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: 175641
Larval cisco and lake whitefish exhibit high distributional overlap within nursery areas Larval cisco and lake whitefish exhibit high distributional overlap within nursery areas
Coregonine fishes, including lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and cisco (C. artedi), are socioecologically important in the Laurentian Great Lakes and of conservation concern, but the processes driving recruitment variability are unclear. In Lake Ontario, cisco and lake whitefish exhibit similar spawning behaviours and early life histories, but population trajectories are...
Authors
Taylor A. Brown, Lars G. Rudstam, Jeremy P. Holden, Brian Weidel, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Ann J. Ropp, Marc Chalupnicki, James E. McKenna, Suresh A. Sethi
Integrated water resources trend assessments: State of the science, challenges, and opportunities for advancement Integrated water resources trend assessments: State of the science, challenges, and opportunities for advancement
Water is vital to human life and healthy ecosystems. Here we outline the current state of national-scale water resources trend assessments, identify key gaps, and suggest advancements to better address critical issues related to changes in water resources that may threaten human development or the environment. Questions like, “Do we have less suitable drinking water now than we had 20...
Authors
Sarah M. Stackpoole, Gretchen P. Oelsner, Edward G. Stets, Jory Seth Hecht, Zachary Johnson, Anthony J. Tesoriero, Michelle A. Walvoord, Jeffrey G. Chanat, Krista A. Dunne, Phillip J. Goodling, Bruce D. Lindsey, Michael R. Meador, Sarah A. Spaulding
Linking ecosystem processes to consumer growth rates: Gross primary productivity as a driver of freshwater fish somatic growth in a resource-limited river Linking ecosystem processes to consumer growth rates: Gross primary productivity as a driver of freshwater fish somatic growth in a resource-limited river
Individual growth can exert strong controls on population dynamics and be constrained by resource acquisition rates. Difficulty in accurately quantifying resource availability over large spatial extents and at high temporal frequency often limits attempts to understand the extent that resources limit individual growth. Daily estimates of stream metabolism, including gross primary...
Authors
Lindsay Erika Hansen, Charles B. Yackulic, Brett G. Dickson, Bridget R. Deemer, Rebecca J. Best
Landscape-scale drivers of tayra abundance in the Ecuadorian Andes Landscape-scale drivers of tayra abundance in the Ecuadorian Andes
Habitat conversion to agriculture and overexploitation of wildlife are the two largest drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Biodiversity loss is especially prevalent in areas undergoing rapid economic development at the expense of natural land cover as is the case across much of South America. Despite expected declines in wildlife populations associated with ongoing large-scale land...
Authors
Joshua P. Twining, Vanessa L. Springer, Evan Cooch, Angela K. Fuller
Reproductive response of the Samoan swallowtail butterfly to variability in host plant and habitat characteristics Reproductive response of the Samoan swallowtail butterfly to variability in host plant and habitat characteristics
The Samoan swallowtail butterfly (Papilio godeffroyi) has become restricted to Tutuila Island, American Samoa. Factors driving its extirpation on other islands may be partly due to the availability and suitability of habitat, given the singular association we observed of P. godeffroyi with its host plant, Micromelum minutum. We expected that as a host plant specialist, P. godeffroyi...
Authors
Paul C. Banko, Robert W. Peck, Mark A. Schmaedick, Adam C. Miles, Niela Leifi, Kevin W. Brinck
Report of the Science Community Workshop on the proposed First Sample Depot for the Mars Sample Return Campaign Report of the Science Community Workshop on the proposed First Sample Depot for the Mars Sample Return Campaign
The Mars 2020/Mars Sample Return (MSR) Sample Depot Science Community Workshop was held on September 28 and 30, 2022, to assess the Scientifically-Return Worthy (SRW) value of the full collection of samples acquired by the rover Perseverance at Jezero Crater, and of a proposed subset of samples to be left as a First Depot at a location within Jezero Crater called Three Forks. The primary...
