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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Mission Area Publications
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Major point and nonpoint sources of nutrient pollution to surface water have declined throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed Major point and nonpoint sources of nutrient pollution to surface water have declined throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Understanding drivers of water quality in local watersheds is the first step for implementing targeted restoration practices. Nutrient inventories can inform water quality management decisions by identifying shifts in nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) balances over space and time while also keeping track of the likely urban and agricultural point and nonpoint sources of pollution. The...
Authors
Robert D. Sabo, Breck Maura Sullivan, Cuiyin Wu, Emily M. Trentacoste, Qian Zhang, Gary W. Shenk, Gopal Bhatt, Lewis C. Linker
Movement and habitat use by smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu velox in a dynamic Ozark Highlands riverscape Movement and habitat use by smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu velox in a dynamic Ozark Highlands riverscape
Stream fish movement in response to changing resource availability and habitat needs is important for fish growth, survival and reproduction. The authors used radio telemetry to evaluate individual movements, daily movement rates, home ranges and habitat-use characteristics of adult (278–464 mm LT) Neosho smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu velox in three Ozark Highlands streams from...
Authors
Andrew D. Miller, Shannon K. Brewer
Structured elicitation of expert judgement in real-time eruption scenarios: An exercise for Piton de la Fournaise volcano, La Réunion island Structured elicitation of expert judgement in real-time eruption scenarios: An exercise for Piton de la Fournaise volcano, La Réunion island
Formalised elicitation of expert judgements has been used to help tackle several problematic societal issues, including volcanic crises and pandemic threats. We present an expert elicitation exercise for Piton de la Fournaise volcano, La Réunion island, held remotely in April 2021. This involved 28 experts from nine countries who considered a hypothetical effusive eruption crisis...
Authors
Alessandro Tadini, Andrew J. L. Harris, Julie Morin, Andrea Bevilacqua, Aline Peltier, Willy Aspinall, Stefano Ciolli, Patrick Bachelery, Benjamin Bernard, Jonas Biren, Antonio Brum da Silveira, Valery Cayol, Oryaelle Chevrel, Diego Coppola, Hannah R. Dietterich, Amy Donovan, Olaya Dorado, Stephane Drenne, Olivier Dupere, Lucia Gurioli, Stephan Kolzenburg, Jean-Christophe Komorowski, Philippe Labazuy, Domenico Mangione, Stefano Mannini, Francois Martel-Asselin, Etienne Medard, Sophie Pailot-Bonnetat, Victoria Rafflin, Michael Ramsey, Nicole Richter, Silvia Vallejo-Vargas, Nicolas Villeneuve, Silvia Zafrilla
Invasion of annual grasses following wildfire corresponds to maladaptive habitat selection by a sagebrush ecosystem indicator species Invasion of annual grasses following wildfire corresponds to maladaptive habitat selection by a sagebrush ecosystem indicator species
Numerous wildlife species within semi-arid shrubland ecosystems across western North America are experiencing substantial habitat loss and fragmentation. These changes in habitat are often attributed to a diverse suite of factors including prolonged and increasingly severe droughts, conifer expansion, anthropogenic development, domestic and feral livestock grazing, and invasion of exotic...
Authors
Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O’Neil, Michael L. Casazza, Shawn P. Espinosa, John D. Boone, Elisabeth M. Ammon, Scott C. Gardner, David J. Delehanty
Hydroclimate response of spring ecosystems to a two-stage Younger Dryas event in western North America Hydroclimate response of spring ecosystems to a two-stage Younger Dryas event in western North America
The Younger Dryas (YD) climate event is the preeminent example of abrupt climate change in the recent geologic past. Climate conditions during the YD were spatially complex, and high-resolution sediment cores in the North Atlantic, western Europe, and East Asia have revealed it unfolded in two distinct stages, including an initial stable climatic period between ~ 12.9 and 12.2 ka...
