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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Special section overview: Effects of ecosystem change on North American percid populations. Special section overview: Effects of ecosystem change on North American percid populations.
Walleye Sander vitreus, Sauger S. canadensis, and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens (referred to as percids herein) are collectively among the most culturally and ecologically important fish species in North America. As ecosystems change in response to environmental drivers, such as climate change, nutrient loading, and invasive species, there is a need to understand how percid populations...
Authors
Hadley I. A. Boehm, Daniel A. Isermann, Mark J. Ermer, Lawrence D. Eslinger, Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Dale E. Logsdon
Controlling skewness in MOVE3 peak-flow record extensions Controlling skewness in MOVE3 peak-flow record extensions
Streamgage record extension methods such as the maintenance of variance Type 3 (MOVE3) method improve flood frequency estimates at a target streamgage by incorporating information from a nearby, hydrologically similar index streamgage. Bulletin 17C recommends using a variation of the MOVE3 method to estimate values at the target streamgage for only a subset of the available data at the...
Authors
Seth A. Siefken, Peter M. McCarthy
Geoenvironmental model for roll-type uranium deposits in the Texas Gulf Coast Geoenvironmental model for roll-type uranium deposits in the Texas Gulf Coast
Geoenvironmental models were formulated by the U.S. Geological Survey in the 1990s to describe potential environmental effects of extracting different types of ore deposits in different geologic and climatic regions. This paper presents a geoenvironmental model for roll-front (roll-type) uranium deposits in the Texas Coastal Plain. The model reviews descriptive and quantitative...
Authors
Katherine Walton-Day, Johanna Blake, Robert R. Seal,, Tanya J. Gallegos, Jean Dupree, Kent D Becher
Comparison of radium analytical methods for municipal drinking water well operation Comparison of radium analytical methods for municipal drinking water well operation
Radium (Ra) is a geogenic contaminant that occurs at high levels in the Midwestern Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer system (MCOAS), a regionally important sandstone and carbonate drinking water aquifer. Water utilities using the MCOAS often must adopt treatment methods or use alternative water sources to maintain high-quality drinking water. Here, we show that Ra in water obtained from a...
Authors
Madeleine J Mathews, Sean R Scott, Randall J. Hunt, Matthew Ginder-Vogel
Assessing runoff and erosion on woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe using the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model Assessing runoff and erosion on woodland-encroached sagebrush steppe using the Rangeland Hydrology and Erosion Model
The transition of sagebrush-dominated (Artemisia spp.) shrublands to pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) woodlands markedly alters resource-conserving vegetation structure typical of these landscapes. Land managers and scientists in the western United States need knowledge and predictive tools for assessment and effective targeting of tree-removal treatments to conserve or...
Authors
C. Jason Williams, Frederick B. Pierson, Osama Z. Al-Hamdan, S. Kossi Nouwakpo, Justin C. Johnson, Viktor O. Polyakov, Patrick R. Kormos, Scott Shaff, Kenneth E. Spaeth
What is a biocrust? A refined, contemporary definition for a broadening research community What is a biocrust? A refined, contemporary definition for a broadening research community
Studies of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) have proliferated over the last few decades. The biocrust literature has broadened, with more studies assessing and describing the function of a variety of biocrust communities in a broad range of biomes and habitats and across a large spectrum of disciplines, and also by the incorporation of biocrusts into global perspectives and...
Authors
Bettina Weber, Jayne Belnap, Burkhard Budel, Anita J. Antoninka, Nichole N. Barger, V Bala Chaudhary, Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi, David J. Eldridge, Akasha M. Faist, Scott Ferrenberg, Caroline Havrilla, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Oumarou Malam Issa, Fernando T. Maestre, Sasha C. Reed, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Colin L Tucker, Kristina E. Young, Yuanming Zhang, Yunge Zhao, Xiaobing Zhou, Matthew A. Bowker
Cryptic population decrease due to invasive species predation in a long-lived seabird supports need for eradication Cryptic population decrease due to invasive species predation in a long-lived seabird supports need for eradication
Invasive species are one of the greatest drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide, and the eradication of invasive species from islands is a highly efficient management strategy. Because eradication operations require large financial investments, uncertainty over the magnitude of impacts of both invasive species and their removal can impede the willingness of decision makers to invest in...
