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.
Science Quality and Integrity
Science Quality and Integrity
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Mission Area Publications
Mission Area Publications
We are focused on some of the most significant issues society faces, and our science is making a substantial contribution to the well-being of the Nation and the world. Learn more about the major topics our research covers and the programs focused on those topics.
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A data exchange standard for wadeable stream habitat monitoring data A data exchange standard for wadeable stream habitat monitoring data
Data from wadeable streams collected by monitoring programs are used to assess watershed condition status and trends. Federally managed programs collect a suite of similar habitat measurements using compatible methods and produce individual program datasets for their prescribed geographic and temporal range. We identified four programs that produce similar data: the Bureau of Land...
Authors
Rebecca A. Scully, Erin K. Dlabola, Jennifer M. Bayer, Emily Heaston, Jennifer Courtwright, Marcia N. Snyder, David Hockman-Wert, W. Carl Saunders, Karen A. Blocksom, Christine Hirsch, Scott W. Miller
Editorial: From cold seeps to hydrothermal vents: Geology, chemistry, microbiology, and ecology in marine and coastal environments Editorial: From cold seeps to hydrothermal vents: Geology, chemistry, microbiology, and ecology in marine and coastal environments
This Research Topic compiles contemporary studies on cold seeps, hydrothermal vents, mud volcanoes, and related seafloor features that are associated with focused fluid emissions and the transfer of carbon, other chemical species, and sometimes heat from the geosphere to the ocean. Because these features sometimes tap fluids and gas originating kilometers below the seafloor, they provide...
Authors
Glen T. Snyder, Andrew R. Thurber, Stephanie Dupre, Marcelo Ketzer, Carolyn D. Ruppel
New insights on the origin of the Richardson-Richards equation New insights on the origin of the Richardson-Richards equation
The Richardson-Richards equation (RRE), despite known shortcomings especially in regard to preferential flow, provides the basis of the vast majority of unsaturated flow models in use today. L.F. Richardson published this equation in 1922, nine years before L.A. Richards. Whereas Richards approached this problem directly from the groundbreaking developments of Edgar Buckingham...
Authors
John R. Nimmo
Evaluation of an open earthquake early warning system in Mexico, and laboratory tests of their sensors Evaluation of an open earthquake early warning system in Mexico, and laboratory tests of their sensors
Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers are useful for seismological and engineering applications because of their ability to record unsaturated large seismic signals. Recent advances in MEMS technologies enable the design of instruments with improved capabilities that also allow the recording of small signals. As a result, MEMS can be useful across a broad dynamic range and...
Authors
Vaclav Kuna, Adam T. Ringler, Diego Melgar
Dust in the Critical Zone: North American case studies Dust in the Critical Zone: North American case studies
The dust cycle facilitates the exchange of particles among Earth's major systems, enabling dust to traverse ecosystems, cross geographic boundaries, and even move uphill against the natural flow of gravity. Dust in the atmosphere is composed of a complex and ever-changing mixture that reflects the evolving human footprint on the landscape. The emission, transport, and deposition of dust...
Authors
Janice Brahney, Ruth C. Heindel, Thomas E. Gill, Gregory Carling, Juan M Gonzalez-Olalla, Jenny L. Hand, Derek V. Mallia, Jeffrey S. Munroe, Kevin Perry, Annie L. Putman, S. McKenzie Skiles, Brad R. Adams, Zachary T. Aanderud, Sarah M. Aarons, Daniela Aguirre, Karin Ardon-Dryer, Molly A. Blakowski, Jessie M. Creamean, Diego P. Fernandez, Hosein Foroutan, Cassandra J. Gaston, Maura Hahnenberger, Sebastian W. Hoch, Daniel K. Jones, Kerry E. Kelly, Otto I. Lang, Josh Lemonte, Richard L. Reynolds, Ramesh P. Singh, Mark Sweeney, Thorn K. Merrill
Implementation of controlled floods for sediment management on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon under aridification Implementation of controlled floods for sediment management on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon under aridification
In addition to supplying water for agriculture, cities, and industry, the Colorado River traverses the Colorado Plateau, including several of the most unique and valued National Parks and Recreation Areas in the United States. Although the water needs of these landscapes were not considered at the time water allocations were first negotiated, these needs were recognized in subsequent...
