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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Science Quality and Integrity
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Mission Area Publications
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Filter Total Items: 175768
Evaluating the use of uncrewed surface vessels to enhance Lake Erie acoustic prey-fish surveys Evaluating the use of uncrewed surface vessels to enhance Lake Erie acoustic prey-fish surveys
Incorporation of autonomous uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) into large-scale acoustic surveys may enhance spatiotemporal extent and quality of fish density estimates. Lake Erie is currently surveyed by three motorized research vessels (RVs), which annually collect acoustic data and estimate prey-fish abundances. To evaluate the feasibility of incorporating a USV into the existing survey...
Authors
Mark Richard Dufour, Thomas M. Evans, Lars G. Rudstam, Suresh A. Sethi, Jeremy P. Holden, Heather Luken, Peter I. Jenkins, Daniel L. Yule, David M. Warner, Steven A. Farha, Timothy P. O’Brien, Andrew R. Barnard, Steven A. Senczyszyn, Hannah B. Blair, James M. Watkins, James J. Roberts, Peter C. Esselman
Retrospective stepwise prioritization of chemicals detected in Great Lakes tributaries (2008–2018) Retrospective stepwise prioritization of chemicals detected in Great Lakes tributaries (2008–2018)
Through the U.S. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a 10-year, multiagency chemical monitoring effort was undertaken across the Great Lakes. In this effort, 586 chemicals were monitored and 334 were detected in grab/composite water samples. To help inform potential future actions, a stepwise prioritization framework was used to identify compounds for which publicly accessible water...
Authors
Erin M. Maloney, Steven R. Corsi, Matthew A. Pronschinske, Laura A. DeCicco, John R. Frisch, Niel Fuller, Austin K. Baldwin, Kimani Kimbrough, Michael Edwards, Stephanie L. Hummel, Natalia G. Vinas, Daniel L. Villeneuve
A three-dimensional geologic framework model of the northern Great Plains region of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, USA A three-dimensional geologic framework model of the northern Great Plains region of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, USA
This report presents a new three-dimensional geologic framework model (GFM) of the northern Great Plains region, encompassing parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The model provides a regionally consistent, geographic information system (GIS)-ready representation of Phanerozoic sedimentary strata, major fault systems, and Precambrian basement geometry across two...
Authors
Leland R. Spangler
Deep critical zone controls on shallow landslides Deep critical zone controls on shallow landslides
The deep critical zone (CZ) has long been recognized for its importance in influencing shallow landslides but was not considered feasible to include in slope stability models at the watershed scale. In this study, we demonstrate that simple approximations of the CZ in a fully coupled hydrologic and soil slope stability model can effectively capture the location, timing, and likely size...
Authors
Seulgi Moon, Giuseppe Formetta, Justin T. Higa, Riccardo Busti, Dino G. Bellugi, David G. Milledge, Brian A. Ebel, William E. Dietrich
Urban stormwater treatment using biofiltration—Variable performance across solids, nutrients, major ions, and metals Urban stormwater treatment using biofiltration—Variable performance across solids, nutrients, major ions, and metals
Urban runoff from streets and parking lots carries pollutants that degrade receiving waters. Green infrastructure, such as biofilters, is increasingly used to treat this runoff by mimicking natural hydrologic processes. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, evaluated a biofilter receiving roadway runoff from an industrial area in...
Authors
William R. Selbig, James Romano
Investigation of fish communities in natural channel sections of the Mohawk River, New York Investigation of fish communities in natural channel sections of the Mohawk River, New York
Little is known about the natural resources in the natural channel sections of the Mohawk River between Rome and Frankfort, New York, where the river channel runs separately from and parallel to the Erie Canal. This river section runs through multiple locations that are listed as active remediation sites under New York’s Inactive Hazardous Waste Disposal Site Program and has negligible...
Authors
Scott D. George, Thomas R. Sadekoski, Michael J. Darling, Barry P. Baldigo, Scott M. Wells, David B. Erway, Andrea L. Conine, Jesse C. Becker, Kristen J. Dieterle
Is new actually better? A structural comparison of collaborative governance structures for the management of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Maine Is new actually better? A structural comparison of collaborative governance structures for the management of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Maine
Collaborative governance structures (CGS) have been increasingly adopted to address joint-jurisdictional management challenges. While the establishment of CGSs has been widely studied, their practical development has remained a conspicuous gap. CGSs are variable systems with several developmental stages (activation, collectivity, and institutionalization) which eventually lead to...
