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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How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire? How long do runoff-generated debris-flow hazards persist after wildfire?
Runoff-generated debris flows are a potentially destructive and deadly response to wildfire until sufficient vegetation and soil-hydraulic recovery have reduced susceptibility to the hazard. Elevated debris-flow susceptibility may persist for several years, but the controls on the timespan of the susceptible period are poorly understood. To evaluate the connection between vegetation...
Authors
Andrew Paul Graber, Matthew A. Thomas, Jason W. Kean
Lateral edifice collapse and volcanic debris avalanches: A post-1980 Mount St. Helens perspective Lateral edifice collapse and volcanic debris avalanches: A post-1980 Mount St. Helens perspective
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was instrumental in advancing understanding of how volcanoes work. Lateral edifice collapses and the generation of volcanic debris avalanches were not widely recognized prior to that eruption, making assessment of their hazards and risks challenging. The proliferation of studies since 1980 on resulting deposits and evaluation of processes leading to...
Authors
Lee Siebert, Mark E. Reid
Monitoring sediment transport pathways from an artificial nearshore berm, South Padre Island, Texas, USA, August 2018 to November 2019: Implications for coastal management Monitoring sediment transport pathways from an artificial nearshore berm, South Padre Island, Texas, USA, August 2018 to November 2019: Implications for coastal management
During August 2018 – November 2019, the transport pathways of dredge material from a specially constructed nearshore feeder berm were investigated as part of a collaborative study by the City of South Padre Island, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers–Galveston District, U.S. Geological Survey, Partrac GeoMarine Inc., and Texas A&M University, into the efficacy of beneficial use dredge material...
Authors
Darwin Ockerman, Douglas James Schnoebelen, Jack Poleykett, Patrick L. Friend, Coraggio K. Maglio, Kristina Boburka
Predatory impacts of invasive Blue Catfish in an Atlantic coast estuary Predatory impacts of invasive Blue Catfish in an Atlantic coast estuary
Objective Predatory invasive fishes may consume species of management interest and alter food webs. Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus is a large-bodied, salinity-tolerant species that exhibits broad diet breadth and preys on species of both conservation concern and fisheries management interest. To better understand the ecological consequences of the establishment of Blue Catfish fisheries...
Authors
Corbin David Hilling, Joseph Schmitt, Yan Jiao, Donald J. Orth
Interactions among rainfall, fire, forbs and non-native grasses predict occupancy dynamics for the endangered Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem Interactions among rainfall, fire, forbs and non-native grasses predict occupancy dynamics for the endangered Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus) in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem
It is important to understand species-habitat relationships to implement effective adaptive management for rare species. However, it can be challenging to assess habitat associations and their relationships to abiotic stressors in dynamic habitats without the insights that can be gained from long-term monitoring. We report results from the first six years of extensive track tube...
Authors
Cheryl S. Brehme, Sarah Kay Thomsen, Devin T. Adsit-Morris, Robert N. Fisher
Back-azimuth estimation of air-to-ground coupled infrasound from transverse coherence minimization Back-azimuth estimation of air-to-ground coupled infrasound from transverse coherence minimization
We present the transverse coherence minimization method (TCM)—an approach to estimate the back-azimuth of infrasound signals that are recorded on an infrasound microphone and a colocated three-component seismometer. Accurate back-azimuth information is important for a variety of monitoring efforts, but it is currently only available for infrasound arrays and for seismoacoustic sensor...
Authors
Jordan Bishop, Matthew M. Haney, David Fee, Robin Matoza, Kathleen McKee, John J. Lyons
Sound and sturgeon: Bioacoustics and anthropogenic sound Sound and sturgeon: Bioacoustics and anthropogenic sound
Sturgeons are basal bony fishes, most species of which are considered threatened and/or endangered. Like all fishes, sturgeons use hearing to learn about their environment and perhaps communicate with conspecifics, as in mating. Thus, anything that impacts the ability of sturgeon to hear biologically important sounds could impact fitness and survival of individuals and populations. There...
Authors
Arthur N. Popper, Robin D. Calfee
One byte at a time: Gathering best practices, guidelines, and resources for data standards to support ocean exploration and characterization One byte at a time: Gathering best practices, guidelines, and resources for data standards to support ocean exploration and characterization
Initiated through Presidential direction and now codified, the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization (NOMEC) Council comprises leaders from U.S. federal agencies with a shared goal of mapping all waters of the United States and exploring and characterizing priority areas. The NOMEC Council’s two Interagency Working Groups, Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IWG-OCM) and Ocean
Authors
Kasey Cantwell, Amanda Demopoulos, Mitchell G. Hebner, Rachel Medley, Mark Mueller, Amanda N. Netburn
Differing field methods and site conditions lead to varying bias in suspended sediment concentrations in the Lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers Differing field methods and site conditions lead to varying bias in suspended sediment concentrations in the Lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers
At sites that have been sampled for decades, changes in field and laboratory methods happen over time as instrumentation and protocols improve. Here, we compare the influence of depth- and point-integrated sampling on total, fine (
Authors
Jennifer C. Murphy, Lindsey Ayn Schafer, Scott Mize
The inevitability of large shallow craters on Callisto and Ganymede: Implications for crater depth-diameter trends The inevitability of large shallow craters on Callisto and Ganymede: Implications for crater depth-diameter trends
Complex craters with diameters (D) ≥ 40 km on Callisto and Ganymede are shallower than would be expected from simply extrapolating the depth-diameter trend from smaller (D ≤ 40 km) craters. This unusual depth-diameter (d-D) trend, and associated changes in crater morphology, have been hypothesized to result from rheological transitions, including the existence of an ocean, within the...
Authors
Michael T. Bland, Veronica Bray
Limited hybridisation and introgression despite stocking among endemic Interior Highlands black basses (Centrarchidae: Micropterus) Limited hybridisation and introgression despite stocking among endemic Interior Highlands black basses (Centrarchidae: Micropterus)
Aim: Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu; SMB) are globally popular among anglers and have been widely introduced (i.e. stocked) for population management and sportfishing. Importantly, stocking was prevalent before cryptic diversity within the SMB complex was known, which now includes three newly elevated species: Neosho Bass (M. velox; NB), Little River Bass (M. sp. cf. dolomieu...
Authors
Joe C. Gunn, Andrew T. Taylor, Jeff J. Buckingham, Aaron I. Kern, James M. Long
Wherever I may roam—Human activity alters movements of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and elk (Cervus canadensis) across two continents Wherever I may roam—Human activity alters movements of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and elk (Cervus canadensis) across two continents
Human activity and associated landscape modifications alter the movements of animals with consequences for populations and ecosystems worldwide. Species performing long-distance movements are thought to be particularly sensitive to human impact. Despite the increasing anthropogenic pressure, it remains challenging to understand and predict animals' responses to human activity. Here we...
Authors
Steffen Mumme, Arthur D. Middleton, Paolo Ciucci, Johannes De Groeve, Andrea Corradini, Federico Ossi, Paul Atwood, Niko Balkenhol, Eric K. Cole, Lucie Debeffe, Sarah R. Dewey, Claude Fischer, Justin Gude, Marco Heurich, Mark A. Hurley, Anders Jarnemo, Matthew J. Kauffman, Alain Licoppe, Emiel van Loon, Doug McWhirter, Tony Mong, Luca Pedrotti, Nicolas Morellet, Atle Mysterud, Wibke Peters, Kelly Proffitt, Sonia Saïd, Johannes Signer, Peter Sunde, Martin Stary, Francesca Cagnacci