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.
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Spatially explicit models of full-season productivity and implications for landscape management of Golden-winged Warblers in the western Great Lakes Region
The relationship between landscape structure and composition and full-season productivity (FSP) is poorly understood for most birds. For species of high conservation concern, insight into how productivity is related to landscape structure and composition can be used to develop more effective conservation strategies that increase recruitment. We monitored nest productivity and fledgling survival of
Authors
Sean M. Peterson, Henry M. Streby, David E. Andersen
State-and-transition models: Conceptual versus simulation perspectives, usefulness and breadth of use, and land management applications
State-and-Transition Simulation Modeling (STSM) is a quantitative analysis method that can consolidate a wide array of resource management issues under a “what-if” scenario exercise. STSM can be seen as an ensemble of models, such as climate models, ecological models, and economic models that incorporate human dimensions and management options. This chapter presents STSM as a tool to help synthesi
Authors
Louis Provencher, Leonardo Frid, Christina Czembor, Jeffrey T. Morisette
Streamflow data
The importance of streamflow data to the world’s economy, environmental health, and public safety continues to grow as the population increases. The collection of streamflow data is often an involved and complicated process. The quality of streamflow data hinges on such things as site selection, instrumentation selection, streamgage maintenance and quality assurance, proper discharge measurement t
Authors
Robert R. Holmes
Streamflow ratings
Autonomous direct determination of a continuous time series of streamflow
is not economically feasible at present (2014). As such, surrogates are used to
derive a continuous time series of streamflow. The derivation process entails
developing a streamflow rating, which can range from a simple, single-valued
relation between stage and streamflow to a fully dynamic one-dimensional
model based o
Authors
Robert R. Holmes
Structural geometry of the Valley and Ridge and Plateaus provinces
The Valley and Ridge physiographic province comprises
the area between the Blue Ridge province on the east and the
Appalachian Plateau province on the west. The province consists
of Paleozoic carbonate and clastic rocks that were folded and
thrust faulted during the Alleghanian orogeny. The Appalachian Plateau
province consists of mostly flat lying to gently dipping upper
Paleozoic rocks, with the
Authors
Mark A. Evans, Randall C. Orndorff, William S. Henika
Subsidence induced by underground extraction
Subsidence induced by underground extraction is a class of human-induced (anthropogenic) land subsidence that principally is caused by the withdrawal of subsurface fluids (groundwater, oil, and gas) or by the underground mining of coal and other minerals.
Authors
Devin L. Galloway
Succession in wetlands
Succession refers to the change in vegetation over time driven by disturbances and the maturation of plant species. In wetlands, these disturbances include water and salinity level changes along other factors that can alter vegetation. The historical view of succession (Clementsian) was that vegetation change represented the linear progression of through stages of vegetation toward a climax state.
Authors
Beth A. Middleton
Tectonic tremor
Tectonic, non-volcanic tremor is a weak vibration of ground, which cannot be felt by humans but can be detected by sensitive seismometers. It is defined empirically as a low-amplitude, extended duration seismic signal associated with the deep portion (∼20–40 km depth) of some major faults. It is typically observed most clearly in the frequency range of 2–8 Hz and is depleted in energy at higher fr
Authors
David R. Shelly
The Bear River's history and diversion: Constraints, unsolved problems, and implications for the Lake Bonneville record: Chapter 2
The shifting course of the Bear River has influenced the hydrologic balance of the Bonneville basin through time, including the magnitude of Lake Bonneville. This was first recognized by G.K. Gilbert and addressed in the early work of Robert Bright, who focused on the southeastern Idaho region of Gem Valley and Oneida Narrows. In this chapter, we summarize and evaluate existing knowledge from this
Authors
Joel L. Pederson, Susanne U. Janecke, Marith C. Reheis, Darrell S. Kaufmann, Robert Q. Oaks
The biogeography of threatened insular iguanas and opportunities for invasive vertebrate management
Iguanas are a particularly threatened group of reptiles, with 61% of species at risk of extinction. Primary threats to iguanas include habitat loss, direct and indirect impacts by invasive vertebrates, overexploitation, and human disturbance. As conspicuous, charismatic vertebrates, iguanas also represent excellent flagships for biodiversity conservation. To assist planning for invasive vertebrate
Authors
Bernie R. Tershy, Kelly M. Newton, Dena R. Spatz, Kirsty Swinnerton, John B. Iverson, Robert N. Fisher, Peter S. Harlow, Nick D. Holmes, Donald A. Croll
The international scale of the groundwater issue
Throughout history, and throughout the world, groundwater has been a major source of water for sustaining human life. Use of this resource has increased dramatically over the last century. In many areas of the world, the balance between human and ecosystem needs is difficult to maintain. Understanding the international scale of the groundwater issue requires metrics and analysis at a commensurate
Authors
Michael Fienen, Muhammad Arshad
The story of rising voices: Facilitating collaboration between indigenous and western ways of knowing
Indigenous community self-determination, cultures, and ways of life are at high risk from climate change impacts and ecological dispossession. Partnerships between experts with backgrounds in Indigenous and western knowledge may be productive and effective ways to reduce vulnerability and foster resilience. This chapter examines collaborations among scientific and Native American, Alaska Native, a
Authors
Julie Maldonado, Heather Lazrus, Shiloh-Kay Bennett, Karletta Chief, Carla May Dhillon, Bob Gough, Linda Kruger, Jeffrey T. Morisette, Stefan Petrovic, Kyle P. Whyte