Book Chapters
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Browse more than 5,500 book chapters authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.
Filter Total Items: 6071
Research strategies for addressing uncertainties
There is an immense volume of information pertaining to research needs for addressing climate change uncertainties and resolving key information gaps. Fortunately, multiple independent efforts to establish research priorities have yielded similar results. Input on research needs is being used to craft national scientific priorities and strategies that are being implemented regionally by agencies a
Authors
David E. Busch, Levi D. Brekke, Kristen Averyt, Angela Jardine, Leigh Welling
Change-in-ratio
Change-in-ratio (CIR) methods are used to estimate parameters for ecological populations subject to differential removals from population subclasses. Subclasses can be defined according to criteria such as sex, age, or size of individuals. Removals are generally in the form of closely monitored sport or commercial harvests. Estimation is based on observed changes in subclass proportions caused by
Authors
Mark S. Udevitz
Land surface phenology
Certain vegetation types (e.g., deciduous shrubs, deciduous trees, grasslands) have distinct life cycles marked by the growth and senescence of leaves and periods of enhanced photosynthetic activity. Where these types exist, recurring changes in foliage alter the reflectance of electromagnetic radiation from the land surface, which can be measured using remote sensors. The timing of these recurrin
Authors
Jonathan M. Hanes, Li Li, Jeffrey T. Morisette
The changing southwest
This chapter describes important geographical and socio-economic characteristics and trends in the Southwest—such as population and economic growth and changes in land ownership, land use, and land cover—that provide the context for how climate change will likely affect the Southwest. The chapter also describes key laws and institutions relevant to adaptive management of resources.
Authors
David M. Theobald, William Travis, Mark A. Drummond, Eric Gordon, Michelle Betsill
Trace metals in Saharan dust: The use of in vitro bioaccessibility extractions to assess potential health risks in a dustier world
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is acknowledged as a risk factor for human morbidity and mortality. Epidemiology and toxicology studies have focused on anthropogenic sources of PM and few consider contributions produced by natural processes (geogenic), or PM produced from natural sources as a result of human activities (geoanthropogenic PM). The focus of this study was to elucidate relati
Authors
Suzette A. Morman, Virginia H. Garrison, Geoffrey S. Plumlee
Chronological history of zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissenidae) in North America, 1988-2010
An unprecedented invasion began in North America in the mid-/late-1980s when two Eurasian mussel species, Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (quagga mussel), became established in Laurentian Great Lakes. It is believed that Lake Erie was the initial location of establishment for both species, and within 3 years, zebra mussels had been found in all the Great Lak
Authors
Amy J. Benson
Early responses to zebra mussels in the Great Lakes: a journey from information vacuum to policy and regulation
Invasive species such as zebra mussels pose a threat to the economies and environments of coastal and fresh-water habitats around the world. Consequently, it is important that government policies and programs be adequate to protect these waters from invaders. This chapter documents key events that took place in the early years (1988-1991) of zebra mussel colonization of the Laurentian Great Lakes
Authors
Ronald W. Griffiths, Don W. Schloesser, William P. Kovalak
Deep-ocean ferromanganese crusts and nodules
Ferromanganese crusts and nodules may provide a future resource for a large variety of metals, including many that are essential for emerging high- and green-technology applications. A brief review of nodules and crusts provides a setting for a discussion on the latest (past 10 years) research related to the geochemistry of sequestration of metals from seawater. Special attention is given to cobal
Authors
James R. Hein, Andrea Koschinsky
Regional assessment of North America: Urbanization trends, biodiversity patterns, and ecosystem services
North America contains some of the most urbanized landscapes in the world. In the United States (U.S.) and Canada, approximately 80 % of the population is urban, with Mexico slightly less (Kaiser Family Foundation 2013). Population growth combined with economic growth has fueled recent urban land expansion in North America. Between 1970 and 2000, urban land area expanded at a rate of 3.31 % (Seto
Authors
Timon McPhearson, Roger F. Auch, Marina Alberti
ASARCO Incorporated’s Car Project, 1990-94, western Gabbs Valley, Mineral Co., Nevada: precious metal exploration transitioned to geothermal exploration
No abstract available.
Authors
Peter G. Vikre, Fleetwood Koutz
Pesticides in amphibian habitats of Central and Northern California, USA
Previous studies have indicated that toxicity from pesticide exposure may be contributing to amphibian declines in California and that atmospheric deposition could be a primary pathway for pesticides to enter amphibian habitats. We report on a survey of California wetlands sampled along transects associated with Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, and Sequoia Nationa
Authors
Gary M. Fellers, W Sparling, Laura McConnell, Patrick M. Kleeman, Leticia Drakeford