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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Variation in pathogen load and the pathogen load–infectiousness relationship broaden avian malaria’s distribution Variation in pathogen load and the pathogen load–infectiousness relationship broaden avian malaria’s distribution
Two aspects of host infectiousness shape pathogen transmission and distribution but are underappreciated: the relationship between pathogen load and infectiousness, and variability in pathogen load within species. We quantified the relationship between host pathogen load (parasitemia) for avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum) and infectiousness for biting Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes...
Authors
Christa Seidl, Katy L. Parise, Isaiah Ipsaro, Sarah Leach, Delson Hays, Ranger Morimoto, Kelsey Banister, Francisco Ferreria, Elizabeth C. Abraham, Jeffrey T. Foster, Eben H. Paxton, A. Marm Kilpatrick
Background, methods, goals, challenges, opportunities, and information needs Background, methods, goals, challenges, opportunities, and information needs
Understanding how climate change and variability will impact grassland ecosystems is crucial for successful grasslands management in the future. In 2020, the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center began a project to establish a baseline of information to best serve grassland managers (that is, those individuals who develop grassland management plans, implement those plans on the...
Using structured decision making to evaluate the tradeoffs of selective fish passage Using structured decision making to evaluate the tradeoffs of selective fish passage
Dams have dramatically altered rivers and are a major contributor to native fish population declines. However, many dams serve important ecological, social, and economic functions, such as flood control, invasive species control, and provision of recreational opportunities. Therefore, dam removal is often contentious among stakeholders and involves making tradeoffs among multiple...
Authors
Shane Flinn, Andrew M. Muir, Kelly Filer Robinson
Preface to the focus section on intraplate earthquakes Preface to the focus section on intraplate earthquakes
More than a half century after plate tectonics provided an overarching framework to explain earthquakes along active plate boundaries, numerous theories have been proposed to explain where, why, and how often earthquakes occur well away from active plate boundaries, but a paradigm remains elusive. Even the classification of earthquakes away from active plate boundaries as "intraplate"...
Authors
Trevor I. Allen, Susan E. Hough, Oliver S. Boyd, Felix Waldhauser, Marcelo Assumpcao
Post-wildfire water quality and aquatic ecosystem response in the U.S. Pacific Northwest: science and monitoring gaps Post-wildfire water quality and aquatic ecosystem response in the U.S. Pacific Northwest: science and monitoring gaps
An increase in the occurrence of large, high severity wildfires in the western Pacific Northwest (PNW), USA, has created an urgent need for science to better inform forest management and policy decisions to maintain source water quality in the region. The western PNW faces similar challenges to other regions with shifting wildfire regimes and large population centers reliant on surface...
Authors
Sara Wall, Jana E. Compton, Ashley A. Coble, Beth M. Haley, Jiajia Lin, Allison Myers-Pigg, Justin Kevin Reale, Katie Wampler, Allison Swartz, Kevan Moffett, Kevin D. Bladon, Kurt Carpenter, Heejun Chang, Junjie Chen, David Donahue, Chris S. Eckley, Amanda K. Hohner, Peter M. Kiffney, Lorrayne Miralha, Peter Regier, Joshua Seeds, Mark River
Bascom Laser Diffraction Sedimentology Laboratory, Reston, Virginia Bascom Laser Diffraction Sedimentology Laboratory, Reston, Virginia
Introduction At the Bascom Laser Diffraction Sedimentology Laboratory, which is located in the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) headquarters in Reston, Virginia, scientists use physical sedimentology and particle characterization techniques to conduct detailed sediment characterization. Scientists address research problems in collaboration with other...
Authors
Grant D. Colip
Stepovers and beyond: Structural control of The Geysers geothermal system and the broader Clear Lake region Stepovers and beyond: Structural control of The Geysers geothermal system and the broader Clear Lake region
Fault geometry exerts a first-order control on geothermal systems by governing stress localization, fracture development, and permeability, yet in complex fault networks or broader shear zones, the relative influence of individual geometric features is often difficult to resolve. In the northern California Coast Ranges, The Geysers geothermal field is commonly interpreted to occur within...