Authors
Paul E. Grams, David J. Topping, Gerard Lewis Salter, Katherine Anne Chapman, Robert B. Tusso, Erich R. Mueller
Quantifying fine sediment infiltration in spawning gravel used by Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sauk River Basin, Washington, 2018–21 Quantifying fine sediment infiltration in spawning gravel used by Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sauk River Basin, Washington, 2018–21
Fine sediment can infiltrate into river substrate that salmonid fish species (Oncorhynchus spp.) use to spawn. High levels of sediment infiltration can increase egg-to-fry mortality, which corresponds to the period when salmonids are still residing in the subsurface gravels. This study quantifies fine sediment infiltration of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning habitat...
Authors
Kristin L. Jaeger, Scott W. Anderson, Anya C. Leach, Scott T. Morris
Boundary spanning increases knowledge and action on invasive species in a changing climate Boundary spanning increases knowledge and action on invasive species in a changing climate
Challenges associated with global change stressors on ecosystems have prompted calls to improve actionable science, including through boundary-spanning activities, which aim to build connections and communication between researchers and natural resource practitioners. By synthesizing and translating research and practitioner knowledge, boundary-spanning activities could support proactive...
Authors
Annette E. Evans, Eva M. Colberg, Jenica M. Allen, Evelyn M. Beaury, Carrie Jean Brown-Lima, Toni Lyn Morelli, Bethany A. Bradley
Comparison of water quality in shallow groundwater near agricultural areas in the Delaware Coastal Plain, 2014 and 2019 Comparison of water quality in shallow groundwater near agricultural areas in the Delaware Coastal Plain, 2014 and 2019
The State of Delaware has encouraged agricultural conservation practices to improve nutrient uptake by crops and mitigate nutrient transport to groundwater in the surficial aquifer. To study recent changes in groundwater quality, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) developed a network of shallow wells near agricultural areas throughout the Delaware...
Authors
Alexander M. Soroka, Betzaida Reyes, Brandon J. Fleming, Michael Brownley
Coastal wetlands in the Anthropocene Coastal wetlands in the Anthropocene
We review the functioning and sustainability of coastal marshes and mangroves. Urbanized humans have a 7,000-year-old enduring relationship to coastal wetlands. Wetlands include marshes, salt flats, and saline and freshwater forests. Coastal wetlands occur in all climate zones but are most abundant in deltas. Mangroves are tropical, whereas marshes occur from tropical to boreal areas
Authors
John W. Day, Edward Anthony, Robert Costanza, Douglas Edmonds, Joel Gunn, Charles Hopkinson, Michael E. Mann, James Morris, Michael Osland, Tracy Quirk, Andre S. Rovai, John M Rybczyk, Thomas Spencer, Jessica Stephens, Jaia Syvitski, Robert R. Twilley, Jenneke Visser, John R. White
Archive of morphological data for the Coregonus artedi species complex of the Great Lakes, Lake Nipigon and Great Slave Lake Archive of morphological data for the Coregonus artedi species complex of the Great Lakes, Lake Nipigon and Great Slave Lake
This publication is a user guide for an archive of morphological data recorded by various authors from North American ciscoes of the Coregonus artedi species complex (subfamily Coregoninae). The archive is accessible from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission’s (GLFC) server, is open access, and contains data for the Laurentian Great Lakes; Lake Nipigon, Ontario; and Great Slave Lake...
Authors
Randy L. Eshenroder, Jonah Pollens-Dempsey, Thomas C. Pratt, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Thomas N. Todd, Timothy P. O’Brien, Scott M. Reid, Chris M. Olds, Whitney M. Woelmer, Yu-Chun Kao, Daniel L. Yule, Brian O’Malley, Paul Vecsei, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Andrew M. Muir
Adapting standardized trout monitoring to a changing climate for the upper Yellowstone River, Montana, USA Adapting standardized trout monitoring to a changing climate for the upper Yellowstone River, Montana, USA
Objective Long‐term standardized monitoring programs are fundamental to assessing how fish populations respond to anthropogenic stressors. Standardized monitoring programs may need to adopt new methods to adapt to rapid environmental changes that are associated with a changing climate. In the upper Yellowstone River, Montana, biologists have used a standardized, mark–recapture monitoring...
Authors
Michelle A. Briggs, Hayley Corrine Glassic, Christopher S. Guy, Scott T. Opitz, Jay J. Rotella, David A. Schmetterling