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.
Mission Area Publications
Mission Area Publications
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Microbial communities in standing dead trees in ghost forests are largely aerobic, saprophytic, and methanotrophic Microbial communities in standing dead trees in ghost forests are largely aerobic, saprophytic, and methanotrophic
Standing dead trees (snags) are recognized for their influence on methane (CH4) cycling in coastal wetlands, yet the biogeochemical processes that control the magnitude and direction of fluxes across the snag-atmosphere interface are not fully elucidated. Herein, we analyzed microbial communities and fluxes at one height from ten snags in a ghost forest wetland. Snag-atmosphere CH4...
Authors
Mary Jane Carmichael, Melinda Martinez, Suzanna L. Bräuer, Marcelo Ardón
Bioconcentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and precursors in fathead minnow tissues environmentally exposed to aqueous film-forming foam-contaminated waters Bioconcentration of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and precursors in fathead minnow tissues environmentally exposed to aqueous film-forming foam-contaminated waters
Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been associated with toxicity in wildlife and negative health effects in humans. Decades of fire training activity at Joint Base Cape Cod (MA, USA) incorporated the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which resulted in long-term PFAS contamination of sediments, groundwater, and hydrologically connected surface waters. To...
Authors
Nicholas I. Hill, Jitka Becanova, Simon Vojta, Larry B. Barber, Denis R. LeBlanc, Alan M. Vajda, Heidi M. Pickard, Rainer Lohmann
River channel response to the removal of the Pilchuck River Diversion Dam, Washington State River channel response to the removal of the Pilchuck River Diversion Dam, Washington State
In August 2020, the 3-m tall Pilchuck River Diversion Dam was removed from the Pilchuck River, allowing free fish passage to the upper third of the watershed for the first time in over a century. The narrow, 300-m long impoundment behind the dam was estimated to hold 4,000–7,500 m3 of sand and gravel, representing less than one year's typical bedload flux. Repeat cross section surveys...
Authors
Scott W. Anderson, Brett Shattuck, Neil Shea, Catherine M. Seguin, Joe J. Miles, Derek Marks, Natasha Coumou
Documenting historical anchorworm parasitism of introduced warmwater fishes in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon Documenting historical anchorworm parasitism of introduced warmwater fishes in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon
Anchorworms (Lernaea spp.) are freshwater parasitic copepods that use a wide range of hosts. Yet little is known about their prevalence, distribution, and which species are their primary fish hosts in the state of Oregon. Institutional fish collections serve as banks which allow investigators to look at historical fish specimens and ascertain their health status at the time of their...
Authors
Elena Eberhardt, Christina Amy Murphy, William J. Gerth, Peter Konstantinidis, Ivan Arismendi
Fish size structure analysis via ordination: A visualization aid Fish size structure analysis via ordination: A visualization aid
Objective Visual aids like length-frequency histograms are widely used to examine fish population status and trends; however, comparing multiple histograms simultaneously becomes cumbersome and inefficient. Complicating matters further, overlaying covariates on histograms to highlight connections with length frequencies can be challenging. An alternative, and the subject of this...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda
Demographics of a previously undocumented diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) population Demographics of a previously undocumented diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) population
Coastal habitats are some of the most imperiled due to climate change and anthropogenic activities. As such, it is important to understand population dynamics of the species that may play a role in regulating coastal systems. Diamondback terrapins in Northwest Florida have been understudied, which has resulted in a gap in our knowledge for this region. To help fill this gap, we conducted...
Authors
Daniel J. Catizone, Travis M. Thomas, Christina Romagosa, Margaret Lamont
Earthquake effects surveyed during the nineteenth century as ecological features of Chinookan tidelands Earthquake effects surveyed during the nineteenth century as ecological features of Chinookan tidelands
Lasting effects of a Cascadia earthquake in 1700 were documented during surveys of Chinookan tidelands near the mouth of the Columbia River between 1805 and 1868. The effects resemble estuarine consequences, near Anchorage, of the 1964 Alaska earthquake: fatal drowning of subsided meadows and forests by post-earthquake tides, rebirth of marshes and forests through post-earthquake...
Authors
Brian F. Atwater, David K. Yamaguchi, Jessie K. Pearl
Turbidite correlation for paleoseismology Turbidite correlation for paleoseismology
Marine turbidite paleoseismology relies on the assumption of synchronous triggering of turbidity currents by earthquake shaking to infer rupture extent and recurrence. Such inference commonly depends on age dating and correlation of the physical stratigraphy of deposits carried by turbidity currents (i.e., turbidites) across great distances. Along the Cascadia subduction zone, which lies...
Authors
Nora M. Nieminski, Zoltan Sylvester, Jake Covault, Joan S. Gomberg, Lydia M. Staisch, Ian McBrearty
Distribution, abundance, and habitat characteristics of Coastal Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in San Diego County, California—2023 Data Summary Distribution, abundance, and habitat characteristics of Coastal Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in San Diego County, California—2023 Data Summary
Executive Summary We surveyed for coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in 507 established plots in San Diego County in 2023, encompassing 4 genetic clusters (Otay, Lake Jennings, Sweetwater/Encanto, and San Pasqual). Two surveys were completed at each plot between March 1 and July 31. Cactus Wrens were detected in 181 plots (36 percent of plots). Cactus Wrens were...
Authors
Suellen Lynn, Barbara E. Kus
Nihoa and Laysan Island passerines population abundances, trends, and habitat utilization Nihoa and Laysan Island passerines population abundances, trends, and habitat utilization
Nihoa and Laysan Island, part of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, are host to three endangered passerine species—Nihoa finch (Telespiza ultima), Nihoa millerbird (Acrocephalus familiaris kingi), and Laysan finch (Telespiza cantans). Using point-transect distance sampling survey records from 2010 to 2022 for Nihoa and 2013 to 2019 for Laysan Island, we estimated the density and...
Authors
Trevor Bak, Richard J. Camp, Chris Farmer, Rachel A. Rounds, Sheldon M. Plentovich, John Vetter, Paul C. Banko
Spatial patterns as long transients in submersed-floating plant competition with biocontrol Spatial patterns as long transients in submersed-floating plant competition with biocontrol
A cellular automata model was developed and parameterized to test the effectiveness of application of biological control insects to water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes), which is an invasive floating plant species in many parts of the world and outcompetes many submersed native aquatic species in southern Florida. In the model, P. crassipes was allowed to compete with Nuttall’s...
Authors
Linhao Xu, Don DeAngelis
Fish assemblage and functional trait responses to small-dam removal Fish assemblage and functional trait responses to small-dam removal
Dams are one of the greatest threats to freshwater biodiversity and efforts to remove dams to restore riverine systems are increasing. However, dam-removal studies have primarily focused on taxonomic responses to large dam removals with little work on the functional trait responses of fish to small-dam removals; such a focus limits the application of results in regions with different...
Authors
Luke Max Bower, C. A. Marion, M. K. Scott, Kevin Kubach, Andrew Gelder