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.
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Confirmation that eagle fatalities can be reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines Confirmation that eagle fatalities can be reduced by automated curtailment of wind turbines
Automated curtailment is potentially a powerful technique to reduce collision mortality of wildlife with wind turbines. Previously, we used a before–after–control–impact framework to demonstrate that eagle fatalities declined after automated curtailment was implemented with the IdentiFlight system at a wind power facility in Wyoming, USA. We received substantial interest and feedback...
Authors
Christopher J. W. McClure, Brian W. Rolek, Leah Dunn, Jennifer D. McCabe, Luke Martinson, Todd E. Katzner
Using tissue cysteine to predict the trophic transfer of methylmercury and selenium in lake food webs Using tissue cysteine to predict the trophic transfer of methylmercury and selenium in lake food webs
The biomagnification of toxic methylmercury (MeHg) and selenium (Se) through aquatic food webs using nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) varies among ecosystems but underlying mechanisms are yet unexplained. Given the strong links between MeHg and thiol-containing amino acids and proteins containing selenocysteine, our hypothesis was that cysteine content is a better predictor of MeHg and Se...
Authors
Jennifer C Thera, Karen A. Kidd, Robin Stewart, Robert F Bertolo, Nelson J. O’Driscoll
The capacity of freshwater ecosystems to recover from exceedances of aquatic life criteria The capacity of freshwater ecosystems to recover from exceedances of aquatic life criteria
In the United States, national chemical water quality criteria for the protection of aquatic life assume that aquatic ecosystems have sufficient resiliency to recover from criteria exceedences occurring up to once every 3 years. This resiliency assumption was critically reviewed through two approaches: 1) synthesis of case studies and 2) population modeling. The population modeling...
Authors
Christopher A. Mebane
Database of biodiversity, habitat, and aquatic-resource quantification tools used in market-based conservation — 2022 update Database of biodiversity, habitat, and aquatic-resource quantification tools used in market-based conservation — 2022 update
Market-based conservation makes use of economic incentives to promote actions that avoid, minimize, or compensate for detrimental effects on natural resources and the environment. Examples of market-based conservation mechanisms include aquatic-resource (such as, streams, wetlands, and estuaries) compensatory mitigation, conservation banking, habitat exchanges, and payments for ecosystem...
Authors
Scott J. Chiavacci, Emily D. French, Joseph A. Morgan
Examination of dissolved uranium concentrations in regional shallow groundwater relative to Operable Unit 8 of the Denver Radium Superfund Site Examination of dissolved uranium concentrations in regional shallow groundwater relative to Operable Unit 8 of the Denver Radium Superfund Site
A radium industry existed between about 1914 and 1920 in Denver, Colorado, with operations located along the South Platte River. Sites associated with that industry were contaminated with radium and uranium processing residues and were incorporated into clean-up efforts as Operating Units (OUs) of the Denver Radium Superfund Site. Concentrations of uranium exceeding the U.S...
Authors
Carleton R. Bern
Green infrastructure in the Great Lakes—Assessment of performance, barriers, and unintended consequences Green infrastructure in the Great Lakes—Assessment of performance, barriers, and unintended consequences
The Great Lakes Basin covers around 536,393 square kilometers, and the Great Lakes hold more than 5,400 cubic miles of water, accounting for more than 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water supply. The Great Lakes provide a source of drinking water to tens of millions of people in Canada and the United States and support one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Increasing
Authors
Nancy T. Baker, Daniel J. Sullivan, William R. Selbig, Ralph J. Haefner, David C. Lampe, E. Randall Bayless, Michael R. McHale
Development of a companion questionnaire for “Did You Feel It?”: Assessing response in earthquakes where an earthquake early warning may have been received Development of a companion questionnaire for “Did You Feel It?”: Assessing response in earthquakes where an earthquake early warning may have been received
Earthquake early warning (EEW) systems are relatively new technologies having first emerged as regional systems in the 1990s. Japan was the first nation to develop and implement a nationwide system in October 2007, and in the United States, ShakeAlert® became available on the entire length of the US West Coast in May 2021. Assessing how EEW is perceived and utilized by alert recipients...
Authors
James D. Goltz, David J. Wald, Sara K. McBride, Robert Michael deGroot, Jolie Breeden, Ann Bostrom
Modeling the spatial and temporal dynamics of land-based polar bear denning in Alaska Modeling the spatial and temporal dynamics of land-based polar bear denning in Alaska
Although polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the Southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) subpopulation have commonly created maternal dens on sea ice in the past, maternal dens on land have become increasingly prevalent as sea ice declines. This trend creates conditions for increased human–bear interactions associated with local communities and industrial activity. Maternal denning is a vulnerable...
Authors
Vijay P. Patil, George M. Durner, David C. Douglas, Todd C. Atwood
Can lava flow like water? Assessing applications of critical flow theory to channelized basaltic lava flows Can lava flow like water? Assessing applications of critical flow theory to channelized basaltic lava flows
Flowing lava and water have dramatically different physical properties but can form similar hydraulic structures, including undular hydraulic jumps, or standing wave trains. In water flows, undular hydraulic jumps are evidence of critical flow (Froude number ∼1) and open-channel hydraulic theory provides a powerful tool for estimating flow depth and velocity. Monitoring these parameters...
Authors
Hannah R. Dietterich, Gordon E. Grant, Becky Fasth, J. J. Major, Katharine V. Cashman
Effects of formaldehyde (Parasite-S®) on biofilter nitrification from a cold- and a warm freshwater RAS Effects of formaldehyde (Parasite-S®) on biofilter nitrification from a cold- and a warm freshwater RAS
The effect of Parasite-S® (an aqueous formaldehyde solution) on the nitrification processes of biofilters was evaluated in two recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs). Rearing tanks in the warmwater RAS contained yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) with an initial weight of 166.8 kg and a mean density of 39.5 kg/m3. Rearing tanks in the coldwater RAS...
Authors
Kim T. Fredricks, Susan M. Schleis, Justin R. Smerud, Mark P. Gaikowski, Richard A. Erickson, Jillian Lee Hebert, Gregory J. Fischer, Kendall Holmes, Christopher F Hartleb
Wildfire influences individual growth and breeding dispersal, but not survival and recruitment in a montane amphibian Wildfire influences individual growth and breeding dispersal, but not survival and recruitment in a montane amphibian
Global wildfire regimes are changing rapidly, with widespread increases in the size, frequency, duration, and severity of wildfires. Whereas the effects of wildfire on ecological state variables such as occupancy, abundance, and species diversity are relatively well documented, changes in population vital rates (e.g., survival, recruitment) and individual responses (e.g., growth...
Authors
Gabriel M. Barrile, Anna D. Chalfoun, Wendy A. Estes-Zumpf, Annika W. Walters
Incorporating habitat suitability, landscape distance, and resistant kernels to estimate conservation units for an imperiled terrestrial snake Incorporating habitat suitability, landscape distance, and resistant kernels to estimate conservation units for an imperiled terrestrial snake
Context Wildlife distributions are often subdivided into discrete conservation units to aid in implementing management and conservation objectives. Habitat suitability models, resistance surfaces, and resistant kernels provide tools for delineating spatially explicit conservation units but guidelines for parameterizing resistant kernels are generally lacking.Objectives We used the...
Authors
Javan Mathias Bauder, H. C. Chandler, M. Elmore, C. L. Jenkins