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.
Science Quality and Integrity
Science Quality and Integrity
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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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Effects of prescribed fire on prenesting movements of wild turkeys in Arkansas Effects of prescribed fire on prenesting movements of wild turkeys in Arkansas
The restoration of historic disturbance regimes is an increasingly common management strategy to conserve disturbance-dependent communities and species, and enhance resilience of ecosystems to climate change or plant and animal invasions. However, the reintroduction of frequent and wide-scale disturbance may have unexpected consequences on species that are accustomed to an environment...
Authors
H.T. Pittman, David G. Krementz
Assessing climate change impacts on Pacific salmon using bioenergetics and spatiotemporal explicit river temperature predictions under varying riparian conditions Assessing climate change impacts on Pacific salmon using bioenergetics and spatiotemporal explicit river temperature predictions under varying riparian conditions
Pacific salmon and trout populations are affected by timber harvest, the removal and alteration of riparian vegetation, and the resulting physical changes to water quality, temperature, and associated delivery of high-quality terrestrial prey. Juvenile salmon and trout growth, a key predictor of survival, is poorly understood in the context of current and future (climate-change mediated)
Authors
Andrew R. Spanjer, Andrew S. Gendaszek, Elyse J. Wulfkuhle, Robert W. Black, Kristin L. Jaeger
Nearshore bathymetric changes along the Alaska Beaufort Sea coast and possible physical drivers Nearshore bathymetric changes along the Alaska Beaufort Sea coast and possible physical drivers
Erosion rates along Alaska's Beaufort Sea coast, among the highest in the world, are negatively impacting communities, industrial and military infrastructure, and wildlife habitat. Decreasing maximal winter ice extent and increasing summer open water duration and extent in the Beaufort Sea may be making the coast more vulnerable to destructive storm waves than during recent, colder...
Authors
Mark Zimmermann, Li H. Erikson, Ann E. Gibbs, Megan M. Prescott, Stephen M. Escarzaga, Craig E. Tweedie, Jeremy L. Kasper, Paul X. Duvoy
Comparison of indices to infer population dynamics of black brant Comparison of indices to infer population dynamics of black brant
To aid managers in assessing status of Pacific black brant Branta bernicla nigricans (hereafter brant), I examined pre-existing long-term data series from summer, fall staging, and wintering areas to infer overall population processes and assessed the utility of the various data sources. Variation in demographic parameters measured in subarctic and Arctic locations suggests some form of
Authors
Paul L. Flint
Fish ear stones offer climate change clues in Alaska's lakes Fish ear stones offer climate change clues in Alaska's lakes
Otoliths, also known as ear stones, are small body parts that help fish with hearing and balance. Like tree rings, otoliths form one light and one dark band per year, creating rings. These rings can be measured to understand fish growth. The wider the ring, the greater the growth. In our study, we used otoliths to understand how one fish species—lake trout—responds to rising temperature...
Authors
Krista K. Bartz, Vanessa R. von Biela, Bryan A. Black, Daniel Young, Peter van der Sleen, Christian E. Zimmerman
Value of information and decision pathways: Concepts and case studies Value of information and decision pathways: Concepts and case studies
Information used in decision making arises from the structuring of observations and data. The collection, dissemination, and use of information has monetary and non-monetary costs (e.g., competition for attention) and necessitates trade-offs. Understanding the benefits of having information (i.e., the value of information, VOI), including resulting societal outcomes, is useful to...
Authors
Pierre D. Glynn, Charles Rhodes, Scott J. Chiavacci, Jennifer Helgeson, Carl D. Shapiro, Crista L. Straub
Satellites quantify the spatial extent of cyanobacterial blooms across the United States at multiple scales Satellites quantify the spatial extent of cyanobacterial blooms across the United States at multiple scales
Previous studies indicate that cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cyanoHAB) frequency, extent, and magnitude have increased globally over the past few decades. However, little quantitative capability is available to assess these metrics of cyanoHABs across broad geographic scales and at regular intervals. Here, the spatial extent was quantified from a cyanobacteria algorithm applied to...
Authors
Blake Schaeffer, Erin Urquhart, Megan Coffer, Wilson Salls, Richard Stumpf, Keith A. Loftin, P. Jeremy Werdell
Tick abundance, diversity and pathogen data collected by the National Ecological Observatory Network Tick abundance, diversity and pathogen data collected by the National Ecological Observatory Network
Cases of tick-borne diseases have been steadily increasing in the USA, owing in part to tick range expansion, land cover and associated host population changes, and habitat fragmentation. However, the relative importance of these and other potential drivers remain poorly understood within this complex disease system. Ticks are ectotherms with multi-host lifecycles, which makes them...
Authors
S. H. Paull, K. M. Thibault, Abigail Benson
Airborne electromagnetic survey results near the Poso Creek oil field, San Joaquin Valley, California, fall 2016 Airborne electromagnetic survey results near the Poso Creek oil field, San Joaquin Valley, California, fall 2016
An airborne electromagnetic survey west of the Poso Creek oil field, located in the southeastern San Joaquin Valley, California, was flown in October 2016 to improve understanding of the hydrogeologic setting and the distribution of groundwater salinity in the area. The airborne electromagnetic data were used to develop resistivity models of the subsurface, where the mean depth of...
Authors
Katrina D. Zamudio, Lyndsay B. Ball, Michael J. Stephens
Orbital and in-situ investigation of periodic bedrock ridges in Glen Torridon, Gale Crater, Mars Orbital and in-situ investigation of periodic bedrock ridges in Glen Torridon, Gale Crater, Mars
Wind has been the dominant agent of landscape modification on Mars for the past ~3 billion years. Among the diversity of features formed by aeolian abrasion on the surface of Mars are periodic bedrock ridges (PBRs), a relatively recently recognized class of erosional bedforms on Mars for which Earth analogues are rare. Gale crater, the field site for NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory...
Authors
K. M. Stack, W. E. Dietrich, M. P. Lamb, Robert Sullivan, John R. Christian, Claire E Newman, Catherine O’Connell-Cooper, Jonathan W Sneed, Mackenzie D. Day, Mariah Baker, R. A. Arvidson, Christopher M. Fedo, Sabrina Khan, Rebecca Williams, Kristen A. Bennett, A. B. Bryk, Shannon Cofield, Lauren A. Edgar, V. F. Fox, Abigail A. Fraeman, Christopher H House, D. M. Rubin, Vivian Z. Sun, Jason K. Van Beek
Unique land cover classification to assess day-roost habitat selection of northern long-eared bats on the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, USA Unique land cover classification to assess day-roost habitat selection of northern long-eared bats on the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, USA
Reproductively successful and over-wintering populations of the endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) have recently been discovered on the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Empirical data on resource selection within the region is limited, likely hindering management of these coastal forests. Our objectives were to determine roosting home range size, selection of day...
Authors
Jesse L. De La Cruz, Michael C. True, Hila Taylor, Dorothy Brown, W. Mark Ford
Multidecadal trends in body size of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon: Analysis of data from the Tengu Derby, a culturally unique fishery Multidecadal trends in body size of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon: Analysis of data from the Tengu Derby, a culturally unique fishery
In Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., downward trends in size and abundance have been reported for species and stocks for over 40 years, but the patterns are inconsistent among regions and species. Interpretation of these trends is complicated by many possible contributing factors, including short time series, data comprising a mix of stocks, and varying gear types. Here, we present data...
Authors
Thomas P. Quinn, Mark David Scheuerell, James P Losee, Doug Hanada