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.
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Science Quality and Integrity
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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.
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Hindcast of Hurricane Sally impacts on barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico
We performed XBeach and ADIRC+SWAN model simulations of Hurricane Sally over Dauphin and Petit Bois Islands off the Alabama-Mississippi coast to evaluate the morphologic response. Simulated water levels compared well with NOAA tide gauge observations to the east of Dauphin Island with a high model skill of 0.9. In addition, the XBeach model results of water levels, mean current speeds and signific
Authors
Donya P. Frank-Gilchrist, Davina Passeri, Matthew V. Bilskie
Evaluating Muskellunge catch-and-release mortality at elevated summer water temperature
Angling for Muskellunge Esox masquinongy has become widespread and increasingly popular. Management strategies for Muskellunge include high minimum harvest lengths (>1016mm), closed seasons, and catch-and-release regulations. Due to these strategies and angler behaviors, up to 97% of Muskellunge caught are released, and anglers assume these fish survive to be caught again in the future. Previous r
Authors
Ian Taylor Booth, Kyle J. Hartman, Derek P. Crane, Jeff L. Hansbarger, Jordan Weeks, Josh Henesy, Heather L. Walsh, Jeffrey C. Williams
Grassland management priorities for the North Central Region
Executive SummaryUnderstanding how climate change and variability will impact grassland ecosystems is crucial for successful grassland management in the 21st century. In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (USGS NC CASC) began a project to establish a baseline of information to best serve grassland managers (that is, those who develop grassland manageme
Synthesis of climate and ecological science to support grassland management priorities in the North Central Region
Grasslands in the Great Plains are of ecological, economic, and cultural importance in the United States. In response to a need to understand how climate change and variability will impact grassland ecosystems and their management in the 21st century, the U.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center led a synthesis of peer-reviewed climate and ecology literature relevant
Authors
Christine D. Miller Hesed, Heather M. Yocum, Imtiaz Rangwala, Amy Symstad, Jeff M. Martin, Kevin Ellison, David J. A. Wood, Marissa Ahlering, Katherine J. Chase, Shelley Crausbay, Ana D. Davidson, Julie L. Elliott, Jim Giocomo, David Hoover, Toni Klemm, David A. Lightfoot, Owen P. McKenna, Brian W. Miller, Danika Mosher, R. Chelsea Nagy, Jesse B. Nippert, Jeremy Pittman, Lauren M. Porensky, Jilmarie Stephens, Alexander V. Zale
Potential drivers of change in fluxes of nutrients and total suspended solids in the upper White River Basin, Indiana, Water Years 1997–2019
The U.S. Geological Survey and The Nature Conservancy previously collaborated to evaluate changes and trends in the concentrations and flux of nutrients (total phosphorus, as phosphorus; nitrate plus nitrite, as nitrogen; and total Kjeldahl nitrogen, as nitrogen) and total suspended solids (TSS) at three study gages located on the upper White River at Muncie, near Nora, and near Centerton, Indiana
Authors
G.F. Koltun, Cassie Hauswald
Trends in environmental, anthropogenic, and water-quality characteristics in the upper White River Basin, Indiana
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy, undertook a study to update and extend results from a previous study (Koltun, 2019, https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195119), using data from 3 additional years and newer estimation methods. Koltun (2019) assessed trends in streamflow, precipitation, and estimated annual mean concentrations and flux of nitrate plus nitrite,
Authors
G.F. Koltun
Coordinating science during an eruption: Lessons from the 2020–2021 Kīlauea volcanic eruption
Data collected during well-observed eruptions can lead to dramatic increases in our understanding of volcanic processes. However, the necessary prioritization of public safety and hazard mitigation during a crisis means that scientific opportunities may be sacrificed. Thus, maximizing the scientific gains from eruptions requires improved planning and coordinating science activities among governmen
Authors
Kari M. Cooper, Kyle R. Anderson, Kathy Cashman, Michelle L. Coombs, Hannah R. Dietterich, Tobias Fischer, Bruce F. Houghton, Ingrid Johanson, Kendra J. Lynn, Michael Manga, Christelle Wauthier
Secondary forest within a timber plantation concession in Borneo contributes to a diverse mammal assemblage
Commercial tree plantations of fast-growing species have become increasingly important in Southeast Asia to meet global demand for wood and wood fiber products. There is a growing need to understand more about their value for wildlife and how they can be managed for biodiversity. We evaluated the effects of landscape attributes on mammal communities in a timber concession consisting of 83 % second
Authors
Wilvia Olivia William, Frank T. van Manen, Stuart P. Sharp, Shyamala Ratnayeke
Evaluation of hydrologic processes in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer using uranium and strontium isotopes, Idaho National Laboratory, eastern Idaho
Waste constituents discharged to the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) pose risks to the water quality of the aquifer. To understand these risks, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the DOE, is conducting geochemical studies to better understand the hydrologic processes at the INL that affect the movement of groundw
Authors
Gordon W. Rattray, James B. Paces
Determining three-dimensional hydrologic processes in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer using geochemical mass-balance modeling, Idaho National Laboratory, eastern Idaho, with contributions by Treinen, K.C.
Waste constituents discharged to the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) pose risks to the water quality of the aquifer. To understand these risks, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the DOE, used geochemical mass-balance modeling to identify three-dimensional hydrologic processes in that portion of the aquifer under
Authors
Gordon W. Rattray
The 2022 Hunga-Tonga megatsunami: Near-field simulation of a once-in-a-century event
The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcanic eruption in January 2022 generated catastrophic tsunami and contends for the largest natural explosion in more than a century. The main island, Tongatapu, suffered waves up to 17 m, and Tofua Island suffered waves up to 45 m, comfortably placing HTHH in the “megatsunami” league. We present a tsunami simulation of the Tongan Archipelago calibrated by fi
Authors
Sam Purkis, Steven N Ward, Nathan M. Fitzpatrick, James B. Garvin, Dan Slayback, Shane J. Cronin, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Alexandra Dempsey
Vital rates of a burgeoning population of Humpback Chub in western Grand Canyon
The Colorado River ecosystem has experienced habitat alterations and non-native species invasions, and as a result, many of its native species have experienced extirpations, abundance declines, and range constrictions. Despite these pitfalls, Humpback Chub, Gila cypha, have persisted and, in the last 10-15 years, expanded their range to become abundant in western Grand Canyon, a river segment in w
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, Charles Yackulic, Mariah Aurelia Giardina, David R. Van Haverbeke, Michael D. Yard