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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Filter Total Items: 175041
Real-time oil spill concentration assessment through fluorescence imaging and deep learning Real-time oil spill concentration assessment through fluorescence imaging and deep learning
Oil spills may pose severe ecological and socioeconomic threats, necessitating rapid and accurate environmental assessment. Traditional assessment methods used to determine the extent of a spill including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, satellite imaging, and visual surveys, are often time-consuming, expensive, and limited by weather conditions or sampling constraints. Furthermore...
Authors
Biplab Poudel, Jiacheng Xie, Congyu Guo, Olivia Watt, Erin L. Pulster, Rishi J. Patel, Jeffery A. Steevens, Dong Xu
Wet meadow regeneration through restoration of biophysical feedbacks Wet meadow regeneration through restoration of biophysical feedbacks
Wet meadows are globally significant ecosystems that provide critical hydrological, ecological, and biogeochemical functions, yet their extent has declined dramatically due to land use changes and hydrologic alteration. These sedge-dominated wetlands exist at the drier end of the wetland gradient, maintained by shallow groundwater and periodic inundation. This paper is a global synthesis...
Authors
Michael Pollock, Laura M. Norman
Cyanotoxin and domoic acid occurrence, relation with salinity, and potential recreational health risks in U.S. coasts in the 2015 US EPA National Coastal Condition Assessment Cyanotoxin and domoic acid occurrence, relation with salinity, and potential recreational health risks in U.S. coasts in the 2015 US EPA National Coastal Condition Assessment
In the first nationwide study of cyanotoxins in U.S. estuaries, algal toxins, cyanotoxins, chlorophyll, and salinity were measured in samples collected during the National Coastal Condition Assessment 2015. Anatoxin-a (ANAA), cylindrospermopsin (CYLS), domoic acid (DMAC), and microcystins (MCs) were detected by LC/MS/MS in 0.6, 0.9, 8.3, and 2.0 % of samples with mean concentrations of...
Authors
Ariel R. Donovan, Zachary R. Laughrey, Robin A. Femmer, Sarena L. Senegal, Keith A. Loftin
Reflections on a trio of North American earthquakes in 1925 Reflections on a trio of North American earthquakes in 1925
In 1925, three moderately large damaging earthquakes occurred in North America over four months: the 28 February (local time; LT) M 6.2 Charlevoix, 27 June (LT) M 6.6 Montana, and 29 June M 6.5 Santa Barbara earthquakes. The centennial anniversaries of these events motivated this retrospective consideration focused on the ground motions generated by the three events, including a...
Authors
Susan E. Hough, Maurice Lamontagne, John E. Ebel, L. Baise
The impact of the May 1921 superstorm on American telecommunication systems The impact of the May 1921 superstorm on American telecommunication systems
A compilation is presented of impacts (interference and damage) realized on long-line telegraph and telephone systems across North America during the 13-16 May 1921 magnetic storm. Impacts occurred primarily during local nighttime, after the third of four sudden commencements, and during the storm’s most-prominent main phase. Impacts are attributed to rapid and high-amplitude geomagnetic...
Authors
Jeffrey J. Love, Greg M. Lucas, Anna Kelbert, Neesha R. Schnepf, Paul A. Bedrosian, Sara K. McBride
Detroit River becoming a crucible for boundary organization experimentation Detroit River becoming a crucible for boundary organization experimentation
The Detroit River has a long history of human use and abuse, resulting in public outcry over water pollution and resource degradation. This public outcry helped catalyze the enactment of many laws and the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement which led to enhanced research, monitoring, and water pollution control. As pollution from industries and municipal wastewater treatment...
Authors
John H. Hartig, Robin L. DeBruyne, Katie Stammler, James C. Boase, Edward F. Roseman
Proactive assisted gene flow for Caribbean corals in an era of rapid coral reef decline Proactive assisted gene flow for Caribbean corals in an era of rapid coral reef decline
Coral reefs are one of the most well-documented marine ecosystems under increasing threat from climate change. Catastrophic episodes of coral bleaching and subsequent mortality caused by prolonged heat stress (1) highlight the need to test and implement new approaches to prevent species loss and retain ecosystem function (2). One of these approaches is assisted gene flow (AGF)—the...
