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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Autumn as an overlooked opportunity for limnology Autumn as an overlooked opportunity for limnology
Ecological disciplines, from forestry to soil sciences and ornithology, recognize the critical role of autumn in an array of physical and biological processes. Terrestrial studies categorize autumn as the end of the growing season. Autumn weather conditions can disrupt plant-soil interactions, affecting nutrient cycling and soil fertility [1]; determine dormancy and freezing tolerance of...
Authors
Faith R Ferrato, Sapna Sharma, Joshua A. Culpepper, Ceara J Talbot, Michael Frederick Meyer, Stephanie E. Hampton
An empirical Green’s function approach for isolating directivity effects in earthquake ground-motion amplitudes An empirical Green’s function approach for isolating directivity effects in earthquake ground-motion amplitudes
In this study, we apply an empirical Green’s function (eGf) method within a ground‐motion modeling framework to mitigate trade‐offs between source, path, and site effects. Many physical processes contribute to spatial variations in observed ground motions, including earthquake radiation pattern, directivity, variable path attenuation, and site effects. Current nonergodic ground‐motion...
Authors
Grace Alexandra Parker, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Evan Tyler Hirakawa
The first instrumentally detected hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park The first instrumentally detected hydrothermal explosion in Yellowstone National Park
Hydrothermal explosions are one of the geological hazards most likely to impact people in Yellowstone National Park, but their frequency is poorly known. Infrasound and seismic sensors identified an explosion in Norris Geyser Basin on 15 April 2024, at 14:56 MDT (20:56 UTC)—the first instrumentally detected hydrothermal explosion in the Yellowstone region. The event affected an area tens...
Authors
Michael Poland, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Jamie Farrell, R. Greg Vaughan
A metadata checklist and data formatting guidelines to make eDNA FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) A metadata checklist and data formatting guidelines to make eDNA FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable)
The success of environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches for species detection has revolutionized biodiversity monitoring and distribution mapping. Targeted eDNA amplification approaches, such as quantitative PCR, have improved our understanding of species distribution, and metabarcoding-based approaches have enabled biodiversity assessment at unprecedented scales and taxonomic resolution...
Authors
Miwa Takahashi, Tobias Frøslev Guldberg, Joana Pauperio, Bettina Thalinger, Katy E. Klymus, Caren C. Helbing, Cecilia Villacorta-Rath, Katherine Silliman, Luke R. Thompson, Sean Jungbluth, Suk Yee Yong, Stephen Killfoile Formel, Gareth Jenkins, Martin Laporte, Bruce Deagle, Sachit Rajbhandari, Thomas Jeppesen Stjernegaard, Andrew Bissett, Christopher L. Jerde, Erin E. Hahn, Lynn M. Schriml, Christopher Hunter, Peggy Newman, Peter Woollard, Lynsey R. Harper, Nicholas Dunn, Katrina West, Rachel Haderlé, Shaun Wilkinson, Neha Acharya-Patel, Mark Louie D. Lopez, Guy Cochrane, Oliver Berry
Estimating abundance of desert bighorn sheep with double-observer sightability modeling with residual heterogeneity Estimating abundance of desert bighorn sheep with double-observer sightability modeling with residual heterogeneity
Accurate abundance estimates are critical for informed management of wildlife populations. In New Mexico, USA, minimum counts from aerial surveys are the primary basis for management decisions regarding desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana); therefore, there is a need to assess methods that account for imperfect detection. Common survey methods for large mammals (i.e...
Authors
Caitlin Q. Ruhl, James W. Cain, Fitsum Abadi, Jacob D. Hennig
Land cover change within wetland complexes at Dixie Meadows, Churchill County, Nevada: 2015 – 2023 Land cover change within wetland complexes at Dixie Meadows, Churchill County, Nevada: 2015 – 2023
Dixie Meadows, Nevada, is a system of geothermal springs and seeps that feed a complex of marshes and wetland meadows that are located within lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Department of Defense (DOD). A previous U.S. Geological Survey report documented variability in satellite imagery-based land cover classifications for seven wetland complexes at near...
