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: 171224
Flow–recruitment relationships for Shoal Chub and implications for managing environmental flows
ObjectiveRegulation of river flow regimes by dams and diversions impacts aquatic biota and ecosystems globally. However, our understanding of the ecological consequences of flow alteration and ecological benefits of flow restoration lags behind our ability to manipulate flows, and there is a need for broader development of flow–ecology relationships. Approaches for establishing flow–ecology relati
Authors
Joshuah S. Perkin, Matthew Ross Acre, Johnathan K. Ellard, Anthony W. Rodger, Joe Trungale, Kirk O. Winemiller, Lauren E. Yancy
Predicting probabilities of late summer surface flow presence in a glaciated mountainous headwater region
Accurate mapping of streams that maintain surface flow during annual baseflow periods in mountain headwater streams is important for informing water availability for human consumption and is a fundamental determinant of in-channel conditions for stream-dwelling organisms. Yet accurate mapping that captures local spatial variability and associated local controls on surface flow presence is limited.
Authors
Kristin Jaeger, Roy Sando, Sarah B. Dunn, Andrew S. Gendaszek
Survival rates of band-tailed pigeons estimated using passive integrated transponder tags
Obtaining survival estimates on the Interior population of band-tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata) is challenging because they are trap shy, but the joint use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and bands is a potential solution. We investigated the use of PIT tags to passively recapture band-tailed pigeon at 3 locations in New Mexico, USA, to estimate survival. From 2013–2015, we capt
Authors
Daniel P. Collins, Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Scott A. Carleton, William L. Kendall, Christopher L. Coxen
Conservation genomics reveals low connectivity among populations of threatened roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) in the Atlantic Basin
While the effects of barriers to dispersal such as population declines, habitat fragmentation, and geographic distance have been well-documented in terrestrial wildlife, factors impeding the dispersal of highly vagile taxa such as seabirds are less well understood. The roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) is a globally distributed seabird species, but populations tend to be both fragmented and small, a
Authors
Paige A. Byerly, R. Terry Chesser, Robert C. Fleischer, Nancy McInerney, Natalia Przelomska, Paul S Leberg
An evaluation of avian influenza virus whole-genome sequencing approaches using nanopore technology
As exemplified by the global response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, whole-genome sequencing played an important role in monitoring the evolution of novel viral variants and provided guidance on potential antiviral treatments. The recent rapid and extensive introduction and spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in Europe, North America, and elsewhere raises the need for similarly rapid se
Authors
Hon S. Ip, Sarah Uhm, Mary Lea Killian, Mia K. Torchetti
Combining local, landscape, and regional geographies to assess plant community vulnerability to invasion impact
Invasive species science has focused heavily on the invasive agent. However, management to protect native species also requires a proactive approach focused on resident communities and the features affecting their vulnerability to invasion impacts. Vulnerability is likely the result of factors acting across spatial scales, from local to regional, and it is the combined effects of these factors tha
Authors
Ines Ibáñez, Lais Petri, David Barnett, Evelyn M. Beaury, Dana M. Blumenthal, Jeff Corbin, Jeffrey M. Diez, Jeffrey Dukes, Reagan Early, Ian Pearse, Cascade J. B. Sorte, Montserrat Vila, Bethany A. Bradley
Hydrologic compartmentalization and analytic-element groundwater-flow simulations for a draining mine tunnel
Draining mine tunnels contribute contaminants to groundwater and surface water, but remediation strategies may be hindered as hydrogeologic characterization and modeling of these heterogeneous features generally relies on sparse data sets. The Captain Jack mine site in Colorado, USA, presents a unique data set allowing for temporal evaluation of groundwater connectivity in the vicinity of an aband
Authors
Connor P. Newman
Outlining potential biomarkers of exposure and effect to critical minerals: Nutritionally essential trace elements and the rare earth elements
Emerging and low-carbon technologies and innovations are driving a need for domestic sources, sustainable use, and availability of critical minerals (CMs)—those vital to the national and economic security of the United States. Understanding the known and potential health effects of exposures to such mineral commodities can inform prudent and environmentally responsible handling and harvesting. We
Authors
Jill Jenkins, MaryLynn Musgrove, Sarah Jane White
Building a library of source samples for sediment fingerprinting – Potential and proof of concept
PurposeSediment fingerprinting of fluvial targets has proven useful to guide conservation management and prioritize sediment sources for Federal and State supported programs in the United States. However, the collection and analysis of source samples can make these studies unaffordable, especially when needed for multiple drainage basins. We investigate the potential use of source samples from a b
Authors
Tanja N. Williamson, Faith Fitzpatrick, Rebecca Kreiling
Waterfowl recently infected with low pathogenic avian influenza exhibit reduced local movement and delayed migration
Understanding relationships between infection and wildlife movement patterns is important for predicting pathogen spread, especially for multispecies pathogens and those that can spread to humans and domestic animals, such as avian influenza viruses (AIVs). Although infection with low pathogenic AIVs is generally considered asymptomatic in wild birds, prior work has shown that influenza-infected b
Authors
Claire S. Teitelbaum, Michael L. Casazza, Fiona McDuie, Susan E. W. De La Cruz, Cory T. Overton, Laurie Anne Hall, Elliott Matchett, Josh T. Ackerman, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Andrew M. Ramey, Diann Prosser
Does post-fire recovery of native grasses across abiotic-stress and invasive-grass gradients match theoretical predictions, in sagebrush steppe?
Interactions among species can strongly affect how plant communities reassemble after disturbances, and variability among native and invasive species across environmental gradients must be known in order to manage plant-community recovery. The stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH) predicts species interactions will be more positive in abiotically stressful conditions and conversely, more negative in be
Authors
Christopher R. Anthony, Matthew Germino
Analysis of the United States documented unplugged orphaned oil and gas well dataset
In coordination with the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and in response to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produced a documented unplugged orphaned oil and gas well dataset (called the DOW dataset hereafter) that contains the location and status of these wells nationwide as of 2022. The DOW dataset includes 117,672 wells across 27 states. The data
Authors
Matthew D. Merrill, Claire A. Grove, Nicholas J. Gianoutsos, Philip A. Freeman