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.
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
Biophysical warming patterns of an open-top chamber and its short-term influence on a Phragmites wetland ecosystem in China Biophysical warming patterns of an open-top chamber and its short-term influence on a Phragmites wetland ecosystem in China
Passive-warming, open-top chambers (OTCs) are widely applied for studying the effects of future climate warming on coastal wetlands. In this study, a set of six OTCs were established at a Phragmites wetland located in the Yellow River Delta of Dongying City, China. With data collected through online transmission and in-situ sensors, the attributes and patterns of realized OTCs warming...
Authors
Xue-yang Yu, Si-yuan Ye, Li-xin Pei, Liu-juan Xie, Ken Krauss, Samantha K. Chapman, Hans Brix
Invasive plant hitchhikers: Appalachian Trail thru-hiker knowledge and attitudes of invasive plants and Leave No Trace practices Invasive plant hitchhikers: Appalachian Trail thru-hiker knowledge and attitudes of invasive plants and Leave No Trace practices
Hiking and backpacking on American National Scenic Trails has increased in popularity in recent years. To encourage responsible and sustainable outdoor recreation on these much-loved trails, direct and indirect management strategies must be employed by managerial agencies. The Leave No Trace (LNT) education program aims to protect natural resources by promoting minimum-impact behaviours...
Authors
Megan Dolman, Jeffrey L. Marion
Geologic, geomorphic, and edaphic underpinnings of dryland ecosystems: Colorado Plateau landscapes in a changing world Geologic, geomorphic, and edaphic underpinnings of dryland ecosystems: Colorado Plateau landscapes in a changing world
Drylands represent more than 41% of the global land surface and are at degradation risk due to land use and climate change. Developing strategies to mitigate degradation and restore drylands in the face of these threats requires an understanding of how drylands are shaped by not only soils and climate, but also geology and geomorphology. However, few studies have completed such a...
Authors
Michael C. Duniway, Christopher Benson, Travis W. Nauman, Anna C. Knight, John B. Bradford, Seth M. Munson, Dana L. Witwicki, Carolyn Livensperger, Matthew W. Van Scoyoc, Terry T Fisk, David Thoma, Mark E. Miller
Drought related changes in water quality surpass effects of experimental flows on trout growth downstream of Lake Powell reservoir Drought related changes in water quality surpass effects of experimental flows on trout growth downstream of Lake Powell reservoir
Flows released from reservoirs are often modified to mitigate the negative ecosystem effects of dams. We estimated the effects of two experimental flows, fall-timed floods and elimination of sub-daily variation in flows on weekends, on growth rates of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. Experimental flow effects were compared to...
Authors
Josh Korman, Bridget R. Deemer, Charles B. Yackulic, Theodore Kennedy, Mariah Aurelia Giardina
Integrated assessment of chemical and biological recovery after diversion and treatment of acid mine drainage in a Rocky Mountain stream Integrated assessment of chemical and biological recovery after diversion and treatment of acid mine drainage in a Rocky Mountain stream
Responses of stream ecosystems to gradual reductions in metal loading following remediation or restoration activities have been well documented in the literature. However, much less is known about how these systems respond to the immediate or more rapid elimination of metal inputs. Construction of a water treatment plant on the North Fork of Clear Creek (NFCC; CO, USA), a US...
Authors
Christopher James Kotalik, Joseph S. Meyer, Pete Cadmus, James F. Ranville, William H. Clements
Mapping 2-D bedload rates throughout a sand-bed river reach from high-resolution acoustical surveys of migrating bedforms Mapping 2-D bedload rates throughout a sand-bed river reach from high-resolution acoustical surveys of migrating bedforms
This paper introduces a method for determining spatially-distributed, 2-D bedload rates using repeat, high-resolution surveys of the bed topography. As opposed to existing methods, bedform parameters and bedload rates are computed from bed elevation profiles interpolated along the local bedform velocities. The bedform velocity fields are computed applying Large-Scale Particle Image...
