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.
Science Quality and Integrity
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
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.
Filter Total Items: 175589
Crop water use dynamics over arid and semi-arid croplands in the lower Colorado River Basin Crop water use dynamics over arid and semi-arid croplands in the lower Colorado River Basin
Numerous studies have evaluated the application of Remote Sensing (RS) techniques for mapping actual evapotranspiration (ETa) using Vegetation-Index-based (VI-based) and surface energy balance methods (SEB). SEB models computationally require a large effort for application. VI-based methods are fast and easy to apply and could therefore potentially be applied at high resolution; however...
Authors
Neda Abbasi, Hamideh Nouri, Pamela L. Nagler, Kamel Didan, Sattar Chavoshi Borujeni, Armando Barreto-Muñoz, Christian Opp, Stefan Siebert
Long-term trends of local bird populations based on monitoring schemes: Are they suitable for justifying management measures? Long-term trends of local bird populations based on monitoring schemes: Are they suitable for justifying management measures?
Local biodiversity monitoring is important to assess the effects of global change, but also to evaluate the performance of landscape and wildlife protection, since large-scale assessments may buffer local fluctuations, rare species tend to be underrepresented, and management actions are usually implemented on local scales. We estimated population trends of 58 bird species using open...
Authors
Antonio J. Hernandez-Navarro, Francisco Robledano, María V. Jiménez-Franco, J. Andrew Royle, José F. Calvo
Evidence for fine-grained material at lunar red spots: Insights from thermal infrared and radar data sets Evidence for fine-grained material at lunar red spots: Insights from thermal infrared and radar data sets
Lunar red spots are small spectrally red features that have been proposed to be the result of non-mare volcanism. Studies have shown that a number of red spots are silicic, and are spectrally distinct from both highlands and mare compositions. In this work, we use data from LRO Diviner, Mini-RF, and Arecibo to investigate the material properties of 10 red spots. We create albedo maps...
Authors
Benjamin Byron, Catherine Elder, Timothy Glotch, Paul O. Hayne, Lori M. Pigue, Joshua T. S. Cahill
Eruption of stagnant lava from an inactive perched lava lake Eruption of stagnant lava from an inactive perched lava lake
Lava flow hazards are usually thought to end when the erupting vent becomes inactive, but this is not always the case. At Kīlauea in August 2014, a spiny ʻaʻā flow erupted from the levee of a crusted perched lava lake that had been inactive for a month, and the surface of the lava lake subsided as the flow advanced downslope over the following few days. Topography constructed from...
Authors
Tim R. Orr, Michael H. Zoeller, Edward W. Llewellin, Matthew R. Patrick
Expansive, positive changes to fish habitat diversity following the formation of a valley plug in a degraded desert river Expansive, positive changes to fish habitat diversity following the formation of a valley plug in a degraded desert river
Widespread hydrologic alterations have simplified in-stream habitats in rivers globally, driving population declines and extirpations of many native fishes. Here, we examine how rapid geomorphic change in a historically degraded desert river has influenced habitat diversification and ecosystem persistence. In 2010, a large reach of the degraded and simplified lower San Rafael River (SRR)...
Authors
Tansy T. Remiszewski, Phaedra E. Budy, William W. Macfarlane
Doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same result: Assessing variance in wetland invertebrate assemblages Doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same result: Assessing variance in wetland invertebrate assemblages
Past efforts to explain variation of invertebrate assemblages in freshwater wetlands have been less productive than anticipated. To explore why efforts are disappointing, we assembled large invertebrate data sets from North Dakota prairie potholes, California rock pools, and Georgia Carolina bay wetlands that addressed spatial (among wetlands) and temporal (among seasons and years)...
Authors
Sophie Reindl, Kyle McLean, Jamie M. Kneitel, Douglas A. Bell, Darold P. Batzer
The 50-year Landsat collection 2 archive The 50-year Landsat collection 2 archive
The Landsat global consolidated data archive now exceeds 50 years. In recognition of the need for consistently processed data across the Landsat satellite series, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) initiated collection-based processing of the entire archive that was processed as Collection 1 in 2016. In preparation for the data from the now successfully launched Landsat 9, the USGS...
