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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Surface elevation trends in North Carolina's coastal wetlands Surface elevation trends in North Carolina's coastal wetlands
Coastal wetlands exist in the narrow fringe between uplands and open water and consequently, are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of sea level rise (SLR). Predictive models suggest that in the coming decades sea level rise will lead to substantial losses of coastal wetland habitat in North Carolina. Empirical measurements of wetland response to SLR are vital for understanding which...
Authors
Robbie Fearn, Cat Bowler, Rick Savage, Pat Donovoan-Bradenburg, Aaron Houran, Reide Corbett, Stu Hamilton, Carolyn Currin, Jenny Davis, Michael Greene, Anna Hilting, Brandon Puckett, Quentin Walker, Justin Ridge, Cayla Cothron, Sarah Spiegler, Marcelo Ardón, Mike Burchell, Nisse Goldberg, Aaron McCall, Eric Soderholm, Christine Voss, Lorie Sutter, Michelle Moorman, Justine Annaliese Neville, Ches Vervaeke
Models: Tools for estimating and predicting subsidence Models: Tools for estimating and predicting subsidence
No abstract available.
Authors
Vivek Bedekar, Tyler Hatch, Jonathan A. Traum, Gus Tolley, Abhishek Singh, Claudia C. Faunt
occupancyTuts: Occupancy modelling tutorials with RPresence occupancyTuts: Occupancy modelling tutorials with RPresence
1. The occupancy modelling framework offers tremendous flexibility in estimating species abundance and distribution patterns while accounting for imperfect detection, and has seen rapid growth and adoption since its introduction at the beginning of the century. 2. At the same time, in an era of big data, there are increasing demands on developing quantitative skills and proficiency in...
Authors
Therese M. Donovan, James E. Hines, Darryl MacKenzie
Home range size and resource use by eastern spotted skunks in Virginia Home range size and resource use by eastern spotted skunks in Virginia
Throughout much of the eastern U.S., many forested ecosystems have lost large amounts of core forest areas due to land-use change, isolating wildlife in forest fragments. The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is considered a species of conservation concern in Virginia, where populations are restricted to spatially disjunct forest patches in the central Appalachian Mountains. We...
Authors
Emily D. Thorne, Michael L. Fies, W. Mark Ford
Determining the distribution, status, and linkages of Agassiz's desert tortoise populations in the uplands surrounding the Coachella Valley Determining the distribution, status, and linkages of Agassiz's desert tortoise populations in the uplands surrounding the Coachella Valley
In support of the goals of the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission and the Bureau of Land Management, we performed surveys to determine the status, distribution, demographics, and possible genetic linkages of Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) populations within the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (CVMSHCP) area during a multi-decadal...
Authors
Michele R. Puffer, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Kristy L. Cummings
First Occurrence of the nonindigenous Asian foraminifera Ammonia confertitesta in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean: Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada First Occurrence of the nonindigenous Asian foraminifera Ammonia confertitesta in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean: Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Observations in 2022 of intertidal and subtidal foraminiferal faunas at four localities along the central-eastern side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, and molecular analyses have documented the first occurrence of the nonindigenous Asian species Ammonia confertitesta Zheng in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The species was present at three of these localities: Davis Lagoon...
Authors
Mary McGann, Maria Holzmann
Implementation of the CREED approach for environmental assessments Implementation of the CREED approach for environmental assessments
Environmental exposure data are a key component of chemical and ecological assessments, supporting and guiding environmental management decisions and regulations. Measures taken to protect the environment based on exposure data can have social and economic implications. Flawed information may lead to measures being taken in the wrong place or to important action not being taken. Although...
Authors
Carolina Di Paolo, Irene Bramke, Jenny Stauber, Caroline Whalley, Ryan R. Otter, Yves Verhaegen, Lisa H. Nowell, Adam C. Ryan
Analysis adapted from text mining quantitively reveals abrupt and gradual plant-community transitions after fire in sagebrush steppe Analysis adapted from text mining quantitively reveals abrupt and gradual plant-community transitions after fire in sagebrush steppe
Context Plant communities vary both abruptly and gradually over time but differentiating between types of change can be difficult with existing classification and ordination methods. Structural topic modeling (STRUTMO), a text mining analysis, offers a flexible methodology for analyzing both types of temporal trends.Objectives Our objectives were to (1) identify post-fire dominant...
Authors
Cara Applestein, Christopher R. Anthony, Matthew J. Germino
River control points for algal productivity revealed by transport analysis River control points for algal productivity revealed by transport analysis
Measurement of planktonic chlorophyll-a—a proxy for algal biomass—in rivers may represent local production or algae transported from upstream, confounding understanding of algal bloom development in flowing waters. We modeled 3 years of chlorophyll-a transport through a 394-km portion of the Illinois River and found that although algal biomass is longitudinally widespread, most net...
Authors
Noah Schmadel, Judson Harvey, Jay Choi, Sarah M. Stackpoole, Jennifer L. Graham, Jennifer C. Murphy
Accurately characterizing climate change scenario planning in the U.S. National Park Service: Comment on Murphy et al. 2023 Accurately characterizing climate change scenario planning in the U.S. National Park Service: Comment on Murphy et al. 2023
We more accurately locate the boundary between current practice and research priorities regarding climate change scenario planning in U.S. federal land management agencies by supplementing the characterization in a recent article (“Understanding perceptions of climate change scenario planning in United States public land management agencies”) of its use in the U.S. National Park Service
Authors
Joel H. Reynolds, Brian W. Miller, Gregor W. Schuurman, Wylie A. Carr, Amy Symstad, John E. Gross, Amber N. Runyon
Nerodia clarkii (Saltmarsh Watersnake). Predation Nerodia clarkii (Saltmarsh Watersnake). Predation
Predators of Nerodia clarkii are suspected to include larger species of crabs, fish, wading birds, snakes, alligators, and crocodiles. To our knowledge, there have only been two published observations of predation on N. clarkii, including a predation attempt from a Callinectes sapidus (Blue Crab) in Mississippi, USA and a successful predation by a Grus americana (Whooping Crane) in Texas...
Authors
Bryna L. Daykin, Sidney T. Godfrey, Michael Cherkiss, Gareth Blakemore, Frank J. Mazzotti
Characterizing vegetation and return periods in avalanche paths using lidar and aerial imagery Characterizing vegetation and return periods in avalanche paths using lidar and aerial imagery
Snow avalanches are a hazard and ecological disturbance across mountain landscapes worldwide. Understanding how avalanche frequency affects forests and vegetation improves infrastructure planning, risk management, and avalanche forecasting. We implemented a novel approach using lidar, aerial imagery, and a random forest model to classify imagery-observed vegetation within avalanche paths...
Authors
Erich H. Peitzsch, Chelsea Martin-Mikle, Jordy Hendrikx, Karl W. Birkeland, Daniel B. Fagre