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.
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Mission Area Publications
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Consumer isoscapes reveal heterogeneous food webs in deep-sea submarine canyons and adjacent slopes Consumer isoscapes reveal heterogeneous food webs in deep-sea submarine canyons and adjacent slopes
The deep sea is the largest biome on earth, but one of the least studied despite its critical role in global carbon cycling and climate buffering. Deep-sea organisms largely rely on particulate organic matter from the surface ocean for energy – these organisms in turn play critical roles in energy transport, transformation, storage, and sequestration of carbon. Within the deep sea...
Authors
Amanda Demopoulos, Brian J. Smith, Jill Bourque, Jason Chaytor, Jennifer McClain Counts, Nancy G. Prouty, Steve W. Ross, Sandra Brooke, Gerard Duineveld, Furu Mienis
Deposited sediment influences occurrence of functional traits of stream fishes Deposited sediment influences occurrence of functional traits of stream fishes
To better understand stream-fish sensitivity to fine sediment, we documented assemblage-wide responses by selected traits along a sedimentation gradient. We then discuss the management implications of these ‘dose–response’ relations in the contexts of biotic assessments and conservation of sediment-sensitive species. We identified a spatial gradient in sediment deposition among streams...
Authors
Mallory Hirschler, Amy M. Villamagna, Paul L. Angermeier, Eric Laflamme
Predicting redox conditions in groundwater at a national scale using random forest classification Predicting redox conditions in groundwater at a national scale using random forest classification
Redox conditions in groundwater may markedly affect the fate and transport of nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and trace metals, with significant implications for human health. While many local assessments of redox conditions have been made, the spatial variability of redox reaction rates makes the determination of redox conditions at regional or national scales problematic. In...
Authors
Anthony J. Tesoriero, Susan Wherry, Danielle Dupuy, Tyler D. Johnson
Diurnal habitat selection and survival of elk neonates Diurnal habitat selection and survival of elk neonates
Natural selection should favor development of behaviors that increase survival, including juvenile survival. Habitat characteristics (e.g., hiding cover, forage quality and availability), maternal habitat selection, and microhabitat selection by the calf may influence elk (Cervus canadensis) calf survival and recruitment. We assessed diurnal microhabitat selection of bed sites by elk...
Authors
James W. Pitman, James W. Cain, William R. Gould, Nicole M. Tatman, Stewart G. Liley
Fine-resolution land cover mapping over large and mountainous areas for Lāna‘i, Hawaii using posterior probabilities, and expert knowledge Fine-resolution land cover mapping over large and mountainous areas for Lāna‘i, Hawaii using posterior probabilities, and expert knowledge
The task of accurately mapping species-specific vegetation cover in remote and topographically complex regions like those found in Hawaiʻi presents unique challenges. This study leverages a machine learning approach to accurately classify vegetation into fine species-specific classes across the island of Lāna‘i, Hawaii, offering a novel methodology for tackling such challenges. Utilizing...
Authors
Lucas Berio Fortini, Qiuming Cheng, Yoko Uyehara, Kari Bogner, Jonathan Sprague, Rachel Sprague
Modeled coastal-ocean pathways of land-sourced contaminants in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence Modeled coastal-ocean pathways of land-sourced contaminants in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence
Extreme precipitation during Hurricane Florence, which made landfall in North Carolina in September 2018, led to breaches of hog waste lagoons, coal ash pits, and wastewater facilities. In the weeks following the storm, freshwater discharge carried pollutants, sediment, organic matter, and debris to the coastal ocean, contributing to beach closures, algae blooms, hypoxia, and other...
Authors
Melissa Moulton, Joseph B. Zambon, Zuo Xue, John C. Warner, Daoyang Bao, Dongxiao Yin, Zafer Defne, Ruoying He, Christie Hegermiller
Temperature impacts on dengue incidence are nonlinear and mediated by climatic and socioeconomic factors: A meta-analysis Temperature impacts on dengue incidence are nonlinear and mediated by climatic and socioeconomic factors: A meta-analysis
Temperature can influence mosquito-borne diseases like dengue. These effects are expected to vary geographically and over time in both magnitude and direction and may interact with other environmental variables, making it difficult to anticipate changes in response to climate change. Here, we investigate global variation in temperature–dengue relationship by analyzing published...
