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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Creation of aerial camera system boresight installations in Bangor, Maine; Monroe, Louisiana; and Bassville Park, Florida Creation of aerial camera system boresight installations in Bangor, Maine; Monroe, Louisiana; and Bassville Park, Florida
Aerial camera systems rely on boresights for defining internal and external metrics. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Surveys Branch required boresights to calibrate their camera systems for creating georeferenced imagery that can then be used in geographic information systems. The U.S. Geological Survey created high-accuracy boresight installations in Bangor, Maine...
Authors
Andrew C. Strassman, Sierra M. Schuster, Jamie A. Schoen, Aaron C. Murphy
Flying under the radar: The demographic importance of immatures in long-lived seabird populations Flying under the radar: The demographic importance of immatures in long-lived seabird populations
Demographic assessments are essential for effective biological conservation management, allowing early detection of population declines and timely allocation of resources to avoid possible crises. For species with slow life-history strategies like seabirds, only the breeding adults are monitored routinely. The dynamics of immatures, often unobservable from fledging to recruitment, are...
Authors
Francesco Ventura, Christian Joseph Che-Castaldo, Paulo Catry, Karine Delord, Amanda Kuepfer, Bertille Mohring, Steffan Oppel, Richard A. Phillips, Ettiene Rouby, Caroline C. Ummenhofer, Henri Weimerskirch, Andrew G. Wood, Christophe Barbraud, Stéphanie Jenouvrier
Decoding the oxidative digestion mechanism for polystyrene nanoplastic detection in the Great Lakes using a customizable Raman spectral processing algorithm Decoding the oxidative digestion mechanism for polystyrene nanoplastic detection in the Great Lakes using a customizable Raman spectral processing algorithm
Despite the concerns surging around nanoplastics (NPs) regarding their prevalence and bioavailability in freshwater systems, robust detection of NPs in complex environmental matrices is hindered by the lack of standardized sample pretreatment and a mechanistic understanding of oxidative digestion. Here, we systematically investigate the interaction between hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and...
Authors
Ziyan Wu, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Bryce Adam Cook, Haoran Wei, Mohan Qin
Establishing conservation benchmarks for threatened Bull Trout using spawner-recruitment relationships Establishing conservation benchmarks for threatened Bull Trout using spawner-recruitment relationships
Understanding the relationship between breeding adults and juvenile recruitment is fundamental to conserving at-risk species. Knowing whether recruitment is depensatory or compensatory at low adult abundances can aid in developing conservation strategies and recovery goals. However, this relationship requires long-term monitoring of two life stages, which can be costly and uncommon...
Authors
Hayley Corrine Glassic, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Leo R. Rosenthal, Matthew C. Boyer, Thomas Weaver, Kristen L. Cook, David Schmetterling, Ryan P. Kovach, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Timothy Cline
Combining branching processes and Allee effects into an integral projection model to assess invasion risk Combining branching processes and Allee effects into an integral projection model to assess invasion risk
Invasive species threaten both ecological systems and economies. Successful establishment is governed partly by demographic stochasticity, where random individual-level variation can significantly influence invasion dynamics. A critical factor is the Allee effect, which describes reduced population growth at low densities, potentially serving as a barrier to persistence. Size-dependent...
Authors
James P. Pierce, Cynthia Kolar Tam, Joseph J. Parkos, Grace L. Loppnow, Mark W. Fritts, Alison A. Coulter, Richard A. Erickson
Trace element heterogeneity and crystallization history of the Plesovice zircon: Implications for its use as a U–Pb LA-ICP-MS reference material Trace element heterogeneity and crystallization history of the Plesovice zircon: Implications for its use as a U–Pb LA-ICP-MS reference material
Zircon crystals from Plešovice hyperpotassic granulite (HPG) have been widely used as a reference material for LA-ICP-MS dating. Detailed cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging and trace element analysis reveal a complex internal structure of Plešovice zircon linked to extreme chemical heterogeneity, which allows us to distinguish different zircon domains formed during its crystallization: (i)...
