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.
Science Quality and Integrity
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
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: 175505
U.S. national park units as breeding bird habitat: A comparison of species prevalence and land cover across the midwestern and central United States U.S. national park units as breeding bird habitat: A comparison of species prevalence and land cover across the midwestern and central United States
The value of national parks as bird habitat depends not only on local conditions within the parks, but also on the landscape habitat matrices in which they are located. However, the influences of local and landscape habitat matrices on birds vary by species and have not been quantified. Similarly, the trends of land cover types through time have not been systematically quantified for...
Authors
Ryan C. Burner, Alan A Kirschbaum, Ted Gostomski, David G Peitz
Appendix B: Patterns of bull trout Salvelinus confluentus demography, life history, abundance, and trends in the Lewis River Appendix B: Patterns of bull trout Salvelinus confluentus demography, life history, abundance, and trends in the Lewis River
Declines in the distribution and abundance of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) across much of the historical range in the Pacific Northwest region of Canada and the United States have been well documented (Post and Johnston 2002; Rieman et al. 1997). Recent estimates of population trends appear to vary considerably across regions with large numbers of migratory and resident...
Authors
Robert Al-Chokhachy, Jeremiah Doyle, Jason Shappart
Ice-lobe retreat, glacial lake levels and the North American varve chronology in the Deerfield basin of western Massachusetts Ice-lobe retreat, glacial lake levels and the North American varve chronology in the Deerfield basin of western Massachusetts
No abstract available.
Authors
Janet R. Stone, Mary L. DiGiacomo-Cohen, Steven B. Mabee, Julie Brigham-Grette, Byron D. Stone, Brandon L. Graham, Brian Yellen
Fine-grained temporal population monitoring of a declining, critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper Fine-grained temporal population monitoring of a declining, critically endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper
Annual point counts are commonly used to monitor birds to track population densities across space and time. Palila (Loxioides bailleui) are surveyed annually in the first quarter, but we recently instituted quarterly sampling that offers a unique opportunity to improve estimator precision. We conducted point-transect distance sampling point counts during the first quarter of 2020 through...
Authors
Richard J. Camp, Chauncey K. Asing, Noah J. Hunt, Alexander Wang, Chris Farmer, Lindsey Neitmann, Paul C. Banko
Resolution sensitivities for subgrid modeling of coastal flooding Resolution sensitivities for subgrid modeling of coastal flooding
Flooding due to storm surge can propagate through coastal regions to threaten the built and natural environments. This propagation is controlled by geographic features of varying scales, from the largest oceans to the smallest marsh channels and sandy dunes. Numerical models to predict coastal flooding have been improved via the use of subgrid corrections, which use information about the...
Authors
Johnathan Lucas Woodruff, Joel C. Dietrich, Damrongsak Wirasaet, Andrew B. Kennedy, Diogo Bolster, Richard A. Luettich
Critical minerals in orogenic (gold) and Coeur d’Alene-type mineral systems of the United States Critical minerals in orogenic (gold) and Coeur d’Alene-type mineral systems of the United States
Orogenic and Coeur d’Alene-type mineral systems are produced by metamorphic devolatilization of thick volcanic or siliciclastic sedimentary rock sequences and the focused flow of hydrothermal fluids upwards along crustal-scale faults. Most orogenic systems are found along the Cordilleran orogen, stretching from California northwards into Alaska, whereas most Coeur d’Alene-type systems...
Authors
Ryan D. Taylor, Albert H. Hofstra
Evaluating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) prevalence and potential for biological effects in Lake Superior tributaries Evaluating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) prevalence and potential for biological effects in Lake Superior tributaries
Several per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are Great Lakes binational chemicals of mutual concern. Although known to be persistent, data gaps regarding PFAS prevalence and biological effects exist, especially within Lake Superior’s watershed. In this 2022 study of 27 United States tributaries to Lake Superior, water samples were collected during spring runoff, summer baseflow...
Authors
Matthew A. Pronschinske, Steven R. Corsi, Sarah M. Elliott, Martin M. Shafer, Kristen Hannon, Kaitlyn Gruber, Christina K. Remucal
Integrated distribution modeling resolves asynchrony between bat population impacts and occupancy trends through latent abundance Integrated distribution modeling resolves asynchrony between bat population impacts and occupancy trends through latent abundance
Monitoring populations is challenging for cryptic species with seasonal life cycles, where data from multiple field techniques are commonly collected and analyzed as multiple lines of evidence. Data integration can provide comprehensive inferences while improving accuracy, precision, and scope but faces challenges in modeling misaligned resolutions and observational uncertainties. We...
