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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Competing effects of elastic heterogeneity and viscous flow on interseismic coupling at Cascadia Competing effects of elastic heterogeneity and viscous flow on interseismic coupling at Cascadia
Interseismic coupling maps are important tools for estimating future earthquake hazard at subduction zones. Often interseismic coupling is estimated from surface velocities using a homogeneous elastic Earth model. However, inversions that incorporate viscoelastic mantle flow or elastic heterogeneity show that each can change the spatial distribution and magnitude of estimated coupling...
Authors
Elizabeth M. Sherrill, Kaj M. Johnson, Frederick Pollitz
Listening for extinction: Range-wide occupancy highlights critical risks and priorities for northern spotted owls Listening for extinction: Range-wide occupancy highlights critical risks and priorities for northern spotted owls
The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) continues to decline across its range, threatened by habitat disturbances and invasive barred owls (Strix varia). We conducted a range-wide spotted owl occupancy assessment using 2.1 million h of passive acoustic recordings from 4081 survey stations within 1027 randomly selected 5-km2 hexagons across six physiographic regions...
Authors
Damon B. Lesmeister, Julianna M.A. Jenkins, Raymond J. Davis, Natalie M. Rugg, Cara L. Appel, Larissa L. Bailey, Erin Bayne, Chestnut Tara, Leila S. Duchac, Katie M. Dugger, Taylor D. Ellis, Alan B. Franklin, Scott A. Gremel, Aaron Henderson, Edward Henson, J. Mark Higley, James E. Hines, Bruce A. Hollen, William L. Kendall, Taal Levi, Darryl I. MacKenzie, Christopher E. McCafferty, Thomas Munger, David Press, Caroline Provost, Suzanne Reffler, Zachary J. Ruff, James K. Swingle, Erica Tevini, Alaina D. Thomas, Matthew J. Weldy, Kirsten Wert, Angela White, Charles B. Yackulic
Comparative crop yield forecasting using satellite-derived biophysical and agro-climatic predictors in Sub-Saharan Africa Comparative crop yield forecasting using satellite-derived biophysical and agro-climatic predictors in Sub-Saharan Africa
Timely and accurate crop yield forecasting is central to food security early warning systems, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions. While operational forecasting frameworks commonly rely on precipitation and vegetation indices such as NDVI, their ability to provide actionable lead time remains limited. Here, we evaluate the added value of satellite-derived biophysical Essential...
Authors
Barnali Das, Shraddhanand Shukla, Frank Davenport, Greg Husak, Chris Funk, Karyn Tabor, James Rowland, Michael Budde, James Verdin
Morphodynamics of snow barchans at Concordia Station, Antarctica Morphodynamics of snow barchans at Concordia Station, Antarctica
Barchans are crescent-shaped dunes that form and migrate under unimodal wind regimes in areas of low sediment availability. While sand barchan morphodynamics has been extensively studied, snow barchans remain poorly documented. Here, using hourly time-series images taken near Concordia Station, Antarctica, we measure the sizes (lengths 0.3 m to 13 m, widths 0.4 m to 7.5 m) and migration...
Authors
Marine Poizat, Jeanne Alkalla, Ghislain Picard, Laurent Arnaud, Daniel J. Nowacki, Simon Filhol, Eric Lefebvre, Clément Narteau
Bathymetric survey and storage capacity of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona in 2024 Bathymetric survey and storage capacity of Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff, Arizona in 2024
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the city of Flagstaff, collected bathymetric, light detection and ranging (lidar), and land-survey data of Upper Lake Mary in Arizona during the months of April and October 2024. The city of Flagstaff uses a combination of groundwater from well fields throughout the Flagstaff area and surface water, mainly from Upper Lake Mary, for...
Authors
Joseph A. Affinati, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Paul E. Grams, Katherine A. Chapman
Establishing realistic length standards for Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Mountain Whitefish Establishing realistic length standards for Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Mountain Whitefish
Objective Proportional size distribution (PSD) is a simple index used to summarize length data that is easily communicated, provides insight on fish population dynamics (e.g., growth, recruitment), and is often used to establish management objectives. However, the current length categories for Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii and Rainbow Trout O. mykiss were based on the all-tackle...