Authors
Jeffrey S. Pigati, Kathleen B. Springer
Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2021 Report) Supporting the development and use of native plant materials for restoration on the Colorado Plateau (Fiscal Year 2021 Report)
A primary focus of the Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program (CPNPP) is to identify and develop appropriate native plant materials (NPMs) for current and future restoration projects. Multiple efforts have characterized the myriad challenges inherent in providing appropriate seed resources to enable effective, widespread restoration and have identified a broad suite of research activities...
Authors
Robert Massatti, Daniel E. Winkler, Sasha C. Reed, Michael C. Duniway, Seth M. Munson, John B. Bradford
Spatially averaged stratigraphic data to inform watershed sediment routing: An example from the Mid-Atlantic United States Spatially averaged stratigraphic data to inform watershed sediment routing: An example from the Mid-Atlantic United States
New and previously published stratigraphic data define Holocene to present sediment storage time scales for Mid-Atlantic river corridors. Empirical distributions of deposit ages and thicknesses were randomly sampled to create synthetic age-depth records. Deposits predating European settlement accumulated at a (median) rate of 0.06 cm yr−1, range from ∼18,000 to 225 yr old, and represent...
Authors
James Pizzuto, Katherine Skalak, Adam J. Benthem, Shannon A. Mahan, Mahmoud Sherif, Adam Pearson
High‐frequency rupture processes of the 2014 Mw 8.2 Iquique and 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel, Chile, earthquakes determined from strong‐motion recordings High‐frequency rupture processes of the 2014 Mw 8.2 Iquique and 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel, Chile, earthquakes determined from strong‐motion recordings
Strong‐motion recordings of the 2014 MwMw 8.2 Iquique and 2015 MwMw 8.3 Illapel, Chile, earthquakes were analyzed to determine rupture propagation and the location, timing, and strength of subevents that produce most of the high‐frequency (≥1 Hz) ground motions. A moving window,cross‐correlation analysis of recordings from a local dense array, band‐pass filtered at 1 Hz, directly shows...
Authors
Arthur D. Frankel
Accounting for residual heterogeneity in double-observer sightability models decreases bias in burro abundance estimates Accounting for residual heterogeneity in double-observer sightability models decreases bias in burro abundance estimates
Feral burros (Equus asinus) and horses (E. ferus caballus) inhabiting public land in the western United States are intended to be managed at population levels established to promote a thriving, natural ecological balance. Double-observer sightability (MDS) models, which use detection records from multiple observers and sighting covariates, perform well for estimating feral horse...
Authors
Jacob Daniel Hennig, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, James W. Cain, Gary W. Roemer, Jeffrey L. Laake
A future for the inland fish and fisheries hidden within the sustainable development goals A future for the inland fish and fisheries hidden within the sustainable development goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a unifying call for change - guiding global actions at multiple levels of governance for a better planet and better lives. Consequently, achieving the “future we want” may be hindered by overlooking valuable natural resources and services that are not explicitly included in the SDGs. Not recognizing the direct, intrinsic value...
Authors
Vittoria Elliott, Abigail J. Lynch, Sui C. Phang, Steve J. Cooke, Ian. G. Cowx, Julie E. Claussen, James Dalton, William Darwall, Ian Harrison, Karen J. Murchie, E. Ashley Steel, Gretchen L. Stokes
U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Toolbox — A graphical and mapping interface for analysis of hydrologic data U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Toolbox — A graphical and mapping interface for analysis of hydrologic data
The Hydrologic Toolbox is a Windows-based desktop software program that provides a graphical and mapping interface for analysis of hydrologic time-series data with a set of widely used and standardized computational methods. The software combines the analytical and statistical functionality provided in the U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater and Surface-Water Toolboxes and provides...
Authors
Paul M. Barlow, Amy R. McHugh, Julie E. Kiang, Tong Zhai, Paul Hummel, Paul Duda, Scott Hinz
Hawaii and Landsat Hawaii and Landsat
Hawaii stands apart from the rest of the United States, literally and figuratively. The nearest of the eight islands that make up the Hawaiian archipelago is 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland. Like every bit of land mass within the State, it emerged from the Pacific Ocean after thousands of years of undersea volcanic activity. Kona International Airport, on the “Big Island” of Hawai‘i...
Authors