Authors
Andrew D. Czaja, Maria-Paz Zorzano, Gerhard Kminek, Michael Meyer, David Beaty, Elliot Sefton-Nash, Brandi L. Carrier, Fiona Thiessen, Timothy Haltigin, Audrey Bouvier, Nicolas Dauphas, Katherine L. French, Lydia Hallis, Rachel Harris, Ernst Hauber, Laura Rodriguez, Susanne P. Schwenzer, Andrew Steele, Kimberly Tait, Michael T. Thorpe, Tomohiro Usui, Jessica Vanhomwegen, Michael Velbel, Samuel Edwin, Kenneth A. Farley, Daniel P. Glavin, Andrea D. Harrington, Lindsay E. Hays, Aurore Hutzler, Meenakshi Wadhwa
Broadscale distribution, abundance and habitat associations of the invasive Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) in the lower Columbia River, USA Broadscale distribution, abundance and habitat associations of the invasive Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) in the lower Columbia River, USA
The Asian clam, Corbicula fluminea, is an invasive freshwater bivalve that has established populations across the globe and is known to have deleterious effects on natural and human systems. Yet, despite being present in the Columbia River (CR) for nearly a century, little is known about this invader's basic biology and ecology in this large river system. Thus, we undertook a field study...
Authors
Salvador B. Robb-Chavez, Stephen M. Bollens, Gretchen Rollwagen-Bollens, Timothy D. Counihan
Climate change and coastal wetland salinization: Physiological and ecological consequences for Arctic waterfowl Climate change and coastal wetland salinization: Physiological and ecological consequences for Arctic waterfowl
Coastal wetland salinization related to warming climate has the potential to impact ecological systems globally. In Alaska, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) supports large concentrations of breeding water birds and is an ecologically important area for conservation of migratory bird biodiversity. On the YKD, the majority of waterfowl nest in low elevation coastal tundra where storm surges...
Authors
Tuula E. Hollmen, Paul L. Flint, Sadie E. Ulman, H.M. Wilson, Courtney Amundson, Erik E. Osnas
Using taxa-based approaches to delineate stream macroinvertebrate assemblage responses to stressor gradients in modified alluvial agroecosystems Using taxa-based approaches to delineate stream macroinvertebrate assemblage responses to stressor gradients in modified alluvial agroecosystems
Alluvial plain landscapes are some of the most agriculturally productive lands in the world but often have modified stream ecosystems due to cultivation history. This context requires consideration when establishing water quality management goals. We analyzed state water quality databases to demonstrate that Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) ecoregion streams have elevated specific...
Authors
Jason M. Taylor, Stephen E. DeVilbiss, Matthew B. Hicks
When are environmental DNA early detections of invasive species actionable? When are environmental DNA early detections of invasive species actionable?
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling provides sensitive early detection capabilities for recently introduced taxa. However, natural resource managers struggle with how to integrate eDNA results into an early detection rapid response program because positive eDNA detections are not always indicative of an eventual infestation. We used a structured decision making (SDM) framework to evaluate
Authors
Adam Sepulveda, Christine E. Dumoulin, Denise L. Blanchette, John Mcphedran, Colin Holme, Nathan Whalen, Margaret Hunter, Christopher M. Merkes, Catherine A. Richter, Matthew Neilson, Wesley M. Daniel, Devin Nicole Jones-Slobodian, David R. Smith
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of the Barents Sea area, 2021 Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of the Barents Sea area, 2021
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 7.3 billion barrels of oil and 463.7 trillion cubic feet of gas within the Barents Sea area.
Authors
Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Cheryl A. Woodall, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Thomas M. Finn, Phuong A. Le, Kristen R. Marra, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Ronald M. Drake
Satellite precipitation bias estimation and correction using in situ observations and climatology isohyets for the MENA region Satellite precipitation bias estimation and correction using in situ observations and climatology isohyets for the MENA region
The availability of reliable gridded precipitation datasets is limited around the world, especially in arid regions. In this study, we utilized observations from satellite-based precipitation data and in situ rain gauge observations to determine a suitable precipitation dataset in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region. First, we evaluated seven different precipitation products...
Authors
Stefanie Kagone, Naga Manohar Velpuri, Kul Bikram Khand, Gabriel B. Senay, Michael R. Van der Valk, Daniel J. Goode, Salam Abu Hantash, Thair M. Al-Momani, Nanor Momejian, Jack R. Eggleston