Authors
Andrew C. Baker, Iliana B. Baums, Sarah W. Davies, Andrea G. Grottoli, Carly D. Kenkel, Sheila A. Kitchen, Ilsa B. Kuffner, Mikhail V. Matz, Margaret W. Miller, Erinn M. Muller, John E. Parkinson, Carlos Prada, Andrew A. Shantz, R. van Hooidonk, R. Scott Winters
Benchmarking shoreline prediction models over multi-decadal timescales Benchmarking shoreline prediction models over multi-decadal timescales
Robust predictions of shoreline change are critical for sustainable coastal management. Despite advancements in shoreline models, objective benchmarking remains limited. Here we present results from ShoreShop2.0, an international collaborative benchmarking workshop, where 34 groups submitted shoreline change predictions in a blind competition. Subsets of shoreline observations at an...
Authors
Yongjing Mao, Giovanni Coco, Sean Vitousek, Jose A. A. Antolinez, Georgios Azorakos, Masayuki Banno, Clément Bouvier, Karin R. Bryan, Laura Cagigal, Kit Calcraft, Bruno Castelle, Xinyu Chen, Maurizio D'Anna, Lucas de Freitas Pereira, Iñaki de Santiago, Aditya N. Deshmukh, Bixuan Dong, Ahmed Elghandour, Amirmahdi Gohari, Eduardo Gomez-de la Peña, Mitchell D. Harley, Michael Ibrahim, Déborah Idier, Camilo Jaramillo Cardona, Changbin Lim, Ivana Mingo, Julian O'Grady, Daniel Pais, Oxana Repina, Arthur Robinet, Dano Roelvink, Joshua Simmons, Erdinc Sogut, Katie Wilson, Kristen Splinter
Spatially explicit demographics of Mojave Desert Tortoises on a demography plot in California, USA Spatially explicit demographics of Mojave Desert Tortoises on a demography plot in California, USA
Obtaining reliable estimates of demographic parameters is critical to effective wildlife conservation and management. Densities of Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) were historically derived from capture–mark–recapture surveys on small, often strategically placed demography plots, or demographic study areas, that also provided information on demographic composition and vital...
Authors
Sarah Doyle, Sean M. Murphy, K. Kristina Drake, Julie Hendrix, Todd C. Esque
Advancing the implementation of coastal restoration in Louisiana through a co-production of science framework Advancing the implementation of coastal restoration in Louisiana through a co-production of science framework
Coastal Louisiana faces complex challenges from the compounding effects of coastal land loss and climate change. The State of Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana (LA-COE) have adopted a co-production of science framework to help ensure that scientific research funded through the LA-COE supports the...
Authors
Jacob M. Oster, Jessica R. Henkel, Alyssa Dausman, Eva D. Windhoffer, Bingqing Liu, Melissa Millman Baustian, Denise Reed, Summer Langlois, David C. Lindquist
A review of abrupt permafrost thaw: Definitions, usage, and a proposed conceptual framework A review of abrupt permafrost thaw: Definitions, usage, and a proposed conceptual framework
Purpose of Review We review how ‘abrupt thaw’ has been used in published studies, compare these definitions to abrupt processes in other Earth science disciplines, and provide a definitive framework for how abrupt thaw should be used in the context of permafrost science.Recent Findings We address several aspects of permafrost systems necessary for abrupt thaw to occur and propose a...
Authors
Hailey Webb, Matthias Fuchs, Benjamin W. Abbott, Thomas A. Douglas, Clayton D. Elder, Jessica G. Ernakovich, Eugenie Euskirchen, Mathias Göckede, Guido Grosse, Gustaf Hugelius, Miriam C. Jones, Charles Koven, Heather Kropp, Emma Lathrop, Wenwen Li, Michael M. Loranty, Susan M Natali, David Olefeldt, Christina Schädel, Edward A.G. Schuur, Oliver Sonnentag, Jens Strauss, Anna-Maria Virkkala, Merritt R. Turetsky
Ice thickness regulates heat flux in permanently ice-covered lakes Ice thickness regulates heat flux in permanently ice-covered lakes
The permanently ice-covered lakes of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, are rare ecosystems where permanent ice cover and year-round vertically stable water columns provide critical redox zones for cold-adapted microorganisms. Using 30 yr of limnological data from the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research program, we assessed the water column heat flux of four permanently ice-covered...
Authors
Hilary A. Dugan, Maciej Obryk, Michael Gooseff, Peter Doran, Amy Chiuchiolo, Jade Lawrence, John Priscu