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.
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Mission Area Publications
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Utility of an instantaneous salt dilution method for measuring streamflow in headwater streams Utility of an instantaneous salt dilution method for measuring streamflow in headwater streams
Streamflow records are biased toward large streams and rivers, yet small headwater streams are often the focus of ecological research in response to climate change. Conventional flow measurement instruments such as acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADVs) do not perform well during low-flow conditions in small streams, truncating the development of rating curves during critical baseflow...
Authors
Karli M. Rogers, Jennifer H. Fair, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karmann G. Kessler, Zachary A. Kelly, Martin A. Briggs
Fish size structures in lakes of the Lower Mississippi River floodplain Fish size structures in lakes of the Lower Mississippi River floodplain
The Lower Mississippi River has a floodplain that includes >1350 perennial lakes carved by shifts in river courses and other hydro-fluvial processes over eons. Notwithstanding their similar provenances, these waterbodies exhibit an immense variety of morphologies and successional stages that illustrate their natural trajectory from aquatic to forested wetlands. A result of this...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, D.J. Dembkowski
Large-scale dam removal and ecosystem restoration Large-scale dam removal and ecosystem restoration
Rivers underpin vital ecosystems that support aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity and many ecosystem services, including food, water, culture, and recreation (Dudgeon et al. 2006). After centuries of building dams on rivers across the world, river restoration via dam removal is receiving increased public attention, financial investment, and scientific study because of various issues of...
Authors
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Jeffrey J. Duda, Laura Soissons, Jean-Marc Roussel
Redistribution of debris-flow sediment following severe wildfire and floods in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA Redistribution of debris-flow sediment following severe wildfire and floods in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, USA
Severe fire on steep slopes increases stormwater runoff and the occurrence of runoff-initiated debris flows. Predicting locations of debris flows and their downstream effects on trunk streams requires watershed-scale high-resolution topographic data. Intense precipitation in July and September 2013 following the June 2011 Las Conchas Fire in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico, led to...
Authors
Jonathan M. Friedman, Anne C. Tillery, Samuel J. Alfieri, Elizabeth Rachaelann Skaggs, Patrick B. Shafroth, Craig D. Allen
Developing, testing, and communicating earthquake forecasts: Current practices and future directions Developing, testing, and communicating earthquake forecasts: Current practices and future directions
While deterministically predicting the time and location of earthquakes remains impossible, earthquake forecasting models can provide estimates of the probabilities of earthquakes occurring within some region over time. To enable informed decision-making of civil protection, governmental agencies, or the public, Operational Earthquake Forecasting (OEF) systems aim to provide...
Authors
Leila Mizrahi, Irina Dallo, Nicholas van der Elst, Annemarie Christophersen, Ilaria Spassiani, Maximillian J. Werner, Pablo Iturrieta, Jose Bayona, Iunio Iervolino, Max Schneider, Morgan T. Page, Jiancang Zhuang, Marcus Herrmann, Andrew J. Michael, Guiseppe Falcone, Warner Marzocchi, David A. Rhoades, Matthew Gerstenberger, Laura Gulia, Danijel Schorlemmer, Julia Becker, Marta Han, Lorena Kuratle, Michele Marti, Stefan Wiemer
Effects of temporal hydrologic shifts on the population biology of an endangered freshwater fish in a dryland river ecosystem Effects of temporal hydrologic shifts on the population biology of an endangered freshwater fish in a dryland river ecosystem
Species occupying dryland river ecosystems often experience “boom-and-bust” demographic cycles that coincide with shifts in habitat availability. Knowing whether declines are within natural thresholds versus those caused by acute human disturbance is critical for managing protected species. We investigated temporal shifts in abundance and habitat use of an endangered population of the...
Authors
Jonathan Q. Richmond, Philip Robert Gould, Jennifer Pareti, Andrew Aitken, Eric Morrissette, Adam R. Backlin, Chris Dellith, Robert N. Fisher
Variation in dietary ecology of two invasive American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) populations in Southern California Variation in dietary ecology of two invasive American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) populations in Southern California
Invasive American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) are a threat to native species in riparian ecosystems worldwide. They are indiscriminate predators consuming both vertebrate and invertebrate prey, negatively affecting biodiversity. Documenting the diet and feeding ecology of invasive L. catesbeianus can help management agencies identify affected species and facilitate eradication...
Authors
Nathan W. Smith, Ryan J. Hanscom, Jonathan Q. Richmond, Robert N. Fisher, Rulon W. Clark
Revision of ModelMuse to support the use of PEST software with MODFLOW and SUTRA models Revision of ModelMuse to support the use of PEST software with MODFLOW and SUTRA models
Executive Summary ModelMuse is a graphical user interface for several groundwater modeling programs. ModelMuse was updated to generate the input files for the parameter estimation software suite PEST. The software is used with MODFLOW or SUTRA models to run PEST-based parameter estimation and display the updated model inputs after parameter estimation. The PEST input files can also be...
Authors
Richard B. Winston
Population genetic structure and demographic history reconstruction of introduced flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) in two US Mid-Atlantic rivers Population genetic structure and demographic history reconstruction of introduced flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) in two US Mid-Atlantic rivers
Population genetic analysis of invasive populations can provide valuable insights into the source of introductions, pathways for expansion, and their demographic histories. Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) are a prolific invasive species with high fecundity, long-distance dispersal, and piscivorous feeding habits that can lead to declines in native fish populations. In this study...
Authors
Justin Waraniak, Michael S. Eackles, Jason Keagy, Geoffrey D. Smith, Megan Schall, Sydney Stark, Shannon L. White, David C. Kazyak, Tyler Wagner
Origin of the Laurentian Great Lakes fish fauna through upward adaptive radiation cascade prior to the Last Glacial Maximum Origin of the Laurentian Great Lakes fish fauna through upward adaptive radiation cascade prior to the Last Glacial Maximum
The evolutionary histories of adaptive radiations can be marked by dramatic demographic fluctuations. However, the demographic histories of ecologically-linked co-diversifying lineages remain understudied. The Laurentian Great Lakes provide a unique system of two such radiations that are dispersed across depth gradients with a predator-prey relationship. We show that the North American...
Authors
Nathan J.C. Backenstose, Daniel J. MacGuigan, Christopher A. Osborne, Moises A. Bernal, Elizabeth K. Thomas, Eric Normandeau, Daniel L. Yule, Wendylee Stott, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Victor A. Albert, Louis Bernatchez, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft
Resource availability and heterogeneity affect space use and resource selection of a feral ungulate Resource availability and heterogeneity affect space use and resource selection of a feral ungulate
Animals adjust their habitat use patterns in response to changes in their physiological needs and environmental conditions. Understanding the mechanisms underlying resource selection and space use across time and space reveals effects of the environment on animals' decisions. We explored the effects of habitat availability and heterogeneity on the seasonal and annual space use and...
Authors
Saeideh Esmaeili, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Sarah King
Common-garden experiment reveals outbreeding depression and region-of-origin effects on reproductive success in a frequently translocated tortoise Common-garden experiment reveals outbreeding depression and region-of-origin effects on reproductive success in a frequently translocated tortoise
Human-mediated animal movement can expose wildlife populations to novel environments. Phenotypic plasticity can buffer against the challenges presented by novel environments, while adaptation to local ecosystems may limit resilience in novel ecosystems. Outbreeding depression during the mixing of disparate gene pools can also reduce reproductive success after long-distance movement. Here...
Authors
Kevin J. Loope, J. Nicole DeSha, Matthew J. Aresco, Kevin T. Shoemaker, Elizabeth Ann Hunter