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.
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Mass balance of two perennial snowfields: Niwot Ridge, Colorado and the Ulaan Taiga, Mongolia. Mass balance of two perennial snowfields: Niwot Ridge, Colorado and the Ulaan Taiga, Mongolia.
Perennial snowfields are generally receding worldwide, though the precise mechanisms causing recessions are not always well understood. Here we apply a numerical snowpack model to identify the leading factors controlling the mass balance of two perennial snowfields that have significant human interest: Arapaho glacier, located at Niwot Ridge in the Colorado Rocky Mountains (United States...
Authors
Kaj E. Williams, Christopher P. McKay, Owen B. Toon, Keith S. Jennings
Geophysical imaging of the Yellowstone hydrothermal plumbing system Geophysical imaging of the Yellowstone hydrothermal plumbing system
The nature of Yellowstone National Park’s plumbing system linking deep thermal fluids to its legendary thermal features is virtually unknown. The prevailing concepts of Yellowstone hydrology and chemistry are that fluids reside in reservoirs with unknown geometries, flow laterally from distal sources and emerge at the edges of lava flows. Here we present a high-resolution synoptic view...
Authors
Carol A. Finn, Paul A. Bedrosian, W. Steven Holbrook, Esben Auken, Benjamin R. Bloss, Kayla J Crosbie
Reframing groundwater hydrology as a data-driven science Reframing groundwater hydrology as a data-driven science
No abstract available.
Authors
Allen M. Shapiro, F.D. Day-Lewis
MIS 5e sea-level history along the Pacific coast of North America MIS 5e sea-level history along the Pacific coast of North America
The primary last interglacial, marine isotope substage (MIS) 5e records on the Pacific coast of North America, from Washington (USA) to Baja California Sur (Mexico), are found in the deposits of erosional marine terraces. Warmer coasts along the southern Golfo de California host both erosional marine terraces and constructional coral reef terraces. Because the northern part of the region...
Authors
Daniel R. Muhs
Long-term hydrologic sustainability of calcareous fens along the Glacial Lake Agassiz beach ridges, northwestern Minnesota, USA Long-term hydrologic sustainability of calcareous fens along the Glacial Lake Agassiz beach ridges, northwestern Minnesota, USA
Calcareous fens are peat-accumulating wetlands fed by calcium-rich groundwater that support several threatened species of plants that thrive in these geochemical conditions. This investigation characterized the hydrology of two calcareous fens in the Glacial Lake Agassiz beach ridge complex in northwestern Minnesota, USA. Sandy surficial beach ridge aquifers and underlying buried glacial...
Authors
Nicholas R. Budde, Howard D. Mooers, Timothy K. Cowdery, Nigel J. Wattrus
Spatially integrating microbiology and geochemistry to reveal complex environmental health issues: Anthrax in the contiguous United States Spatially integrating microbiology and geochemistry to reveal complex environmental health issues: Anthrax in the contiguous United States
Maxent models were run using the B. anthracis presence data and/or the animal outbreak presence data. Models run using the animal outbreak data alone utilized two scales: the Outbreak State scale which included only states reporting animal anthrax outbreaks from 2001 to 2013 and the National scale which included all states in the contiguous United States. Three iterations of the...
Authors
Erin Silvestri, Stephen Douglas, Vicky Luna, C.A.O. Jean-Babtiste, D. Harbin, Laura Hempel, Timothy Boe, Tonya Nichols, Dale W. Griffin
A user guide to selecting invasive annual grass spatial products for the western United States A user guide to selecting invasive annual grass spatial products for the western United States
Invasive annual grasses (IAGs)—including Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), Taeniatherum caput-medusae (medusahead), and Ventenata dubia (ventenata) species—present significant challenges for rangeland management by altering plant communities, impacting ecosystem function, reducing forage for wildlife and livestock, and increasing fire risk. Numerous spatial data products are used to map IAGs...
Authors
Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Jessica E. Shyvers, D. Joanne Saher, Bryan C. Tarbox, Julie A. Heinrichs, Cameron L. Aldridge
Compendium to invasive annual grass spatial products for the western United States, January 2010-February 2021 Compendium to invasive annual grass spatial products for the western United States, January 2010-February 2021
Invasive annual grasses (IAGs) degrade native plant communities, alter fire cycles, impact ecosystem processes, and threaten the persistence of some species. Therefore, controlling the spread of IAGs has become a land management priority in the western United States. A wide array of geospatial data has been developed in the last decade to help land managers combat the invasion and...
Authors
D. Joanne Saher, Jessica E. Shyvers, Bryan C. Tarbox, Nathan D. Van Schmidt, Julie A. Heinrichs, Cameron L. Aldridge
Groundwater-level contour map of Fauquier County, Virginia, October-November 2018 Groundwater-level contour map of Fauquier County, Virginia, October-November 2018
Groundwater withdrawals provide most public-water supplies and all private-domestic users in Fauquier County, Virginia, a fast-growing rural area southwest of Washington, D.C. Groundwater levels were measured in 129 wells during a county-wide synoptic survey from October 29 through November 2, 2018. Field measurements, combined with datapoints from the National Hydrography Dataset, were...
Authors
Matthew R. Kearns, Kurt J. McCoy
Chandeleur Islands to Breton Island bathymetric and topographic datasets and operational sediment budget development: Methodology and analysis report Chandeleur Islands to Breton Island bathymetric and topographic datasets and operational sediment budget development: Methodology and analysis report
This study is part of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program. The goal of the BICM program is to provide long-term data on the barrier islands of Louisiana for monitoring change and assisting in coastal management. The BICM program uses historical data and acquires new data to map and monitor shoreline...
Authors
James G. Flocks, Arnell S. Forde, Julie Bernier
FishStan: Hierarchical Bayesian models for fisheries FishStan: Hierarchical Bayesian models for fisheries
Fisheries managers and ecologists use statistical models to estimate population-level relations and demographic rates (e.g., length-maturity curves, growth curves, and mortality rates). These relations and rates provide insight into populations and inputs for other models. For example, growth curves may vary across lakes showing fish populations differ due to management actions or...
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Daniel S. Stich, Jillian Lee Hebert
Using carbon, nitrogen, and mercury isotope values to distinguish mercury sources to Alaskan lake trout Using carbon, nitrogen, and mercury isotope values to distinguish mercury sources to Alaskan lake trout
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), collected from 13 remote lakes located in southwestern Alaska, were analyzed for carbon, nitrogen, and mercury (Hg) stable isotope values to assess the importance of migrating oceanic salmon, volcanic activity, and atmospheric deposition to fish Hg burden. Methylmercury (MeHg) bioaccumulation in phytoplankton (5.0–6.9 kg L–1) was also measured to...
Authors
Ryan F. Lepak, Jacob M. Ogorek, Krista K. Bartz, Sarah E. Janssen, Michael T. Tate, Yin Runsheng, James P. Hurley, Daniel Young, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, David P. Krabbenhoft