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: 174606
Hosts, pathogens and hot ponds: Thermal mean and variability contribute to spatial patterns of chytrid infection Hosts, pathogens and hot ponds: Thermal mean and variability contribute to spatial patterns of chytrid infection
Temperature is a primary driver of heterogeneity in host–pathogen dynamics and understanding how patch-scale temperature affects landscape-scale patterns of pathogen infection is key to effective monitoring and management. In field studies, both temperature variability and mean temperature are often related to infection of ectothermic animals by fungal pathogens, and although these...
Authors
Brendan Hobart, Daniel Grear, Megan Winzeler, Travis Mcdevitt-Galles, Timothy Korpita, Erin L. Muths, Valerie McKenzie
How high? Identifying elevation thresholds to guide coastal marsh restoration How high? Identifying elevation thresholds to guide coastal marsh restoration
Introduction Coastal marshes are highly valuable ecosystems facing threats from rising sea levels and intensifying storm events. To elevate marsh surfaces and prevent loss of ecosystem services, the beneficial use of dredged material (BUDM) is increasingly being implemented across the United States. Objectives The objective of this study was to aid decision-makers and restoration...
Authors
Emily Fromenthal, Camille Stagg, Jena Moon, Taylor Abshier, Omar Alawneh, Jack Cadigan, Daniel Gallegos, Brian Harris, Nia Hurst, Navid Jafari, Todd Merendino, Matthew Nelson, Michael Osland, Philip Pauling, Michael Rezsutek, Colt Sanspree, Rachel Villani
Groundwater structures fish growth and production across a riverscape Groundwater structures fish growth and production across a riverscape
Landscapes are composed of habitat patches and conditions that vary across space and time. While habitat variability and complexity can support important ecological processes and ecosystem services, the dynamic nature of habitats can also constrain organismal growth and production as optimal conditions are fleeting. In riverine ecosystems, groundwater discharge to streams stabilises...
Authors
Jeffrey Baldock, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Annika Walters
When do single-species occupancy models outperform multispecies models? When do single-species occupancy models outperform multispecies models?
Occupancy models have become increasingly popular for species monitoring and assessment, in part, because detection/non-detection data are readily obtained using a variety of methods. Multispecies occupancy models (MSOMs) can yield more accurate parameter estimates than single-species models (SSOMs) with less data through their hierarchical structure, making MSOMs an attractive option...
Authors
Gavin Cotterill, Douglas Keinath, Tabitha A. Graves
The rise of U.S. photovoltaics: An exploration of land use density trends in large-scale solar facility attributes, 2012-2021 The rise of U.S. photovoltaics: An exploration of land use density trends in large-scale solar facility attributes, 2012-2021
An energy transition is underway in the United States; renewable energy generation is now on par with coal and nuclear generation. The number of large-scale solar photovoltaic facilities increased approximately tenfold between 2012 and 2021, with an associated 25-fold increase in cumulative installed capacity. With ambitious decarbonization and renewable energy deployment goals at both...
Authors
K. Fujita, Ben Hoen, Dana Robson, Joesph Rand, Zachary Ancona, James Diffendorfer, Louisa Kramer, Christopher Garrity, Jianyu Gu, Jordan Macknick
Drowned river mouth lakes are winter foraging habitats for the expanding Lake Michigan cisco Coregonus artedi population Drowned river mouth lakes are winter foraging habitats for the expanding Lake Michigan cisco Coregonus artedi population
Characterizing fish movements is required for understanding habitat use, energy flow, and trophic structure and can inform fisheries management. Drowned river mouth (DRM) lakes are productive inland habitats in the Laurentian Great Lakes basin used by migratory fishes. Despite recognition of their ecological connections to the Great Lakes, the value of DRM lakes as seasonal habitats is...
