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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.

Filter Total Items: 174960

Aggregated space use by soft-released translocated Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) Aggregated space use by soft-released translocated Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus)

Translocated herpetofauna can exhibit irregular space use and movement patterns when compared with resident conspecifics. In Florida, USA, Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) are translocated throughout the state to mitigate habitat loss due to development. The postrelease space use of translocated Gopher Tortoises within soft-release pens can affect population dynamics and population
Authors
Max D. Jones, Kevin J. Loope, Vivian H. Porter, Danielle K. Walkup, Wade A. Ryberg, Jeremy R. Preston, Justin T. Johnson, Bruce W. Hagedorn, Robert Bilbow, Billy M. Moore, Brandon C. Bowers, Roel R. Lopez, Elizabeth Ann Hunter

Complex staged emplacement of a basaltic lava: The example of the July 1974 flow of Kīlauea Complex staged emplacement of a basaltic lava: The example of the July 1974 flow of Kīlauea

Basaltic lava flows can be highly destructive. Forecasting the future path and/or behavior of an active lava flow is challenging because topography is often poorly constrained and lava has a complex rheology and emplacement history. Preserved lavas are an important source of information which, combined with observations of active flows, underpins conceptual models of lava flow...
Authors
Sebastian Biass, Bruce F. Houghton, Edward W. Llewellin, Kristine C Curran, Thorvaldur Thordarson, Tim R. Orr, Carolyn Parcheta, Peter J. Mouginis-Mark

The effects of breeding status on common raven movement, home range, and habitat selection The effects of breeding status on common raven movement, home range, and habitat selection

Anthropogenic infrastructure has contributed to increasing common raven (Corvus corax) abundance across the Great Basin region of the United States, particularly in sagebrush ecosystems, where high raven densities are correlated with reduced sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nest survival. Our understanding of how raven reproductive behavior affects sage-grouse nest predation is...
Authors
Julia C. Brockman, Peter S. Coates, John C. Tull, Pat J. Jackson, Shawn T. O’Neil, Perry J. Williams

Topographic controls on landslide mobility: Modeling hurricane-induced landslide runout and debris-flow inundation in Puerto Rico Topographic controls on landslide mobility: Modeling hurricane-induced landslide runout and debris-flow inundation in Puerto Rico

In 2017, Hurricane Maria triggered more than 70 000 landslides in Puerto Rico. After initiation, these predominantly shallow landslides were mobilized to varying extents – some landslides only traveled partway downslope, whereas others reached drainage channels and were mobilized into long-traveled debris flows that could severely impact roads and infrastructure. Thus, forecasting...
Authors
Dianne L. Brien, Mark E. Reid, Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff, Jonathan P. Perkins

The GorDAS Distributed Acoustic Sensing experiment above the Cascadia locked zone and subducted Gorda Slab The GorDAS Distributed Acoustic Sensing experiment above the Cascadia locked zone and subducted Gorda Slab

The southernmost portion of the Cascadia Subduction zone in Northern California produces high rates of moderate and large earthquakes owing to subduction of the Gorda slab and deformation associated with the Mendocino Triple Junction. Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) is rapidly advancing as a method for detecting earthquakes and imaging crustal structure. We have begun a long-term DAS...
Authors
Jeffrey J. McGuire, Andrew J. Barbour, Connie Stewart, Victor Yartsev, Martin Karrenbach, Mark Hemphill-Haley, Robert C. McPherson, Kari Stockdale, Clara Yoon, Theresa Marie Sawi

Assessment of western Oregon debris-flow hazards in burned and unburned environments Assessment of western Oregon debris-flow hazards in burned and unburned environments

In the steep and mountainous environment of western Oregon, debris flows pose a considerable threat to property, infrastructure and life. Wildfire is commonly known to increase the susceptibility of steep slopes to debris flows, but the extent of this process in the western Cascades is not well understood. The US Geological Survey (USGS) currently estimates postfire debris-flow...
Authors
Brittany Danielle Selander, Nancy C. Calhoun, William Burns, Jason W. Kean, Francis K. Rengers

Understanding predator-prey-competitor dynamics between Lower Missouri River Macrhybopsis and Scaphirhynchus using a population—bioenergetics model ensemble Understanding predator-prey-competitor dynamics between Lower Missouri River Macrhybopsis and Scaphirhynchus using a population—bioenergetics model ensemble

The pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus is a long-lived, endangered fish in the Missouri River. Individuals become piscivorous as adults, so recruitment from stocking or reproduction could reduce populations of prey, including Macrhybopsis chubs. We constructed an individual- and age-based, multi-species, predator-prey-competitor model (IAMP) to represent the benthic community...
Authors
Mark L. Wildhaber, Janice L. Albers, Nicholas S. Green

Do watershed conditions or local climate play a larger role in determining regional stream salamander distributions? Do watershed conditions or local climate play a larger role in determining regional stream salamander distributions?

Anthropogenic influences like land use and climate variability interact with natural heterogeneity to influence the persistence of stream salamanders. Using occupancy modeling in the southern Appalachian Mountains, we investigated the influence of land use, climate, and physical context (e.g., drainage area, elevation) on stream salamander occupancy, noting species, and life stage...
Authors
Kristen K. Cecala, Brian J. Halstead, James S. McGrory, John C. Maerz

A crustal thermal model of the conterminous U.S. constrained by multiple data sets: A Monte-Carlo approach A crustal thermal model of the conterminous U.S. constrained by multiple data sets: A Monte-Carlo approach

The thermal structure of the continental crust plays a critical role in understanding its elastic and rheologic properties as well as its dynamic processes. Thermal parameter data sets on continental scales have been used to constrain the crustal thermal structure, including both the direct (e.g. temperature, heat flux and heat conductivity measured at the surface) and indirect (e.g...
Authors
Siyuan Sui, Weisen Shen, Oliver S. Boyd

Evaluating five shoreline change models against 40 years of field survey data at an embayed sandy beach Evaluating five shoreline change models against 40 years of field survey data at an embayed sandy beach

Robust and reliable models are needed to understand how coastlines will evolve over the coming decades, driven by both natural variability and climate change. This study evaluated how accurately five popular ‘reduced-complexity’ models replicate multi-decadal shoreline change at Narrabeen-Collaroy Beach, a sandy embayment in Sydney, Australia. Measured shoreline positions derived from
Authors
Oxana Repina, Rafael C. Carvalho, Giovanni Coco, Jose Antolínez, Iñaki de Santiago, Mitchell D. Harley, Camilo Jaramillo, Kristen D. Splinter, Sean Vitousek, Colin D. Woodroffe

A generalized framework for inferring river bathymetry from image-derived velocity fields A generalized framework for inferring river bathymetry from image-derived velocity fields

Although established techniques for remote sensing of river bathymetry perform poorly in turbid water, image velocimetry can be effective under these conditions. This study describes a framework for mapping both of these attributes: Depths Inferred from Velocities Estimated by Remote Sensing, or DIVERS. The workflow involves linking image-derived velocities to depth via a flow resistance...
Authors
Carl J. Legleiter, Paul J. Kinzel

Estuarine tidal cycles may preserve thermal refugia as global temperatures increase Estuarine tidal cycles may preserve thermal refugia as global temperatures increase

Climate change is affecting coastal ecosystems worldwide as water temperatures increase, hydrologic regimes change, and sea levels rise. Consequently, estuaries risk declines in ecosystem functioning due to increasing temperatures and other hydrologic factors. Characterizing and predicting estuarine water temperature are challenging because these systems are highly dynamic. Statistical...
Authors
Melanie J. Davis, Isa Woo, Susan E.W. De La Cruz
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