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
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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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Long-term effects of rangeland improvements on cattle distribution: A ranch-scale case study Long-term effects of rangeland improvements on cattle distribution: A ranch-scale case study
Resource matching can be a common assumption that underlies anthropogenic rangeland improvements for wildlife or livestock. Countless resources are spent on targeted vegetation manipulations for both livestock and wildlife, but selection for improved areas has not been well quantified in livestock. This case study investigates whether cattle exhibit preferential use of historically...
Authors
Sebastian Schreiber, Erica Francis Stuber, Juan J Villalba, Eric Thacker
Widespread landslide activity in an extreme wet season and implications for regional sediment management, eastern San Francisco Bay area, California Widespread landslide activity in an extreme wet season and implications for regional sediment management, eastern San Francisco Bay area, California
Watershed sediment production is expected to increase in a warmer future with more extreme rain, with cascading effects throughout drainage and sediment-transport networks. This study investigated landscape-scale sediment movement in the eastern San Francisco Bay area, California, USA, during the extreme 2016–2017 wet season that brought major rainfall, landslides, and flooding. Mapping...
Authors
Amy E. East, Amy Foxgrover, Skye C. Corbett, Brian D. Collins, Andrew C. Ritchie
Microclimate mediates the strength and direction of avian biotic interactions Microclimate mediates the strength and direction of avian biotic interactions
Theory predicts that that the strength and direction of species interactions can shift from being competitive in benign environments toward being facilitative in stressful environments. However, the environmental context dependency of species interactions has rarely been tested in animal communities. We capitalized on a 15-year, landscape-scale dataset, collected annually in a relatively...
Authors
Sarah J. Frey, Brian Daniel Gerber, Adam S. Hadley, Hankyu Kim, Madison Sutton, Nina C. Ferrari, Matthew G. Betts
A roadmap for identifying and interpreting physical processes and national water model prediction bias associated with baseflow index regimes across the contiguous United States A roadmap for identifying and interpreting physical processes and national water model prediction bias associated with baseflow index regimes across the contiguous United States
Understanding how groundwater–surface water interactions shape streamflow variability is critical for diagnosing low flow behavior and prediction bias in continental scale hydrologic models. We present a process informed framework that links observed baseflow (BF) dynamics, watershed attributes, and National Water Model (NWM) performance across the contiguous United States. Using daily...
Authors
Ryan van der Heijden, Ali Dadkhah, Scott Douglas Hamshaw, Mandar Dewoolkar, Ehsan Ghazanfari, Norm Jones, Gustavious Williams, Prabhakar Clement, Donna M. Rizzo
Getting the story straight: Common misconceptions around volcanoes and eruptions with case studies of recent events Getting the story straight: Common misconceptions around volcanoes and eruptions with case studies of recent events
The ability to rapidly disseminate scientific knowledge across the world has never been greater. This is paralleled by the ability of rumors to spread equally far and fast. Popular misconceptions can take root and, without correction, take on the appearance of facts. Commonly misunderstood topics include those with attention-grabbing phrasing (e.g. “Pacific Ring of Fire”, “supervolcanoes...
Authors
Janine Krippner, Sam Poppe, Christian Farias, Ed Venzke, Michael P. Poland, B. Behncke, Sara K. McBride, Jessica L. Ball, Diana Roman, Heather K. Handley, Claire J. Horwell, Benjamin R Edwards, Loÿc Vanderkluysen, Carol Stewart, Emma J. Nicholson, Alia Juman, Ma. Mylene Martinez-Villegas,, Brian Terbush, Erik W. Klemetti, Jazmin Scarlett, Rebecca Williams, Valerie A. Finlayson, Kadie Bennis, Sally K. Sennert, Thomas C. Pierson, Devy K. Syahbana, Arianna Soldati
The Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA) acoustic and sedimentary archive of Wasatch Front earthquakes The Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA) acoustic and sedimentary archive of Wasatch Front earthquakes
As the largest low-relief basin in the western United States, the Great Salt Lake offers an opportunity to explore acoustic and sedimentary archives of earthquake ruptures in a shallow terminal basin. Here, we use subbottom compressed high intensity radiated pulse (Chirp) profiles and sedimentary cores to address questions related to how Great Salt Lake sediments respond to surface...
