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.
Filter Total Items: 171207
Accurate maps of reef-scale bathymetry with synchronized underwater cameras and GNSS
We investigate the utility of towed underwater camera systems with tightly coupled Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positions to provide reef-scale bathymetric models with millimeter to centimeter resolutions and accuracies with Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry. Successful development of these techniques would allow for detailed assessments of benthic conditions, including the a
Authors
Gerald A. Hatcher, Jonathan Warrick, Christine J. Kranenburg, Andrew C. Ritchie
Movement and behavioral states of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in response to a behavioral deterrent in a navigational lock
Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most affected by biological invasions due, in part, to the introduction of invasive carp worldwide. Where carp have become established, management programs often seek to limit further range expansion into new areas by reducing their movement through interconnected rivers and waterways. Lock and dams are important locations for non-physical deterrents, such as
Authors
Maggie Jo Raboin, John Plumb, Matthew Sholtis, David Smith, P. Ryan Jackson, Jose Rivera, Cory D. Suski, Aaron R. Cupp
A one-dimensional volcanic plume model for predicting ash aggregation
During explosive volcanic eruptions, volcanic ash is ejected into the atmosphere, impacting aircraft safety and downwind communities. These volcanic clouds tend to be dominated by fine ash (<63 μm in diameter), permitting transport over hundreds to thousands of kilometers. However, field observations show that much of this fine ash aggregates into clusters or pellets with faster settling velocitie
Authors
Davis W. Hoffman, Larry G. Mastin, Alexa R. Van Eaton, Stephen A. Solovitz, Raul B. Cal, John K. Eaton
Soil salinity and water level interact to generate tipping points in low salinity tidal wetlands responding to climate change
Low salinity tidal wetlands (LSTW) are vulnerable to sea level rise and saltwater intrusion, thus their carbon sequestration capacity is threatened. However, the thresholds of rapid changes in carbon dynamics and biogeochemical processes in LSTW due to changes in hydroperiod and salinity regime remain unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of soil porewater salinity and water level on cha
Authors
Hongqing Wang, Ken Krauss, Gregory Noe, Zhaohua Dai, Carl C. Trettin
Climate vulnerability for a desert fish: Integrating hydrologic exposures, adaptive capacity, and growth potential
Climate vulnerability can be evaluated by multiple organismal responses. We developed a climate vulnerability framework focused on growth potential of redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberri). We employed a bioenergetics model to evaluate spatial variability in growth potential in relation to constraints on body size imposed by stream flow, physiological responses linked to variable thermal re
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason B. Dunham, Kara Anlauf-Dunn, Erika J. Eliason
Metabolically diverse microorganisms mediate methylmercury formation under nitrate-reducing conditions in a dynamic hydroelectric reservoir
Brownlee Reservoir is a mercury (Hg)-impaired hydroelectric reservoir that exhibits dynamic hydrological and geochemical conditions and is located within the Hells Canyon Complex in Idaho, USA. Methylmercury (MeHg) contamination in fish is a concern in the reservoir. While MeHg production has historically been attributed to sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogenic archaea, microorganisms carryin
Authors
Benjamin D. Peterson, Brett A. Poulin, David P. Krabbenhoft, Michael T. Tate, Austin K. Baldwin, Jesse Naymik, Nick Gastelecutto, Katherine D. McMahon
A genome assembly for the southern Pacific rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus helleri, in the western rattlesnake species complex
Rattlesnakes play important roles in their ecosystems by regulating prey populations, are involved in complex coevolutionary dynamics with their prey, and exhibit a variety of unusual adaptations, including maternal care, heat-sensing pit organs, hinged fangs, and medically-significant venoms. The western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) is one of the widest ranging rattlesnake species, with a dist
Authors
Erin P. Westeen, Merly Escalona, Matthew Holding, Eric Beraut, Colin Fairbairn, Mohan P. A. Marimuthu, Oanh Nguyen, Ralph Perri, Robert N. Fisher, Erin Toffelmier, H. Bradley Shaffer, Ian J. Wang
The Chesapeake Bay Land Change Model (CBLCM): Simulating future land use scenarios and potential impacts on water quality
The Chesapeake Bay Land Change Model (CBLCM) is an open-source pseudo-cellular automata land change model tailored for loose coupling with watershed models. The CBLCM simulates infill development, residential and commercial development, natural land and agricultural land conversion, and growth served by sewer or septic wastewater treatment. The CBLCM is unique among land change models by simulatin
Authors
Peter Claggett, Labeeb Ahmed, Frederick Irani, Sarah McDonald, Renee Thompson
Status of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, 2022—Testing and updating predictive models
The nesting biology and demography of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) along the lower Kashunuk River on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, were studied from 1993 to 2002. This previous work demonstrated that the breeding population on the study area was declining, and demographic modeling predicted that the population would continue to decline from 2002 forward. The predicted decline was pr
Authors
Paul L. Flint
Genetic erosion in an endangered desert fish during a multidecadal megadrought despite long-term supportive breeding
Human water use combined with a recent megadrought have reduced river and stream flow through the Southwestern United States and led to periodic drying of formerly perennial river segments. Reductions in snowmelt runoff and increased extent of drying collectively threaten short-lived, obligate aquatic species, including the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow. This species experiences ‘boom-and-b
Authors
Megan J. Osborne, Thomas P. Archdeacon, Charles Yackulic, Robert K. Dudley, Guilherme Caeiro-Dias, Thomas F. Turner
Techniques for estimating the magnitude and frequency of peak flows on small streams in Minnesota, excluding the Rainy River Basin, based on data through water year 2019
Annual peak-flow data collected at U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in Minnesota and adjacent areas of neighboring states of Iowa and South Dakota were analyzed to develop and update regional regression equations that can be used to estimate the magnitude and frequency of peak streamflow for ungaged streams in Minnesota, excluding the Lake of the Woods-Rainy River Basin upstream from Kenora, Ont
Authors
Christopher A. Sanocki, Sara B. Levin
Guidelines for calibration of uncrewed aircraft systems imagery
Executive SummaryThis report outlines quality assurance (QA) processes, including radiometric and geometric calibration guidelines, and guidelines for data acquisition and quality control to be followed by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers for acquiring and processing uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) data. These QA processes ensure that UAS data can be used for quantitative analysis and are
Authors
Aparajithan Sampath, Mahesh Shrestha, Michelle While, Victoria Mary Scholl