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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: 175041

Catchment coevolution and the geomorphic origins of variable source area hydrology Catchment coevolution and the geomorphic origins of variable source area hydrology

Features of landscape morphology—including slope, curvature, and drainage dissection—are important controls on runoff generation in upland landscapes. Over long timescales, runoff plays an essential role in shaping these same features through surface erosion. This feedback between erosion and runoff generation suggests that modeling long-term landscape evolution together with dynamic...
Authors
David G Litwin, Gregory E. Tucker, Katherine R. Barnhart, Ciaran Harman

Did steam boost the height and growth rate of the giant Hunga eruption plume? Did steam boost the height and growth rate of the giant Hunga eruption plume?

The eruption of Hunga volcano on 15 January 2022 produced a higher plume and faster-growing umbrella cloud than has ever been previously recorded. The plume height exceeded 58 km, and the umbrella grew to 450 km in diameter within 50 min. Assuming an umbrella thickness of 10 km, this growth rate implied an average volume injection rate into the umbrella of 330–500 km3 s−1. Conventional
Authors
Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Shane Cronin

Helpers show plasticity in their responses to breeder turnover Helpers show plasticity in their responses to breeder turnover

Nonbreeding helpers can greatly improve the survival of young and the reproductive fitness of breeders in many cooperatively breeding species. Breeder turnover, in turn, can have profound effects on dispersal decisions made by helpers. Despite its importance in explaining group size and predicting the population demography of cooperative breeders, our current understanding of how...
Authors
David Edward Ausband, Sarah B. Bassing

Delayed positive responses of snowshoe hares to prescribed burning in a fire-adapted ecosystem Delayed positive responses of snowshoe hares to prescribed burning in a fire-adapted ecosystem

Wildlife populations near the periphery of a species’ range are vulnerable to changes in habitat conditions and climate. However, habitat management and maintenance can help with the persistence of these susceptible populations. Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations near the southern extent of their range are at risk of extirpation because of changing winter conditions, coupled...
Authors
Laura C. Gigliotti, Emily S. Boyd, Duane R. Diefenbach

Uncertainty in ground-motion-to-intensity conversions significantly affects earthquake early warning alert regions Uncertainty in ground-motion-to-intensity conversions significantly affects earthquake early warning alert regions

We examine how the choice of ground‐motion‐to‐intensity conversion equations (GMICEs) in earthquake early warning (EEW) systems affects resulting alert regions. We find that existing GMICEs can underestimate observed shaking at short rupture distances or overestimate the extent of low‐intensity shaking. Updated GMICEs that remove these biases would improve the accuracy of alert regions...
Authors
Jessie Saunders, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Sarah E. Minson, Maren Bose

Conservation genetics of the endangered California Freshwater Shrimp (Syncaris pacifica): Watershed and stream networks define gene pool boundaries Conservation genetics of the endangered California Freshwater Shrimp (Syncaris pacifica): Watershed and stream networks define gene pool boundaries

Understanding genetic structure and diversity among remnant populations of rare species can inform conservation and recovery actions. We used a population genetic framework to spatially delineate gene pools and estimate gene flow and effective population sizes for the endangered California Freshwater Shrimp Syncaris pacifica. Tissues of 101 individuals were collected from 11 sites in 5...
Authors
Abdul M. Ada, Amy G. Vandergast, Robert N. Fisher, Darren Fong, Andrew J. Bohonak

Diel temperature signals track seasonal shifts in localized groundwater contributions to headwater streamflow generation at network scale Diel temperature signals track seasonal shifts in localized groundwater contributions to headwater streamflow generation at network scale

Groundwater contributions to streamflow sustain aquatic ecosystem resilience; streams without significant groundwater inputs often have well-coupled air and water temperatures that degrade cold-water habitat during warm low flow periods. Widespread uncertainty in stream-groundwater connectivity across space and time has created disparate predictions of energy and nutrient fluxes across...
Authors
David M. Rey, Danielle K. Hare, Jennifer H. Fair, Martin A. Briggs

Artificial intelligence applied to big data reveals that lake invasions are predicted by human traffic and co-occurring invasions Artificial intelligence applied to big data reveals that lake invasions are predicted by human traffic and co-occurring invasions

Preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species is an important management action. Identifying the characteristics of lakes that are susceptible to invasion creates an opportunity for management groups to prioritize limited resources for high-risk areas. In this study, we leveraged big data from a popular fishing app and other publicly available sources of environmental and human-use...
Authors
Jessica L. Weir, Wesley Daniel, Kieran Hyder, Christian Skov, Paul A. Venturelli

Reproducing age variability in grass carp egg samples from the lower Sandusky River, Ohio, USA, using an egg-drift model Reproducing age variability in grass carp egg samples from the lower Sandusky River, Ohio, USA, using an egg-drift model

Invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are currently reproducing in several tributaries to Lake Erie and threatening the Great Lakes ecosystem and fisheries. Grass carp are pelagic river spawners whose fertilized eggs drift downstream from the spawning site, developing as they drift. Variability in spawning time and location together with nonuniform velocities in natural rivers...
Authors
David Soong, P. Ryan Jackson, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Lori Morrison, Tatiana Garcia, Santiago Santacruz, Cindy Chen, Zhenduo Zhu, Holly Susan Embke

Responses of marginal and intrinsic water-use efficiency to changing aridity using FLUXNET observations Responses of marginal and intrinsic water-use efficiency to changing aridity using FLUXNET observations

According to classic stomatal optimization theory, plant stomata are regulated to maximize carbon assimilation for a given water loss. A key component of stomatal optimization models is marginal water-use efficiency (mWUE), the ratio of the change of transpiration to the change in carbon assimilation. Although the mWUE is often assumed to be constant, variability of mWUE under changing...
Authors
Koong Yi, Kimberly A. Novick, Quan Zhang, Lixin Wang, Taehee Hwang, Xi Yang, Kanishka Mallick, Martin Beland, Gabriel B. Senay, Dennis Baldocchi

Mast seeding in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is associated with reduced fungal sporocarp production and community diversity Mast seeding in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is associated with reduced fungal sporocarp production and community diversity

Mast seeding is a well-documented phenomenon across diverse forest ecosystems. While its effect on aboveground food webs has been thoroughly studied, how it impacts the soil fungi that drive soil carbon and nutrient cycling has not yet been explored. To evaluate the relationship between mast seeding and fungal resource availability, we paired a Swiss 29-year fungal sporocarp census with
Authors
Talia Michaud, Ian Pearse, H Kauserud, Carrie Andrews, Peter Kennedy

Variation in Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) eggshell thickness: DDT, measurement methods, and location Variation in Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) eggshell thickness: DDT, measurement methods, and location

We collected Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) eggshells from nests in the Tucson, Arizona, USA, area in the 1990s incidental to other activities and compared them to pre-DDT Cooper's Hawk eggshells (119 museum specimens from 14 states, 1894–1939) ranging from 0.284–0.402 mm (x̄= 0.348 mm, SD = 0.0243) and we also compared them to reported thicknesses found in the literature. We found...
Authors
G. M. Santolo, Clint W. Boal
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