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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Characterisation of bituminite and testing reproducibility of vitrinite and bituminite reflectance measurements in organic‑carbon-rich intervals of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation: ICCP Identification of Dispersed Organic Matter Working Group round robin ex Characterisation of bituminite and testing reproducibility of vitrinite and bituminite reflectance measurements in organic‑carbon-rich intervals of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation: ICCP Identification of Dispersed Organic Matter Working Group round robin ex
Three round robin exercises (RRE) aimed at characterizing bituminite and testing the reproducibility of random vitrinite (VRo %) and bituminite (BitRo %) reflectance measurements on samples of dispersed organic matter from organic‑carbon rich shale intervals of Kimmeridge Clay Formation were conducted in 2016, 2018, and 2020. This work was conducted by the Identification of Dispersed...
Authors
Jolanta Kus, A.G. Borrego, Barbara Bielowicz, Peter J. Crosdale, M.-E. Damoulianou, Deolinda Flores, Carolina Fonseca, Paula Gonçalves, Paul C. Hackley, Maria Hámor-Vidó, Stefanie Henne, Bjoern Holstein, Iwona Jelonek, Stavros Kalaitzidis, M. Luzhbina, J.G. Mendonça Filho, T.R. Menezes, Magdalena Misz-Kennan, R. Orban, Walter Pickel, N.V. Pronina, P. N. Ranasinghe, Julito Reyes, George Siavalas, A.K. Singh, P.K. Singh, Isabel Suárez-Ruiz, I. Sýkorová, Qingyong Luo, Dragana Životić, P. Wignall, ICCP
Basal area loss from fire using field-calibrated remote sensing refines western US fire severity measurements Basal area loss from fire using field-calibrated remote sensing refines western US fire severity measurements
The spatial patterns of fire effects and tree mortality have profound consequences for forest resilience. Cost-effective, medium-resolution, and spatiotemporally extensive fire severity measurements are essential for informing post-fire restoration and improving our understanding of wildfires—from forest stands to continents and from days to decades. Remote sensing advancements have...
Authors
Sara Winsemius, Yufang Jin, Hugh D. Safford, Michelle C. Agne, Robert A. Andrus, C. Alina Cansler, Anthony C. Caprio, W. Wallace Covington, Joseph E. Crouse, Calvin A. Farris, Peter Z. Fulé, Brian J. Harvey, Sharon M. Hood, David W. Huffman, Emma J. McClure, Alicia L. Reiner, John P. Roccaforte, Saba J. Saberi, Michael T. Stoddard, Laura Trader, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Michael J. Koontz
Examples of eruption response teams from the Alaska Volcano Observatory Examples of eruption response teams from the Alaska Volcano Observatory
During times of eruption response, volcano observatories need to organize themselves differently than during normal operations. The number of formal operational roles grows to ensure that critical responsibilities are covered, including management of all activities at the observatory as well as increased staffing to ensure proper surveillance of data and issuance of timely notices and...
Authors
Michelle L. Coombs, Kristi L. Wallace, Ronni Grapenthin, Jordan Edward Lubbers, Tom Murray
Plant diversity shifts with drying and wetting cycles following removal of poplar plantations in Dongting Lake, China Plant diversity shifts with drying and wetting cycles following removal of poplar plantations in Dongting Lake, China
Dongting Lake, the second largest lake in China, plays a crucial role in maintaining regional ecological security by providing key habitats for waterbirds. This study examined how hydrology and topography (ditches and mounds) together generate fine-scale wet–dry gradients that shape species establishment and successional trajectories. Over the past decade, vegetation restoration has been
Authors
Xueer Ma, Chenchen Liu, Lingli Peng, Chengzhu Liu, Beth A. Middleton, Ting Lei
Previous prescribed burns saved thousands of ancient sequoias during historically unprecedented wildfires Previous prescribed burns saved thousands of ancient sequoias during historically unprecedented wildfires
Wildfires in California’s Sierra Nevada during 2020–2021 killed giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) at rates unseen for millennia, underscoring the vulnerability of highly fire-adapted trees to ongoing environmental change. Following a century of fire exclusion and fuel accumulation, the effectiveness of prescribed burns in reducing giant sequoia mortality from wildfire remained...
Authors
Dan J. Dixon, Adrian J. Das, Xiaoli Dong, Andrew M. Latimer, David Nicolas Bertil Soderberg, Nathan L. Stephenson, Anthony C. Caprio, Yufang Jin
Precipitation intensity increased across the South Pacific Convergence Zone in the Industrial Age Precipitation intensity increased across the South Pacific Convergence Zone in the Industrial Age
The position, strength, and variability of precipitation in the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) remain challenging for coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models to represent, leaving future rainfall projections in this dynamically important region uncertain. Here, we present quantitative records of mean annual precipitation (MAP) spanning the past 1,000 years using sediment cores...
