Reports
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 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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Lakes and reservoirs—Guidelines for study design and sampling Lakes and reservoirs—Guidelines for study design and sampling
The “National Field Manual for the Collection of Water-Quality Data” (NFM) is an online report with separately published chapters that provides the protocols and guidelines by which U.S. Geological Survey personnel obtain the data used to assess the quality of the Nation’s surface-water and groundwater resources. Chapter A10 reviews limnological principles, describes the characteristics...
Authors
Land cover and land use change Land cover and land use change
Climate can affect and be affected by changes in land cover (the physical features that cover the land such as trees or pavement) and land use (human management and activities on land, such as mining or recreation). A forest, for instance, would likely include tree cover but could also include areas of recent tree removals currently covered by open grass areas. Land cover and use are...
Authors
Benjamin M. Sleeter, Thomas Loveland, Grant Domke, Nate Herold, James Wickham, Nathan J. Wood
Landsat benefiting society for fifty years Landsat benefiting society for fifty years
Since 1972, data acquired by the Landsat series of satellites have become integral to land management for both government and the private sector, providing scientists and decision makers with key information about agricultural productivity, ice sheet dynamics, urban growth, forest monitoring, natural resource management, water quality, and supporting disaster response. Landsat 9...
Authors
Laura E. P. Rocchio, Peggy Connot, Steve Young, Kate Ramsayer, Linda Owen, Michelle Bouchard, Christopher Barnes
Northeast Northeast
The distinct seasonality of the Northeast’s climate supports a diverse natural landscape adapted to the extremes of cold, snowy winters and warm to hot, humid summers. This natural landscape provides the economic and cultural foundation for many rural communities, which are largely supported by a diverse range of agricultural, tourism, and natural resource-dependent industries (see Ch...
Authors
Lesley-Ann L. Dupigny-Giroux, Ellen L. Mecray, Mary D. Lemcke-Stampone, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Erika E. Lentz, Katherine E. Mills, Erin D. Lane, Rawlings Miller, David Y. Hollinger, William D. Solecki, Gregory A. Wellenius, Perry E. Sheffield, Anthony B. McDonald, Christopher Caldwell
Northern Great Plains Northern Great Plains
In the Northern Great Plains, the timing and quantity of both precipitation and runoff have important consequences for water supplies, agricultural activities, and energy production. Overall, climate projections suggest that the number of heavy precipitation events (events with greater than 1 inch per day of rainfall) is projected to increase. Moving forward, the magnitude of year-to...
Authors
Richard T. Conant, Doug Kluck, Mark T. Anderson, Andrew Badger, Barbara M. Boustead, Justin D. Derner, Laura Farris, Michael Hayes, Ben Livneh, Shannon McNeeley, Dannele Peck, Martha Shulski, Valerie Small
Polygons of global undersea features for geographic searches Polygons of global undersea features for geographic searches
A shapefile of 311 undersea features from all major oceans and seas has been created as an aid for retrieving georeferenced information resources. Geospatial information systems with the capability to search user-defined, polygonal geographic areas will be able to utilize this shapefile or secondary products derived from it, such as linked data based on well-known text representations of...
Authors
Stephen R. Hartwell, Dana K. Wingfield, Alan O. Allwardt, Frances L. Lightsom, Florence L. Wong
Quality of water from crystalline rock aquifers in New England, New Jersey, and New York, 1995-2007 Quality of water from crystalline rock aquifers in New England, New Jersey, and New York, 1995-2007
Crystalline bedrock aquifers in New England and parts of New Jersey and New York (NECR aquifers) are a major source of drinking water. Because the quality of water in these aquifers is highly variable, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) statistically analyzed chemical data on samples of untreated groundwater collected from 117 domestic bedrock wells in New England, New York, and New...
Authors
Sarah M. Flanagan, Joseph D. Ayotte, Gilpin R. Robinson
Recent trends in Cuba’s mining and petroleum industries Recent trends in Cuba’s mining and petroleum industries
In response to recent diplomatic developments between Cuba and the United States, the National Minerals Information Center compiled available information on the mineral industries of Cuba. This fact sheet highlights a new map and table that identify mines, mineral processing facilities, and petroleum facilities as well as information on location, operational status, and ownership. It...
Authors
Susan Wacaster, Michael S. Baker, Yadira Soto-Viruet, Steven D. Textoris
Simulated effects of groundwater withdrawals from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system and Piney Point aquifer, Maurice and Cohansey River Basins, Cumberland County and vicinity, New Jersey Simulated effects of groundwater withdrawals from the Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer system and Piney Point aquifer, Maurice and Cohansey River Basins, Cumberland County and vicinity, New Jersey
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Authors
Alison D. Gordon, Debra E. Buxton
Southeast Southeast
The Southeast includes vast expanses of coastal and inland low-lying areas, the southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains, numerous high-growth metropolitan areas, and large rural expanses. These beaches and bayous, fields and forests, and cities and small towns are all at risk from a changing climate. While some climate change impacts, such as sea level rise and extreme downpours...
Authors
Lynne Carter, Adam J. Terando, Kirstin Dow, Kevin Hiers, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Aranzazu R. Lascurain, Doug Marcy, Michael J. Osland, Paul Schramm
U.S. Caribbean U.S. Caribbean
Historically, the U.S. Caribbean region has experienced relatively stable seasonal rainfall patterns, moderate annual temperature fluctuations, and a variety of extreme weather events, such as tropical storms, hurricanes, and drought. However, the Caribbean climate is changing and is projected to be increasingly variable as levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase. The high...
Authors
William A. Gould, Ernesto L. Diaz, Nora L. Alvarez-Berrios, Felix Aponte-Gonzalez, Wayne Archibald, Jared H. Bowden, Lisamarie Carrubba, Wanda Crespo, Stephen J. Fain, Grizelle Gonzalez, Annmarie Goulbourne, Eric Harmsen, Eva Holupchinski, Azad H. Khalyani, James P. Kossin, Amanda J. Leinberger, Vanessa I. Marrero-Santiago, Odalys Martinez-Sanchez, Kathleen McGinley, Pablo Mendez-Lazaro, Julio Morrell, Melissa Melendez Oyola, Isabel K. Pares-Ramos, Roger Pulwarty, William V. Sweet, Adam J. Terando, Sigfredo Torres-González
Water Water
Ensuring a reliable supply of clean freshwater to individuals, communities, and ecosystems, together with effective management of floods and droughts, is the foundation of human and ecological health. The water sector is also central to the economy and contributes significantly to the resilience of many other sectors, including agriculture, energy, urban environments, and industry. Water...
Authors
Upmanu Lall, Thomas M. Johnson, Peter Colohan, Amir AghaKouchak, Casey L. Brown, Gregory J. McCabe, Roger Pulwarty, Sankar Arumugam