Authors
Melissa E. Flye, Carly C. Sponarski, Danielle Frechette, Joseph D. Zydlewski
Behavioral shifts mask the success of legislation and outreach for endangered species recovery Behavioral shifts mask the success of legislation and outreach for endangered species recovery
A fundamental challenge in conservation is assessing the efficacy of recovery actions to optimize endangered species management. Considerable recent attention has focused on effective measures to counter the endangerment of avian scavengers, which have declined worldwide, primarily due to poisoning. One iconic example is efforts to recover the critically endangered California condor...
Authors
Victoria J. Bakker, Daniel F. Doak, Alacia Welch, L. Joseph Burnett, María C. Porras Peña, Joseph Brandt, Sharon A. Poessel, Steve Kirkland, Rachel Wolstenholme, Daniel Ryan, Mike Stake, Arianna Punzalan, Nacho Vilchis, Melissa A. Braham, Myra E. Finkelstein
Moving toward a more human-oriented analysis of urban heat: Examining differences of heat exposure intensity at busy commuting locations Moving toward a more human-oriented analysis of urban heat: Examining differences of heat exposure intensity at busy commuting locations
Examining urban thermal environments has become a critical area of research spanning epidemiology, urban planning, and ecology. While traditional metrics like air temperature (Tair) and satellite-derived surface temperature dominate urban heat studies, these measures often fail to reflect how people actually experience thermal exposure intensity. More human-oriented metrics, such as mean...
Authors
Peter Christian Ibsen, Melissa R. McHale, Priyanka deSouza, Logan Steinharter, Carl Green, James E. Diffendorfer, Travis Warziniak
Regreening, restoring, and reconnecting a southwestern wetland ecosystem – the Zeedyk wetland Regreening, restoring, and reconnecting a southwestern wetland ecosystem – the Zeedyk wetland
Alluvial wetland ecosystems are vital as biodiversity hotspots but are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic stressors and drought. These pressures are especially acute in arid and semi-arid regions, where eco-hydrologic connectivity is fragile and recovery is slow. This study quantifies the efficacy of nature-based solutions, particularly the ‘Zeedyk approach,’ which employs low-tech...
Authors
Roy E. Petrakis, Laura M. Norman, Maryann McGraw, Steve Carson, Craig Sponholtz, Cameron Weber, Bill D. Zeedyk
Advancing compound coastal flood modeling on aouthern O’ahu, Hawai’i: A hybrid stochastic approach Advancing compound coastal flood modeling on aouthern O’ahu, Hawai’i: A hybrid stochastic approach
Sea-level rise and changing patterns of storminess associated with climate change are expected to increase the frequency and severity of compound coastal flooding events, posing significant challenges to coastal communities in enhancing preparedness and adaptation strategies. This work presents a hybrid stochastic approach for the probabilistic assessment of compound coastal flooding...
Authors
Alba Ricondo, Laura Cagigal, Curt D. Storlazzi, Mark A. Merrifield, Fernando J. Mendez, Peter R Ruggiero
Unprecedented burning in tropical peatlands during the 20th century compared to the previous two millennia Unprecedented burning in tropical peatlands during the 20th century compared to the previous two millennia
Tropical peatland wildfire incidence has risen in recent decades, driven by drainage for land use and intensified by severe droughts with global climate change. These disturbances have altered vegetation structure, disrupted ecosystem functioning, and increased carbon emissions, particularly in Southeast Asia. However, the long-term history and characteristics of wildfires in tropical...
Authors
Yuwan Wang, Ted R. Feldpausch, Graeme T. Swindles, Patrick Moss, Hamish A. McGowan, Thomas G. Sim, Paul J. Morris, Adam Benfield, Colin Courtney-Mustaphi, David Wahl, Encarni Montoya, Esther N. Githumbi, Euridice N. Honorio Coronado, Femke Augustijns, Gert Verstraeten, Jess O'Donnell, John Tibby, Juan C. Benavides, K. Anggi Hapsari, Karsten Schittek, Khairun Nisha Mohamed Ramdzan, Kunshan Bao, Lydia E. Cole, Lysanna Anderson, Mariusz Galka, Orijemie Emuobosa Akpo, Paul Strobel, Prabhakaran Ramya Bala, Rene Dommain, Rob Marchant, Raman Sukumar, Sakonvan Chawchai, Sarath Pullyottum Kavil, Scott Mooney, Thomas J. Kelly, Yang Gao, Apostolos Voulgarakis, Arnoud Boom, Chantelle Burton, Juan Carlos Berrio, Kelly Ribeiro, Liana O. Anderson, Mark Hardiman, Molly Spater, Susan E. Page, Angela Gallego-Sala