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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Upwelling, climate change, and the shifting geography of coral reef development Upwelling, climate change, and the shifting geography of coral reef development
The eastern tropical Pacific is oceanographically unfavorable for coral-reef development. Nevertheless, reefs have persisted there for the last 7000 years. Rates of vertical accretion during the Holocene have been similar in the strong-upwelling Gulf of Panamá (GoP) and the adjacent, weak-upwelling Gulf of Chiriquí (GoC); however, seasonal upwelling in the GoP exacerbated a climate...
Authors
Victor Rodriguez-Ruano, Lauren T. Toth, Ian C. Enochs, Carly J. Randall, Richard B. Aronson
Detection and monitoring of small-scale diamond and gold mining dredges using synthetic aperture radar on the Kadéï (Sangha) River, Central African Republic Detection and monitoring of small-scale diamond and gold mining dredges using synthetic aperture radar on the Kadéï (Sangha) River, Central African Republic
Diamond and gold mining has been practiced by artisanal miners in the Central African Republic (CAR) for decades. The recent introduction of riverine dredges indicates a transition from artisanal/manual digging and sorting techniques to small-scale mining methods. This study implements a remote sensing analysis of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to map gold and diamond dredges...
Authors
Marissa Ann Alessi, Peter G. Chirico, Sindhuja Sunder, Kelsey L. O’Pry
Stabilising effects of karstic groundwater on stream fish communities Stabilising effects of karstic groundwater on stream fish communities
Although groundwater exchange processes are known to modulate atmospheric influences on stream temperature and flow, the implications for ecological stability are poorly understood. Here, we evaluated temporal change in stream fish communities across a gradient of groundwater influence defined by karst terrain (carbonate parent materials) within the Potomac River basin of eastern North...
Authors
Nathaniel P. Hitt, Karli M. Rogers, Karmann G. Kessler, Martin A. Briggs, Jennifer H. Fair
Sierra Nevada amphibians demonstrate stable occupancy despite precipitation volatility in the early 21st Century Sierra Nevada amphibians demonstrate stable occupancy despite precipitation volatility in the early 21st Century
Climate can have a strong influence on species distributions, and amphibians with different life histories might be affected by annual variability in precipitation in different ways. The Sierra Nevada of California, United States, experienced some of the driest and wettest years on record in the early 21st Century, with variability in annual precipitation predicted to increase with...
Authors
Brian J. Halstead, Patrick M. Kleeman, Jonathan P. Rose, Gary M. Fellers
When less is more: How increasing the complexity of machine learning strategies for geothermal energy assessments may not lead toward better estimates When less is more: How increasing the complexity of machine learning strategies for geothermal energy assessments may not lead toward better estimates
Previous moderate- and high-temperature geothermal resource assessments of the western United States utilized data-driven methods and expert decisions to estimate resource favorability. Although expert decisions can add confidence to the modeling process by ensuring reasonable models are employed, expert decisions also introduce human and, thereby, model bias. This bias can present a...
Authors
Stanley Paul Mordensky, John Lipor, Jacob DeAngelo, Erick R. Burns, Cary Ruth Lindsey
Regolith of the crater floor units, Jezero crater, Mars: Textures, composition and implications for provenance Regolith of the crater floor units, Jezero crater, Mars: Textures, composition and implications for provenance
A multi-instrument study of the regolith of Jezero crater floor units by the Perseverance rover has identified three types of regolith: fine-grained, coarse-grained, and mixed-type. Mastcam-Z, WATSON, and SuperCam RMI were used to characterize regolith texture, particle size, and roundedness where possible. Mastcam-Z multispectral and SuperCam LIBS data were used to constrain the...
