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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.

Filter Total Items: 171223

Distribution and abundance of Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus), Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus), and Coastal California Gnatcatchers (Polioptila californica californica) at the Santa Fe Dam, Los Angeles County, Cali

In 2022, we surveyed for Least Bell’s Vireos (Vireo bellii pusillus; vireo), Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher), and Coastal California Gnatcatchers (Polioptila californica californica; gnatcatcher) in the Santa Fe Dam detention basin and along the San Gabriel River upstream from the Santa Fe Dam near Irwindale, California. Four vireo surveys were completed be
Authors
Suellen Lynn, Barbara E. Kus

Effects of large-scale disturbance on animal space use: Functional responses by greater sage-grouse after megafire

Global change has altered the nature of disturbance regimes, and megafire events are increasingly common. Megafires result in immediate changes to habitat available to terrestrial wildlife over broad landscapes, yet we know surprisingly little about how such changes shape space use of sensitive species in habitat that remains. Functional responses provide a framework for understanding and predicti
Authors
Bryan S. Stevens, Shane Roberts, Courtney J. Conway, Devin K. Engelstead

Impact of wastewater treatment plant effluent on the winter thermal regime of two urban Colorado South Platte tributaries

Wastewater treatment plant effluent can increase stream water temperature from near freezing to 5°C–12°C in winter months. Recent research in the South Platte River Basin in Colorado showed that this warming alters the reproductive timing of some fishes. However, the spatial extent and magnitude of this warming are unknown. Thus, we created winter water temperature models both upstream and downstr
Authors
Catherine M. Adams, Dana L. Winkelman, Ryan M. Fitzpatrick

Predicting methane emissions and developing reduction strategies for a Central Appalachian Basin, USA, longwall mine through analysis and modeling of geology and degasification system performance

Coal mine methane is a safety concern in active mines due to explosion risk and an environmental concern due to the greenhouse gas (GHG) properties of methane emissions to the atmosphere. Depending on the mine design and operation, structural and stratigraphic characteristics of the geology, and the properties of coal beds affected by mining, a significant amount of methane can be released during
Authors
C. Özgen Karacan

Hidden in the hills: Phylogeny of the freshwater mussel genus Alasmidonta (Bivalvia: Unionidae) and description of a new species

Inaccurate taxonomy can lead to species in need of conservation being overlooked, which makes revisionary systematics crucially important for imperilled groups. The freshwater mussel genus Alasmidonta is one such group in need of study. Here, we take a multilocus phylogenetic approach to assess species-level taxonomy of Alasmidonta and test monophyly of this genus. Phylogenetic inference resulted
Authors
Nathan V. Whelan, Nathan Johnson, Ashantye' S. Williams, Michael A. Perkins, Caitlin E. Beaver, Jason W. Mays

The stratigraphy and stratigraphic nomenclature of the Goochland Terrane in the Piedmont Province of east-central Virginia

The Goochland terrane is a structurally isolated crustal block in the eastern Piedmont of Virginia. It is composed of the previously named State Farm Gneiss, Montpelier Anorthosite, Sabot Amphibolite, and Maidens Gneiss, but also includes the Scotchtown Gneiss, Teman Gneiss, and Old Bandana Gneiss which are formally named and defined herein. The eastern part of the Goochland terrane is antiformal
Authors
Robert E. Weems, Eleanora I. Robbins

Predicted aquatic exposure effects from a national urban stormwater study

A multi-agency study of 438 organic and 62 inorganic chemicals measured in urban stormwater during 50 total runoff events at 21 sites across the United States demonstrated that stormwater discharges can generate localized, aquatic exposures to extensive contaminant mixtures, including organics suspected to cause adverse aquatic-health effects. The aggregated risks to multiple aquatic trophic level
Authors
Paul M. Bradley, Kristin M. Romanok, Kelly L. Smalling, Jason R. Masoner, Dana W. Kolpin, Stephanie Gordon

Assessing large landscape patterns of potential fire connectivity using circuit methods

ContextMinimizing negative impacts of wildfire is a major societal objective in fire-prone landscapes. Models of fire connectivity can aid in understanding and managing wildfires by analyzing potential fire spread and conductance patterns. We define ‘fire connectivity’ as the landscape’s capacity to facilitate fire transmission from one point on the landscape to another.ObjectivesOur objective was
Authors
Erin K. Buchholtz, Jason R. Kreitler, Douglas J. Shinneman, Michele R. Crist, Julie A. Heinrichs

Time-lapse seafloor surveys reveal how turbidity currents and internal tides in Monterey Canyon interact with the seabed at centimeter-scale

Here we show how ultra-high resolution seabed mapping using new technology can help to understand processes that sculpt submarine canyons. Time-lapse seafloor surveys were conducted in the axis of Monterey Canyon, ∼50 km from the canyon head (∼1,840 m water depth) over an 18-month period. These surveys comprised 5-cm resolution multibeam bathymetry, 1-cm resolution lidar bathymetry, and 2-mm resol
Authors
Monica Wolfson-Schwehr, Charles K. Paull, David W. Caress, Roberto Gwiazda, Nora Maria Nieminski, Peter J. Talling, Cristian Carvajal, Stephen M. Simmons, Giancarlo Troni

User needs assessment for postfire debris-flow inundation hazard products

Debris flows are a type of mass movement that is more likely after wildfires, and while existing hazard assessments evaluate the rainfall intensities that are likely to trigger debris flows, no operational hazard assessment exists for identifying the areas where they will run out after initiation. Fifteen participants who work in a wide range of job functions associated with southern California po
Authors
Katherine R. Barnhart, Veronica Romero, Katherine R. Clifford

Planktic foraminifera

Planktic foraminifera are single-celled marine organisms that secrete calcium carbonate tests. They live in the ocean's photic zone, and when they die, their tests, each about the size of a grain of sand, collect on the ocean floor. The geographic distribution of planktic foraminifera is mostly governed by the temperature and salinity of the ocean surface, and species assemblages are generally arr
Authors
Harry J. Dowsett, Marci M. Robinson

Knowledge coproduction on the impact of decisions for waterbird habitat in a changing climate

Scientists, resource managers, and decision-makers increasingly use knowledge co-production to guide the stewardship of future landscapes under climate change. This process was applied in the California Central Valley, USA to solve complex conservation problems, where managed wetlands and croplands are flooded between fall and spring to support some of the largest concentrations of shorebirds and
Authors
Kristin B. Byrd, Elliott Matchett, Claudia Mengelt, Tamara S. Wilson, Deanne DiPietro, Monica Moritsch, Erin Conlisk, Sam Veloz, Michael L. Casazza, Matthew Reiter