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
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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Retention of p-Chip microtransponders and posttagging survival of small-bodied stream fishes Retention of p-Chip microtransponders and posttagging survival of small-bodied stream fishes
Objective Obtaining demographic rates often requires complex open-population capture–mark–recapture (CMR) study designs. Conducting such studies for small-bodied fishes has been limited in part by excessive mortality after tagging procedures and poor tag retention. As new tag types emerge, information regarding fish survival and tag retention over varying time scales may benefit resource...
Authors
Joseph Spooner, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
Climate driven trends in historical extreme low streamflows on four continents Climate driven trends in historical extreme low streamflows on four continents
Understanding temporal trends in low streamflows is important for water management and ecosystems. This work focuses on trends in the occurrence rate of extreme low-flow events (5- to 100-year return periods) for pooled groups of stations. We use data from 1,184 minimally altered catchments in Europe, North and South America, and Australia to discern historical climate-driven trends in...
Authors
Glenn A. Hodgkins, Benjamin Renard, Paul H. Whitfield, Gregor Laaha, Kerstin Stahl, Jamie Hannaford, Donald H. Burn, Seth Westra, Anne K. Fleig, Walsczon Terllizzie Araujo Lopes, Conor Murphy, Luis Mediero, Martin Hanel
Solute export patterns across the contiguous USA Solute export patterns across the contiguous USA
Understanding controls on solute export to streams is challenging because heterogeneous catchments can respond uniquely to drivers of environmental change. To understand general solute export patterns, we used a large-scale inductive approach to evaluate concentration–discharge (C–Q) metrics across catchments spanning a broad range of catchment attributes and hydroclimatic drivers. We...
Authors
Dustin W. Kincaid, Kristen L. Underwood, Scott Douglas Hamshaw, L. Li, Erin C. Seybold, Bryn Stewart, Donna M. Rizzo, Ijaz Ul Haq, Julia N. Perdrial
Relatively stable pressure effects and time-increasing thermal contraction control Heber geothermal field deformation Relatively stable pressure effects and time-increasing thermal contraction control Heber geothermal field deformation
Due to geological complexities and observational gaps, it is challenging to identify the governing physical processes of geothermal field deformation including ground subsidence and earthquakes. In the west and east regions of the Heber Geothermal Field (HGF), decade-long subsidence was occurring despite injection of heat-depleted brines, along with transient reversals between uplift and
Authors
Guoyan Jiang, Andrew J. Barbour, Robert John Skoumal, Kathryn Zerbe Materna, Aren Crandall-Bear
Visualizing wading bird optimal foraging decisions with aggregation behaviors using individual-based modeling Visualizing wading bird optimal foraging decisions with aggregation behaviors using individual-based modeling
Foragers on patchy landscapes must efficiently balance time between searching for and consuming resources to meet their daily energetic requirements. Spatial aggregation foraging behaviors may improve foraging efficiency by sharing information on locations of resource hotspots. Wading birds are an example of patch foragers that form colonial aggregations during the breeding season to...
Authors
Simeon Yurek, Donald L. DeAngelis, Hyo Won Lee, Stephen Tennenbaum
Observed and potential range shifts of native and non-native species with climate change Observed and potential range shifts of native and non-native species with climate change
There is broad concern that the range shifts of global flora and fauna will not keep up with climate change, increasing the likelihood of population declines and extinctions. Many populations of nonnative species already have advantages over native species, including widespread human-aided dispersal and release from natural enemies. But do nonnative species also have an advantage with...
Authors
Bethany A. Bradley, Evelyn M. Beaury, Belinda Gallardo, Inés Ibáñez, Catherine S. Jarnevich, Toni Lyn Morelli, Helen Sofaer, Cascade J.B. Sorte, Montserrat Vilà
Peak streamflow trends in Illinois and their relation to changes in climate, water years 1921–2020 Peak streamflow trends in Illinois and their relation to changes in climate, water years 1921–2020
This report characterizes changes in peak streamflow in Illinois and the relation of these changes to climatic variability, and provides a foundation for future studies that can address nonstationarity in peak-flow frequency analysis in Illinois. Records of annual peak and daily streamflow at streamgages and gridded monthly climatic data (observed and modeled) were examined across four...
Authors
Mackenzie K. Marti, Thomas M. Over
Evaluation of short-term mussel test for estimating toxicity Evaluation of short-term mussel test for estimating toxicity
Effect concentrations of ammonia, nickel, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride from short-term 7-day tests were compared to those from standard chronic 28-day toxicity tests with juvenile mussels (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea) to evaluate the sensitivities of the 7-day tests. The effect concentrations for nickel (59 µg Ni/L), chloride (316–519 mg Cl/L, a range from multiple tests)...
Authors
Ning Wang, James L. Kunz, Chris D. Ivey, Danielle M. Cleveland, Jeffery A. Steevens
Catchment coevolution and the geomorphic origins of variable source area hydrology Catchment coevolution and the geomorphic origins of variable source area hydrology
Features of landscape morphology—including slope, curvature, and drainage dissection—are important controls on runoff generation in upland landscapes. Over long timescales, runoff plays an essential role in shaping these same features through surface erosion. This feedback between erosion and runoff generation suggests that modeling long-term landscape evolution together with dynamic...
Authors
David G Litwin, Gregory E. Tucker, Katherine R. Barnhart, Ciaran Harman
Did steam boost the height and growth rate of the giant Hunga eruption plume? Did steam boost the height and growth rate of the giant Hunga eruption plume?
The eruption of Hunga volcano on 15 January 2022 produced a higher plume and faster-growing umbrella cloud than has ever been previously recorded. The plume height exceeded 58 km, and the umbrella grew to 450 km in diameter within 50 min. Assuming an umbrella thickness of 10 km, this growth rate implied an average volume injection rate into the umbrella of 330–500 km3 s−1. Conventional
Authors
Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Shane Cronin
Helpers show plasticity in their responses to breeder turnover Helpers show plasticity in their responses to breeder turnover
Nonbreeding helpers can greatly improve the survival of young and the reproductive fitness of breeders in many cooperatively breeding species. Breeder turnover, in turn, can have profound effects on dispersal decisions made by helpers. Despite its importance in explaining group size and predicting the population demography of cooperative breeders, our current understanding of how...
Authors
David Edward Ausband, Sarah B. Bassing
Delayed positive responses of snowshoe hares to prescribed burning in a fire-adapted ecosystem Delayed positive responses of snowshoe hares to prescribed burning in a fire-adapted ecosystem
Wildlife populations near the periphery of a species’ range are vulnerable to changes in habitat conditions and climate. However, habitat management and maintenance can help with the persistence of these susceptible populations. Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) populations near the southern extent of their range are at risk of extirpation because of changing winter conditions, coupled...
Authors
Laura C. Gigliotti, Emily S. Boyd, Duane R. Diefenbach