Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Browse more than 160,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS.  Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.

Filter Total Items: 174960

Paleo-scours within the layered sulfate-bearing unit at Gale crater, Mars: Evidence for intense wind erosion Paleo-scours within the layered sulfate-bearing unit at Gale crater, Mars: Evidence for intense wind erosion

The surface of modern Mars is largely shaped by wind, but the influence of past wind activity is less well constrained. Sedimentary rocks exposed in the lower foothills of Aeolis Mons, the central mound within Gale crater, record a transition from predominantly lacustrine deposition in the Murray formation to aeolian deposition in the Mirador formation. Here, we report a series of...
Authors
A.L. Roberts, S. Gupta, S.G. Banhan, A. Cowart, Lauren A. Edgar, W. Rapin, W.E. Dietrich, E.S. Kite, J.M. Davis, G. Caravaca, C.A. Mondro, P.J. Gasda, J.R. Johnson, S. Le Mouelic, D.M. Fey, A.B. Bryk, G. Paar, R.A. Harris, A. Fraeman, A.R. Vasavada

Environmental persistence and toxicity of weathered wildland fire retardants to rainbow trout Environmental persistence and toxicity of weathered wildland fire retardants to rainbow trout

Long-term fire retardants are employed to combat and control wildfires by altering the way fuels burn, and they continue to decrease fire intensity after water in the retardant solution has evaporated. After application, fire retardants may persist on dry stream beds or in riparian habitats before precipitation events flush the retardant into intermittent streams. We exposed juvenile (30...
Authors
Christina M. Mackey, Michael G. Iacchetta, Holly J. Puglis

Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) at the Mojave River Dam, San Bernardino County, California—2024 data summary Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) at the Mojave River Dam, San Bernardino County, California—2024 data summary

We surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo) and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) at the Mojave River Dam study area near Hesperia, California, in 2024. Four vireo surveys were completed between April 17 and July 2, 2024, and three flycatcher surveys were completed between May 23 and July 2, 2024. We detected three territorial...
Authors
Scarlett L. Howell, Barbara E. Kus

Using distance sampling with camera traps to estimate densities of ungulates on tropical oceanic islands Using distance sampling with camera traps to estimate densities of ungulates on tropical oceanic islands

Reliable population estimates are one of the most elementary needs for the management of wildlife, particularly for introduced ungulates on oceanic islands. We aimed to produce accurate and precise density estimates of Philippine deer (Rusa marianna) and wild pigs (Sus scrofa) on Guam using motion-triggered cameras combined with distance sampling to estimate densities from observations...
Authors
Richard J. Camp, Trevor M. Bak, Matthew D Burt, Scott Vogt

Fine-resolution satellite remote sensing improves spatially distributed snow modeling to near real time Fine-resolution satellite remote sensing improves spatially distributed snow modeling to near real time

Given the highly variable distribution of seasonal snowpacks in complex mountainous environments, the accurate snow modeling of basin-wide snow water equivalent (SWE) requires a spatially distributed approach at a sufficiently fine grid resolution (
Authors
Graham A. Sexstone, Garrett Alexander Akie, David J. Selkowitz, Theodore B. Barnhart, David M. Rey, Claudia León-Salazar, Emily Carbone, Lindsay A. Bearup

Shifting baselines of coral-reef species composition from the Late Pleistocene to the present in the Florida Keys Shifting baselines of coral-reef species composition from the Late Pleistocene to the present in the Florida Keys

The ongoing global-scale reassembly of modern coral reefs is unprecedented compared with the observed stability of most late Quaternary reef assemblages. One notable exception is the marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e (ca 130–116 thousand years ago [ka]) reefs in the Florida Keys, where the ubiquitous shallow-water coral, Acropora palmata, was near absent. Little is known, however, about...
Authors
Lauren Toth, Anastasios Stathakopoulos, Scarlette Shan-Hwei Hsia, David A. Weinstein

