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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.

Filter Total Items: 175660

Decadal trends of mercury cycling and bioaccumulation within Everglades National Park Decadal trends of mercury cycling and bioaccumulation within Everglades National Park

Mercury (Hg) contamination has been a persistent concern in the Florida Everglades for over three decades due to elevated atmospheric deposition and the system's propensity for methylation and rapid bioaccumulation. Given declines in atmospheric Hg concentrations in the conterminous United States and efforts to mitigate nutrient release to the greater Everglades ecosystem, it was vital...
Authors
Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Brett Poulin, David P. Krabbenhoft, John F DeWild, Jacob M. Ogorek, Matthew S. Varonka, William H. Orem, Jeffrey D Kline

Lithospheric conductors reveal source regions of convergent margin mineral systems Lithospheric conductors reveal source regions of convergent margin mineral systems

The clean energy transition will require a vast increase in metal supply, yet new mineral deposit discoveries are declining, due in part to challenges associated with exploring under sedimentary and volcanic cover. Recently, several case studies have demonstrated links between lithospheric electrical conductors imaged using magnetotelluric (MT) data and mineral deposits, notably Iron...
Authors
Alison Kirkby, Karol Czarnota, David L. Huston, David C. Champion, Michael P. Doublier, Paul A. Bedrosian, Jinming Duan, Graham Heinson

Global cycling and climate effects of aeolian dust controlled by biological soil crusts Global cycling and climate effects of aeolian dust controlled by biological soil crusts

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) cover ~12% of the global land surface. They are formed by an intimate association between soil particles, photoautotrophic and heterotrophic organisms, and they effectively stabilize the soil surface of drylands. Quantitative information on the impact of biocrusts on the global cycling and climate effects of aeolian dust, however, is not available. Here...
Authors
Rodriguez-Caballero, T Stanelle, S Egerer, Yang Cheng, H. E. Suess, Y Canton, Jayne Belnap, M O Andreae, I Tegen, C Reick, Ulrich Poschl, B. Weber

Effective conservation of desert riverscapes requires protection and restoration of in-stream flows with rehabilitation approaches tailored to water availability Effective conservation of desert riverscapes requires protection and restoration of in-stream flows with rehabilitation approaches tailored to water availability

Desert riverscape rehabilitation practitioners must contend with compounding effects of increasing human water demand, persistent drought, non-native species establishment, and climate change, which further stress desert riverine ecosystems such as rivers in the Colorado River basin, United States. Herein, we provide our perspective on the importance of natural flows, large floods in...
Authors
Casey A. Pennock, Phaedra E. Budy, William W. Macfarlane

A collaborative agenda for archaeology and fire science A collaborative agenda for archaeology and fire science

Humans have influenced global fire activity for millennia and will continue to do so into the future. Given the long-term interaction between humans and fire, we propose a collaborative research agenda linking archaeology and fire science that emphasizes the socioecological histories and consequences of anthropogenic fire in the development of fire management strategies today.
Authors
Grant J. Snitker, Christopher Roos, Allen Sullivan, S. Yoshi Maezumi, Douglas Bird, Michael Coughlan, Kelly Derr, Linn Gassaway, Anna Klimaszewski-Patterson, Rachel A. Loehman

Assessing private well contamination in Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties, Wisconsin: The southwest Wisconsin groundwater and geology study Assessing private well contamination in Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties, Wisconsin: The southwest Wisconsin groundwater and geology study

Rural residents of Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties in Wisconsin rely on private wells for their water. Contaminants like nitrate and bacteria from septic systems, fertilizer, and manure can contaminate the groundwater that residents use. Groundwater is vulnerable to contamination where the soil layer is thin and the bedrock is fractured, which is the case for much of the study region...
Authors
Joel P. Stokdyk, Mark A. Borchardt, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Ken Bradbury, Moe Muldoon, Burney A Kieke

Friction in clay-bearing faults increases with the ionic radius of interlayer cations Friction in clay-bearing faults increases with the ionic radius of interlayer cations

Smectite can dramatically reduce the strength of crustal faults and may cause creep on natural faults without great earthquakes; however, the frictional mechanism remains unexplained. Here, our shear experiments reveal systematic increase in shear strength with the increase of the ionic radius of interlayer cations among lithium-, sodium-, potassium-, rubidium-, and cesium...
Authors
Hiroshi Sakuma, David A. Lockner, John Solum, Nick Davatzes

Hidden in plain sight: Detecting invasive species when they are morphologically similar to native species Hidden in plain sight: Detecting invasive species when they are morphologically similar to native species

Early detection and rapid response (EDRR) can help mitigate and control invasive species outbreaks early on but its success is dependent on accurate identification of invasive species. We evaluated a novel outbreak in San Diego County, California of the Sonoran Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis sonorae) in order to confirm their spread as well as quantify how to better detect and...
Authors
Samuel R Fisher, Robert N. Fisher, Gregory B. Pauly

Machine learned daily life history classification using low frequency tracking data and automated modelling pipelines: Application to North American waterfowl Machine learned daily life history classification using low frequency tracking data and automated modelling pipelines: Application to North American waterfowl

Background Identifying animal behaviors, life history states, and movement patterns is a prerequisite for many animal behavior analyses and effective management of wildlife and habitats. Most approaches classify short-term movement patterns with high frequency location or accelerometry data. However, patterns reflecting life history across longer time scales can have greater relevance to...
Authors
Cory T. Overton, Michael L. Casazza, Joseph Bretz, Fiona McDuie, Elliott Matchett, Desmond Alexander Mackell, Austen Lorenz, Andrea Mott, Mark P. Herzog, Joshua T. Ackerman

Wildlife associates of nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) burrows in Arkansas Wildlife associates of nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) burrows in Arkansas

The Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a widespread burrowing species with an expanding geographic range across the southeastern and midwestern United States. Armadillos dig numerous, large burrows within their home ranges and these burrows are likely used by a diverse suite of wildlife species as has been reported for other burrowing ecosystem engineers such as Gopher...
Authors
Brett Alexander DeGregorio, John T. Veon, Andrhea Massey

Attraction, entrance, and passage efficiency of Arctic Grayling, trout, and suckers at Denil fishways in the Big Hole River basin, Montana Attraction, entrance, and passage efficiency of Arctic Grayling, trout, and suckers at Denil fishways in the Big Hole River basin, Montana

The Big Hole River basin in southwestern Montana supports the only indigenous, self‐sustaining fluvial population of Arctic Grayling Thymallus arcticus in the conterminous United States, but the basin is fragmented by numerous low‐head irrigation diversion dams. Denil fishways at 63 diversion dams provide Arctic Grayling and other fishes opportunities for year‐round access to critical...
Authors
Ben Triano, Kevin M. Kappenman, Thomas E. McMahon, Matt Blank, Kurt C. Heim, Albert E. Parker, Alexander V. Zale, Nolan Platt, Katey Plymesser
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