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: 175030
Guidelines for the use of automatic samplers in collecting surface-water quality and sediment data Guidelines for the use of automatic samplers in collecting surface-water quality and sediment data
The importance of fluvial systems in the transport of sediment, dissolved and suspended contaminants, nutrients, and bacteria through the environment is well established. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies sediment as the single most widespread water contaminant affecting the beneficial uses of the Nation’s rivers and streams. The evaluation of water-quality as it...
Authors
Timothy P. Wilson, Cherie V. Miller, Evan A. Lechner
Wildfire, extreme precipitation and debris flows, oh my! Channel response to compounding disturbances in a mountain stream in the Upper Colorado Basin, USA Wildfire, extreme precipitation and debris flows, oh my! Channel response to compounding disturbances in a mountain stream in the Upper Colorado Basin, USA
Compounding changes in climate and human activities stand to increase sediment input to rivers in many landscapes, including via discrete perturbations such as post-fire debris flows. Because sediment supply is a dominant control on river morphology, understanding mountain river responses to sediment regime perturbations is critical to predicting and addressing downstream effects to...
Authors
Paxton Ridgeway, Belize Lane, Haley Canham, Brendan Murphy, Patrick Belmont, Francis K. Rengers
Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus Rafinesque) population trends and demographics in the Upper Mississippi River System Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus Rafinesque) population trends and demographics in the Upper Mississippi River System
Smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus Rafinesque) are a large-bodied fish highly valued and commercially exploited across most of their range. Despite this, relatively little is known of their population demographics compared to other exploited species. To fill these knowledge gaps, we analyzed two independent long-term datasets (30 and 57 years, respectively) and population demographic...
Authors
Kristopher A. Maxson, Levi E. Solomon, Taylor A. Bookout, Steven A. DeLain, Andrew Bartels, Melvin C. Bowler, Eric J. Gittinger, Eric N. Ratcliff, John L. West, Seth A. Love, Jason A. DeBoer, Andrya L. Whitten-Harris, Michael J. Spear, Brian Ickes, Andrew F. Casper, James T. Lamer
Methods for quantifying interactions between groundwater and surface water Methods for quantifying interactions between groundwater and surface water
Driven by the need for integrated management of groundwater (GW) and surface water (SW), quantification of GW–SW interactions and associated contaminant transport has become increasingly important. This is due to their substantial impact on water quantity and quality. In this review, we provide an overview of the methods developed over the past several decades to investigate GW–SW...
Authors
Rui Ma, Kewei Chen, Charles B. Andrews, Steven P. Loheide, Audrey H Sawyer, Xue Jiang, Martin A. Briggs, Peter G. Cook, Steven M. Gorelick, Henning Prommer, Bridget R. Scanlon, Zhilin Guo, Chunmiao Zheng
Quantifying compound and nonlinear effects of hurricane-induced flooding using a dynamically coupled hydrological-ocean model Quantifying compound and nonlinear effects of hurricane-induced flooding using a dynamically coupled hydrological-ocean model
We recently developed a dynamically coupled hydrological-ocean modeling system that provides seamless coverage across the land-ocean continuum during hurricane-induced compound flooding. This study introduced a local inertial equation and a diagonal flow algorithm to the overland routing of the coupled system’s hydrology model (WRF-Hydro). Using Hurricane Florence (2018) as a test case...
Authors
Daoyang Bao, Z. George Xue, John C. Warner
Spatio-temporal distribution of adult Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus relative to habitat fragmentation Spatio-temporal distribution of adult Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus relative to habitat fragmentation
Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus), a fish species native to the Pacific Northwest (USA), have distinctive cultural and ecological value but determining their spatial and temporal distribution is challenging due to a general lack systematic monitoring. In this study, we used counts of Pacific lamprey redds to model the probability of occurrence and abundance of Pacific lamprey...
Authors
Kara J. Anlauf-Dunn, Benjamin J. Clemens, Matthew Richard Falcy, Courtney L. Zambory
Spatial and seasonal variability in trophic relationships and carbon sources of two key invertebrate species in Lake Ontario Spatial and seasonal variability in trophic relationships and carbon sources of two key invertebrate species in Lake Ontario
Mysids (Mysis diluviana) and dreissenids (Dreissena polymorpha and mostly D. bugensis) are important invertebrate taxa in the food webs of the Laurentian Great Lakes but there are uncertainties about the seasonal and spatial variability in their stable isotope signatures. We quantified δ13C and δ15N in 304 mysid and 366 dreissenid samples across five spatial ecoregions, varying site...
