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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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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California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project: Domestic-Supply Assessment California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project: Domestic-Supply Assessment
The GAMA-PBP is a comprehensive assessment of statewide groundwater quality in California. The first phase of the GAMA-PBP in 2004–15 assessed groundwater resources used for public drinking-water supplies. The second phase is assessing groundwater resources used for domestic drinking-water supplies. An estimated 2 million Californians rely on individual domestic wells or State small...
Authors
Jennifer L. Shelton, Elias Tejeda
Modeled flooding by tsunamis and a storm versus observed extent of coral erratics on Anegada, British Virgin Islands— Further evidence for a great Caribbean earthquake six centuries ago Modeled flooding by tsunamis and a storm versus observed extent of coral erratics on Anegada, British Virgin Islands— Further evidence for a great Caribbean earthquake six centuries ago
Models of near-field tsunamis and an extreme hurricane provide further evidence for a great precolonial earthquake along the Puerto Rico Trench. The models are benchmarked to brain-coral boulders and cobbles on Anegada, 125 km south of the trench. The models are screened by their success in flooding the mapped sites of these erratics, which were emplaced some six centuries ago. Among 25...
Authors
Yong Wei, Uri S. ten Brink, Brian F. Atwater
Incorporating life history diversity in an integrated population model to inform viability analysis Incorporating life history diversity in an integrated population model to inform viability analysis
Life history diversity can significantly affect population dynamics and effects of management actions. For instance, variation in individual responses to environmental variability can reduce extirpation risk to populations, as the portfolio effect dampens temporal variability in abundance. Moreover, differences in habitat use may cause individuals to respond differently to habitat...
Authors
Mark H. Sorel, Jeffrey C. Jorgensen, Richard W. Zabel, Mark David Scheuerell, Andrew R. Murdoch, Cory M. Kamphaus, Sarah J. Converse
Estimating multivariate ecological variables at high spatial resolution using a cost-effective matching algorithm Estimating multivariate ecological variables at high spatial resolution using a cost-effective matching algorithm
Simulation models are valuable tools for estimating ecosystem response to environmental conditions and are particularly relevant for investigating climate change impacts. However, because of high computational requirements, models are often applied over a coarse grid of points or for representative locations. Spatial interpolation of model output can be necessary to guide decision-making...
Authors
Rachel R. Renne, Daniel Rodolphe Schlaepfer, Kyle A. Palmquist, William K. Lauenroth, John B. Bradford
Spatial extent drives patterns of relative climate change sensitivity for freshwater fishes of the United States Spatial extent drives patterns of relative climate change sensitivity for freshwater fishes of the United States
Assessing the sensitivity of freshwater species to climate change is an essential component of prioritizing conservation efforts for threatened freshwater ecosystems and organisms. Sensitivity to climate change can be systematically evaluated for multiple species using geographic attributes such as range size and climate niche breadth, and using species traits associated with climate...
Authors
Samuel C. Silknetter, Abigail Benson, Jennifer A. Smith, Meryl C. Mims
Evaluating water-quality trends in agricultural watersheds prioritized for management-practice implementation Evaluating water-quality trends in agricultural watersheds prioritized for management-practice implementation
Many agricultural watersheds rely on the voluntary use of management practices (MPs) to reduce nonpoint source nutrient and sediment loads; however, the water-quality effects of MPs are uncertain. We interpreted water-quality responses from as early as 1985 through 2020 in three agricultural Chesapeake Bay watersheds that were prioritized for MP implementation, namely, the Smith Creek...
Authors
James S. Webber, Jeffrey G. Chanat, John W. Clune, Olivia Devereux, Natalie Celeste Hall, Robert D. Sabo, Qian Zhang
What the cliffs near America’s earliest settlements tell us about climate change What the cliffs near America’s earliest settlements tell us about climate change
Climate change is a big problem for natural habitats, people, and the systems that support society, including roads, water supply, electrical grids, and phone and internet connections. It’s an important theme in politics, economics, and culture. Scientists make computer models to show what the climate might be like in the future, and it looks very different from what we are used to...
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson
StreamStats—A quarter century of delivering web-based geospatial and hydrologic information to the public, and lessons learned StreamStats—A quarter century of delivering web-based geospatial and hydrologic information to the public, and lessons learned
StreamStats is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) web application that provides streamflow statistics, such as the 1-percent annual exceedance probability peak flow, the mean flow, and the 7-day, 10-year low flow, to the public through a map-based user interface. These statistics are used in many ways, such as in the design of roads, bridges, and other structures; in delineation of...
Authors
Kernell G. Ries, Peter A. Steeves, Peter M. McCarthy
Database and time series of nearshore waves along the Alaskan coast from the United States-Canada border to the Bering Sea Database and time series of nearshore waves along the Alaskan coast from the United States-Canada border to the Bering Sea
Alaska’s Arctic coast has some of the highest coastal erosion rates in the world, primarily driven by permafrost thaw and increasing wave energy. In the Arctic, a warming climate is driving sea ice cover to decrease in space and time. A lack of long-term observational wave data along Alaska’s coast challenges the ability of engineers, scientists, and planners to study and address threats...
Authors
Anita C. Engelstad, Li H. Erikson, Borja G. Reguero, Ann E. Gibbs, Kees Nederhoff
How, when and where current mass flows in Martian gullies are driven by CO2 sublimation How, when and where current mass flows in Martian gullies are driven by CO2 sublimation
Martian gullies resemble water-carved gullies on Earth, yet their present-day activity cannot be explained by water-driven processes. The sublimation of CO2 has been proposed as an alternative driver for sediment transport, but how this mechanism works remains unknown. Here we combine laboratory experiments of CO2-driven granular flows under Martian atmospheric pressure with 1D climate...
Authors
Lonneke Roelofs, Susan J. Conway, Tjalling de Haas, Colin M. Dundas, Stephen R. Lewis, Jim McElwaine, Kelly Pasquon, Jan Raack, Matt Sylvest, Manish Patel
Quantifying spatiotemporal variation of nearshore forage fish schools with aerial surveys in Prince William Sound, Alaska Quantifying spatiotemporal variation of nearshore forage fish schools with aerial surveys in Prince William Sound, Alaska
Objective Changes in abundance and distribution of schooling forage fish, such as the Pacific Sand Lance Ammodytes hexapterus and Pacific Herring Clupea pallasii, can be difficult to document using traditional boat-based methods, especially in the shallow, nearshore habitats frequented by these species. In contrast, nearshore fish schools are easily observed and quantified from aircraft...
Authors
Daniel Stephen Donnelly, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Scott Pegau, John F. Piatt
Arsenic and other geogenic contaminants in global groundwater Arsenic and other geogenic contaminants in global groundwater
Geogenic groundwater contaminants (GGCs) affect drinking-water availability and safety, with up to 60% of groundwater sources in some regions contaminated by more than recommended concentrations. As a result, an estimated 300–500 million people are at risk of severe health impacts and premature mortality. In this Review, we discuss the sources, occurrences and cycling of arsenic...
Authors
Abhijit Mukherjee, Poulomee Coomar, Soumyajit Sarkar, Karen H. Johannesson, Alan Fryar, Madeline Schreiber, Kazi M. Ahmed, Mohd. A. Alam, Prosun Bhattacharya, Jochen Bundschuh, William Burgess, Madhumita Chakraborty, Rachel Coyte, Abida Farooqi, Huaming Guo, Julian Ijumulana, Gh Jeelani, Debapriya Mondal, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Joel Podgorski, David Polya, Bridget R. Scanlon, Mohd. Shamsudduha, Joseline Tapia, Avner Vengosh