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: 175645
The North American tree-ring fire-scar network The North American tree-ring fire-scar network
Fire regimes in North American forests are diverse and modern fire records are often too short to capture important patterns, trends, feedbacks, and drivers of variability. Tree-ring fire scars provide valuable perspectives on fire regimes, including centuries-long records of fire year, season, frequency, severity, and size. Here, we introduce the newly compiled North American tree-ring...
Authors
Ellis Q. Margolis, Christopher H. Guiterman, Raphael Chavardes, Jonathan D. Coop, Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz, Denyse A. Dawe, Donald A. Falk, James D. Johnston, Evan Larson, Hangkyo Lim, Joseph M. Marschall, Cameron E. Naficy, Adam T. Naito, Marc-André Parisien, Sean A. Parks, Jeanne Portier, Helen M. Poulos, Kevin M. Robertson, James H. Speer, Michael C. Stambaugh, Thomas W. Swetnam, Alan J. Tepley, Ichchha Thapa, Craig D. Allen, Yves Bergeron, Lori D. Daniels, Peter Z. Fule, David Gervais, Martin P. Girardin, Grant L. Harley, Jill E. Harvey, Kira M. Hoffman, Jean M. Huffman, Matthew D. Hurteau, Lane B. Johnson, Charles W. Lafon, Manuel K. Lopez, R. Stockton Maxwell, Jed Meunier, Malcolm North, Monica T. Rother, Micah R. Schmidt, Rosemary L. Sherriff, Lauren A. Stachowiak, Alan H. Taylor, Erana J. Taylor, Valerie Trouet, Miguel L. Villarreal, Larissa L. Yocom, Karen B. Arabas, Alexis H. Arizpe, Dominique Arseneault, Alicia Azpeleta Tarancon, Christopher H. Baisan, Erica Bigio, Franco Biondi, Gabriel D. Cahalan, Anthony C. Caprio, Julian Cerano-Paredes, Brandon M. Collins, Daniel C. Dey, Igor Drobyshev, Calvin A. Farris, M. Adele Fenwick, William T. Flatley, M. Lisa Floyd, Ze’ev Gedalof, Andres Holz, Lauren F. Howard, David W. Huffman, Jose Iniguez, Kurt F. Kipfmueller, Stanley G Kitchen, Keith Lombardo, Donald McKenzie, Andrew G. Merschel, Kerry L. Metlen, Jesse Minor, Christopher D. O'Connor, Laura Platt, William J. Platt, Thomas Saladyga, Amanda B. Stan, Scott L. Stephens, Colleen Sutheimer, Ramzi Touchan, Peter J. Weisberg
The 8 April 1860 Jour de Pâques earthquake sequence in southern Haiti The 8 April 1860 Jour de Pâques earthquake sequence in southern Haiti
The grave threat posed by the Enriquillo‐Plantain Garden fault zone (EPGFZ) and other fault systems on the Tiburon Peninsula in southern Haiti was highlighted by the catastrophic M 7.0 Léogâne earthquake on 12 January 2010 and again by the deadly M 7.2 Nippes earthquakes on 14 August 2021. Early Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar observations suggest the 2021 earthquake broke...
Authors
Stacey Martin, Susan E. Hough
Host plant associations of Lepidoptera and implications for forest bird management at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge Host plant associations of Lepidoptera and implications for forest bird management at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
Forests dominated or co-dominated by ‘ōhi‘a (Metrosideros polymorpha) are critical to most Hawaiian forest birds, but fungal diseases causing Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD) threaten ‘ōhi‘a-based food webs that support native bird communities on Hawai‘i Island. Caterpillars are the most frequently consumed arthropod prey of native birds and their young and are especially frequent in the diets...
Authors
Paul C. Banko, Robert W. Peck, Maya Munstermann, Kelly Jaenecke
Morphological traits related to potential invasiveness of two subspecies of the crayfish Faxonius neglectus Morphological traits related to potential invasiveness of two subspecies of the crayfish Faxonius neglectus
Biological invasions have major environmental and economic impacts, and pose a serious threat to global biodiversity. Invasive crayfish species are one of the greatest threats to native crayfish biodiversity. Additionally, almost 50% of US and Canadian species are considered at risk, making crayfish one of the most imperiled taxonomic groups in the world. Small-scale (extralimital)...
Authors
Daniel D. Magoulick, K. Carter Wynne, Jessica Clark
High geomagnetic field intensity recorded by anorthosite xenoliths requires a strongly powered late Mesoproterozoic geodynamo High geomagnetic field intensity recorded by anorthosite xenoliths requires a strongly powered late Mesoproterozoic geodynamo
Acquiring high-fidelity ancient magnetic field intensity records from rocks is crucial for constraining the long-term evolution of Earth’s core. However, robust estimates of ancient field strengths are often difficult to recover due to alteration or nonideal behavior. We use rocks known as anorthosite that formed in the deep crust and were brought to the near surface where they acquired...
