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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.

Filter Total Items: 176249

Sustainability trade-offs at the nexus of solar energy, agriculture, and biodiversity Sustainability trade-offs at the nexus of solar energy, agriculture, and biodiversity

A rapid transition to renewable energy is necessary for achieving global decarbonization targets, but siting conflicts, particularly beyond the built environment, remain a key barrier to sustainable development. At the same time, climate-induced pressures on biodiversity intensify the socio-ecological trade-offs within the energy-agriculture-biodiversity nexus. Using New York State as a...
Authors
Adam Gallaher, Theodore Koch, Elizabeth L. Kalies, Peter B. Woodbury, Steven Mark Grodsky

Fish body midline segmentation using binary search Fish body midline segmentation using binary search

Body and caudal fin locomotion is ubiquitous in aquatic vertebrates, and kinematic models describing it are used in robotics, biomechanics and fisheries research. This paper presents a new algorithm to translate continuous body midlines of fish into a series of interconnected segments by identifying favorable joint positions along the body. The algorithm employs binary search to generate
Authors
Robert M.H. Sterling, Elsa Marie-Catherine Goerig, M Buzdalov, Theodore Castro-Santos, O. Akanyeti

Spatially consistent but temporally divergent changes in nitrate and phosphorus loads and yields in Illinois watersheds, 1997–2022 Spatially consistent but temporally divergent changes in nitrate and phosphorus loads and yields in Illinois watersheds, 1997–2022

Illinois contributes substantial nutrient loads to the Gulf of America, warranting watershed-scale assessment. This study estimated nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate-N) and total phosphorus (TP) loads and yields for 49 Illinois 8-digit hydrologic unit code (HUC8) watersheds draining to the Mississippi River Basin from 1997–2022, comparing recent (2018–2022) to baseline (1997–2011) conditions...
Authors
Brock J.W. Kamrath, Jennifer C. Murphy, Lindsey Ayn Schafer, Hannah Lee Podzorski, Gregory F. McIsaac

Spatial heterogeneity of salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise: Dual controls of hydrological setting and salinity regime Spatial heterogeneity of salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise: Dual controls of hydrological setting and salinity regime

Salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise (SLR) is typically assessed using point measurements of vertical accretion, neglecting three-dimensionality of geomorphic evolution and spatial variability. Recent studies suggest links between vertical and horizontal vulnerability, with differences between oligohaline and polyhaline marshes, yet these relationships remain untested in estuary...
Authors
Dongxiao Yin, Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, John C. Warner, David K. Ralston, Courtney K. Harris, Bin Li

Dynamic drainage reorganization in Eastern Tibet: Insights from the Yangtze River first bend Dynamic drainage reorganization in Eastern Tibet: Insights from the Yangtze River first bend

The modern drainage network of eastern Tibet is widely believed to have developed through a series of river capture and flow reversal events; however, the timing and mechanisms driving this reorganization remain contentious. Among these events, the river capture that formed the First Bend of the Yangtze River (YFB) stands out as both iconic and particularly debated. Here we present...
Authors
Xudong Zhao, Yifei Li, Huiping Zhang, Richard O. Lease, Ying Wang, Yuqi Hao, Zifa Ma, Hao Xie, Huan Kang, Jianguo Xiong, Peizhen Zhang

Geophysical architecture and geochronology of the Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex, northwestern Minnesota: Largest anorthosite complex of the Superior Province? Geophysical architecture and geochronology of the Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex, northwestern Minnesota: Largest anorthosite complex of the Superior Province?

The Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex (MAIC) lies within the Wawa subprovince in northwestern Minnesota, in a region where the Wawa, Quetico, and Wabigoon subprovinces are juxtaposed in close proximity. Archean rocks are entirely concealed, and interpretations are developed from aeromagnetic, gravity, and borehole samples. The MAIC includes both anorthosite (dense, weakly...
Authors
Benjamin J. Drenth, Amy L. Radakovich, Amanda Kate Souders, George J. Hudak, Stacy Saari

A site prioritization tool for invasive species management: Integrating diverse spatial data to improve decision making A site prioritization tool for invasive species management: Integrating diverse spatial data to improve decision making

Resource managers are tasked with protecting natural areas from invasive species with limited resources. Further, invasive management goals can vary greatly based on different management priorities specific to management agencies or taxa of interest. The site prioritization tool for invasive species management addresses these challenges by creating a platform to view and combine diverse...
Authors
Janet S. Prevéy, Cameron J. Reimer, Peder S. Engelstad, Pairsa N. Belamaric, Terri Hogan, Jillian M. LaRoe, Colter J. Mumford, Jennifer L. Sieracki, Catherine S. Jarnevich

Non-native invasive beetle alters structure of a riparian bird community in a biodiversity hotspot Non-native invasive beetle alters structure of a riparian bird community in a biodiversity hotspot

A serious emerging threat to southern California riparian ecosystems is the invasive shot hole borer (Euwallacea spp.; SHB), a non-native beetle that cultivates a pathogenic fungus that kills trees of 66 reproductive host species. We examined the response of the bird community at the Tijuana River, California, to a massive SHB infestation in 2015 using data from a Monitoring Avian...
Authors
Barbara E. Kus, Julie L. Yee, Shannon M. Mendia

Surface rupture and slip distribution of the 2025 Mw7.7 Mandalay earthquake and updated length scaling of supershear earthquakes Surface rupture and slip distribution of the 2025 Mw7.7 Mandalay earthquake and updated length scaling of supershear earthquakes

The 2025 Mw 7.7 Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar), earthquake ruptured 475 km of the central Sagaing fault and is the longest continental strike-slip rupture on record. The observed rupture length is 1.6–4.7 times the value expected (100–300 km) from existing length-magnitude scaling relations for strike-slip earthquakes. The earthquake resulted from shallow dextral faulting and ruptured...
Authors
Nadine G. Reitman, Yuanshi Wang, Yu-Ting Kuo, Catherine Elise Hanagan, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Christopher B. DuRoss, Chun-Chi Chen, Dara Elyse Goldberg, Harriet Zoe Yin, Richard W. Briggs, Jessica A. Thompson Jobe, Sylvia R. Nicovich, Emerson Madelyn Lynch, Joseph Hoss Powell, William D. Barnhart, Robert G. Schmitt

Standardized method for logging drill core at the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Standardized method for logging drill core at the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho

The U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Lithologic Core Storage Library (CSL) at the Idaho National Laboratory stores more than 120,000 feet of drill core that is accessible to the public for research and sampling. To effectively convey the physical and descriptive properties of the drill core, USGS staff at the Idaho National Laboratory Project Office log the drill core and publish the...
Authors
Haley M. Dietz

Modeling future groundwater depletion to evaluate sustainability goals set under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in the critically overdrafted basins of the Central Valley, California, USA (2020–2070) Modeling future groundwater depletion to evaluate sustainability goals set under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in the critically overdrafted basins of the Central Valley, California, USA (2020–2070)

In 2014, California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) mandated local agencies to devise and implement groundwater sustainability plans to address critically overdrafted conditions throughout the state's aquifers. However, the feasibility of these agencies' sustainability goals has not previously been assessed through a regional-scale, integrative lens. Here, we develop and...
Authors
Logan Platt, Mathew Weingarten, Claudia C. Faunt, Jonathan A. Traum, Scott Boyce

Assessment of groundwater quantity and quality contributions to Lake Huron Assessment of groundwater quantity and quality contributions to Lake Huron

Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes, borders the United States and Canada, with Michigan as the only U.S. State on its shoreline. Like other freshwater lakes, it faces water-quality challenges from nutrients and chemicals applied across its drainage basin. Although past studies focused on surface-water sources, groundwater contributions remain less understood. To address this gap...
Authors
Bridget B. Kaemming, Chanse M. Ford, Sherry L. Martin
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