Authors
Alicia Vaughan, Michelle E. Minitti, Emily L. Cardarelli, Jeffrey R. Johnson, Linda C. Kah, Paolo Pilleri, Mellisa S. Rice, Mark Sephton, Briony H. N. Horgan, Roger C. Wiens, R. Aileen Yingst, Maria-Paz Zorzano, Ryan B. Anderson, James F. III Bell, Adrian J. Brown, Edward A. Cloutis, Agnes Cousin, Kenneth E. Herkenhoff, Elisabeth M. Housrath, Alexander G. Hayes, Kjartan M. Kinch, Marco Merusi, Chase C. Million, Robert Sullivan, Sandra M. Siljeström, Michael St. Clair
Groundwater quality near the Montebello Oil Field, Los Angeles County, California Groundwater quality near the Montebello Oil Field, Los Angeles County, California
Groundwater quality and potential sources and migration pathways of chemical constituents associated with hydrocarbon-bearing formations were assessed by the U.S. Geological Survey for the California State Water Resources Control Board Oil and Gas Regional Monitoring Program (RMP). Groundwater samples were collected as part of the RMP from 21 preexisting wells used for public supply...
Authors
Jennifer S. Stanton, Michael Land, Matthew K. Landon, David H. Shimabukuro, Peter B. McMahon, Tracy A. Davis, Andrew G. Hunt, Theron A. Sowers
Predicting habitat and distribution of an interior highlands regional endemic winter stonefly (Allocapnia mohri) in Arkansas using random forest models Predicting habitat and distribution of an interior highlands regional endemic winter stonefly (Allocapnia mohri) in Arkansas using random forest models
Stoneflies are a globally threatened aquatic insect order. In Arkansas, a diverse group of winter stonefly (Capniidae: Allocapnia) have not been surveyed since the 1980s, likely because species-level identification requires the rarely-collected adult form. Allocapnia mohri, a regional endemic, was previously commonly found in mountainous, intermittent streams from the Ouachita Mountains...
Authors
Brianna Annaratone, Camryn Larson, Clay Prater, Ashley Dowling, Daniel D. Magoulick, Michelle A. Evans-White
Evaluating the institutional and ecological effects of invasive species prevention policy: A case study from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Evaluating the institutional and ecological effects of invasive species prevention policy: A case study from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wildlife and natural resource institutions play key roles in invasive species monitoring and management. Paradoxically, the extensive fieldwork undertaken by these institutions and their partners may result in the inadvertent movement and spread of invasive species within and between sensitive ecosystems. In this work, we consider the potential effects of internal guidelines and policies...
Authors
Claire E. Couch, James T. Peterson, Paul Heimowitz
Ice and ocean constraints on early human migrations into North America along the Pacific Coast Ice and ocean constraints on early human migrations into North America along the Pacific Coast
Founding populations of the first Americans likely occupied parts of Beringia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The timing, pathways, and modes of their southward transit remain unknown, but blockage of the interior route by North American ice sheets between ~26 and 14 cal kyr BP (ka) favors a coastal route during this period. Using models and paleoceanographic data from the North...
Authors
Summer K. Praetorius, Jay R. Alder, Alan Condron, Alan Mix, Maureen Walczak, Beth Elaine Caissie, Jon Erlandson
Do nurse plant effects strengthen over time? Results from 12 years of desert habitat restoration Do nurse plant effects strengthen over time? Results from 12 years of desert habitat restoration
Nurse plant effects occur when benefactor perennials facilitate beneficiary plants below their canopies. Two poorly understood aspects of nurse plant ecology include whether facilitation strengthens as nurse plants mature and whether reestablishing perennials through ecological restoration at disturbed sites can trigger facilitation akin to in natural plant communities. We examined these
Authors
Scott R. Abella, Lindsay P. Chiquoine, Mary A. Balogh, Adam J. Taylor, Seth M. Munson
Integrating urban water fluxes and moving beyond impervious surface cover: A review Integrating urban water fluxes and moving beyond impervious surface cover: A review
Though urban areas represent a small fraction of global land cover, they have an outsized impact on hydrological processes. Within these areas, the pathways that water follows are fundamentally transformed by the disturbance of soils, land cover, vegetation, topography, and built infrastructure. While progress has been made across many cities to quantify interactions between hydrological...
Authors
Claire Oswald, Christa Kelleher, Sarah Ledford, Kristina G. Hopkins, Anneliese Sytsma, Doerthe Tetzlaff, Laura Toran, Carolyn Voter