Authors
Yiming Zhang, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Margaret Susan Avery, Roger R. Fu
Effects of return flows on stream water quality and availability in the Upper Colorado, Delaware, and Illinois River Basins Effects of return flows on stream water quality and availability in the Upper Colorado, Delaware, and Illinois River Basins
Understanding effects of human water use and subsequent return flows on the availability and suitability of water for downstream uses is critical to efficient and effective watershed management. We compared spatially detailed estimates of stream chemistry within three watersheds in diverse settings to available standards to isolate effects of wastewater and irrigation return flows on the
Authors
Scott Ator, Olivia L. Miller, David A. Saad
Germanium redistribution during weathering of Zn mine wastes: Implications for environmental mobility and recovery of a critical mineral Germanium redistribution during weathering of Zn mine wastes: Implications for environmental mobility and recovery of a critical mineral
Germanium (Ge) is a metal used in emerging energy technologies, communications, and defense, and has been deemed critical by the United States due to its essential applications and scarce supply. Germanium is recovered as a byproduct of zinc (Zn) sulfides, and mining and processing of these materials lead to waste that could act both as a source of extractable Ge and a source for...
Authors
Sarah Jane White, Nadine M. Piatak, Ryan J. McAleer, Sarah M. Hayes, Robert R. Seal,, Laurel A. Schaider, James P. Shine
Evidence for fluctuating wind in shaping an ancient Martian dune field: The Stimson formation at the Greenheugh pediment, Gale crater Evidence for fluctuating wind in shaping an ancient Martian dune field: The Stimson formation at the Greenheugh pediment, Gale crater
Temporal fluctuations of wind strength and direction can influence aeolian bedform morphology and orientation, which can be encoded into the architecture of aeolian deposits. These strata represent a direct record of atmospheric processes and can be used to understand ancient Martian atmospheric processes as well as those on Earth. The strata can: give insight to ancient atmospheric...
Authors
Steven G. Banham, Sanjeev Gupta, David M. Rubin, Candice C. Bedford, Lauren A. Edgar, Alexander Bryk, Williiam E. Dietrich, Christopher M. Fedo, Rebecca M. E. Williams, Gwenael Caravaca, Robert Barnes, Gerhard Paar, Thomas Ortner, Ashwin R. Vasavada
Classifying mixing regimes in ponds and shallow lakes Classifying mixing regimes in ponds and shallow lakes
Lakes are classified by thermal mixing regimes, with shallow waterbodies historically categorized as continuously mixing systems. Yet, recent studies demonstrate extended summertime stratification in ponds, underscoring the need to reassess thermal classifications for shallow waterbodies. In this study, we examined the summertime thermal dynamics of 34 ponds and shallow lakes across...
Authors
Meredith Holgerson, David Richardson, Joseph Roith, Lauren E Bortolotti, Kerri Finlay, Daniel J. Hornbach, Kshitij Gurung, Andrew Ness, Mikkel R. Andersen, Sheel Bansal, Jacques Finlay, Jacob Cianci-Gaskill, Shannon Hahn, Benjamin Janke, Cory P. McDonald, Jorrit Mesman, Rebecca L. North, Cassandra Roberts, Jon N. Sweetman, Jackie Webb
Co-occurrence models fail to infer underlying patterns of avoidance and aggregation when closure is violated Co-occurrence models fail to infer underlying patterns of avoidance and aggregation when closure is violated
Advances in multi-species monitoring have prompted an increase in the use of multi-species occupancy analyses to assess patterns of co-occurrence among species, even when data were collected at scales likely violating the assumption that sites were closed to changes in the occupancy state for the target species. Violating the closure assumption may lead to erroneous conclusions related...
Authors
Robert Charles Lonsinger
Failure to achieve recommended environmental flows coincides with declining fish populations: Long-term trends in regulated and unregulated rivers Failure to achieve recommended environmental flows coincides with declining fish populations: Long-term trends in regulated and unregulated rivers
Dams can be operated to mimic components of the natural flow regime to minimise impacts on downstream ecosystems. However, infrastructure, societal needs, water management, and catchment runoff constrain which and when flow regime attributes can be mimicked.We compared fish assemblage responses, including native and non-native species, over 2 decades of managed environmental flows to...
Authors
Casey A. Pennock, Lindsey Ann Bruckerhoff, Keith B. Gido, Adam L. Barkalow, Matthew J. Breen, Phaedra E. Budy, William W. Macfarlane, David L. Propst
Exposure and effects of bioaccumulative contaminants of emerging concern in tree swallows nesting across the Laurentian Great Lakes Exposure and effects of bioaccumulative contaminants of emerging concern in tree swallows nesting across the Laurentian Great Lakes
Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are a loosely defined group of chemicals whose wide-spread usage or presence in the environment has occurred more recently or for which there has been relatively little research done until recently. Many of these CECs are not currently regulated. The National Toxicology Program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that...
Authors
Christine M. Custer, Thomas W. Custer, Paul M. Dummer