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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Water data to answer urgent water policy questions: Monitoring design, available data and filling data gaps for determining the effectiveness of agricultural management practices for reducing tributary nutrient loads to Lake Erie -- Addendum describing ne Water data to answer urgent water policy questions: Monitoring design, available data and filling data gaps for determining the effectiveness of agricultural management practices for reducing tributary nutrient loads to Lake Erie -- Addendum describing ne
This Addendum describes new, expanded, and planned water monitoring sites in the Lake Erie drainage basin that were initiated subsequent to the preparation of Betanzo et al. (2015), the primary report with which this Addendum is associated. In addition to the new water monitoring sites, new programs have been initiated that focus on expansion of agricultural management practices to...
Authors
Elin A. Betanzo, Anne F. Choquette, Laura Hayes
Hydraulic, geomorphic, and trout habitat conditions of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River in Hinsdale County, Lake City, Colorado, Water Years 2010-2011 Hydraulic, geomorphic, and trout habitat conditions of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River in Hinsdale County, Lake City, Colorado, Water Years 2010-2011
Channel rehabilitation, or reconfiguration, to mitigate a variety of riverine problems has become a common practice in the western United States. However, additional work to monitor and assess the channel response to, and the effectiveness of, these modifications over longer periods of time (decadal or longer) is still needed. The Lake Fork of the Gunnison River has been an area of...
Authors
Cory A. Williams, Rodney J. Richards, Keelin R. Schaffrath
Management of conservation reserve program grasslands to meet wildlife habitat objectives Management of conservation reserve program grasslands to meet wildlife habitat objectives
Numerous studies document environmental and social benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This report offers a synopsis of findings regarding effects of establishing CRP conservation practices on the quality and distribution of wildlife habitat in agricultural landscapes. On individual farms, year-round provision of wildlife habitat by the CRP may appear relatively...
Authors
Mark W. Vandever, Arthur W. Allen
Progress toward a National Water Census Progress toward a National Water Census
Increasing demand and competition for limited regional water resources make it difficult to ensure adequate water availability for both human and ecological needs now and into the future. Recognizing the need to improve the tools and information that are available to effectively evaluate water-resource availability, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) identified a National Water Census...
Authors
Sonya A. Jones
Changing Arctic Ecosystems: Updated forecast: Reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions required to improve polar bear outlook Changing Arctic Ecosystems: Updated forecast: Reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions required to improve polar bear outlook
The Arctic is warming faster than other regions of the world due to the loss of snow and ice, which increases the amount of solar energy absorbed by the region. The most visible consequence has been the rapid decline in sea ice over the last 3 decades-a decline projected to bring long ice-free summers if greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not significantly reduced. The polar bear (Ursus...
Authors
Karen L. Oakley, Todd C. Atwood, Douglas N. Mugel, Karyn D. Rode, Mary E. Whalen
NGA-West 2 GMPE average site coefficients for use in earthquake-resistant design NGA-West 2 GMPE average site coefficients for use in earthquake-resistant design
Site coefficients corresponding to those in tables 11.4–1 and 11.4–2 of Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (Standard ASCE/SEI 7-10) are derived from four of the Next Generation Attenuation West2 (NGA-W2) Ground-Motion Prediction Equations (GMPEs). The resulting coefficients are compared with those derived by other
Authors
Roger D. Borcherdt
Data from the 2011 International Piping Plover Census Data from the 2011 International Piping Plover Census
This report provides results from the 2011 International Census of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus). Distribution and abundance data for wintering and breeding Piping Plovers are summarized in tabular format. An appendix provides census data for every site surveyed in every state, province, and island. The 2011 winter census resulted in the observation of 3,973 Piping Plovers...
Authors
Elise Elliott-Smith, Mark T. Bidwell, Amanda E. Holland, Susan M. Haig
Water resources of St. James Parish, Louisiana Water resources of St. James Parish, Louisiana
Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in St. James Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information on the availability, past and current use, use trends, and water...
Authors
Vincent E. White, Lawrence B. Prakken
Porphyry copper assessment of northeast Asia: Far East Russia and northeasternmost China: Chapter W in Global mineral resource assessment Porphyry copper assessment of northeast Asia: Far East Russia and northeasternmost China: Chapter W in Global mineral resource assessment
The U.S. Geological Survey assesses resources (mineral, energy, water, environmental, and biologic) at regional, national, and global scales to provide science in support of land management and decision making. Mineral resource assessments provide a synthesis of available information about where mineral deposits are known and suspected to be in the Earth’s crust, which commodities may be...
Authors
Mark J. Mihalasky, Stephen Ludington, Dmitriy V. Alexeiev, Thomas P. Frost, Thomas D. Light, Deborah A. Briggs, Jane M. Hammarstrom, John C. Wallis, Arthur A. Bookstrom, Andre Panteleyev
Satellite monitoring of dramatic changes at Hawai'i's only alpine lake: Lake Waiau on Mauna Kea volcano Satellite monitoring of dramatic changes at Hawai'i's only alpine lake: Lake Waiau on Mauna Kea volcano
Lake Waiau is a small, typically 100-meter-long lake, located near the summit of Mauna Kea volcano, on the Island of Hawaiʻi. It is Hawaiʻi’s only alpine lake and is considered sacred in Hawaiian cultural tradition. Over the past few years, the lake has diminished in size, and, by October 2013, surface water had almost completely disappeared from the lake. In this study, we use high...
Authors
Matthew R. Patrick, James P. Kauahikaua
Chance findings about early holocene tidal marshes of Grays Harbor, Washington, in relation to rapidly rising seas and great subduction earthquakes Chance findings about early holocene tidal marshes of Grays Harbor, Washington, in relation to rapidly rising seas and great subduction earthquakes
Tidal marshes commonly build upward apace with gradual rise in the level of the sea. It is expected, however, that few tidal marshes will keep up with accelerated sea-level rise later in this century. Tidal marshes have been drowned, moreover, after subsiding during earthquakes. This report tells of ancient marshes that endured rapid sea-level rise in a region that subsides during...
Authors
James B. Phipps, Eileen Hemphill-Haley, Brian F. Atwater
Curiosity’s robotic arm-mounted Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI): Characterization and calibration status Curiosity’s robotic arm-mounted Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI): Characterization and calibration status
MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager) is a 2-megapixel, Bayer pattern color CCD camera with a macro lens mounted on a rotatable turret at the end of the 2-meters-long robotic arm aboard the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity. The camera includes white and longwave ultraviolet LEDs to illuminate targets at night. Onboard data processing services include focus stack merging and data...
Authors
Kenneth S. Edgett, Michael A. Caplinger, Justin N. Maki, Michael A. Ravine, F. Tony Ghaemi, Sean McNair, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Brian M. Duston, Reg G. Wilson, R. Aileen Yingst, Megan R. Kennedy, Michelle E. Minitti, Aaron J. Sengstacken, Kimberley D. Supulver, Leslie J. Lipkaman, Gillian M. Krezoski, Marie J. McBride, Tessa L. Jones, Brian E. Nixon, Jason K. Van Beek, Daniel J. Krysak, Randolph L. Kirk