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: 171780
Drought-vulnerability assessment of public water systems in West Virginia
Water withdrawn from rivers and streams accounts for approximately 80 percent of the public water supply in West Virginia. Localized and (or) seasonal droughts may threaten future water availability in the state, particularly in rural communities located in the headwaters of unregulated watersheds. Monthly water withdrawal data obtained from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Authors
Matthew R. Kearns, Kaycee E. Faunce, Terence Messinger
The late Pleistocene Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit, Misti Volcano, Arequipa, Peru: Its magma, eruption, and implications for past and future activity
Between 38.5 ka cal BP and 32.4 ka cal BP, a dacitic Volcanic Explosivity Index 5 eruption at Misti volcano emplaced the Sacarosa tephra-fall deposit. Its biotite phenocrysts, fine grain size, scarce lithics, and abundant loose crystals characterize the deposit at locations sampled. The eruption’s ~ 800 °C magma rose rapidly from ~ 10 km depth, culminating in a Plinian eruption which reached a mas
Authors
Christopher Harpel, JJ Cuno, Marie K. Takach, M. Rivera, Rigoberto Aguilar, Frank III Tepley, F. Garcia-Arenal
Predicting burn severity for integration with post-fire debris-flow hazard assessment: A case study from the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA
Background: Burn severity significantly increases the likelihood and volume of post-wildfire debris flows. Pre-fire severity predictions can expedite mitigation efforts because precipitation contributing to these hazards often occurs shortly after wildfires, leaving little time for post-fire planning and management.Aim: The aim of this study was to predict burn severity using pre-fire conditions o
Authors
Adam Gerhard Wells, Todd Hawbaker, John Kevin Hiers, Jason W. Kean, Rachel A. Loehman, Paul F. Steblein
Integrating remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify the effects of an extreme freeze event on black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) at the landscape scale
Climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Quantifying ecosystem responses to extreme events at the landscape scale is critical for understanding and responding to climate-driven change but is constrained by limited data availability. Here, we integrated remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify landscape-scale vegetation damage from an extrem
Authors
Melinda Martinez, Michael Osland, James B. Grace, Nicholas Enwright, Camille Stagg, Simen Kaalstad, Gordon Anderson, Anna R. Armitage, Just Cebrian, Karen L. Cummins, Richard Day, Donna J. Devlin, Kenneth H. Dunton, Laura Feher, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Elena A. Flores, Andrew From, A. Randall Hughes, David A. Kaplan, Amy K. Langston, Christopher J. Miller, Charles E. Proffitt, Nathan G.F. Reaver, Colt R. Sanspree, Caitlin M. Snyder, Andrew P. Stetter, Kathleen M. Swanson, Jamie E. Thompson, Carlos Zamora-Tovar
Editorial: Ecological and behavioral traits of apex predators in oceanic insular ecosystems: Advances and challenges in research and conservation
No abstract available.
Authors
Filipe Alves, Nuno Queiroz, Patrick Jodice
Native fish abundance and habitat selection changes in the presence of nonnative piscivores
We compared abundance patterns and developed resource selection models for imperilled native southwestern (USA) fishes in the presence and absence of Black Bass (Micropterus spp.) to evaluate how fishes alter their selection for habitats when sympatric with a nonnative piscivore. We collected data using snorkel surveys and in-stream habitat sampling in Fossil Creek (AZ), upstream (native fish only
Authors
Christopher J. Jenney, Javan Mathias Bauder, Scott A. Bonar
Assessing the suitability of YY males and ZZ females as an invasive species population control method across life histories
Natural resource managers use tools to control invasive species. In theory, stocking YY males or ZZ females would allow managers to skew sex ratios until populations collapse. In combination with other suppression methods, such as removal, this approach could be incorporated into Integrated Pest Management plans. For example, fishery managers have stocked YY males to control isolated non-native br
Authors
Richard A. Erickson, Hannah Mann Thompson, Stacie A. Kageyama, Grace M. Andriacchi, Aaron R. Cupp, Reynaldo Patiño, Jon Amberg
Effects of impoundments on selected flood-frequency and daily mean streamflow characteristics in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a long history of working cooperatively with the South Carolina Department of Transportation to develop methods for estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods for rural and urban streams that have minimal to no regulation or tidal influence. As part of those previous investigations, flood-frequency estimates also have been generated for selected streamga
Authors
Toby D. Feaster, Jonathan W. Musser
Effects of lead exposure on birds breeding in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District
Lead mining in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District began in the 1700s and continued for nearly 300 years; the waste piles associated with smelting, mining, and milling of lead ores have released metal residues that have contaminated soil and water in the region. Previous studies in the district have indicated potential harm to wildlife, including birds, because of elevated lead concentrati
Authors
Rebecka Brasso, Danielle M. Cleveland, Frank R. Thompson, David E. Mosby, Kathy Hixson, Melissa Roach, Barnett A. Rattner, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Julia S. Lankton
Best practices for distributing and deploying U.S. Geological Survey Shiny applications
A goal of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research is to create actionable science for U.S. Department of the Interior managers and partners. Properly managed and released software tools can quickly, accurately, and easily translate scientific results to aid managers’ decision-making. The USGS policies on software development and distribution affect how authors of USGS software products must navigat
Authors
Daniel F. Shryock, Micah C. Wright, Phillip J. van Mantgem, Todd C. Esque
Historical maps inform landform cognition in machine learning
No abstract available.
Authors
Samantha Arundel, Sinha Gaurav, Wenwen Li, David P. Martin, Kevin G McKeehan, Philip T. Thiem
Conservation at the nexus of niches: Multidimensional niche modeling to improve management of Prairie Chub
ObjectiveA central challenge in applied ecology is understanding how organisms are spatially and temporally distributed and how management might be tailored to maintain or restore species distributions. The niche concept is central to understanding species distributions, but the diversity of niche definitions requires that multiple dimensions be considered. For example, the Grinnellian niche conce
Authors
Zachary D. Steffensmeier, Shannon K. Brewer, Maeghen Wedgeworth, Trevor A. Starks, Anthony W. Rodger, Erin Nguyen, Joshuah S. Perkin