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.
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.
Filter Total Items: 175017
Effects of hunting on mating, relatedness, and genetic diversity in a puma population Effects of hunting on mating, relatedness, and genetic diversity in a puma population
Hunting mortality can affect population abundance, demography, patterns of dispersal and philopatry, breeding, and genetic diversity. We investigated the effects of hunting on the reproduction and genetic diversity in a puma population in western Colorado, USA. We genotyped over 11,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), using double-digest, restriction site-associated DNA sequencing...
Authors
John A. Erwin, Kenneth A. Logan, Daryl R. Trumbo, W. Chris Funk, Melanie Culver
Artisanal mining river dredge detection using SAR: A method comparison Artisanal mining river dredge detection using SAR: A method comparison
Challenges exist in monitoring artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities, given their dynamic and often informal nature. ASM takes form through various techniques and scales, including riverine dredging, which often targets the abundant alluvial gold deposits in South America. Remote sensing offers a solution to improve data collection, regulation, and monitoring of the more...
Authors
Marissa Ann Alessi, Peter G. Chirico, Marco Millones
Feasibility of implementing a long-term plan to monitor the Arctic Basin polar bear subpopulation Feasibility of implementing a long-term plan to monitor the Arctic Basin polar bear subpopulation
The Arctic Basin (AB) polar bear subpopulation is the least studied of the 19 global polar bear subpopulations. The Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) recognizes the AB subpopulation as a regional grouping intended to include bears that do not belong to any of the remaining subpopulations that have data to support boundary delineations. Very little is currently known about the AB...
Authors
Ryan H. Wilson, Jon Aars, Todd C. Atwood, Evan Richardson
Relative effectiveness of a radionuclide (210Pb), surface elevation table (SET), and LiDAR at monitoring mangrove forest surface elevation change Relative effectiveness of a radionuclide (210Pb), surface elevation table (SET), and LiDAR at monitoring mangrove forest surface elevation change
Sea-level rise (SLR) is one of the greatest future threats to mangrove forests. Mangroves have kept up with or paced past SLR by maintaining their forest floor elevation relative to sea level through root growth, sedimentation, and peat development. Monitoring surface elevation change (SEC) or accretion rates allows us to understand mangrove response to SLR and prioritizes resilient...
Authors
Richard A. MacKenzie, Ken Krauss, Nicole Cormier, Eugene Eperiam, Jan van Aardt, Ali Rouzbeh Kargar, Jessica Grow, J. Val Klump
Limited role of absolute humidity in intraurban heat variability Limited role of absolute humidity in intraurban heat variability
Monitoring and understanding the variability of heat within cities is important for urban planning and public health, and the number of studies measuring intraurban temperature variability is growing. Recognizing that the physiological effects of heat depend on humidity as well as temperature, measurement campaigns have included measurements of relative humidity alongside temperature...
Authors
Darryn W. Waugh, Benjamin Zaitchik, Anna A. Scott, Peter Christian Ibsen, G. Darrel Jenerette, Jason Schartz, Christopher J. Kucharik
Ecological benefits of integrative weed management of Melaleuca quinquenervia in Big Cypress National Preserve Ecological benefits of integrative weed management of Melaleuca quinquenervia in Big Cypress National Preserve
The southern tip of North America coalesces into one of the world’s largest freshwater wetlands, the Everglades, Florida, USA. Though this region is much like an island, home to high biodiversity and endemism, it is also the site of a century of development and associated landscape-scale species invasions. Melaleuca quinquenervia (hereafter melaleuca), a tree native to tropical Australia...
Authors
Melissa C. Smith, Paul Julien, Don DeAngelis, Bo Zhang
Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project Phase 3 (PlioMIP3) – Science plan and experimental design Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project Phase 3 (PlioMIP3) – Science plan and experimental design
The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project (PlioMIP) was initiated in 2008. Over two phases PlioMIP has helped co-ordinate the experimental design and publication strategy of the community, which has included an increasing number of climate models and modelling groups from around the world. It has engaged with palaeoenvironmental scientists to foster new data synthesis supporting the...
Authors
Alan M Haywood, Julia C. Tindall, Lauren Burton, M.A. Chandler, Aisling M Dolan, Harry J. Dowsett, R. Feng, Tamara Fletcher, Kevin M. Foley, Daniel Hill, Stephen Hunter, B. Otto-Bliesner, D.J. Lunt, Marci M. Robinson, U. Salzmann
Co-production of models to evaluate conservation alternatives for a threatened fish in a rapidly changing landscape Co-production of models to evaluate conservation alternatives for a threatened fish in a rapidly changing landscape
Reintroductions are one means of managing species distributions, but the feasibility of such efforts is uncertain. Here we consider reintroduction for threatened bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) that currently occupy a small fraction of historically occupied habitats in the upper Klamath River basin owing to climate warming and human modifications of ecosystems. We engaged...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason B. Dunham, Nolan P. Banish, David K Hering, Zachary Tiemann
Rapid Source Characterization of the 2023 Mw 6.8 Al Haouz, Morocco, Earthquake Rapid Source Characterization of the 2023 Mw 6.8 Al Haouz, Morocco, Earthquake
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) estimates source characteristics of significant damaging earthquakes, aiming to place events within their seismotectonic framework. Contextualizing the 8 September 2023, Mw 6.8 Al Haouz, Morocco, earthquake is challenging, because it occurred in an enigmatic region of active surface faulting, and low...
Authors
William L. Yeck, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Dara Elyse Goldberg, William D. Barnhart, Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, David R. Shelly, Antonio Villasenor, Harley Benz, Paul S. Earle
Strategic restoration planning for land birds in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico Strategic restoration planning for land birds in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico
Ecological restoration is an essential strategy for mitigating the current biodiversity crisis, yet restoration actions are costly. We used systematic conservation planning principles to design an approach that prioritizes restoration sites for birds and tested it in a riparian forest restoration program in the Colorado River Delta. Restoration goals were to maximize the abundance and...
Authors
Joanna Grand, Timothy D Meehan, William V. Deluca, Julia Morton, Jennifer Pitt, Alejandra Calvo-Fonseca, Chris Dodge, Martha Gómez-Sapiens, Eduardo Gonzalez Sargas, Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta, Pamela L. Nagler, Carlos Restrepo-Giraldo, Patrick B. Shafroth, Stefanny Villagomez-Palma, Chad B Wilsey
Hydrologic changes in the Brazos River Basin and implications for Great Plains fishes Hydrologic changes in the Brazos River Basin and implications for Great Plains fishes
Hydrologic changes in the Brazos River Basin and implications for Great Plains fishes
Authors
Brad D. Wolaver, Lindsay V. Reynolds, Todd Caldwell, Tara Bongiovanni, Jon Paul Pierre, Caroline Breton, Kevin B. Mayes
Managing the threat of infectious disease in fisheries and aquaculture using structured decision making Managing the threat of infectious disease in fisheries and aquaculture using structured decision making
Fisheries and aquaculture provide food and economic security, especially in the developing world, but both face challenges from infectious disease. Here, we consider management of disease issues from a structured decision-making perspective to examine how infectious disease can threaten seafood production and influence management decisions. For both wild fisheries and aquaculture...
Authors
Brian J. Irwin, Megan M. Tomamichel, Marc E. Frischer, Richard J. Hall, Alaina D. E. Davis, Thomas H. Bliss, Pejman Rohani, James E. Byers