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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A reproducible manuscript workflow with a Quarto template
Scientists and resource managers increasingly use Markdown-based tools to create reproducible reports and manuscripts. These workflows allow people to use standardized methods that are more reproducible, efficient, and transparent than other standard office tools. We present a Quarto template and demonstrate how this template may be used for a journal, the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management,
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Althea A. Archer, Michael N. Fienen
Assessing the vertical accuracy of digital elevation models by quality level and land cover
The vertical accuracy of elevation data in coastal environments is critical because small variations in elevation can affect an area’s exposure to waves, tides, and storm-related flooding. Elevation data contractors typically quantify the vertical accuracy of lidar-derived digital elevation models (DEMs) on a per-project basis to gauge whether the datasets meet quality and accuracy standards. Here
Authors
Minoo Han, Nicholas Enwright, Dean B. Gesch, Jason M. Stoker, Jeffrey J. Danielson, Christopher J. Amante
A spatial machine learning model developed from noisy data requires multiscale performance evaluation: Predicting depth to bedrock in the Delaware River Basin, USA
Spatial machine learning models can be developed from observations with substantial unexplainable variability, sometimes called ‘noise’. Traditional point-scale metrics (e.g., R2) alone can be misleading when evaluating these models. We present a multi-scale performance evaluation (MPE) using two additional scales (distributional and geostatistical). We apply the MPE framework to predictions of de
Authors
Phillip J. Goodling, Kenneth Belitz, Paul Stackelberg, Brandon J. Fleming
Back from the brink: Estimating daily and annual abundance of natural-origin salmon smolts from 30-years of mixed-origin capture-recapture data
Evaluating the status and trends of natural-origin anadromous fish populations over time requires robust estimates of out-migrating juvenile abundance. Information on abundance is typically acquired by capturing actively migrating fish as they pass stationary monitoring platforms. Challenges to estimation include protracted migration timing, temporally varying capture probabilities and the contemp
Authors
Dalton Hance, John Plumb, Russell Perry, Kenneth Tiffan
Modeling the mid-piacenzian warm climate using the water isotope-enabled Community Earth System Model (iCESM1.2-ITPCAS)
The mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (MPWP, ~ 3.264–3.025 Ma) is the most recent example of a persistently warmer climate in equilibrium with atmospheric CO2 concentrations similar to today. Towards studying patterns and dynamics of a warming climate the MPWP is often compared to today. Following the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 2 (PlioMIP2) protocol we prepare a water isotope-enabled C
Authors
Yong Sun, Baohuang Su, Harry J. Dowsett, Haibin Wu, Jun Hu, Christian Stepanek, Zhongyu Xiong, Xiayu Yuan, Gilles Ramstein
Viability modeling for decision support with limited data: A lizard case study
Plateau spot-tailed earless lizards, Holbrookia lacerata, are a species of ground lizard in central Texas that are under review for listing as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act, but heretofore no predictive models of population dynamics or viability have been developed. We used limited available data and published demographic rates in a PVA model to predict future status of these liza
Authors
Ashley B.C. Goode, Nathan Allan, Conor P. McGowan
Thermo-hydrologic processes governing supra-permafrost talik dynamics in discontinuous permafrost near Umiujaq (Québec, Canada)
Widespread supra-permafrost talik formation is
currently recognized as a critical mechanism that
could accelerate permafrost thaw in the Arctic
(e.g., Connon et al. 2018; Farquharson et al. 2022).
However, the trajectory of permafrost dynamics
following talik formation may prove difficult to predict.
Physically-based cryohydrogeologic models provide
a powerful tool for understanding processes and
Authors
Philippe Fortier, Nathan Young, Michelle A. Walvoord, Jean-Michel Lemieux, Aaron Mohammed
A history of cryohydrogeology modeling and recent advancements through the integration of solute transport
Groundwater flow systems and permafrost are interrelated because permafrost thaw enhances permeability, while groundwater flow can advect heat and accelerate permafrost thaw (McKenzie et al. 2021). Given amplified climate change in cold regions, there is renewed interest in ‘cryohydrogeology’, the study of groundwater in cold regions. Many data-driven studies have shown that permafrost thaw is lea
Authors
Barret L. Kurylyk, Julia Guimond, Aaron Mohammed, Victor F. Bense, Jeffrey M. McKenzie, Michelle A. Walvoord, Rob Jamieson, R. Bailey Strong
Thermal and hydrological limitations on modeling carbon dynamics at wetland sites of discontinuous and continuous permafrost extent
Accurate representation of cryohydrological processes is fundamental for biosphere models, particularly at high-latitudes, given their influence on carbon and permafrost dynamics in carbon-rich peatlands and wetlands. This study analyzes site-level simulations in moist and wet drainage conditions in continuous or discontinuous permafrost regions, using a terrestrial ecosystem model DVM-DOS-TEM. Fu
Authors
Benjamin C. Maglio, Ruth Rutter, Tobey Carman, Colin W. Edgar, Eugénie S. Euskirchen, Hélène Genet, Andrew Mullen, Valeria Briones, Elchin Jafarov, Kristen L. Manies
Amur Falcon Falco amurensis
No abstract available.
Authors
Jaume Orta, Guy M. Kirwan, Jeffrey S. Marks, Ryan C. Burner, Sundev Gombobaatar, Paul van Els, Chuenchom Hansasuta
Iron oxyhydroxide-rich hydrothermal deposits at the high-temperature Fåvne vent field, Mohns Ridge
The recently discovered Fåvne vent field, located at 3,040 m depth on the slow-spreading Mohns mid-ocean ridge between Greenland and Norway, is a high-temperature (≥250°C) vent field that is characterized by Fe oxyhydroxide-rich and S-poor chimneys and mounds. The vent field is located on both the hanging wall and footwall of a normal fault with a ∼1.5 km throw that forms the western edge of the ∼
Authors
Caroline Gini, John Jamieson, Eoghan P. Reeves, Amy Gartman, Thibaut Barreyre, Michael G. Babechuk, Steffen L. Jørgensen, Katleen Robert
Projected sea-level rise and high tide flooding at De Soto National Memorial, Florida
IntroductionNational parks and preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region contain valuable coastal habitats such as tidal wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as irreplaceable historic buildings and archeological sites located in low-lying areas. These natural and cultural resources are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise and escalating high tide flooding events. Through a Natural Resource
Authors
Hana R. Thurman, Nicholas M. Enwright, Michael J. Osland, Davina L. Passeri, Richard H. Day, Bethanie M. Simons