Authors
S. Nemiah Ladd, Ashley E. Maloney, Daniel B. Nelson, Mark D. Peaple, Julie N. Richey, Amanda Witt, Polly Sobeck, Matthew Prebble, David A. Sear, Peter G. Langdon, Nathalie Dubois, Julian P. Sachs
Sediment response to stream restoration in an agricultural watershed Sediment response to stream restoration in an agricultural watershed
Despite widespread implementation of stream restoration there is limited research of its effectiveness in impaired agricultural settings. To quantify the effects of stream restoration on sediment load, we investigated erosion and deposition along 9 stream reach sites (4 restored, 4 unrestored, and 1 downstream) in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, United States - a representative agricultural...
Authors
John W. Clune, Gregory B. Noe, Matthew J. Cashman, Jessica D. DeWitt, Joseph M. Bell, Mitchell R. Weaver, James E. Colgin, Thomas Rossiter Doody, Eliza L. Gross, Victor Scott Cortes
Improving building footprint extraction using NAIP and 3DEP lidar derived features with deep learning Improving building footprint extraction using NAIP and 3DEP lidar derived features with deep learning
Accurate building footprint extraction is critical for applications ranging from population estimation to disaster management. Although optical imagery provides detailed spectral information, it often struggles with shadows, occlusions, and background clutter in dense urban environments. Lidar data, by contrast, offer precise elevation and structural attributes but face challenges such...
Authors
Jung-Kuan Liu, Rongjun Qin, Samantha T. Arundel, Lexie Yang
The Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT): Advancing understanding of Cascadia's earthquake hazards The Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT): Advancing understanding of Cascadia's earthquake hazards
The Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) is capable of producing large megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis, posing significant risks to the Pacific Northwest. This paper examines the seismic characteristics of the CSZ, including its offshore coupling, sparse seismicity, and a complex paleoseismic record. While recent advances in geophysical methods and data collection have improved our...
Authors
Diego Melgar, Amanda M. Thomas, Valerie J. Sahakian, Pieter-Ewald Share, Andrew Meigs, Harold Tobin, Lydia M. Staisch, Timothy Melbourne, Jill Elizabeth, Rasheed Ajala, Colin Amos, Loic Bachelot, Scott Bennett, James Biemiller, Brian Boston, Joseph Byrnes, Andy Clifford, Brendan Crowell, Jonathan Robert Delph, Benchun Duan, Eric Dunham, Tina Dura, Hannah Elston, Brittany Erickson, Shannon Fasola, Becky Fildes, Alice-Agnes Gabriel, Alex R. Grant, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Andrea Hawkes, Bin He, Eileen Hemphill-Haley, Brenton W. Hirao, Emilie Hooft, Yihe Huang, Jesse Hutchinson, Noel Jackson, Harvey Kelsey, Zoe Krauss, Ana Ledeczi, Ben Leshchinsky, Yajing Liu, Jack Loveless, Madeleine C. Lucas, William Marfo, Brett W. Maurer, Morgan P. Moschetti, Michael Olsen, Emily Roland, David Schmidt, Ignacio Sepulveda, Brandon Shuck, William J. Stephenson, Ashley Streig, Ian P. Stone, Chih-Hsuan Sung, Daniel Trugman, William S.D. Wilcock, Erin A. Wirth, Robert C. Witter, Emrah Yenier
Body size, dispersal potential, range size and habitat fragmentation are linked to extinction risk of freshwater mussels Body size, dispersal potential, range size and habitat fragmentation are linked to extinction risk of freshwater mussels
Aim: Trait-based approaches are increasingly recognized as a tool for understanding species’ vulnerabilities to intensifying global change. For species with complex life histories that involve a parasitic life stage, a combination of traits associated with either the host or parasite could influence extinction risk. Location: United States of America Taxon: Freshwater mussels are a...
Authors
Garrett W. Hopper, Sean M. Keogh, Carla L. Atkinson, Traci P. DuBose, Jeffrey D. Lozier, John M. Pfeiffer, Irene Sánchez González
Comprehensive characterization of Mauna Loa basalt rheology based on the 2022 eruption Comprehensive characterization of Mauna Loa basalt rheology based on the 2022 eruption
Rheological data are crucial for the understanding of storage, transport, eruption, and emplacement of magma and lava. While viscosity estimates for lavas from Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano on Earth, exist, no direct rheological measurements have been done to date. This is especially surprising given the role Mauna Loa lavas and resulting landforms play in the interpretation of...
Authors
Stephan Kolzenburg, Martin Harris, M. Oryaelle Chevrel, Kendra J. Lynn
Mesophotic octocoral larval settlement preferences and behaviors Mesophotic octocoral larval settlement preferences and behaviors
Introduction Lab-based coral reproduction is advancing restoration efforts to support coral populations injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Objectives This study aimed to answer foundational questions concerning coral spawning and larval settlement that need to be resolved for these mesophotic and deep-sea coral species before restoration efforts can be scaled up. Methods...
Authors
Mark McCauley, Julia Johnstone, William G. Jenkins, Jayci Grosso, Arielle Pollock, Jonathan Mark Quigley, Leigh-Anne Christine Carlson, Christopher L. Gardner, Peter J. Etnoyer, Kristopher G. Benson, Amanda J. Demopoulos