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
UAS-Based Observations of Infrasound Directionality at Stromboli Volcano, Italy
Infrasound (low frequency sound waves) can be used to monitor and characterize volcanic eruptions. However, infrasound sensors are usually placed on the ground, thus providing a limited sampling of the acoustic radiation pattern that can bias source size estimates. We present observations of explosive eruptions from a novel uncrewed aircraft system (UAS)-based infrasound sensor platform that was s
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Richard M. Buzard, David Fee, Robin S. Matoza, Julia E. Gestrich, Arthur Din Jolly, Markus Schmid, Valeria Cigala, Ulrich Kueppers, Caron E.J. Vossen, Corrado Cimarelli, Giorgio Lacanna, Maurizio Ripepe
Estimates of predator densities using mobile DIDSON surveys: Implications for survival of Central Valley Chinook Salmon
The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (hereafter, “the Delta”) is one of the estuaries with the most invasive species in the world, and nonnative predators may be a major factor in the observed decline of Central Valley Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha over recent decades. In order for managers to take actions that might reduce predation-related mortality for these ecologically, culturally, and
Authors
Mark J. Henderson, Chris Loomis, Cyril Michel, Joe Smith, Ilysa Iglesias, Brendan Lehman, David Huff
Value-aligned planning objectives for restoring North Carolina aquatic resources
Rapid population growth and development in the southeastern United States have resulted in substantial impairment to freshwater aquatic ecosystems. National or regional restoration policies strive to address impaired ecosystems but can suffer from inconsistent and opaque processes. The Clean Water Act, for example, establishes reallocation mechanisms to transfer ecosystem services from sites of di
Authors
Ana María García, Mitchell Eaton, Georgina M. Sanchez, Jennifer L. Keisman, Kirsten Ullman, James Blackwell
Using neutral landscape models to evaluate the umbrella species concept in an ecotone
ContextSteep declines in North American rangeland biodiversity have prompted researchers and managers to use umbrella species as a tool to manage diverse suites of co-occurring wildlife, but efficacy of this method has been variable. Evaluation of prairie and shrubland grouse as umbrellas is typically restricted to observed overlap between umbrella and background species, but this approach does no
Authors
Courtney Duchardt, Adrian P. Monroe, David R. Edmunds, Matthew James Holloran, Alison G. Holloran, Cameron L. Aldridge
A conceptual framework for estimation of initial emergency food and water resource requirements in disasters
Many households lack the necessary food and water supplies to sustain themselves for more than three days during a disaster. Community vulnerability assessments can be used to identify households with more pressing needs for emergency food and water resources. It is critical that these assessments include the interaction between physical impacts to lifeline infrastructure and the social vulnerabil
Authors
Joseph Charles Toland, Anne Wein, An-Min Wu, Lauryn Spearing
Inferring pathogen presence when sample misclassification and partial observation occur
Surveillance programmes are essential for detecting emerging pathogens and often rely on molecular methods to make inference about the presence of a target disease agent. However, molecular methods rarely detect target DNA perfectly. For example, molecular pathogen detection methods can result in misclassification (i.e. false positives and false negatives) or partial detection errors (i.e. detecti
Authors
Evan H. Campbell Grant, Riley O. Mummah, Brittany A. Mosher, Jonah Evans, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo
Model-based assessment and mapping of total phosphorus enrichment in rivers with sparse reference data
Water nutrient management efforts are frequently coordinated across thousands of water bodies, leading to a need for spatially extensive information to facilitate decision making. Here we explore potential applications of a machine learning model of river low-flow total phosphorus (TP) concentrations to support landscape nutrient management. The model was trained, validated, and then applied for a
Authors
Peter C. Esselman, R Jan Stevenson
Climate change and the global redistribution of biodiversity: Substantial variation in empirical support for expected range shifts
BackgroundAmong the most widely predicted climate change-related impacts to biodiversity are geographic range shifts, whereby species shift their spatial distribution to track their climate niches. A series of commonly articulated hypotheses have emerged in the scientific literature suggesting species are expected to shift their distributions to higher latitudes, greater elevations, and deeper dep
Authors
Madeleine A. Rubenstein, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Romain Bertrand, Shawn Carter, Lise Comte, Mitchell Eaton, Ciara G. Johnson, Jonathan Lenoir, Abigail Lynch, Brian W. Miller, Toni Lyn Morelli, Mari Angel Rodriguez, Adam Terando, Laura Thompson
Shorebird monitoring using spatially explicit occupancy and abundance
Loss of habitat and human disturbance are major factors in the worldwide decline of shorebird populations, including that of the threatened migratory piping plover (Charadrius melodus). From 2013 to 2018, we conducted land-based surveys of the shorebird community every other week during the peak piping plover season (September to March). We assessed the ability of a thin plate spline occupancy mod
Authors
Eve Bohnett, Jessica Schulz, Robert C. Dobbs, Thomas Hoctor, Dave Hulse, Bilal Ahmad, Wajid Rashid, Hardin Waddle
A Fisherman's Tale: An unusual observation of the Ozark Cavefish, Troglichthys (= Amblyopsis) Rosae (Eigenmann)
Troglichthys (= Amblyopsis) rosae (Ozark Cavefish) is currently known from 83 locations within the Ozark Highlands ecoregion. We found a cavefish at a new location in the Grand Lake O' the Cherokees on the western side of the Neosho River (Delaware County, OK), which is on the northwest periphery of the Ozark Cavefish range. Examination of the mitochondrial ND2 gene supports that the specimen is a
Authors
Joshua. B. Mouser, Josh Johnston, Matthew L. Niemiller, Shannon K. Brewer
Evaluating regional length limits in freshwater fisheries
Length limits are often used in recreational fisheries management to prevent overharvest and manipulate fish size distributions. These regulations are ideally customized to meet water-specific stock dynamics and fishery objectives. However, in districts with numerous discrete waters, fisheries are commonly managed with a universal regional regulation. Evaluating alternative regional length limits
Authors
Andrew C. Shamaskin, Michael E. Colvin, Leandro E. Miranda
Climate change risks to freshwater subsistence fisheries in Arctic Alaska: Insights and uncertainty from broad whitefish Coregonus nasus
Arctic freshwater ecosystems and fish populations are largely shaped by seasonal and long-term watershed hydrology. In this paper, we hypothesize how changing air temperature and precipitation will alter freeze and thaw processes, hydrology, and instream habitat to assess potential indirect effects, such as the change to the foraging and behavioral ecology, on Arctic fishes, using Broad Whitefish
Authors
Jason C. Leppi, Daniel J. Rinella, Mark S. Wipfli, Anna K. Liljedahl, Andrew C. Seitz, Jeffrey A. Falke