Authors
Donald R. Uzarski, Aaron T. Fisk, Cecilia E. Heuvel, Brian O’Malley, Brian Weidel, Sarah M. Larocque, Timothy B. Johnson
Infection–nutrition feedbacks: Fat supports pathogen clearance but pathogens reduce fat in a wild mammal Infection–nutrition feedbacks: Fat supports pathogen clearance but pathogens reduce fat in a wild mammal
Though far less obvious than direct effects (clinical disease or mortality), the indirect influences of pathogens are difficult to estimate but may hold fitness consequences. Here, we disentangle the directional relationships between infection and energetic reserves, evaluating the hypotheses that energetic reserves influence infection status of the host and that infection elicits costs...
Authors
Rachel A. Smiley, Brittany L. Wagler, William H. Edwards, Jessica Jennings-Gaines, Katie Luukkonen, Kara Robbins, Marguerite Johnson, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Tony W. Mong, Daryl Lutz, Douglas E. McWhirter, Jennifer L. Malmberg, Blake Lowrey, Kevin L. Monteith
A comparison of CO2 seasonal activity in Mars' northern and southern hemispheres A comparison of CO2 seasonal activity in Mars' northern and southern hemispheres
Carbon dioxide is Mars' most active volatile. The seasonal and diurnal processes of when and where it condenses and sublimates are determined by energy balance between the atmosphere and surface ice in Mars' vapor pressure equilibrium climate. Mars' current obliquity ensures that the polar caps are stable locations for seasonal condensation. The eccentricity of Mars' orbit is the major...
Authors
Candice J. Hansen, Shane Byrne, Wendy M. Calvin, Serina Diniega, Colin M. Dundas, Paul O. Hayne, Alfred S. McEwen, Lauren E McKeown, Sylvain Piqueux, Ganna Portyankina, Meg E Schwamb, Timothy N. Titus, Jacob M Widmer
Geologic constraints on the formation and evolution of Saturn’s mid-sized moons Geologic constraints on the formation and evolution of Saturn’s mid-sized moons
Saturn’s mid-sized icy moons have complex relationships with Saturn’s interior, the rings, and with each other, which can be expressed in their shapes, interiors, and geology. Observations of their physical states can, thus, provide important constraints on the ages and formation mechanism(s) of the moons, which in turn informs our understanding of the formation and evolution of Saturn...
Authors
Alyssa Rhoden, Sierra Ferguson, William F. Bottke, Julie C. Castillo-Rogez, Emily Martin, Michael T. Bland, Michelle R. Kirchoff, Marco Zannoni, Nicolas Rambaux, Julien Salmon
The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) in the MRO extended science phases (2009–2023) The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) in the MRO extended science phases (2009–2023)
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been orbiting Mars since 2006 and has acquired >80,000 HiRISE images with sub-meter resolution, contributing to over 2000 peer-reviewed publications, and has provided the data needed to enable safe surface landings in key locations by several rovers or landers. This paper describes the changes to science planning, data processing, and analysis tools...
Authors
Alfred S. McEwen, Shane Byrne, Candice J. Hansen, Ingrid J. Daubar, Sarah Sutton, Colin M. Dundas, Nicole Bardabelias, Nicole Baugh, James W. Bergstrom, Ross A. Beyer, Kristin M Block, Veronica Bray, John C. Bridges, Matthew Chojnacki, Susan J. Conway, W Alan Delamere, T. Ebben, Yisrael Espinosa, Audrie Fennema, John Grant, Virginia C Gulick, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Rodney Heyd, Richard Leis, Lujendra Ojha, Singleton Papendick, Christian Schaller, Nicolas Thomas, Livio L. Tornabene, Catherine M. Weitz, Sharon A. Wilson
Polar science results from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Multiwavelength, multiyear insights Polar science results from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter: Multiwavelength, multiyear insights
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), with its arrival in 2006 and nearly continuous operation since, has provided data for the study of martian polar processes spanning nine Mars years. Mars' polar deposits have long been thought to preserve records of past climates, potentially readable like terrestrial ice cores. However, unraveling millions of years of history in the ice depends on...
Authors
Margaret E. Landis, P. J. Acharya, N. R. Alsaeed, C. Andres, Patricio Becerra, Wendy M. Calvin, E. M. Cangi, S. F. A. Cartwright, M. S. Chaffin, Serina Diniega, Colin M. Dundas, Candice J. Hansen, Paul O. Hayne, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, David M. Kass, Aditya R. Khuller, Lauren McKeown, Patrich S. Russell, Isaac B. Smith, Sarah S. Sutton, J. M. Widmer, Jennifer L Whitten