Reports
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 82,000 reports 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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Update on U.S. Geological Survey Fundamental Science Practices
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fundamental Science Practices (FSP) are a set of standard principles fundamental to how USGS conducts and carries out its science activities and how resulting information products and data are reviewed, approved, and released. These policies, practices, philosophical premises, and operational principles serve as the foundation for all USGS research and monitoring
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in groundwater from the Great Miami buried-valley aquifer, southwestern Ohio, 2019–20
Groundwater samples were collected during 2019 and 2020 from 23 wells in the Great Miami buried-valley aquifer (GM-BVA) in southwestern Ohio by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Miami Conservancy District, Dayton, Ohio, to determine concentrations of selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The GM-BVA is a glacial outwash and alluvial fill aquifer that is the sole sou
Authors
Paul M. Buszka, Brian E. Mailot, Neal A. Mathes
Living with wildfire in Park County, Colorado 2021 data report
Wildfire affects many types of communities and is a particular concern for communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI), such as those of Park County, Colorado. The core intent of this project was to provide evidence to support the Platte Canyon Fire Protection District (PCFPD) and Fire Adapted Bailey in their wildfire mitigation and education programming. This report describes wildfire risk
Authors
Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Patricia A. Champ, Abby Elizabeth McConnell, Jamie Gomez, Christopher M. Barth, James Meldrum, Colleen Donovan, Carolyn Wagner, Julia Goolsby
Geospatial standard operating procedures of the Chesapeake Bay Program
Introduction The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has operated a geographic information system (GIS) program since the early 1990s to address the established and growing need for and use of geospatial data, maps, and analysis within the CBP Partnership. This report is intended to detail the standard operating procedures of the CBP GIS program and address the quality assurance, quality control, and oth
Authors
John C. Wolf, Labeeb Ahmed, Peter Claggett, Andrew Fitch, Frederick Irani, Sarah McDonald, David Strong, Renee Thompson, Zhaoying Wei
January 12, 2023 SCEC workshop, Dynamic Rupture TAG – Investigating new ideas in earthquake source mechanics(SCEC Project 22157)
The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) workshop “Dynamic Rupture TAG – Investigating New Ideas in Earthquake Source Mechanics” was convened on Zoom on January 12, 2023. A total of 60 people participated. Our workshop attendees included scientists from 28 institutions and 11 countries (United States of America, Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, China, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealan
Authors
Ruth A. Harris, Michael Barall
Simulation of genetic change under four removal strategies for a wild horse population
Small and/or artificially reduced populations can suffer genetic erosion with long-term consequences to population fitness and persistence. However, managers must periodically remove free-roaming horses from the landscape to reduce the risk of habitat degradation. We developed an individual-based population simulation model to evaluate the expected change in genetic diversity after 100 years under
Authors
Shawna J Zimmerman, Jennifer A. Fike, Sara J. Oyler-McCance
Application of geophysical methods to enhance aquifer characterization and groundwater-flow model development, Des Moines River alluvial aquifer, Des Moines, Iowa, 2022
Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) is one of the largest water providers in Iowa and as population growth continues, demand for drinking water is increasing. DMWW uses groundwater and surface water as raw water sources to supply the City of Des Moines and surrounding communities. In response to current and future demands, DMWW is in need of a thorough understanding of local groundwater resources, speci
Authors
Judith C. Thomas, Morgan A. Spring, Lance R. Gruhn, Emilia L. Bristow
Field techniques for fluorescence measurements targeting dissolved organic matter, hydrocarbons, and wastewater in environmental waters: Principles and guidelines for instrument selection, operation and maintenance, quality assurance, and data reporting
The use of field deployable fluorescence sensors by the U.S. Geological Survey has become increasingly common for a wide variety of surface water and groundwater investigations. This report addresses field deployable fluorometers that measure the fluorescence response of various substances in water exposed to incident light generated by the sensor. An introduction to the basic principles of field
Authors
Amanda Booth, Jacob Fleck, Brian A. Pellerin, Angela Hansen, Alexandra Etheridge, Guy M. Foster, Jennifer L. Graham, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kurt D. Carpenter, Bryan D. Downing, Stewart A. Rounds, JohnFranco Saraceno
Documenting Arctic sea ice dynamics with Global Fiducials Program imagery
For more than 25 years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has used the remote-sensing capabilities of United States National Imagery Systems (USNIS) to obtain high-resolution electro-optical imagery to monitor Earth’s response to global environmental change. A major focus has been monitoring sea ice behavior in the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas. In 1997 and 1998, under the direction of the Gl
Authors
Bruce F. Molnia, Earl M. Wilson
Assembly methods for an external acoustic transmitter attachment device for fish telemetry studies
The purpose of this report is to describe the assembly methods for an external acoustic transmitter attachment device that can be used during fish telemetry studies. External attachment is a simple procedure that can limit handling and reduce recovery times on fish. This report provides step-by-step directions to assemble devices; this assembly method can be used for telemetry studies where extern
Authors
Justin R. Smerud, Kim T. Fredricks, Mark P. Gaikowski, Aaron R. Cupp
Terrestrial invertebrate diversity and occurrence in restored hardwood forest floodplains, Indiana, United States, June–August 2016
This report provides a summary of terrestrial invertebrates collected at old field, mature, and restored hardwood forest floodplain sites in northeast Indiana. Invertebrate populations were sampled at selected sites using walking butterfly transects, pitfall-enhanced Malaise invertebrate traps (PEMITs), and sweep nets. We identified a total of 19 taxonomic groups of butterflies, with 1, 11, and 18
Authors
Janice L. Albers, Mark L. Wildhaber, Matthew A. Struckhoff, Daniel J. Westrich, Nicholas S. Green, Barry C. Poulton, Michael J. Hooper
2022 drought in New England
Introduction During April through September 2022, much of New England experienced a short but extreme hydrologic drought that was similar to the drought of 2020. By August 2022, Providence, Rhode Island, was declared a Federal disaster area, and New London and Windham counties in Connecticut were declared natural disaster areas. Mandatory water use restrictions were put in place in communities in
Authors
Dee-Ann E. McCarthy, James M. LeNoir, Pamela J. Lombard