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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Potomac Tributary Summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985 - 2022 Potomac Tributary Summary: A summary of trends in tidal water quality and associated factors, 1985 - 2022
The Potomac Tributary Summary outlines change over time for a suite of monitored tidal water quality parameters and associated potential drivers of those trends for the period of 1985 to 2022, and provides a brief description of the current state of knowledge explaining these observed changes. Water quality parameters described include surface (above pycnocline) total nitrogen (TN)...
Authors
Breck Maura Sullivan, Kaylyn Gootman, Alex Gunnerson, Sarah Betts, Gabriel Duran, Cindy Johnson, Christopher A. Mason, Elgin Perry, Gopal Bhatt, Jennifer L. Keisman, James S. Webber, Jon Harcum, Michael Lane, Olivia Devereux, Qian Zhang, Rebecca Murphy, Renee Karrh, Thomas Butler, Zhaoying Wei
Tracking status and trends in seven key indicators of river and stream condition in the Chesapeake Bay watershed Tracking status and trends in seven key indicators of river and stream condition in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Freshwater streams and rivers are recognized as vital habitats within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which has been undergoing extensive restoration efforts for more than 30 years. Resource managers need to understand stream and river condition and how these conditions are changing over time to determine whether regional long-term restoration and conservation goals are being met. The...
Authors
Lindsey J. Boyle, Samuel H. Austin, Matthew J. Cashman, Zachary J. Clifton, John W. Clune, James E. Colgin, Kaitlyn E.M. Elliott, Rosemary M. Fanelli, Ellie P. Foss, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Elizabeth A. Hittle, Coral M. Howe, Emily H. Majcher, Kelly O. Maloney, Christopher A. Mason, Marina J. Metes, Douglas L. Moyer, Trevor P. Needham, Karli M. Rogers, Joshua J. Thompson, Guoxiang Yang, Tammy M. Zimmerman
Bison population dynamics, harvest, and human conflict potential under feedground management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Bison population dynamics, harvest, and human conflict potential under feedground management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
Bison bison were once abundant across North America but declined due to overharvesting in the late 1800s. The reintroduced population in and around Jackson, Wyoming has averaged 485 individuals between 2018–2023 and is the subject of a planning process to inform management strategies that will guide the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s next “Bison and Elk Management Plan” for the National Elk...
Authors
Jonathan D. Cook, Margaret C. McEachran, Gavin G. Cotterill, Eric K. Cole
Decision analysis in support of the National Elk Refuge bison and elk management plan Decision analysis in support of the National Elk Refuge bison and elk management plan
Preface This report was developed to evaluate the performance of a set of proposed alternatives for Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) and Bison bison (bison) management at the National Elk Refuge (NER) in Wyoming, U.S.A., and to inform a National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement focused on developing the next “Bison and Elk Management Plan” (BEMP). The U.S...
Decision framing overview and performance of management alternatives for bison and elk feedground management at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Decision framing overview and performance of management alternatives for bison and elk feedground management at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
This report was developed to evaluate the performance of a set of proposed alternatives for Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) and Bison bison (bison) management at the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming, U.S.A., and to inform a National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement focused on developing the next “Bison and Elk Management Plan” (BEMP). The U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Jonathan D. Cook, Gavin G. Cotterill, Margaret C. McEachran, Tabitha A. Graves, Eric K. Cole, Paul C. Cross
Estimating the social and economic consequences of proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Estimating the social and economic consequences of proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
The National Elk Refuge (Refuge) is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and includes habitats for bison and elk. Bison and elk provide opportunities for wildlife-related recreation and contribute to the tourism industry in and around Jackson, Wyoming. Over the last century, the Refuge has provisioned supplemental feed to elk and, more recently, bison during winter months to...
Authors
Margaret C. McEachran, Andrew Don Carlos, Gavin G. Cotterill, Eric K. Cole, Jonathan D. Cook
Evaluating elk distribution and conflict under proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Evaluating elk distribution and conflict under proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
We evaluated measurable attributes describing the current and future distribution of Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) across a region surrounding Jackson, Wyoming, for five feedground management alternatives proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a revision to the 2007 “Bison and Elk Management Plan” of the National Elk Refuge. A resource selection function evaluated measurable
Authors
Gavin G. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Eric K. Cole, Jonathan D. Cook, Margaret C. McEachran, Tabitha A. Graves
Predictions of elk and chronic wasting disease dynamics at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming, and surrounding areas Predictions of elk and chronic wasting disease dynamics at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming, and surrounding areas
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Elk Refuge (NER) in Jackson, Wyoming, supplementally feeds Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) and Bison bison (American bison) during winter months, but the costs and benefits of this management strategy are being reevaluated considering the potential effects of chronic wasting disease (CWD) on elk. U.S. Geological Survey scientists worked with...
Authors
Paul C. Cross, Jonathan D. Cook, Eric K. Cole
Predictions of elk, chronic wasting disease dynamics, and socioeconomics under alternative D at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming, and surrounding areas Predictions of elk, chronic wasting disease dynamics, and socioeconomics under alternative D at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming, and surrounding areas
This chapter presents a description and quantitative evaluation of a collaborative alternative (alternative D) focused on near-term elk population reduction and chronic wasting disease (CWD) monitoring as part of winter elk and bison feedground operations on the National Elk Refuge adjacent to Jackson, Wyoming. Alternative D was developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the lead...
Authors
Jonathan D. Cook, Gavin G. Cotterill, Eric K. Cole, Paul C. Cross
Young explosive eruptions from the Clear Lake volcanic field Young explosive eruptions from the Clear Lake volcanic field
The Clear Lake volcanic field is the northernmost and youngest field in a chain of volcanic fields in and near the California Coast Range mountains. For 2 million years, numerous eruptions have happened around (and through) Clear Lake. The most recent period of activity in the Clear Lake volcanic field probably started around 40,000 years ago and was mainly explosive eruptions...
Authors
Jessica L. Ball, Seth D. Burgess, Dawnika L. Blatter
Insights and strategic opportunities from the USGS 2024 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Interagency Workshop Insights and strategic opportunities from the USGS 2024 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Interagency Workshop
Introduction In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published Circular 1490 titled, “Integrated Science for the Study of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment: A Strategic Science Vision for the U.S. Geological Survey” (Tokranov and others, 2021). Circular 1490 was created to be a resource for USGS scientists prioritizing and planning research...
Authors
Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Kimberly R. Beisner, Paul M. Bradley, Patricia R. Bright, Juliane B. Brown, Christopher J. Churchill, Stephanie E. Gordon, Natalie Karouna-Renier, Dana W. Kolpin, Rebecca B. Lambert, Erin L. Pulster, Rip S. Shively, Kelly L. Smalling, Jeffery A. Steevens, Andrea K. Tokranov
The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Network—Surface Water, 2024 The U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Network—Surface Water, 2024
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Network for surface water (NWQN-SW) was established in 2013 to develop long-term, comparable assessments of surface-water quality in support of national, regional, State, and local needs related to water-quality management and policy. Water-quality samples are collected at each site and measured for a variety of constituents. In...
Authors
Melissa L. Riskin