Authors
Michael C. Quist, Nicholas S. Voss, Jeffrey R. Glaid, Kevin A. Meyer
Black rails in Baja California Black rails in Baja California
Summarizing records from 1905 to 2025, we document the presence and distribution of the California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus) in northwestern México, particularly Baja California and the Colorado River Delta. This subspecies has a restricted distribution in the western U.S. and northwestern México. We found few records over the past century: sparse detections in the...
Authors
Hiram Rafael Moreno-Higareda, Courtney J. Conway, Héctor Manuel Sánchez-Márquez, Osvel Hinojosa, Enrique Zamora, Hans Sin, Gorgonio Ruiz-Campos, Justyn T. Stahl, Eduardo Palacios, Horacio de la Cueva
A framework for estimating age and growth using sibship relationships inferred from genomic data A framework for estimating age and growth using sibship relationships inferred from genomic data
Pedigree reconstruction based on genomic data offers a novel approach for estimating age and growth in wild populations. However, frameworks that use reconstructed pedigrees to parameterize growth models have not been available. We developed a sibship age and growth framework and evaluated the approach using simulation and an empirical application to Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) age...
Authors
Sean Alois Lewandoski, Samantha Brunner, Shane Flinn, Steven R. Fong, Jared J. Homola, John D. Robinson, Kim T. Scribner
Tropical and subtropical drylands dominate the interannual variability in global net terrestrial carbon flux irrespective of different global ecosystem classifications or geographic scales Tropical and subtropical drylands dominate the interannual variability in global net terrestrial carbon flux irrespective of different global ecosystem classifications or geographic scales
Global terrestrial ecosystems exhibit substantial interannual variability (IAV) in net carbon (C) flux. Determining the biogeographic origin of this variability is essential for the understanding and forecasting of global C cycling and carbon-climate feedbacks. Currently, most studies identify either global drylands or moist tropical forests as the dominant source of IAV. Considering...
Authors
Liam Bogucki, Andrew F. Feldman, David J.P. Moore, Cibele Amaral, Lixin Wang, Julia K. Green, Flurin Babst, Dennis S. Ojima, Rubaya Pervin, Sasha C. Reed, William K. Smith, Wen Zhang, Natasha MacBean
What we know about wildlife outcomes of the conservation reserve program: A meta-analysis What we know about wildlife outcomes of the conservation reserve program: A meta-analysis
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is one of the most extensive private-land conservation programs in the United States, aimed at mitigating habitat loss and supporting biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Individual studies of CRP effects on wildlife report mixed results, necessitating a comprehensive synthesis. We conducted a meta-analysis and vote-counting assessment of 96...
Authors
M.P. Nessel, Ellery V. Lassiter, C.J. Duchardt, K. Maquire, Jay E. Diffendorfer, R. Iovanna, S.R. Loss
Modeling observational uncertainty improves estimation of breeding-season parameters that inform lek-based monitoring for Centrocercus urophasianus (Greater Sage-Grouse) Modeling observational uncertainty improves estimation of breeding-season parameters that inform lek-based monitoring for Centrocercus urophasianus (Greater Sage-Grouse)
Counts of males on leks are widely used as abundance indices to monitor populations of lek-breeding species, but they can be influenced by variation in male attendance, inter-lek movement, and mortality. When there is imperfect observability of males on leks, estimates of lek attendance and inter-lek movement are likely to be biased low. We compared traditional multi-state mark–recapture...
Authors
Rebekah E. Ruzicka, Brett L. Walker, William L. Kendall
Comparative screening of private, public, and bottled drinking water in vitro bioactivity Comparative screening of private, public, and bottled drinking water in vitro bioactivity
This study compares in vitro bioactivity profiles of extracts from private tapwater (51 samples), public tapwater (143 samples), and bottled water (31 samples), using high-throughput, multiplex, transcription factor screening. Of 48 biological end points tested, 25 showed significant (≥50% above the field blank) activity. Frequently detected (≥10% of samples) bioactivities (in decreasing...
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Stephanie E. Gordon, Sergei S. Makarov, Alexander V. Medvedev, Molly L. Schreiner