Authors
Joshua Caster, Joel B. Sankey, Nathaniel Bransky
Experimental drought suppresses amphibian pathogen yet intensifies transmission and disrupts protective skin microbiome Experimental drought suppresses amphibian pathogen yet intensifies transmission and disrupts protective skin microbiome
Shifting precipitation regimes driven by global climate change can alter vertebrate behavior and host-symbiont relationships, potentially compromising host resistance to pathogen invasion. In Brazil's Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot, prior research identified drought as a key factor disrupting the skin microbiome, contributing to a die-off of pumpkin toadlets due to the invasive...
Authors
Shannon Buttimer, Daniel Medina, Renato A. Martins, Ana Gabrielle Morais da Silva, Wesley J. Neely, Célio F.B. Haddad, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo, Alessandro Catenazzi, Rayna C. Bell, C. Guilherme Becker
Reevaluation of an adaptive management framework for invasive Grass Carp within Lake Erie Reevaluation of an adaptive management framework for invasive Grass Carp within Lake Erie
Objective Response efforts to control invasive species frequently require making decisions in the face of substantial uncertainty. Adaptive management, which emphasizes learning during the process of managing, can be useful in cases where uncertainty impedes the decision-making process. Here, we describe how technical and institutional learning led to reformulating decision-making...
Authors
Justin Bopp, Kelly Filer Robinson, Lucas Nathan, Seth Herbst, Travis O. Brenden, Christine M. Mayer, John M. Dettmers
The Grouse & Grazing Project: Effects of cattle grazing on demographic traits of greater sage-grouse The Grouse & Grazing Project: Effects of cattle grazing on demographic traits of greater sage-grouse
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) were once widespread within sagebrush -grassland ecosystems of western North America, but populations have declined since the mid-1960s. Though sage-grouse were not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), when examined in 2015, they remain a species of interest and concern. Roughly half of the sage-grouse...
Authors
Courtney J. Conway, Cody A. Tisdale, Karen L. Launchbaugh, Bryan S. Stevens, Grace E. Overlie, Sanford D. Eigenbrode, Paul D. Makela, Shane B. Roberts
Dead giveaway: Rising mortality rates suggest effectiveness of Lake Erie grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) response Dead giveaway: Rising mortality rates suggest effectiveness of Lake Erie grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) response
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are large, invasive fish that threaten Lake Erie’s economy and ecosystem. Incidental catches of grass carp have occurred since the 1980s in Lake Erie, while multi-day removal events were carried out in 2014 and 2017. To mitigate ecosystem impacts, a large-scale, multi-agency response to remove as many grass carp as possible from the Lake Erie basin (...
Authors
Kaitlen Lang, Christine M Mayer, Mark Richard Dufour, Song S. Qian, William D. Hintz, Patrick M. Kocovsky, Ryan Young, Matthew Ross Acre, Eric Weimer, Tammy L. Wilson, Chris M. Kemp, John M. Dettmers, Lucas Nathan, Ryan Brown
Influence of cardiotoxicity on visual function in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to Deepwater Horizon crude oil Influence of cardiotoxicity on visual function in developing zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to Deepwater Horizon crude oil
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic constituents of crude oil that can induce cardiac dysfunction and vision impairment in early life stage (ELS) fishes. However, it is currently unknown whether visual impairments are independent effects or if they result from underlying PAH cardiotoxicity. To better understand this mechanism, microinjection of microRNA 133b (miR133b) was...
Authors
Rachel R. Leads, Jason Tyler Magnuson, Justin Blaine Greer, Corey S. Green, Daniel Schlenk, Aaron P. Roberts
Ecological factors decouple Great Lakes fish mercury concentrations trends decadal declines in mercury emissions Ecological factors decouple Great Lakes fish mercury concentrations trends decadal declines in mercury emissions
Atmospheric mercury (Hg) deposition has been declining in North America but remains the dominant delivery mechanism to the Great Lakes. The Lakes are highly efficient at bioaccumulating methylmercury, making the fish excellent sentinels for tracking shifts in atmospheric Hg deposition. Invasive mussels have altered biogeochemical processes, prey populations and fish dietary strategies
Authors
Ryan F. Lepak, Joel C. Hoffman, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Morgann B Gordon, Michael B. Mahon, Samantha L. Rumschlag, Christopher T. Yarnes, Brian A. Lennel, David P. Krabbenhoft, Jacob M. Ogorek, James P. Hurley