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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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Brook Floater rapid assessment monitoring protocol Brook Floater rapid assessment monitoring protocol
The Brook Floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a small (
Authors
Sean Sterrett, Allison H. Roy, Peter Hazelton, Brian Watson, Beth Swartz, T. R. Russ, Lisa Holst, Mike Marchand, Jason Wisniewski, Matt Ashton, Barry Wicklow
Conservation genomics of the Mogollon Narrow-headed gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) and Northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops) Conservation genomics of the Mogollon Narrow-headed gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) and Northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops)
The ability of populations to persist and adapt to abiotic and biotic changes is reliant on genetic diversity. When connectivity across a species landscape is disrupted, the levels and distribution of genetic diversity can rapidly deteriorate as a result of genetic drift, leading to increased inbreeding and reduced adaptive potential. Therefore, understanding the distribution and degree...
Authors
Dustin A. Wood, Iain D. Emmons, Erika M. Nowak, Bruce L. Christman, Andrew T. Holycross, Amy G. Vandergast
Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative unit watershed erosion potential prioritization for check-dam installation Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative unit watershed erosion potential prioritization for check-dam installation
Changes in land-use practices and the extirpation (local extinction) of beaver populations in the early 20th century during European settlement are believed to have resulted in many changes in how streams in the Western United States function. Some of the negative changes that have resulted include stream channelization, soil erosion, changing vegetation, water turbidity, and a loss of...
Authors
Kirsten E. Ironside
Research to improve ShakeAlert earthquake early warning products and their utility Research to improve ShakeAlert earthquake early warning products and their utility
Earthquake early warning (EEW) is the rapid detection of an earthquake and issuance of an alert or notification to people and vulnerable systems likely to experience potentially damaging ground shaking. The level of ground shaking that is considered damaging is defined by the specific application; for example, manufacturing equipment may experience damage at a lower intensity ground...
Authors
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Brad T. Aagaard, Richard M. Allen, Jennifer Andrews, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Andrew J. Barbour, Paul Bodin, Benjamin A. Brooks, Angela Chung, Brendan W. Crowell, Douglas D. Given, Thomas C. Hanks, J. Renate Hartog, Egill Hauksson, Thomas H. Heaton, Sara K. McBride, Men-Andrin Meier, Diego Melgar, Sarah E. Minson, Jessica R. Murray, Jennifer A. Strauss, Douglas Toomey
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources—Atlantic Coastal Plain and Eastern Mesozoic Rift Basins Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources—Atlantic Coastal Plain and Eastern Mesozoic Rift Basins
This chapter presents information pertinent to the geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration potential within saline aquifers located in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Eastern Mesozoic Rift Basins of the Eastern United States. The Atlantic Coastal Plain is underlain by a Jurassic to Quaternary succession of sedimentary strata that onlap westward onto strata of the Appalachian Piedmont
Authors
William H. Craddock, Matthew D. Merrill, Tina L. Roberts-Ashby, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Ronald M. Drake, Peter D. Warwick, Steven M. Cahan, Christina A. DeVera, Philip A. Freeman, Mayur A. Gosai, Celeste D. Lohr
Geologic field-trip guide of volcaniclastic sediments from snow- and ice-capped volcanoes—Mount St. Helens, Washington, and Mount Hood, Oregon Geologic field-trip guide of volcaniclastic sediments from snow- and ice-capped volcanoes—Mount St. Helens, Washington, and Mount Hood, Oregon
This field guide for the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) Scientific Assembly 2017 focuses on volcaniclastic sediments from Mount St. Helens in Washington and Mount Hood in Oregon. The trip spends four days in the field and includes nine stops at each volcano. For completeness, this guidebook also includes sixteen optional stops in...
Authors
Thomas C. Pierson, Lee Siebert, Christopher J. Harpel, Kevin M. Scott
A bioassay assessment of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) eradication treatment A bioassay assessment of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) eradication treatment
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha, Pallas, 1771) are an aquatic invasive species in the United States, and new infestations of zebra mussels can rapidly expand into dense colonies. Zebra mussels were first reported in Marion Lake, Dakota County, Minnesota, in September 2017, and surveys indicated the infestation was likely isolated near a public boat access. A 2.4-hectare area...
Authors
Matthew T. Barbour, Jeremy K. Wise, James A. Luoma
Mercury concentrations in water and mercury and selenium concentrations in fish from Brownlee Reservoir and selected sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers, Idaho and Oregon, 2013-17 Mercury concentrations in water and mercury and selenium concentrations in fish from Brownlee Reservoir and selected sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers, Idaho and Oregon, 2013-17
Mercury (Hg) analyses were conducted on samples of water and sport fish collected from selected sampling sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers and Brownlee Reservoir, in Idaho and Oregon, to meet National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System permit requirements for the City of Boise, Idaho, from 2013 to 2017. City of Boise personnel collected water samples from six sites in October...
Authors
Dorene E. MacCoy, Christopher A. Mebane
Effects of proposed navigation channel improvements on sediment transport in Mobile Harbor, Alabama Effects of proposed navigation channel improvements on sediment transport in Mobile Harbor, Alabama
A Delft3D model was developed to evaluate the potential effects of proposed navigation channel deepening and widening in Mobile Harbor, Alabama. The model performance was assessed through comparisons of modeled and observed data of water levels, velocities, and bed level changes; the model captured hydrodynamic and sediment transport patterns in the study area with skill. The validated...
Authors
Davina Passeri, Joseph W. Long, Robert L. Jenkins, David M. Thompson
Laboratory evaluation of the Sea-Bird Scientific HydroCycle-PO4 phosphate sensor Laboratory evaluation of the Sea-Bird Scientific HydroCycle-PO4 phosphate sensor
Sea-Bird Scientific’s HydroCycle-PO4 phosphate sensor is a single-analyte wet-chemistry sensor designed for in situ environmental monitoring. The unit was evaluated at the U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility to assess the accuracy of the sensor in solutions with known phosphorous concentration and to test the effects of chromophoric (colored) dissolved organic...
Authors
Teri T. Snazelle
The Hayward Fault—Is it due for a repeat of the powerful 1868 earthquake? The Hayward Fault—Is it due for a repeat of the powerful 1868 earthquake?
On October 21, 1868, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay area. Although the region was sparsely populated, the quake on the Hayward Fault was one of the most destructive in California’s history. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies show that similar Hayward Fault quakes have repeatedly jolted the region in the past and that the fault may be ready to produce another...
Authors
Thomas M. Brocher, Jack Boatwright, James J. Lienkaemper, Carol S. Prentice, David P. Schwartz, Howard Bundock
Conceptual and numerical models of dissolved solids in the Colorado River, Hoover Dam to Imperial Dam, and Parker Dam to Imperial Dam, Arizona, California, and Nevada Conceptual and numerical models of dissolved solids in the Colorado River, Hoover Dam to Imperial Dam, and Parker Dam to Imperial Dam, Arizona, California, and Nevada
Conceptual and numerical models were developed to understand and simulate monthly flow-weighted dissolved-solids concentrations in the Colorado River at Imperial Dam. The ability to simulate dissolved-solids concentrations at this location will help the Bureau of Reclamation satisfy the binational agreement on the volume and salinity of Colorado River water delivered to Mexico. A robust...
Authors
David W. Anning, Alissa L. Coes, Jon P. Mason