Authors
Bradley James Udell, Christian Stratton, Kathryn Irvine, Bethany R. Straw, Jonathan D. Reichard, Sarah M. Gaulke, Jeremy. T.H. Coleman, Frank C Tousley, Andrea Nichole Schuhmann, Rich D. Inman, Melinda Turner, Sarah Nystrom, Brian E. Reichert
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in surface water and sediment in Great Lakes tributaries and relations with watershed attributes Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in surface water and sediment in Great Lakes tributaries and relations with watershed attributes
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals of emerging concern that potentially pose risks to human and environmental health. In May–Oct 2018, sediment and passively collected surface water samples were collected from 62 tributary sites of the Laurentian Great Lakes with site catchments spanning various land cover types. Discrete samples of sediment collected manually and...
Authors
Luke C. Loken, Steven R. Corsi, David A. Alvarez, Matthew A. Pronschinske, Peter L. Lenaker, Michelle A. Nott, Chen Zhang, Erin Mani, Gerald T. Ankley
Foundational uncertainties in terminal Ediacaran chronostratigraphy revealed by high-precision zircon U-Pb geochronology of the Nama Group, Namibia Foundational uncertainties in terminal Ediacaran chronostratigraphy revealed by high-precision zircon U-Pb geochronology of the Nama Group, Namibia
The Nama Group of southern Namibia and northwestern South Africa hosts the best-dated mixed carbonate-siliciclastic foreland basin succession of the terminal Ediacaran [ca. 551 million years (Ma) ago to 1 Myr older than the depositional age of their respective ash beds when assuming existing stratigraphic correlations. If this scenario is preferred, then a cautious approach would be to...
Authors
Fred T. Bowyer, Fabio Messori, Rachel Wood, Ulf Linnemann, Esther Rojo-Perez, Mandy Zieger-Hofmann, Johannes Zieger, Junias Ndeunyema, Martin Shipanga, Bontle Mataboge, Dan Condon, Catherine V. Rose, Collen-Issia Uahengo, Sean Patrick Gaynor, Inigo A. Müller, Gerd Geyer, Torsten W. Vennemann, Joshua H.F.L. Davies, Maria Ovtcharova
Pesticide concentrations in multiple physical and biological stream matrices are impacted by a bioenergy production facility receiving pesticide coated corn seeds Pesticide concentrations in multiple physical and biological stream matrices are impacted by a bioenergy production facility receiving pesticide coated corn seeds
Insecticide and fungicide seed coatings have become prevalent in conventional agriculture in recent decades. From 2015 to 2021, the AltEn bioenergy plant (Mead, Nebraska, USA) generated ethanol from almost 100% unused/expired treated corn seeds. This use of these seeds for ethanol production resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of contaminated wastewater and solid residue, a...
Authors
Michelle L. Hladik, Dana W. Kolpin, Matthew D. De Parsia, Daniel D. Snow, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Brenda Densmore, Laura E. Hubbard, David L. Rus, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Brittany G. Perrotta, Karen A. Kidd, Johanna M. Kraus, Carrie E. Givens, Christopher James Kotalik, David Walters
Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) demographics and metal(loid) concentrations in egg contents from the Kootenai River basin, Montana nest box colonies Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) demographics and metal(loid) concentrations in egg contents from the Kootenai River basin, Montana nest box colonies
Selenium (Se) levels in water have been increasing in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River below Libby Dam in Montana due to coal mining in the drainage basin of the Elk River, British Columbia. Aquatic monitoring of Se is ongoing to assess potential effects; however, exposure to terrestrial, aquatic-dependent wildlife has not been investigated. Tree swallows are a targeted receptor for
Authors
Brian C. Balmer, Joseph P. Skorupa, Katherine B. Adams, Bridger M. Creel, Gregory C. Hoffman, Megan A. Fylling, Stephanie Le, Jacob M. Martin, W. Scott McBride, Jacob T. Williams, Travis S. Schmidt