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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: 175573

Two risk assessments: Evaluating the use of indicator HF183 Bacteroides versus pathogen measurements for modelling recreational illness risks in an urban watershed Two risk assessments: Evaluating the use of indicator HF183 Bacteroides versus pathogen measurements for modelling recreational illness risks in an urban watershed

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of HF183 Bacteroides for estimating pathogen exposures during recreational water activities. We compared the use of Bacteroides-based exposure assessment to exposure assessment that relied on pathogen measurements. We considered two types of recreational water sites: those impacted by combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and those not...
Authors
K Skiendzielewski, Tucker R. Burch, Joel P. Stokdyk, Shannon McGinnis, S McLoughlin, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Sandy Spencer, Mark A. Borchardt, Heather Murphy

Temporally dense monitoring of pathogen occurrence at four drinking-water well sites – Insights and Implications Temporally dense monitoring of pathogen occurrence at four drinking-water well sites – Insights and Implications

Yearlong, event based, microbiological and chemical sampling was conducted at four public water supply well sites spanning a range of geologic settings and well depths to look for correlation between precipitation events and microbial occurrence. Near-continuous monitoring using autosamplers occurred just before, during, and after 5–7 sampling events triggered by rainfall and/or snowmelt
Authors
James F. Walsh, Randall J. Hunt, Anita C. Anderson, David W. Owens, Nancy Rice

A phylogeographical study of the discontinuously distributed Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) A phylogeographical study of the discontinuously distributed Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)

Species distributions are often indicative of historical biogeographical events and contemporary spatial biodiversity patterns. The Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus is a sea duck of conservation concern that has a disjunct distribution, with discrete portions of its range associated with northern Pacific and Atlantic Ocean basins. Movement data indicate migratory connectivity...
Authors
Kim T Scribner, Sandra Talbot, Barbara J. Pierson, John D Robinson, Richard B. Lanctot, Daniel Esler, Kathryn Dickson

Thermal transfer rate is slower in bigger fish: How does body size affect response time of small, implantable temperature recording tags? Thermal transfer rate is slower in bigger fish: How does body size affect response time of small, implantable temperature recording tags?

The recent miniaturisation of implantable temperature recording tags has made measuring the water temperatures fish experience in the wild possible, but there may be a body size-dependent delay in implanted tag response time to changes in external temperature. To determine whether fish body size affects the response rate of implanted temperature tags, we implanted 20 Salvelinus...
Authors
Matthew J. O'Donnell, Amy M. Regish, Stephen D. McCormick, Benjamin Letcher

Retrospective review of the pathology of American pikas Retrospective review of the pathology of American pikas

American pikas (Ochotona princeps) are small lagomorphs that live in mountainous talus areas of western North America. Studies on the histopathology of American pikas are limited. We summarize here the clinical histories, and gross and histologic findings of 12 American pikas, including 9 captive (wild-caught) and 3 wild animals. Death was often attributed to stress (transport, handling
Authors
Adrienne Barrett, Kali Holder, Susan Knowles, Elise E. B. LaDouceur

Changes in soil erosion caused by wildfire: A conceptual biogeographic model Changes in soil erosion caused by wildfire: A conceptual biogeographic model

Soil erosion rates after wildfire are strongly controlled by intrinsic properties such as topography, weather, climate, soil, and vegetation. These landscape and hydroclimatic properties are important in determining post-fire erosion rates; however, their influence on post-fire erosion and their interaction with the intensity of a wildfire remains uncertain. A key limitation in resolving...
Authors
Philip J. Noske, Petter Nyman, Patrick N.J. Lane, Francis K. Rengers, Gary J. Sheridan

A comparison of eDNA sampling methods in an estuarine environment on presence of longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) and fish community composition A comparison of eDNA sampling methods in an estuarine environment on presence of longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) and fish community composition

The loss of tidal wetlands in the San Francisco Bay estuary have led to declines in native fish presence. Restoration of tidal wetlands in this area has intensified, with a primary goal of increasing the number of native fishes. We compared the presence of longfin smelt in naturally accreted and beneficial dredge reuse wetlands as a measure of successful restoration. We used...
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Lyndsay L. Rankin, Karen M. Thorne, Daphne Gille, Susan De La Cruz, Isa Woo, Levi Lewis, Katie Karpenko, Cheryl Dean, Gregg Schumer

Causal inference approaches reveal both positive and negative unintended effects of agricultural and urban management practices on instream biological condition Causal inference approaches reveal both positive and negative unintended effects of agricultural and urban management practices on instream biological condition

Agricultural and urban management practices (MPs) are primarily designed and implemented to reduce nutrient and sediment concentrations in streams. However, there is growing interest in determining if MPs produce any unintended positive effects, or co-benefits, to instream biological and habitat conditions. Identifying co-benefits is challenging though because of confounding variables (i...
Authors
Sean Cassian Emmons, Taylor Woods, Matthew J. Cashman, Olivia Devereux, Gregory E. Noe, John A. Young, Scott Stranko, Jay V. Kilian, Katherine Hanna, Kelly O. Maloney

Explosive 2018 eruptions at Kīlauea driven by a collapse-induced stomp-rocket mechanism Explosive 2018 eruptions at Kīlauea driven by a collapse-induced stomp-rocket mechanism

Explosive volcanic eruptions produce hazardous atmospheric plumes composed of tephra particles, hot gas and entrained air. Such eruptions are generally driven by magmatic fragmentation or steam expansion. However, an eruption mechanism outside this phreatic–magmatic spectrum was suggested by a sequence of 12 explosive eruptions in May 2018 at Kīlauea, Hawaii, that occurred during the...
Authors
Joshua Allen Crozier, Josef Dufek, Leif Karlstrom, Kyle R. Anderson, Ryan Cain Cahalan, Weston Thelen, Mary Catherine Benage, Chao Liang

Comparing risk of chronic wasting disease occurrence using Bayesian hierarchical spatial models and different surveillance types Comparing risk of chronic wasting disease occurrence using Bayesian hierarchical spatial models and different surveillance types

Spatial modeling of wildlife diseases can be used to describe patterns of disease risk, understand biological mechanisms of disease occurrence, and for spatial prediction. Risk of wildlife disease occurrence in relation to environmental variables is often modeled and predicted using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, which are unsuitable for large datasets and those covering large...
Authors
Kristin J. Bondo, Christopher S. Rosenberry, David Stainbrook, W. David Walter

Development and evaluation of public-supply community water service area boundaries for the conterminous United States Development and evaluation of public-supply community water service area boundaries for the conterminous United States

The water service area dataset, derived from the National Boundary Dataset for public-supply water systems in the United States, offers a detailed resolution surpassing county-level assessments, emphasizing water-centric land use. Crucial for linking populations and infrastructure to system withdrawals, it supports the creation of a national public-supply water-use model, enhancing...
Authors
Cheryl A. Buchwald, Natalie Houston, Jana S. Stewart, Ayman H. Alzraiee, Richard G. Niswonger, Joshua Larsen
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