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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Mission Area Publications
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Regional differentiation in somatic growth and maturation attributes for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Atlantic Regional differentiation in somatic growth and maturation attributes for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Atlantic
The ages and sizes at which organisms mature have significant implications for lifetime reproductive success. For species at risk of extinction, such as sea turtles, these attributes can ultimately impact probability of population persistence. Within the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, the broader loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) population comprises management units both along the US...
Authors
Larisa Avens, Margaret Lamont, Allen M. Foley, Benjamin M. Higgins, Lyndsey N. Howell, Gretchen Lovewell, Donna J. Shaver, Brian A. Stacy, J. Shelby Walker, Jamie M. Clark, Amy A. Wallace, Hannah B. Vander Zanden
Landscape changes elevate the risk of avian influenza virus diversification and emergence in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway Landscape changes elevate the risk of avian influenza virus diversification and emergence in the East Asian–Australasian Flyway
Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) persistently threaten wild waterfowl, domestic poultry, and public health. The East Asian–Australasian Flyway plays a crucial role in HPAIV dynamics due to its large populations of migratory waterfowl and poultry. Over recent decades, this flyway has undergone substantial landscape changes, including both losses and gains of waterfowl...
Authors
Shenglai Yin, Chenchen Zhang, Claire Stewart Teitelbaum, Yali Si, Geli Zhang, Xinxin Wang, Dehua Mao, Zheng Y.X. Huangh, Willem Frederik de Boer, John Takekawa, Diann J. Prosser, Xiangming Xiao
Integrating hunter dynamics and waterfowl dynamics to inform harvest management Integrating hunter dynamics and waterfowl dynamics to inform harvest management
The successful conservation and management of North American waterfowl relies upon an adaptive harvest management framework that accounts for changes in the system state and critical uncertainties related to the dynamics of waterfowl populations and habitats. Increasing recognition of the importance of the human dimensions of the harvest process, particularly those related to hunters...
Authors
Richard Eugene Waggaman Berl, Patrick K. Devers, G. Scott Boomer, Michael Runge
Economic costs of invasive carps in the United States: Case study and management implications Economic costs of invasive carps in the United States: Case study and management implications
Biological invasions can have far-reaching impacts and incur enormous monetary costs. Economic considerations play an important role in management decision-making. We used the invasion of U.S. waterways by silver (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead (H. nobilis) carp as a case study of the costs of aquatic invasive species. Although these carps are well-known invaders, published...
Authors
Ellie Brown, Joseph W. Snapp, Christopher Huber, James Caudill, Peter E. Grigelis
Evaluating the performance of multiple precipitation datasets over the transboundary Ili River Basin between China and Kazakhstan Evaluating the performance of multiple precipitation datasets over the transboundary Ili River Basin between China and Kazakhstan
The Ili River Basin is characterized by complex topography and diverse climatic zones with limited in situ observations. This study evaluates the performance of six widely used precipitation datasets, CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data), ERA5_Land (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts—ECMWF Reanalysis 5_Land), GPCC (Global Precipitation...
Authors
Baktybek Duisebek, Gabriel Senay, Dennis S. Ojima, Tibin Zhang, Janay Sagin, Xuejiao Wang
RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) switch points and triggers for adaptation planning RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) switch points and triggers for adaptation planning
Climate change is transforming ecosystems globally. The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework has gained traction within many natural resource management institutions to help consider the decision space in response to this transformation. Because RAD helps manage for directional change, RAD choices entail considering which RAD pathway to implement and for how long. For example, one may...
Authors
Abigail J. Lynch, Jaime Ashander, Anthony Ciocco, Amanda E. Cravens, Colin J. Dassow, Laura E. Dee, Jason B. Dunham, Mitchell J. Eaton, Holly Susan Embke, Joseph M. Hennessy, Alexander W. Latzka, David J Lawrence, Jeremy Littell, Brian W. Miller, Luca Palasti, Michael Runge, Gregory Sass, Aaron D. Shultz, Katherine Siegel, Leona Kay Svancara, Laura Thompson, Lindsey Thurman, Jackson Brear Valler, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Heather M. Yocum
Evapotranspiration terminology and definitions Evapotranspiration terminology and definitions
Evapotranspiration (ET), the combined process of evaporation from soil and plant surfaces and transpiration from plant tissue, plays a pivotal role in the global water and energy balance. Accurately quantifying ET at various spatial scales is important for diverse applications, including irrigation and natural resource management. While efforts to standardize ET methodology have...
Authors
Kendall C. DeJonge, Richard Allen, Ayse Kilic, Kelly R. Thorp, Meetpal Kukal, Gary Marek, Jon Altenhofen, Devendra Amatya, Philip Blankenau, Sumon Datta, Garry Grabow, Ahmed Hashem, Isaya Kisekka, Jeppe Kjaersgaard, Thomas Marek, Troy Peters, Dana Porter, Michelle Reba, Daran Rudnick, Gabriel Senay, Vivek Sharma, Venkataramana Sridhar, Ge Sun, Saleh Taghvaeian, Ricardo Trezza, Thomas Trout
Bison population dynamics, harvest, and human conflict potential under feedground management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Bison population dynamics, harvest, and human conflict potential under feedground management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
Bison bison were once abundant across North America but declined due to overharvesting in the late 1800s. The reintroduced population in and around Jackson, Wyoming has averaged 485 individuals between 2018–2023 and is the subject of a planning process to inform management strategies that will guide the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s next “Bison and Elk Management Plan” for the National Elk...
Authors
Jonathan D. Cook, Margaret C. McEachran, Gavin G. Cotterill, Eric K. Cole
Decision analysis in support of the National Elk Refuge bison and elk management plan Decision analysis in support of the National Elk Refuge bison and elk management plan
Preface This report was developed to evaluate the performance of a set of proposed alternatives for Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) and Bison bison (bison) management at the National Elk Refuge (NER) in Wyoming, U.S.A., and to inform a National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement focused on developing the next “Bison and Elk Management Plan” (BEMP). The U.S...
Decision framing overview and performance of management alternatives for bison and elk feedground management at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Decision framing overview and performance of management alternatives for bison and elk feedground management at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
This report was developed to evaluate the performance of a set of proposed alternatives for Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) and Bison bison (bison) management at the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming, U.S.A., and to inform a National Environmental Policy Act Environmental Impact Statement focused on developing the next “Bison and Elk Management Plan” (BEMP). The U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Jonathan D. Cook, Gavin G. Cotterill, Margaret C. McEachran, Tabitha A. Graves, Eric K. Cole, Paul C. Cross
Estimating the social and economic consequences of proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Estimating the social and economic consequences of proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
The National Elk Refuge (Refuge) is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and includes habitats for bison and elk. Bison and elk provide opportunities for wildlife-related recreation and contribute to the tourism industry in and around Jackson, Wyoming. Over the last century, the Refuge has provisioned supplemental feed to elk and, more recently, bison during winter months to...
Authors
Margaret C. McEachran, Andrew Don Carlos, Gavin G. Cotterill, Eric K. Cole, Jonathan D. Cook
Evaluating elk distribution and conflict under proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming Evaluating elk distribution and conflict under proposed management alternatives at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming
We evaluated measurable attributes describing the current and future distribution of Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) across a region surrounding Jackson, Wyoming, for five feedground management alternatives proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a revision to the 2007 “Bison and Elk Management Plan” of the National Elk Refuge. A resource selection function evaluated measurable
Authors
Gavin G. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Eric K. Cole, Jonathan D. Cook, Margaret C. McEachran, Tabitha A. Graves