiana Adaptive Management Status and Improvement Report: Vision and Recommendations Louisiana Adaptive Management Status and Improvement Report: Vision and Recommendations
As part of the process to increase implementation of adaptive management for ecosystem-based coastal restoration within Louisiana, we aim for this report to be broadly applicable across planning processes as well as funding and implementing entities. It compiles technical knowledge and guidance summarized as key findings through the text which lead to eight priority recommendations to...
Authors
Bill Boshart, Morgan Crutcher, Angelina Freeman, Edward Haywood, Syed M. Khalil, Summer Langlois, Darin L. Lee, David Lindquist, Tommy E. McGinnis, James Pahl, Carol Parsons-Richards, Erin Plitsch, Rick Raynie, Robert Routon, Leigh Anne Sharp, John Troutman, Chuck Villarrubia, Todd Folse, Alyson Graugnard, Anne Hawes, Russ Joffrion, Wes Leblanc, Brian Lezina, Jim Pahl, Jody White, Craig Conzelmann, Ann Hijuelos, Sarai Piazza, Kathryn A. Spear, Gregory D. Steyer, Nanciann Regalado, John M. Tirpak, Courtney Schupp, Melissa Carle, Jaclyn Daly, Nicolas Eckhardt, Christy Fellas, Erin M. Fougeres, Stephen Heverly, Stacey Horstman, Jason Kroll, Mel Landry, Barbara A. Schroeder, Eric Weissberger, Sara Wissman, Treda Grayson, Patricia Taylor, Danny Wiegand, Mark Defley, Paulina Kolic, Harris Bienn, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Alyssa Dausman, Alaina Grace, Scott Hemmerling, Andrea Jerabek, Eric White, Ryan Clark, Coleen McHugh, Leland C Moss, Cyndhia Ramatchandirane, Amy Wold
An enhanced hydrologic stream network based on the NHDPlus medium resolution dataset An enhanced hydrologic stream network based on the NHDPlus medium resolution dataset
The National Hydrography Dataset Plus, Version 2.1 (NHDPlusV2.1) is an attribute-rich digital stream network for the conterminous United States, serving as a foundational infrastructure for reporting hydrologic information at both regional and national scales. SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) is a process-based statistical model that relies on a digital...
Authors
John W. Brakebill, Gregory E. Schwarz, Michael E. Wieczorek
Quantification of trace element loading in the upper Tenmile Creek drainage basin near Rimini, Montana, September 2011 Quantification of trace element loading in the upper Tenmile Creek drainage basin near Rimini, Montana, September 2011
The principle sources of trace elements entering upper Tenmile Creek, Montana, during September 2011, four trace metals and the metalloid arsenic, were identified and quantified by combining and analyzing streamflow data determined from tracer injection with trace-element concentrations and related water-quality data determined from synoptic sampling. The study reach was along upper...
Authors
Tom Cleasby, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge
Predicting barrier island habitats and oyster and seagrass habitat suitability for various restoration measures and future conditions for Dauphin Island, Alabama Predicting barrier island habitats and oyster and seagrass habitat suitability for various restoration measures and future conditions for Dauphin Island, Alabama
Barrier islands, such as Dauphin Island, Alabama, provide numerous invaluable ecosystem services including storm damage reduction and erosion control to the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, carbon sequestration in marshes, water catchment and purification, recreation, and tourism. These islands are dynamic environments that are gradually shaped by currents, waves, and tides under...
A socio-environmental geodatabase for integrative research in the transboundary Rio Grande/Río Bravo basin A socio-environmental geodatabase for integrative research in the transboundary Rio Grande/Río Bravo basin
Management of water resources in the transboundary Rio Grande/Río Bravo Basin (the Basin) presents challenges for state and Federal entities in the United States and Mexico making management decisions on shared water resources. Damming, channelization, water availability, and allocation are governed by water rights and water-sharing agreements. Data and information sharing are important...
Authors
Jennifer Villa
Standard operating procedures for wild horse and burro double-observer aerial surveys Standard operating procedures for wild horse and burro double-observer aerial surveys
The U.S. Geological Survey has been collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management to develop statistically reliable methods for wild horse and burro aerial survey data collection and analysis for more than a decade. In cooperation with Colorado State University, the U.S. Geological Survey tested several methods in herds with known abundance, resulting in two scientifically defensible...
Authors
Paul C. Griffin, L. Stefan Ekernas, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Bruce C. Lubow
Groundwater characterization and effects of pumping in the Death Valley regional groundwater flow system, Nevada and California, with special reference to Devils Hole Groundwater characterization and effects of pumping in the Death Valley regional groundwater flow system, Nevada and California, with special reference to Devils Hole
Groundwater flow and development were characterized in four groundwater basins of the Death Valley regional flow system in Nevada and California with calibrated, groundwater-flow models. Natural groundwater discharges in the Furnace Creek, Lower Amargosa, and Saratoga Spring areas were defined and distributed consistently with a revised hydrogeologic framework. This simplified...
Authors
Keith J. Halford, Tracie R. Jackson
Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana, 2007–17 Estimates of water use associated with continuous oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana, 2007–17
This study of water use associated with development of continuous oil and gas resources in the Williston Basin is intended to provide a preliminary model-based analysis of water use in major regions of production of continuous oil and gas resources in the United States. Direct, indirect, and ancillary water use associated with development of continuous oil and gas resources in the...
Authors
Ryan R. McShane, Theodore B. Barnhart, Joshua F. Valder, Seth S. Haines, Kathleen M. Macek-Rowland, Janet M. Carter, Gregory C. Delzer, Joanna N. Thamke
Wind River subbasin restoration: Annual report of US..Geological Survey activities, January 2018 through December 2018 Wind River subbasin restoration: Annual report of US..Geological Survey activities, January 2018 through December 2018
We sampled juvenile wild Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in headwater streams of the Wind River, WA, to characterize populations and investigate life-history metrics, particularly migratory patterns. We used Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT)-tagging and a series of instream PIT-tag interrogation systems (PTISs) to track juveniles. The Wind River subbasin is considered a wild Steelhead...
Authors
Ian G. Jezorek
Assessment of bridge scour countermeasures at selected bridges in the United States, 2014–18 Assessment of bridge scour countermeasures at selected bridges in the United States, 2014–18
Erosion of the streambed, known also as scour, around pier 3 of the New York State Thruway bridge over Schoharie Creek caused the pier to fail, which ultimately resulted in bridge failure during the flooding event of April 5, 1987. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) responded to the need for better guidance on the evaluation of bridge scour and the selection and installation of...
Authors
Thomas P. Suro, Richard J. Huizinga, Ryan L. Fosness, Taylor Dudunake