Reports

Earthquakes and their cascading consequences pose a significant threat to the people, environment, infrastructure, and economy of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest is susceptible to three types of earthquakes: deep (intraslab) earthquakes, subduction zone (megathrust) earthquakes, and shallow crustal earthquakes. For each of these earthquake types, earth scientists can...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), frequently called “forever chemicals,” are used for a wide variety of industrial purposes and are often found in common household and industrial items such as firefighting foams, non-stick cookware, and water-resistant materials. The contamination of water, air, and soil by PFAS is a national and global issue due to their widespread occurrence...

The Zuni Salt Lake is located in a maar in west-central New Mexico and contains hypersaline water that has long been used by Native Americans for religious purposes and the collection of salt. There have been several investigations suggesting different sources for the water and salt to the lake. Springs, seeps, and ephemeral streamflow have all been observed to contribute freshwater to...

Many know Jamestown Island, Virginia, hereafter referred to as “the Island,” located near the mouth of the James River into the Chesapeake Bay, as the home of the first permanent English settlement in North America. However, the Island is home to 15,000 years’ worth of cultural artifacts and archaeological sites. In addition to its rich history, the Island is home to a variety of native...

The Cretaceous Mancos Shale is a geologic source of selenium in the lower Gunnison River Basin. Natural weathering processes and human activity mobilize selenium from the Mancos Shale and derived materials, and surface water, groundwater, and sediment all affect the transport of selenium from source areas to receiving streams and biota. Selenium accumulates through the aquatic food chain...

Trapping mosquitoes to quantify their distribution and abundance is often a key step in monitoring dynamics of vector-borne diseases. This is the case in Hawaii, where avian malaria is devastating native forest birds that are highly susceptible to non-native diseases. However, mosquito trapping is difficult and labor intensive. A typical operation requires traps to be visited multiple...

Executive Summary We surveyed for coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in 507 established plots in San Diego County in 2024, encompassing four genetic clusters (Otay, Lake Jennings, Sweetwater/Encanto, and San Pasqual). Of the 507 plots, 376 have been surveyed every year starting in 2020. Two surveys were completed at each plot between March 1 and July 31, 2024. Cactus...

No abstract available.

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 1.0 billion barrels of oil and 53.4 trillion cubic feet of gas in India and Sri Lanka.

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) have become increasingly common, threatening the security of water resources globally. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted high-resolution nearshore mapping surveys using boat-mounted multiparameter sondes and nitrate sensors during the summer and fall of 2019 on Owasco Lake and Seneca Lake, two lakes with documented CyanoHABs in the...

Between 2011 and 2018, the Kootenai River Habitat Restoration Project, led by the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, implemented restoration treatments to enhance the natural recruitment of the critically endangered Acipenser transmontanus (white sturgeon) and other fish native to the Kootenai River. These restoration treatments in the Straight and Braided Reaches of the Kootenai River are...

The construction and operation of large reservoirs in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon, influences important cultural, biological, and other natural or economic resources in affected river corridors. The present-day landforms and cover within the reservoirs have been shaped by a variety of processes, including the pre-dam valley setting and geomorphic processes related to dam...