Authors
Ralph Tingley, Darryl Hondorp, Benjamin Turschak, Steven Pothoven, Amanda Ackiss, Jory Jonas, William Fetzer, Benjamin Leonhardt, Andrew Honsey, Jeff Elliott, Lindsie Ann Egedy, Cory Brant, Lynn Benes, Kendra Kozlauskos, Renee Renauer-Bova, Ann Ropp
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Santa Maria Basin Province, California, 2024 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Santa Maria Basin Province, California, 2024
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 67 million barrels of oil and 56 billion cubic feet of gas in the Santa Maria Basin Province of California.
Authors
Christopher Schenk, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Tracey J. Mercier, Phuong A. Le, Andrea Cicero, Ronald Drake II, Sarah Gelman, Jane Hearon, Benjamin Johnson, Jenny Lagesse, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller
Long‐period ground motions from dynamic rupture simulations of large earthquakes on the creeping Hayward–Calaveras–Rodgers Creek fault system Long‐period ground motions from dynamic rupture simulations of large earthquakes on the creeping Hayward–Calaveras–Rodgers Creek fault system
he Hayward, Calaveras, and Rodgers Creek faults in the San Francisco Bay region of California have a high probability of producing a large earthquake in the next decades. Although these faults creep, the creep is insufficient to keep up with their relatively rapid slip rates on their deepest sections, so they have been storing tectonic strain since their last large earthquakes, with the...
Authors
Ruth Harris, Michael Barall, Grace Parker, Evan Hirakawa
Modeling the influence of upper and lower shoreface dynamics on barrier island evolution Modeling the influence of upper and lower shoreface dynamics on barrier island evolution
Barrier island resilience to climate impacts depends on sediment redistribution between the subaqueous shoreface and subaerial barrier during sea-level rise and storms. However, autogenic interactions between the upper and lower shoreface and their influence on the subaerial barrier are poorly characterized. Here, we explore the influences of various shoreface components on barrier...
Authors
Rose Palermo, Jennifer Miselis, Daniel Ciarletta, Emily A Wei
Spatio-temporal evolution of distributed volcanic fields, case studies—Sierra Chichinautzin and Michoacán-Guanajuato, México Spatio-temporal evolution of distributed volcanic fields, case studies—Sierra Chichinautzin and Michoacán-Guanajuato, México
An analysis of 1,375 volcanoes in the Michoacán-Guanajuato (1,148 volcanoes in a 26,200 square-kilometer area) and Sierra Chichinautzin (227 volcanoes in a 3,500 square-kilometer area) volcanic fields in central Mexico identified patterns in the spatial and temporal distribution of past eruptions. A cluster agglomerative hierarchical method and kernel analysis confirmed that the...
Authors
Carmen Jaimes-Viera, Amiel Nieto-Torres, Ana Lillian Martin Del Pozzo, Aurelie Germa, Chuck Connor, Michael Ort, Paul Layer, Jeff Benowitz
Rare earth elements on the Moon Rare earth elements on the Moon
Rare earth elements (REEs) are a scarce but vital resource for our modern economies and lifestyles. Since the late 1990s, China has supplied the vast majority of the world’s refined REEs. Increasing global demand has broadened the search for REE deposits to unconventional places, including the Moon. Although most lunar rocks have very low REE concentrations, Apollo samples showed that...
Authors
Laszlo Keszthelyi, Joshua Coyan, Lori Pigue, Kristen Bennett, Travis Gabriel
Bioclimatic, demographic, and anthropogenic correlates of grizzly bear activity patterns in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Bioclimatic, demographic, and anthropogenic correlates of grizzly bear activity patterns in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Plasticity of diel activity rhythms may be a key element for adaptations of wildlife populations to changing environmental conditions. In the last decades, grizzly bears Ursus arctos in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) have experienced notable environmental fluctuations, including changes in availability of food sources and severe droughts. Although substantial research has been...
Authors
A. Donatelli, Mark Haroldson, Justin Clapp, P. Ciucci, Frank van Manen