Authors
Benjamin L. Melosh
The petrogenesis of Þingmúli volcano, East Fjords, Iceland The petrogenesis of Þingmúli volcano, East Fjords, Iceland
In this work we revisit Þingmúli volcano (Þ = Th), a classic locality known as an example of a complete tholeiitic differentiation. Þingmúli is a ~ 9.5 Ma extinct central volcano located in the East Fjords of Iceland, in which the whole compositional spectrum from basalt to rhyolites have erupted. These volcanic products have been previously considered as petrogenetically related by an...
Authors
Amanda L. Hughes, Joaquín A. Cortès, Dave McGarvie, Richard J. Moscati, Valerie Olive
Ten new insights in climate science 2025 Ten new insights in climate science 2025
Interdisciplinary understanding is vital for delivering sound climate policy advice. However, navigating the ever-growing and increasingly diverse scholarly literature on climate change is challenging for any individual researcher. This annual synthesis highlights and explains recent advances across a variety of fields of climate change research. This year, the 10 insights focus on: (1)...
Authors
Daniel Ospina, Paula Mirazo, Richard P. Allan, Smriti Basnett, Ana Bastos, Nishan Bhattarai, Wendy Broadgate, Derik J. Broekhoff, Mercedes Bustamante, Deliang Chen, Yeonju Choi, Peter Cox, Luiz A. Domeignoz-Horta, Krislie Ebi, Pierre Friedlingstein, Thomas L. Frölicher, Sabine Fuss, Helge F. Goessling, Nicolas Gruber, Qingyou He, Sophie R. Hebden, Nadja Hedrich, Adrian Heilemann, Marina Hirota, Øivind Hodnebrog, Gustaf Hugelius, Santiago Izquierdo-Tort, Sirkku Juhola, Fumiko Kasuga, Piyu Ke, Douglas I. Kelley, Şiir Kilkiș, Maximilian Kotz, Nilushi Kumarasinghe, William F. Lamb, Shih-Yu Lee, Junguo Liu, Cara N. Maesano, Maria A. Martin, Guilherme G. Mazzochini, Christopher J. Merchant, Akira S. Mori, Jennifer Morris, Åsa Persson, Hans-Otto Pörtner, Benedict S. Probst, Justine Ramage, Estelle Razanatsoa, Aaron Redman, Johan Rockström, Regina Rodrigues, Sophie Ruehr, Sadie J. Ryan, Carl-Friedrich Schleussner, Peter Schlosser, William A. Scott, Jan C. Semenza, Hansjörg Seybold, Drew T. Shindell, Giles B. Sioen, Kathryn E. Smith, Youba Sokona, Annika H. Stechemesser, Thomas F. Stocker, Sophie H.L. Su, Djiby Thiam, Gregory Trencher, Anna-Maria Virkkala, Lila Warszawski, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Henry Wu, Shupeng Zhu
Synthesizing beaver coexistence messaging with the capability, opportunity, and motivation behavior model Synthesizing beaver coexistence messaging with the capability, opportunity, and motivation behavior model
In the western United States, conservation practitioners are increasingly working with private landowners to restore habitat for North American beavers (Castor canadensis) and to use nonlethal mitigation techniques when beavers damage crops and infrastructure. Effective communication is critical for promoting coexistence, yet on-the-ground conservation messaging seldom links to behavior...
Authors
Brian D. Erickson, Megan Siobhan Jones
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in waters associated with oil and gas development in the Denver Basin Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in waters associated with oil and gas development in the Denver Basin
Use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the petroleum industry could be a cause for concern due to the large volumes of produced water (PW) generated during oil and gas extraction, the reuse of these wastes in water-stressed regions, and adverse health outcomes related to PFAS exposures. However, PW PFAS characterization is nearly absent in the literature, and hydraulic...
Authors
Matthew S. Varonka, Aaron M. Jubb, Bonnie McDevitt, Jenna L. Shelton, Elliott P. Barnhart, Denise M. Akob, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
Mineral commodity summaries 2026 Mineral commodity summaries 2026
Introduction Each mineral commodity chapter of the 2026 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries (MCS) includes information on events, trends, and issues for each mineral commodity as well as discussions and tabular presentations on domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, 5-year salient statistics, and world production, reserves, and...