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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: 175050

Reduction of large vessel traffic improves water quality and alters fish habitat-use throughout a large river Reduction of large vessel traffic improves water quality and alters fish habitat-use throughout a large river

Rivers are increasingly used as superhighways for the continental-scale transportation of freight goods, but the ecological impact of large vessel traffic on river ecosystems is difficult to study. Recently, the temporary maintenance closure of lock and dam systems on the Illinois Waterway (USA) brought commercial vessel traffic to a halt along the river's length, offering a rare...
Authors
Michael J. Spear, Brandon S. Harris, Taylor A. Bookout, Brian Ickes, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Levi E. Solomon, Kristopher A. Maxson, Andrya L. Whitten Harris, Andrew T. Mathis, Sam J. Schaick, Jesse A. Williams, Jason A. DeBoer, Allison W. Lenaerts, Eric C. Hine, John H. Chick, James T. Lamer

Assessing the utility of uncrewed aerial system photogrammetrically derived point clouds for land cover classification in the Alaska North Slope Assessing the utility of uncrewed aerial system photogrammetrically derived point clouds for land cover classification in the Alaska North Slope

Uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) have been used to collect “pseudo field plot” data in the form of large-scale stereo imagery to supplement and bolster direct field observations to monitor areas in Alaska. These data supplement field data that is difficult to collect in such a vast landscape with a relatively short field season. Dense photogrammetrically derived point clouds are created...
Authors
Jung-Kuan Liu, Rongjun Qin, Samantha Arundel

Side-scan sonar as a tool for measuring fish populations: Current state of the science and future directions Side-scan sonar as a tool for measuring fish populations: Current state of the science and future directions

Side-scan sonar (SSS) is a powerful tool that can be used to address many key questions in fisheries science. In principle, SSS uses dual transducers to transmit a narrow-beam, wide-angle acoustic signal as the survey vessel transits an area. The intensity of reflected sound is recorded to generate an image mosaic comprised of benthic substrates and targets in the water column, including...
Authors
Josey Lee Ridgway, John A. Madsen, Jesse Robert Fischer, Robin D. Calfee, Matthew Ross Acre, David C. Kazyak

CoastSeg: An accessible and extendable hub for satellite-derived-shoreline (SDS) detection and mapping CoastSeg: An accessible and extendable hub for satellite-derived-shoreline (SDS) detection and mapping

CoastSeg is an interactive browser-based program that aims to broaden the adoption of satellite-derived shoreline (SDS) detection and coastal landcover mapping workflows among coastal scientists and coastal resource management practitioners. SDS is a sub-field of coastal sciences that aims to detect and post-process a time-series of shoreline locations from publicly available satellite...
Authors
Sharon Fitzpatrick, Daniel D. Buscombe, Jonathan A. Warrick, Mark A. Lundine, Kilian Vos

Application of a workflow to determine the feasibility of using simulated streamflow for estimation of streamflow frequency statistics Application of a workflow to determine the feasibility of using simulated streamflow for estimation of streamflow frequency statistics

Streamflow records from hydrologic models are attractive for use in operational hydrology, such as a streamflow frequency analysis. The amount of bias inherent to simulated streamflow from hydrologic models is often unknown, but it is likely present in derivative products. Therefore, a workflow may help determine where streamflow frequency analysis is credibly feasible from simulated...
Authors
Amanda Whaling, Kelly Sanks, William H. Asquith, Kirk D. Rodgers

Predicting the response of a long-distance migrant to changing environmental conditions in winter Predicting the response of a long-distance migrant to changing environmental conditions in winter

Access to high-quality food is critical for long-distance migrants to provide energy for migration and arrival at breeding grounds in good condition. We studied effects of changing abundance and availability of a marine food, common eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), on an arctic-breeding, migratory goose, black brant (Brant bernicla nigricans Lawrence 1846), at a key non-breeding site, Bahía...
Authors
Richard A. Stillman, E.M. Rivers, W. Gilkerson, K. A. Wood, P. Clausen, C. Deane, David H. Ward

Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins Use of Doppler velocity radars to monitor and predict debris and flood wave velocities and travel times in post-wildfire basins

The magnitude and timing of extreme events such as debris and floodflows (collectively referred to as floodflows) in post-wildfire basins are difficult to measure and are even more difficult to predict. To address this challenge, a sensor ensemble consisting of noncontact, ground-based (near-field), Doppler velocity (velocity) and pulsed (stage or gage height) radars, rain gages, and a...
Authors
John W, Fulton, Nicholas Graff Hall, Laura A. Hempel, J.J. Gourley, Mark F. Henneberg, Michael S. Kohn, William H. Farmer, William H. Asquith, Daniel Wasielewski, Andrew S. Stecklein, Amanullah Mommandi, Aziz Khan

Characterising, quantifying, and accessing eruption source parameters of explosive volcanic eruptions for operational simulation of tephra dispersion: A current view and future perspectives Characterising, quantifying, and accessing eruption source parameters of explosive volcanic eruptions for operational simulation of tephra dispersion: A current view and future perspectives

Eruption source parameters (ESPs) are crucial for characterising volcanic eruptions and are essential inputs to numerical models used for hazard assessment. Key ESPs of explosive volcanic eruptions include plume height, mass eruption rate, eruption duration, and grain-size distribution. Some of these ESPs can be directly observed during an eruption, but others are difficult to measure in...
Authors
Samantha Engwell, Larry G. Mastin, Contanza Bonadonna, Sara Barsotti, Natalia I. Deligne, Bergrun A. Oladottir

Reach-scale mapping of surface flow velocities from thermal images acquired by an uncrewed aircraft system along the Sacramento River, California, USA Reach-scale mapping of surface flow velocities from thermal images acquired by an uncrewed aircraft system along the Sacramento River, California, USA

An innovative payload containing a sensitive mid-wave infrared camera was flown on an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) to acquire thermal imagery along a reach of the Sacramento River, California, USA. The imagery was used as input for an ensemble particle image velocimetry (PIV) algorithm to produce near-continuous maps of surface flow velocity along a reach approximately 1 km in length...
Authors
Paul J. Kinzel, Carl J. Legleiter, Christopher L. Gazoorian

An update of the ichthyofauna of West Virginia with notes on historic sportfish stockings An update of the ichthyofauna of West Virginia with notes on historic sportfish stockings

The management and conservation of faunas at regional scales depend on current data on species diversity and distribution. Relative to the ichthyofauna of West Virginia, few studies have recently documented the richness and distribution of fishes in the state, with even the most comprehensive publications rarely discussing either the conservation status of individual fishes or historical...
Authors
D. A. Cincotta, S.A. Welsh

A fire-use decision model to improve the United States’ wildfire management and support climate change adaptation A fire-use decision model to improve the United States’ wildfire management and support climate change adaptation

The US faces multiple challenges in facilitating the safe, effective, and proactive use of fire as a landscape management tool. This intentional fire use exposes deeply ingrained communication challenges and distinct but overlapping strategies of prescribed fire, cultural burning, and managed wildfire. We argue for a new conceptual model that is organized around ecological conditions...
Authors
Aaron Daniel Russell, Nina Fontana, Tyler Hoecker, Alyssa Kamanu, Reetam Majumder, Jilmarie Stephens, Adam Young, Amanda E. Cravens, Christian Giardina, Kevin Hiers, Jeremy Littell, Adam Terando
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