Authors
Jérôme Le Coz, Emeline Perret, Benoît Camenen, David J. Topping, Daniel D. Buscombe, Kate Leary, Guillaume Dramais, Paul E. Grams
Spatial patterns and seasonal timing of increasing riverine specific conductance from 1998 to 2018 suggest legacy contamination in the Delaware River Basin Spatial patterns and seasonal timing of increasing riverine specific conductance from 1998 to 2018 suggest legacy contamination in the Delaware River Basin
Increasing salinization of freshwater threatens water supplies that support a range of human and ecological uses. The latest assessments of Delaware River Basin (DRB) surface-water-quality changes indicate widespread salinization has occurred in recent decades, which may lead to meaningful degradation in water quality. To better understand how and when salinity transport occurs and...
Authors
Christine Rumsey, John C. Hammond, Jennifer C. Murphy, Megan E. Shoda, Alexander M. Soroka
Regularizing priors for Bayesian VAR applications to large ecological datasets Regularizing priors for Bayesian VAR applications to large ecological datasets
Using multi-species time series data has long been of interest for estimating inter-specific interactions with vector autoregressive models (VAR) and state space VAR models (VARSS); these methods are also described in the ecological literature as multivariate autoregressive models (MAR, MARSS). To date, most studies have used these approaches on relatively small food webs where the total...
Authors
Eric J. Ward, Kristin N. Marshall, Mark David Scheuerell
Rapidly assessing social characteristics of drought preparedness and decision making: A guide for practitioners Rapidly assessing social characteristics of drought preparedness and decision making: A guide for practitioners
Executive Summary This guide is intended to provide managers, decision makers, and other practitioners with advice on conducting a rapid assessment of the social dimensions of drought. Findings from a rapid assessment can provide key social context that may aid in decision making, such as when preparing a drought plan, allocating local drought resilience funding, or gathering the support...
Authors
Katherine R. Clifford, Julia B. Goolsby, Amanda E. Cravens, Ashley E. Cooper
Drones and bathymetry show the importance of optimal water depth for nest placement within breeding colonies of Western and Clark’s grebes Drones and bathymetry show the importance of optimal water depth for nest placement within breeding colonies of Western and Clark’s grebes
Habitat selection involves a series of decisions that are arguably the most important decisions that animals make and these decisions occur at multiple hierarchical spatial scales. Colonial-nesting birds face a unique challenge when selecting a nest site because each bird’s choices are severely constrained by other birds within their breeding colony. Individuals must seek out optimum...
Authors
Deo A. Lachman, Courtney J. Conway, Kerri T. Vierling, Ty Matthews, Diane Evans Mack
First principles calibration of 40Ar abundances in 40Ar/39Ar mineral neutron fluence monitors: Methodology and preliminary results First principles calibration of 40Ar abundances in 40Ar/39Ar mineral neutron fluence monitors: Methodology and preliminary results
The accuracy and traceability of geochronometers are of vital importance to questions asked by many Earth scientists. The widely applied 40Ar/39Ar geochronometer relies on the co-irradiation of samples with neutron fluence monitors (reference materials) of known ages; the ages and uncertainties of these monitors are critical to our ability to apply this chronometer. Previously, first...
Authors
Leah E. Morgan, Brett Davidheiser-Kroll, Klaudia F. Kuiper, Darren F. Mark, Noah M. McLean, Jan Wijbrans
Dynamic estimates of geologic CO2 storage resources in the Illinois Basin constrained by reinjectivity of brine extracted for pressure management Dynamic estimates of geologic CO2 storage resources in the Illinois Basin constrained by reinjectivity of brine extracted for pressure management
Geologic carbon storage (GCS) is likely to be an important part of global efforts to decarbonize the energy industry. Widespread deployment of GCS relies on strategies to maximize CO2 injection rates while minimizing reservoir pressurization that could induce seismicity and/or fluid leakage into groundwater resources. Brine extraction from CO2 storage formations with subsurface...
Authors
Michelle R. Plampin, Steven T. Anderson, Steven M. Cahan, Stefan Finsterle