Authors
Devin Kirk, Samantha Straus, Marissa L. Childs, Mallory Harris, Lisa Couper, T. Jonathan Davies, Coreen Forbes, Alyssa-Lois M. Gehman, Maya L. Groner, Christopher Harley, Kevin D. Lafferty, Van Savage, Eloise Skinner, Mary I. O’Connor, Erin A. Mordecai
Induced seismicity strategic vision Induced seismicity strategic vision
Executive Summary The U.S. Geological Survey has a long history of contributions to the understanding and resolution of various scientific questions related to earthquakes associated with human activities, referred to as induced seismicity. Work started with the Rocky Mountain Arsenal studies in the 1960’s (Healy and others, 1968) when it was first discovered that fluid waste-disposal...
Authors
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Justin L. Rubinstein, Andrew J. Barbour, J. Ole Kaven
Making phase-picking neural networks more consistent and interpretable Making phase-picking neural networks more consistent and interpretable
Improving the interpretability of phase‐picking neural networks remains an important task to facilitate their deployment to routine, real‐time seismic monitoring. The popular phase‐picking neural networks published in the literature lack interpretability because their output prediction scores do not necessarily correspond with the reliability of phase picks and can even be highly...
Authors
Yongsoo Park, Brent G. Delbridge, David R. Shelly
Shellfish aquaculture farms as foraging habitat for nearshore fishes and crabs Shellfish aquaculture farms as foraging habitat for nearshore fishes and crabs
Objective Oyster reefs across North America have declined precipitously over the past 140 years. In Washington State, Olympia oyster Ostrea lurida reefs historically provided water filtration and nearshore structural habitat for fishes and invertebrates, but this species is now functionally extinct across its historical range. In place of these naturally occurring reefs, shellfish farms...
Authors
Karl Veggerby, Mark David Scheuerell, Beth Sanderson, Peter Kiffney, Bridget Ferriss
Preparing for a Bsal invasion into North America has improved multi-sector readiness Preparing for a Bsal invasion into North America has improved multi-sector readiness
Western palearctic salamander susceptibility to the skin disease caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) was recognized in 2014, eliciting concerns for a potential novel wave of amphibian declines following the B. dendrobatidis (Bd) chytridiomycosis global pandemic. Although Bsal had not been detected in North America, initial experimental trials...
Authors
Deanna H. Olson, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Molly Bletz, Jonah Piovia-Scott, David Lesbarreres, Jacob L. Kerby, Michael J. Adams, Maria Florencia Breitman, Michelle R. Christman, María J. Forzán, Matthew J. Gray, Aubree J. Hill, Michelle S. Koo, Olga Milenkaya, Eria A. Rebollar, Louise A. Rollins-Smith, Megan Serr, Alex Shepak, Lenny Shirose, Laura Sprague, Jenifer Walke, Alexa Warwick, Brittany A. Mosher
Subduction intraslab-interface fault interactions in the 2022 Mw 6.4 Ferndale, California earthquake sequence Subduction intraslab-interface fault interactions in the 2022 Mw 6.4 Ferndale, California earthquake sequence
The Mendocino triple junction, the intersection of the Pacific, North American, and Gorda plates, activates a collection of disparate faults that reconcile Cascadia subduction with San Andreas transform motion. The December 20, 2022, Mw 6.4 Ferndale, California earthquake occurred within this complex zone as strike-slip faulting within the subducting Gorda slab. Here, we analyze the...
Authors
David R. Shelly, Dara Elyse Goldberg, Kathryn Zerbe Materna, Robert John Skoumal, Jeanne L. Hardebeck, Clara Yoon, William L. Yeck, Paul S. Earle