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Ecosystems Mission Area

The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides science that directly benefits the health, safety, and prosperity of the American people by providing trusted and timely information to help address the Nation’s toughest management and conservation issues impacting public lands and the surrounding communities that benefit from them. 

News

Exclusive: Artificial Light and Salmon

Exclusive: Artificial Light and Salmon

FORT Updates: From Plains to Peaks - Vol. 4 | Issue 3

FORT Updates: From Plains to Peaks - Vol. 4 | Issue 3

FORT Science in Action 2026, Part 18: Ecological research supporting wild horse and burro management

FORT Science in Action 2026, Part 18: Ecological research supporting wild horse and burro management

Publications

Human factors used to estimate and forecast water supply and demand in the Delaware River Basin Human factors used to estimate and forecast water supply and demand in the Delaware River Basin

The objective of this report by the U.S. Geological Survey is to identify cultural and economic determinants of water demand, supply, and access, and to locate associated datasets of those determinants. Although climate and its influence on hydrology are important components of water availability, this study focused only on the components of the human system. The Delaware River Basin...
Authors
Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Veronica Y. Romero, Diana L. Restrepo-Osorio, Megan K. Hines, Lucas S. Bair

A framework for investigating fish population density responses to habitat fragmentation A framework for investigating fish population density responses to habitat fragmentation

Globally, fish populations that rely on rivers are being fragmented by in-stream barriers, but it is unclear how pervasive any negative population responses to fragmentation are. We developed a modeling framework for estimating density responses of fishes upstream and downstream of in-stream barriers and applied it to learn how low-head dams have influenced fish assemblages in 24 Great...
Authors
Sean Alois Lewandoski, Gale Bravener, Nathan Coombs, Robert McLaughlin

First application of a coastal-dune model (AeoLiS) to simulate fluvial-aeolian morphodynamics First application of a coastal-dune model (AeoLiS) to simulate fluvial-aeolian morphodynamics

Quantifying aeolian processes is important to decision-making in river management and for optimizing strategies for ecosystem conservation, natural resource management, and recreation. We applied the AeoLiS aeolian transport model, originally developed for coastal environments, to a dryland river corridor to evaluate its ability to simulate sediment dynamics in a fluvial-aeolian system...
Authors
Madeline Margaret Kelley, Joel B. Sankey, Nicholas Cohn, Amy E. East, Alan Kasprak, Helen C. Fairley, Joshua Caster, B. van Westen

Science

Actionable science for managing public lands

Our team of biologists, ecologists, and social scientists focuses on coproducing actionable science products to support natural resource planning and management. Broadly, our research involves working to better understand and bridge the research-management gap through a variety of mechanisms, including coproduction and relationship-building, science synthesis and summary, and identification of...
Actionable science for managing public lands

Actionable science for managing public lands

Our team of biologists, ecologists, and social scientists focuses on coproducing actionable science products to support natural resource planning and management. Broadly, our research involves working to better understand and bridge the research-management gap through a variety of mechanisms, including coproduction and relationship-building, science synthesis and summary, and identification of...
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Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey

Alaska provides breeding habitat for more than 140 regularly occurring species of landbirds, half of which breed predominantly north of the U.S.–Canada border. The road-based North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides some data on population trends in Alaska, but most northern species are inadequately monitored by that continental program because of a paucity of roads. Boreal Partners in...
Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey

Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey

Alaska provides breeding habitat for more than 140 regularly occurring species of landbirds, half of which breed predominantly north of the U.S.–Canada border. The road-based North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides some data on population trends in Alaska, but most northern species are inadequately monitored by that continental program because of a paucity of roads. Boreal Partners in...
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2026 Environmental Health Program Highlights

The USGS’s environmental health research in 2026 advanced national priorities focused on strengthening America’s energy future, supporting responsible mineral development, continuing scientific integrity, and improving environmental resilience. The studies highlighted below, show how USGS scientists in the Environmental Health (EH) Program delivered actionable, trusted science through improved...
2026 Environmental Health Program Highlights

2026 Environmental Health Program Highlights

The USGS’s environmental health research in 2026 advanced national priorities focused on strengthening America’s energy future, supporting responsible mineral development, continuing scientific integrity, and improving environmental resilience. The studies highlighted below, show how USGS scientists in the Environmental Health (EH) Program delivered actionable, trusted science through improved...
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