Authors
Steffen Oppel, Bethany L. Clark, Michelle M. Risi, Catharine Horswill, Sarah J. Converse, Christopher W. Jones, Alexis M. Osborne, Kim Stevens, Vonica Perold, Alexander L. Bond, Ross M. Wanless, Richard Cuthbert, John Cooper, Peter G. Ryan
Morphology and paleohydrology of intracrater alluvial fans north of Hellas Basin, Mars Morphology and paleohydrology of intracrater alluvial fans north of Hellas Basin, Mars
Alluvial fans and sinuous ridges are both important records of the history of fluvial activity on Mars, and they often occur together. We present observations of alluvial fans, many of which exhibit inverted relief, in five craters in the region north of Hellas basin. The observed fans ranged in size from ~10 to 820 km2. We identified three primary fan surface morphology classes (chute...
Authors
Ryan B. Anderson, Rebecca Williams, Amber L. Gullikson, William Nelson
Maturation study of vitrinite in carbonaceous shales and coals: Insights from hydrous pyrolysis Maturation study of vitrinite in carbonaceous shales and coals: Insights from hydrous pyrolysis
The presence of vitrinite in sedimentary rocks of post-Silurian age allows its reflectance to be used to estimate the thermal maturation of organic matter in petroleum systems. Increasing reflectance of vitrinite, which is primarily driven by aromaticity, depends primarily on the time and temperature attributes of its evolutionary pathway. This study evaluated carbonaceous shales...
Authors
Divya K. Mishra, Paul C. Hackley, Aaron M. Jubb, Margaret M. Sanders, Shailesh Agrawal, Atul K. Varma
Reproductive indices and observations of mass ovarian follicular atresia in hatchery-origin pallid sturgeon Reproductive indices and observations of mass ovarian follicular atresia in hatchery-origin pallid sturgeon
The Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) Conservation Propagation and Stocking Program began stocking in the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir in 1998 with 1997-year-class pallid sturgeon. Within the 1997-year class, all hatchery-origin pallid sturgeon females that reached reproductive maturation by 2016 underwent mass ovarian follicular atresia. Using combined historical and...
Authors
Tanner L. Cox, Christopher S. Guy, Luke M. Holmquist, Molly A. H. Webb
Application of a soil-water-balance model to estimate annual groundwater recharge for Long Island, New York, 1900–2019 Application of a soil-water-balance model to estimate annual groundwater recharge for Long Island, New York, 1900–2019
A soil-water-balance (SWB) model was developed for Long Island, New York, to estimate the potential amount of annual groundwater recharge to the Long Island aquifer system from 1900 to 2019. The SWB model program is a computer code based on a modified Thornthwaite-Mather SWB approach and uses spatially and temporally distributed meteorological, land-cover, and soil properties as input to...
Authors
Jason S. Finkelstein, Jack Monti, John P. Masterson, Donald A. Walter
Primary production responses to extreme changes in North American Monsoon precipitation vary by elevation and plant functional composition through time Primary production responses to extreme changes in North American Monsoon precipitation vary by elevation and plant functional composition through time
Primary production in dryland ecosystems is limited by water availability and projected to be strongly affected by future shifts in seasonal precipitation. Warm-season precipitation derived from the North American Monsoon contributes 40% of annual precipitation to dryland ecosystems in the southwestern U.S. and is projected to become more variable. However, there is large uncertainty on...
Authors
Seth M. Munson, John B. Bradford, Bradley J. Butterfield, Jennifer R. Gremer