Authors
Christopher J. Crawford, David P. Roy, Saeed Arab, Christopher Barnes, Eric Vermote, Glynn Hulley, Aaron Gerace, Michael J. Choate, Christopher Engebretson, Esad Micijevic, Gail L. Schmidt, Cody Anderson, Martha Anderson, Michelle Bouchard, Bruce D. Cook, Ray Dittmeier, Danny Howard, Calli Jenkerson, Minsu Kim, Tania Kleyians, Tom Maiersperger, Chase Mueller, Christopher Neigh, Linda Owen, Benjamin Page, Nima Pahelvan, Rajagopalan Rengarajan, Jean-Claude Roger, Kristi L. Sayler, Pat L Scaramuzza, Sergii Skakun, Lin Yan, Hankui K. Zhang, Zhe Zhu, Stephen G. Zahn
Population dynamics of the threatened Oregon spotted frog before and after drought mitigation Population dynamics of the threatened Oregon spotted frog before and after drought mitigation
Amphibians are among the most sensitive taxa to climate change, and species inhabiting arid and semiarid landscapes at the extremes of their range are especially vulnerable to drought. The Jack Creek, Oregon, USA, population of Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) faces unique challenges because it occupies the highest elevation site in the species' extant range and one that has been...
Authors
Jennifer Rowe, Christopher Pearl, Adam Duarte, Brome McCreary, Michael J. Adams
Rates of osmoconformation in triploid eastern oysters, and comparison to their diploid half-siblings Rates of osmoconformation in triploid eastern oysters, and comparison to their diploid half-siblings
Triploid eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) suffer greater mortalities than diploids in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico estuaries when extreme low salinities ( 5) and elevated temperatures (≥ 28 °C) coincide. To investigate potential causes, changes in plasma osmolality, hemolymph pH, valve opening and mortality in diploid and triploid oyster half-siblings were compared during a step-down...
Authors
Sandra M. Casas, Devin Comba, Megan K. La Peyre, Scott Rikard, Jerome F. La Peyre
Crustal thickness and the VP/VS ratio within the Arabia Plate from P-wave receiver functions at 154 broadband seismic stations Crustal thickness and the VP/VS ratio within the Arabia Plate from P-wave receiver functions at 154 broadband seismic stations
As part of a joint Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) and United States Geological Survey project, we analyzed P-wave receiver functions from seismic stations covering most of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to map the thickness of the crust across the Arabia Plate. We present an update of crustal thickness estimates and fill in gaps for the western Arabian Shield and the rifted margin at the Red...
Authors
Alexander R. Blanchette, Simon L. Klemperer, Walter D. Mooney
Models for linking hunter retention and recruitment to regulations and game populations Models for linking hunter retention and recruitment to regulations and game populations
Introduction: Declining hunter populations across North America present wildlife management agencies with the prospect of declining revenues for wildlife conservation and management and the need for new tools to evaluate management strategies and predict future status of game species and hunters. Methods: Here we present a modeling framework and potential decision support tool for...
Authors
Conor P. McGowan, Jennifer L. Price Tack, Amy Silvano, J. Barry Grand
Salinity trends in a groundwater system supplemented by 50 years of imported Colorado River water Salinity trends in a groundwater system supplemented by 50 years of imported Colorado River water
The Indio subbasin of the Coachella Valley is a desert area of southern California where a growing population depends primarily on groundwater for drinking and agricultural uses. The aquifer system has been supplemented with Colorado River water through managed recharge and widespread irrigation since the mid-20th century. We use a combination of geochemical modeling and trend analysis...
Authors
Jennifer S. Harkness, Patrick Michael McCarthy, Bryant C. Jurgens, Zeno F. Levy