Authors
Jana Kotková, Urs Schaltegger, Alexey Ulianov, Sean Patrick Gaynor, Dan Parvaz, Jiří Sláma
Seasonal space use and spatial overlap of lake sturgeon populations inhabiting Lake St. Clair Seasonal space use and spatial overlap of lake sturgeon populations inhabiting Lake St. Clair
Multi-jurisdictional management of adult lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) requires characterizing seasonal dynamics of their spatial distributions. Despite decades of research into lake sturgeon movement ecology, system-wide spatiotemporal behavior remains poorly understood in large lakes, particularly those with metapopulations differentiated by spawning river or migratory...
Authors
Skye D. Fissette, Andrew S. Briggs, Charles C. Krueger, Darryl W. Hondorp
Fueling the fire: Predicting cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) impacts on fire behavior across environmental and seasonal gradients Fueling the fire: Predicting cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) impacts on fire behavior across environmental and seasonal gradients
Invasive species can fundamentally alter fire regimes by modifying fuel characteristics, yet predicting their impacts on fire behavior remains challenging. Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica), a highly invasive grass spreading across the southeastern US, has been associated with increased fuel loads and fire intensity, but it is unclear how its impacts on fuel load and fire behavior vary...
Authors
Alan Ivory, Carissa L. Wonkka, Devan McGranahan, Paul Akpejeluh, Sarah Kincy, Noah Weidig, Caleb Powell Roberts, Kody Brock, Carlos Silva, Victoria M. Donovan
White light reduces flight height of birds in low-density migration corridor White light reduces flight height of birds in low-density migration corridor
Artificial light at night (ALAN) has been shown to influence the behavior of migratory birds, yet how different light spectra modulate these effects remains unclear. We conducted a field experiment for 31 nights at a remote site in northern Colorado, USA, using 2 800-W light-emitting diode (LED) floodlights with white, red, amber, and blue lighting treatments during fall migration in...
Authors
Miguel F. Jimenez, Carrie Ann Adams, Carolyn S. Burt, Brian Daniel Gerber, Jeremy White, Riana Zinn, Kyle G. Horton
Genomic data reveal historical introgression and genetic erosion across an imperiled radiation of Caribbean Spondylurus skinks Genomic data reveal historical introgression and genetic erosion across an imperiled radiation of Caribbean Spondylurus skinks
Understanding how island biodiversity originates and persists is central to evolutionary biology and conservation. Caribbean islands, shaped by repeated cycles of isolation and connectivity, provide a natural laboratory to evaluate how dispersal, divergence, and introgression interact during diversification. Here we use low-coverage whole-genome data from modern and historical specimens...
Authors
Danielle Rivera, Nahíra Arocho-Hernandez, Jan P. Zegarra, Erin Rivernbark, Kevin Chovanec, R. Graham Reynolds, Kevin de Queiroz, Alberto Puente-Rolón, Luis Gonzalez-Arocho, Nathan J. Hostetter, Jaime A. Collazo, Rayna C. Bell
Frictional weakening in the highly mobile 2025 Blatten rock and ice avalanche in Switzerland Frictional weakening in the highly mobile 2025 Blatten rock and ice avalanche in Switzerland
Cascading slope failures are increasing as glaciers retreat and slopes adjust to a warming climate, yet reconstructing their full dynamics from precursor to deposition remains challenging. Here we show that the 28 May 2025 Blatten rock-ice avalanche, which mobilized about 9.3 million cubic metres, can be reconstructed from seismic, geomorphological, and geotechnical evidence and...
Authors
Jiahui Kang, Antoine S. Lucas, Anne Mangeney, Johan Gaume, Kate E. Allstadt, Clement Hibert, Liam Toney, Herve Vicari, Michael Dietze, Mylene Jacquemart, Marc Peruzzetto, Lars Blatny, Michael L. Kyburz, Joachim Rimpot, Daniel Farinotti, Fabian Walter
Reassessing water availability in the Nile River Basin using satellite-based irrigation water use accounting Reassessing water availability in the Nile River Basin using satellite-based irrigation water use accounting
Existing estimates of irrigation areas and water use in the Nile River Basin vary widely and are based on inconsistent data and methodologies. This study leverages advances in remote sensing to provide an up-to-date and consistent basin-wide reassessment of water use in the Nile River Basin. Land cover and actual evapotranspiration data from 2013 to 2022 were used to quantify irrigated...
Authors
Mekdelawit M. Deribe, Gabriel B. Senay, Belete B. Kidanewold, A.M. Melesse