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.
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Combining ecological and genomic diversity surveys to inform conservation and restoration of an endangered wetland plant, soft salty bird’s-beak (Chloropyron molle ssp. molle) Combining ecological and genomic diversity surveys to inform conservation and restoration of an endangered wetland plant, soft salty bird’s-beak (Chloropyron molle ssp. molle)
Emergent tidal wetlands are declining globally as a result of sea level rise and land use change. This habitat loss can keenly affect rare plant species within wetlands, and may require restoration to meet species recovery goals related to retaining populations throughout species' ranges. Soft salty bird’s-beak (Chloropyron molle ssp. molle) is a federally- and state-endangered hemi...
Authors
Amy G. Vandergast, Scott F. Jones, Lyndsay L. Rankin, McKenna Leigh Bristow, Dustin Wood, Karen M. Thorne
Scoping decision-maker needs and science availability to support regional natural capital accounting in the U.S. Colorado River Basin Scoping decision-maker needs and science availability to support regional natural capital accounting in the U.S. Colorado River Basin
Natural capital accounting has the potential to yield important policy insights at multiple scales, but there remains a disconnect between regional-scale natural capital accounts and their use for informing policy. In this paper, we propose a roadmap that could lead to the creation of policy-relevant regional accounts, with steps split across an initial scoping phase and a subsequent...
Authors
Aaron Joey Enriquez, Kenneth J. Bagstad, Katharine G. Dahm, Alicia A. Torregrosa, Rudy Schuster
Drought and deluge— Opportunities for climate-change adaptation in US national parks Drought and deluge— Opportunities for climate-change adaptation in US national parks
In a changing climate, resource management depends on anticipating changes and considering uncertainties. To facilitate effective decision making on public lands, we regionally summarized the magnitude and uncertainty of projected change in management-relevant climate variables for 332 national park units across the contiguous US. Temperature, frequency of extreme precipitation events...
Authors
Meagan Ford Oldfather, Amber N. Runyon, Kyra Clark-Wolf, Wynne Emily Moss, Imtiaz Rangwala, Anthony Ciocco, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Helen Sofaer, Brian W. Miller
Louisiana black bear monitoring report Louisiana black bear monitoring report
No abstract available.
Authors
Joseph D. Clark, John Hanks
Characterizing water-quality response after the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire using a novel application of the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season method Characterizing water-quality response after the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire using a novel application of the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge, and Season method
The frequency and severity of wildfire activity in the western United States emphasises the utility of hydrologic models to predict water-quality response. This study presents a novel application of the Weighted Regressions on Time, Discharge and Season (WRTDS) method to assess potential changes in water quality in two watersheds draining the North Fork Big Thompson River and Buckhorn...
Authors
Manya Helene Ruckhaus, David W. Clow, Robert M. Hirsch, Tanner William Chapin
Evaluating slash piles as habitat for a threatened salamander Evaluating slash piles as habitat for a threatened salamander
Background Amplified wildfire activity in forests of the western United States threatens biodiversity. Fuel treatments can reduce fire severity, modify fire behavior, and restore forest structure and composition, yet impacts of some treatments, including slash piling and burning, on wildlife have received little attention. Piling of residual woody material may create habitable...
Authors
Rachel A. Loehman, Nancy E Karraker
Adoption of non‐related goslings and intergenerational family cohesion among Greenland White‐fronted Geese (Anser albifrons flavirostris) Adoption of non‐related goslings and intergenerational family cohesion among Greenland White‐fronted Geese (Anser albifrons flavirostris)
Greenland White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons flavirostris exhibit prolonged parent–offspring and sibling–sibling associations, suggesting fitness advantages to such behaviour, so we used reduced representation genome sequence data to determine the degree to which marked flock members observed associating in apparent parent–offspring and sibling–sibling relationships in the field were...
Authors
Robert E. Wilson, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, Alyn J. Walsh, Anthony D. Fox
Long-term geomorphic response of a southwestern USA river following establishment and removal of an invasive riparian tree Long-term geomorphic response of a southwestern USA river following establishment and removal of an invasive riparian tree
Invasion of non-native riparian vegetation along southwestern USA rivers is associated with channel narrowing and simplification, prompting numerous and varied removal efforts. Channel width and migration rate often, but not always, increase following treatment. The cause of this variability and the duration of response is poorly understood. Using flow records and aerial imagery we...
Authors
Michael L. Scott, Erin Williams, Jonathan M. Friedman, John R. Spencer, Phoebe B. McNeally
The nonpoint source challenge: Obstacles and opportunities for meeting nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed The nonpoint source challenge: Obstacles and opportunities for meeting nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
This document examines the Chesapeake Bay watershed response to nutrient and sediment reduction efforts under the Clean Water Act's total maximum daily load (TMDL) regulation. As the 2025 Chesapeake Bay TMDL deadline approaches, water quality goals remain unmet, primarily because of nonpoint source pollution, the largest remaining source of nutrients and sediment, and the primary...
Authors
Zachary M. Easton, Kurt Stephenson, Brian Benhem, J.K. Bohlke, Anthony R Buda, Amy S. Collick, Lara Fowler, Ellen Gilinsky, Andrew Miller, Gregory E. Noe, Leah Palm-Forster, Leonard Shabman, Tess Wynn-Thompson
Timescales of surface faulting preservation in low-strain intraplate regions from landscape evolution modeling and the geomorphic and historical record Timescales of surface faulting preservation in low-strain intraplate regions from landscape evolution modeling and the geomorphic and historical record
Large surface-rupturing intraplate earthquakes in stable continental regions (SCRs) are uncommon globally and have recurrence intervals of thousands to hundreds of thousands of years based on the paleoseismic and geomorphic record, challenging accurate active fault identification in these regions. To constrain the timescales of preservation for scarps created by surface ruptures from dip...
Authors
Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Nadine G. Reitman
An Eastern Ribbonsnake, Thamnophis sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766), scavenging on a roadkilled Cuban Treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis, (Duméril & Bibron, 1841), in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA An Eastern Ribbonsnake, Thamnophis sauritus (Linnaeus, 1766), scavenging on a roadkilled Cuban Treefrog, Osteopilus septentrionalis, (Duméril & Bibron, 1841), in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
No abstract available.
Authors
Sarah Payne, Eleanor Lane, Faith Dunlap, Madison Vasquez, Matthew Fox Metcalf, Lisa Marie McBride, Sarah Rae Sherburne, Christina Romagosa, Amanda Marie Kissel, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Mark Robert Sandfoss
Sustainability trade-offs across modeled floating solar waterscapes of the Northeastern United States Sustainability trade-offs across modeled floating solar waterscapes of the Northeastern United States
Expansion of floating photovoltaic (FPV) solar systems provides a low-conflict renewable energy option to help mitigate climate change while sparing land, but potential sustainability trade-offs remain unquantified. We compare the technical potential of maximum FPV deployment to address the climate crisis with FPV-buildout scenarios that prioritize biodiversity and social values across...
Authors
Adam Gallaher, Elizabeth L. Kalies, Steven Mark Grodsky