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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Drought and water management in ancient Maya society Drought and water management in ancient Maya society
Paleoclimate research in the Maya region of Mesoamerica provides compelling evidence of drought during key periods of cultural transition in Maya society. These include the transition from the Preclassic to the Classic, and from Classic to the Postclassic. Previous research emphasized a causal relationship between drought and cultural change, or so-called “collapse” in the Maya region...
Authors
Tripti Bhattacharya, Samantha Krause, Dan Penny, David Wahl
Discovery of prolactin-like in lamprey: Role in osmoregulation and new insight into the evolution of the growth hormone/prolactin family Discovery of prolactin-like in lamprey: Role in osmoregulation and new insight into the evolution of the growth hormone/prolactin family
We used a representative of one of the oldest extant vertebrate lineages (jawless fish or agnathans) to investigate the early evolution and function of the growth hormone (GH)/prolactin (PRL) family. We identified a second member of the GH/PRL family in an agnathan, the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). Structural, phylogenetic, and synteny analyses supported the identification of this...
Authors
Ningping Gong, Diogo Ferreira-Martins, Jessica L. Norstog, Stephen D. McCormick, Mark Sheridan
Groundwater and surface-water data collection for the Walla Walla River Basin, Washington, 2018–22 Groundwater and surface-water data collection for the Walla Walla River Basin, Washington, 2018–22
The semi-arid Walla Walla River Basin (WWRB) spans 1777 square miles in the states of Washington and Oregon and supports a diverse agricultural region as well as cities and rural communities that are partially reliant on groundwater. Historically, surface water and groundwater data have been collected in the WWRB by several entities including federal, state, local, and tribal governments
Authors
Elisabeth T. Fasser, Sarah B. Dunn
Tapwater exposures, effects potential, and residential risk management in Northern Plains Nations Tapwater exposures, effects potential, and residential risk management in Northern Plains Nations
In the United States (US), private-supply tapwater (TW) is rarely monitored. This data gap undermines individual/community risk-management decision-making, leading to an increased probability of unrecognized contaminant exposures in rural and remote locations that rely on private wells. We assessed point-of-use (POU) TW in three northern plains Tribal Nations, where ongoing TW arsenic...
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Michael J. Focazio, Robert Charboneau, Christine Marie George, Ana Navas-Acien, Marcia O’Leary, Reno Red Cloud, Tracy Zacher, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Mary C. Cardon, Christa K. Cuny, Guthrie Ducheneaux, Kendra Enright, Nicola Evans, James L. Gray, David E. Harvey, Michelle L. Hladik, Leslie K. Kanagy, Keith A. Loftin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Elizabeth Medlock-Kakaley, Shannon M. Meppelink, Joshua F. Valder, Christopher P. Weis
Biostratigraphically significant palynofloras from the Paleocene–Eocene boundary of the USA Biostratigraphically significant palynofloras from the Paleocene–Eocene boundary of the USA
Pollen and spores were recovered from the Paleocene Fort Union Formation and Paleocene–Eocene Willwood Formation of the Bighorn Basin (BHB), northwestern Wyoming, USA. In many local stratigraphic sections in the BHB, the base of the Eocene has been identified by the characteristic negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE) that marks the beginning of the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum...
Authors
Vera A. Korasidis, Scott L. Wing, Guy J. Harrington, Thomas Demchuk, J. Gfavendyck, Phillip E. Jardine, Debra A. Willard
Biosiliceous, organic-rich, and phosphatic facies of Triassic strata of northwest Alaska: Transect across a high-latitude, low-angle continental margin Biosiliceous, organic-rich, and phosphatic facies of Triassic strata of northwest Alaska: Transect across a high-latitude, low-angle continental margin
The Shublik Formation (Middle and Upper Triassic) is a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate-phosphatic unit in northern Alaska. It generated oil found in Prudhoe Bay and other accumulations and is a prospective self-sourced resource play on Alaska’s North Slope. Its distal, deeper-water equivalent—the Otuk Formation—consists largely of radiolarian chert, mudstone, and limestone and contains...
Authors
Julie A. Dumoulin, Katherine J. Whidden, William A. Rouse, Richard O. Lease, Adam Boehlke, Paul O’Sullivan
Density estimation in terrestrial chelonian populations using spatial capture–recapture and search–encounter surveys Density estimation in terrestrial chelonian populations using spatial capture–recapture and search–encounter surveys
Having an accurate estimate of population size and density is imperative to the conservation of chelonian species and a central objective of many monitoring programs. Capture–recapture and related methods are widely used to obtain information about population size of chelonians. However, classical capture–recapture methods have strict spatial sampling requirements and do not account for...
Authors
J. Andrew Royle, Haley Turner
Transcriptome signatures of wastewater effluent exposure in larval zebrafish vary with seasonal mixture composition in an effluent-dominated stream Transcriptome signatures of wastewater effluent exposure in larval zebrafish vary with seasonal mixture composition in an effluent-dominated stream
Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent-dominated streams provide critical habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms but also continually expose them to complex mixtures of pharmaceuticals that can potentially impair growth, behavior, and reproduction. Currently, few biomarkers are available that relate to pharmaceutical-specific mechanisms of action. In the experiment reported in...
Authors
Emma B. Meade, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Nicklaus Neureuther, Gregory H. LeFevre, Dana W. Kolpin, Hui Zhi, Shannon M. Meppelink, Rachael F. Lane, Angela Schmoldt, Aurash Mohaimani, Olaf Mueller, Rebecca D. Klaper
Flopy: The Python interface for MODFLOW Flopy: The Python interface for MODFLOW
No abstract available.
Authors
Andrew T. Leaf, Michael N. Fienen
Seismic sources in the aleutian cradle of tsunamis Seismic sources in the aleutian cradle of tsunamis
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert C. Witter, Richard W. Briggs, Tina Dura, Simon E. Engelhart, Alan Nelson
A study on the effect of site response on California seismic hazard map assessment A study on the effect of site response on California seismic hazard map assessment
Prior studies have repeatedly shown that probabilistic seismic hazard maps from several different countries predict higher shaking than that observed. Previous map assessments have not, however, considered the influence of site response on hazard. Seismologists have long acknowledged the influence of near-surface geology, in particular low-impedance sediment layers, on earthquake ground...
Authors
Molly M. Gallahue, Leah Marschall Salditch, Madeleine C. Lucas, James S. Neely, Seth Stein, Norman A. Abrahamson, Tessa Williams, Susan E. Hough
Wind turbine wakes can impact down-wind vegetation greenness Wind turbine wakes can impact down-wind vegetation greenness
Global wind energy has expanded 5-fold since 2010 and is predicted to expand another 8–10-fold over the next 30 years. Wakes generated by wind turbines can alter downwind microclimates and potentially downwind vegetation. However, the design of past studies has made it difficult to isolate the impact of wake effects on vegetation from land cover change. We used hourly wind data to model...
Authors
James E. Diffendorfer, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Zachary H. Ancona