Authors
Christopher B. DuRoss, Daniel S. Brothers, Jessica A. Thompson Jobe, Richard Briggs, Drake Moore Singleton, Sylvia R. Nicovich, Alan Nelson, Jared W. Kluesner, Jason Scott Padgett
The use of an analog sclerometer to estimate strength of hard substrates supporting coastal communities The use of an analog sclerometer to estimate strength of hard substrates supporting coastal communities
In the marine environment, substrate differences such as ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ bottom result in different ecological communities. It is unclear, however, whether strength of hard bottom affects organism presence. To date, a limitation of many studies on organism-substrate interactions is the inability to measure rock strength in situ for marine substrates. Previous efforts involved...
Authors
Allison N. Cramer, Curt D. Storlazzi, Olivia Bible, Cannon Cline, Grace Leuchtenberger, Casey Smith, Corey Garza, Emily Carrington
Mapping winter cover crops using remote sensing of crop phenology Mapping winter cover crops using remote sensing of crop phenology
Winter cover crops (WCC) are an effective agricultural conservation practice for improving soil health and water quality. Several U.S. states have established incentive programs to promote planting WCC between cash crop rotations. In recent years, the area planted with WCC has steadily increased due to these efforts, although the planting area varies among states. Since these programs...
Authors
Feng Gao, Martha Anderson, Michael Cosh, Xuesong Zhang, Alison Thieme, W. Dean Hively, Jisung Chang, Haoteng Zhao, Richard Circone, Jyoti Jennewein
Flood-inundation extents and hydraulic characteristics of Carson Slough, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada Flood-inundation extents and hydraulic characteristics of Carson Slough, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
Mud Lake Dam, a rock and earth embankment structure, crosses an ephemeral stream that once flowed naturally into Carson Slough, the largest wetland complex in southern Nevada and a critical habitat for several threatened and endangered species. The dam was breached in the 1990s, rerouting stormwater into a new channel. The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are
Authors
Laura A. Dye, Christopher M. Morris, Harold Jones
Escaping the density trap: Estuarine connectivity supports juvenile river herring growth Escaping the density trap: Estuarine connectivity supports juvenile river herring growth
Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (A. aestivalis) require connectivity among freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments to complete their life cycle. Impediments to watershed connectivity are major drivers of population declines along the eastern United States, where physical barriers and low-flow conditions can inhibit or delay juvenile outmigration, limiting...
Authors
Julian D Burgoff, Allison H. Roy, Douglas Bishop, Jason Stolarski, Adrian Jordaan
Biome-scale spatial patterns of avian abundance reveal proactive conservation opportunities in North American grasslands Biome-scale spatial patterns of avian abundance reveal proactive conservation opportunities in North American grasslands
North American grassland birds have experienced steeper population declines than any other avian guild, yet conservation efforts remain largely reactive and fragmented. We used nearly four decades of North American Breeding Bird Survey data to identify biome-scale spatial patterns (clustering) of grassland bird abundance for the Great Plains. Our results reveal an ecological core in the...
Authors
Caleb Powell Roberts, Victoria M. Donovan, Samantha M. Cady, Brandon P.M. Edwards, Scott L. Morford, David E. Naugle, Rheinhardt Scholtz, Dirac Twidwell, Daniel R. Uden, Dillon T. Fogarty
Investigating hydrologic alteration under historical and future scenarios in the Mobile River and Perdido River basins using the cubist algorithm Investigating hydrologic alteration under historical and future scenarios in the Mobile River and Perdido River basins using the cubist algorithm
This study investigates the impacts of human activities and climate variability on hydrologic alterations in the Mobile River and Perdido River Basins of Alabama. The research uses a machine learning approach, specifically cubist models, to quantify and predict changes in flow duration curves (FDCs) under both historical (1980–2009) and future climate scenarios. Future climate...
Authors
Sabahattin Isik, Rachel Lianna Dubose, Victor L. Roland