Linking permafrost to the abundance, biomass, and energy density of fish in Arctic headwater streams Linking permafrost to the abundance, biomass, and energy density of fish in Arctic headwater streams

Permafrost thaw alters groundwater flow, river hydrology, stream-catchment interactions, and the availability of carbon and nutrients in headwater streams. The impact of permafrost on watershed hydrology and biogeochemistry of headwater streams has been demonstrated, but there is little understanding of how permafrost influences fish in these ecosystems. We examined relations among...
Authors
Michael P. Carey, Joshua C. Koch, Jonathan A. O’Donnell, Brett Poulin, Christian E. Zimmerman

Using the D-Claw software package to model lahars in the Middle Fork Nooksack River drainage and beyond, Mount Baker, Washington Using the D-Claw software package to model lahars in the Middle Fork Nooksack River drainage and beyond, Mount Baker, Washington

Lahars, or volcanic mudflows, are the most hazardous eruption-related phenomena that will affect communities living along rivers that originate on Mount Baker. In the past 15,000 years, the largest lahars from Mount Baker have affected the Middle Fork Nooksack River drainage and beyond. Here we use the physics-based D-Claw software package to model nine lahar scenarios that are initiated...
Authors
Cynthia A. Gardner, Mary Catherine Benage, Charles M. Cannon, David L. George

Social sensing a volcanic eruption: Application to Kīlauea, 2018 Social sensing a volcanic eruption: Application to Kīlauea, 2018

Protecting lives and livelihoods during volcanic eruptions is the key challenge in volcanology, conducted primarily by volcano monitoring and emergency management organisations, but it is complicated by scarce knowledge of how communities respond in times of crisis. Social sensing is a rapidly developing practice that can be adapted for volcanology. Here we use social sensing of Twitter...
Authors
James Hickey, James Young, Michelle Spruce, Ravi Pandit, Hywel Williams, Rudy Arthur, Wendy K. Stovall, Matthew Head

Assessing potential collateral effects on amphibians from insecticide applications for flea control and plague mitigation Assessing potential collateral effects on amphibians from insecticide applications for flea control and plague mitigation

Ideal disease mitigation measures for wildlife are safe and benign for target species, non-target organisms, the environment, and humans. Identifying collateral (i.e., unintended) effects is a key consideration in implementing such actions. Deltamethrin dust and fipronil-laced baits represent a group of insecticides that target fleas (pulicides) and are used to control flea (Siphonaptera...
Authors
David A. Eads, Susan A. Shriner, Jeremy W. Ellis, Paul M. Cryan, Michelle L. Hladik, Gregory P. Dooley, Erin L. Muths

The complete mitochondrial genomes of the freshwater mussel Ortmanniana ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819): male and female mitotypes The complete mitochondrial genomes of the freshwater mussel Ortmanniana ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819): male and female mitotypes

Freshwater mussels of the Unionida order are important to freshwater ecosystems but are highly imperiled worldwide. Improving our understanding of these species is crucial to their continued conservation. Some Unionid mussels exhibit double uniparental inheritance (DUI) in which individuals have two mitochondrial genomes. Of those species with DUI, sequences of the female mitotype are...
Authors
Katy E. Klymus, Jason Coombs, Dannise Ruiz-Ramos, Aaron Maloy, Christopher M. Barnhart

The feasibility of using lidar-derived digital elevation models for gravity data reduction The feasibility of using lidar-derived digital elevation models for gravity data reduction

Gravity data require submeter elevation accuracy for data processing, and differential global navigation satellite system (dGNSS) equipment is commonly used to acquire three-dimensional positional data to achieve such accuracy. However, lidar (light detection and ranging) data are commonly used to develop digital elevation models (DEMs) of Earth’s surface. Therefore, using elevations...
Authors
Jacob T. Murchek, Benjamin J. Drenth, James J. Reitman, Eric D. Anderson, Benjamin Patrick Magnin, James M. DeGraff
Was this page helpful?