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
Biophysical drivers for predicting the distribution and abundance of invasive yellow sweetclover in the Northern Great Plains
ContextYellow sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis; YSC) is an invasive biennial legume that bloomed across the Northern Great Plains in 2018–2019 in response to above-average precipitation. YSC can increase nitrogen (N) levels and potentially cause substantial changes in the composition of native plant species communities. There is little knowledge of the spatiotemporal variability and conditions c
Authors
Sakshi Saraf, Ranjeet John, Reza Goljani Amirkhiz, Venkatesh Kolluru, Khushboo Jain, Matthew B. Rigge, Vincenzo Giannico, Stephen P. Boyte, Jiquan Chen, Geoffrey M. Henebry, Meghann Jarchow, Raffaele Lafortezza
Genesis of the Questa Mo porphyry deposit and nearby polymetallic mineralization, New Mexico, USA
The Oligocene Latir magmatic center in northern New Mexico is an exceptionally well-exposed volcanoplutonic complex that hosts a variety of magmatic-hydrothermal deposits, ranging from relatively deep, F-rich porphyry Mo mineralization to shallower epithermal deposits. We present new whole-rock chemical and isotopic data for plutonic rocks from the Latir magmatic center, including extensive sampli
Authors
Sean P. Gaynor, Joshua Mark Rosera, Drew S. Coleman
Dense geophysical observations reveal a triggered, concurrent multi-fault rupture at the Mendocino Triple Junction
A central question of earthquake science is how far ruptures can jump from one fault to another, because cascading ruptures can increase the shaking of a seismic event. Earthquake science relies on earthquake catalogs and therefore how complex ruptures get documented and cataloged has important implications. Recent investments in geophysical instrumentation allow us to resolve increasingly complex
Authors
William L. Yeck, David R. Shelly, Dara Elyse Goldberg, Kathryn Zerbe Materna, Paul S. Earle
Periodical cicada emergences affect masting behavior of oaks
Oaks (Quercus spp.) are masting species exhibiting highly variable and synchronized acorn production. We investigated the hypothesis that periodical cicadas (Magicada spp.), well known to have strong effects on the ecosystems in which they occur, affect acorn production of oaks through their xylem feeding habits as nymphs, the oviposition damage they inflict as adults during emergences, or the nut
Authors
Walter D. Koenig, Andrew Leibhold, Jalene LaMontagne, Ian Pearse
Assessing Escherichia coli and microbial source tracking markers in the Rio Grande in the South Valley, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 2020–21
The Rio Grande, in southern Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a Clean Water Act Section 303(d) Category 5 impaired reach for Escherichia coli (E. coli). The reach is 5 miles in length, extending from Tijeras Arroyo south to the Isleta Pueblo boundary. An evaluation of E. coli and microbial source tracking markers (human-, canine-, and waterfowl-specific sources) was conducted by the U.S. Geological Surv
Authors
Rebecca E. Travis, Kate Wilkins, Christopher M. Kephart
Cross-sectional associations between drinking water arsenic and urinary inorganic arsenic in the US: NHANES 2003-2014
Background: Inorganic arsenic is a potent carcinogen and toxicant associated with numerous adverse health outcomes. The contribution of drinking water from private wells and regulated community water systems (CWSs) to total inorganic arsenic exposure is not clear.
Objectives: To determine the association between drinking water arsenic estimates and urinary arsenic concentrations in the 2003-2014
Authors
Maya Spaur, Melissa Lombard, Joseph D. Ayotte, Benjamin C. Bostick, Steven N. Chillrud, Ana Navas-Acien, Anne E. Nigra
Assessing stormwater control measure inventories from 23 cities in the United States
Since the 1987 Clean Water Act Section 319 amendment, the United States Government has required and funded the development of nonpoint source pollution programs with about $5 billion dollars. Despite these expenditures, nonpoint source pollution from urban watersheds is still a significant cause of impaired waters in the United States. Urban stormwater management has rapidly evolved over recent de
Authors
Benjamin Choat, Amber Pulido, Aditi S. Bhaskar, Rebecca Hale, Harry X. Zhang, Thomas Meixner, Lauren McPhillips, Kristina G. Hopkins, Jennifer Cherrier, Chingwen Cheng
Maximum clutch size of an invasive Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) in Florida, USA
Native to southeastern Asia, the Burmese Python (Python bivittatus Kuhl 1820) is an invasive species established in southern Florida (Snow et al. 2007; Krysko et al. 2016; Krysko et al. 2019). Pythons are documented as having negative effects on the Greater Everglades Ecosystem and they have proven to be a complex problem for managers trying to control populations (Guzy et al. 2023). This species
Authors
Andrea Faye Currylow, Teah Evers, Gretchen Erika Anderson, Lisa Marie McBride, Matthew McCollister, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Christina Romagosa, Kristen Hart, Amy A. Yackel Adams
Providing a framework for seagrass mapping in United States coastal ecosystems using high spatial resolution satellite imagery
Seagrasses have been widely recognized for their ecosystem services, but traditional seagrass monitoring approaches emphasizing ground and aerial observations are costly, time-consuming, and lack standardization across datasets. This study leveraged satellite imagery from Maxar's WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 high spatial resolution, commercial satellite platforms to provide a consistent classificat
Authors
Megan Coffer, David Graybill, Peter Whitman, Blake Schaeffer, Wilson Salls, Richard C Zimmerman, Victoria Hill, Marie Cindy Lebrasse, Jiang Li, Keith Darryl, Jim Kaldy, Philip D. Colarusso, Gary Raulerson, David H. Ward, Judson Kenworthy
Assessing potential habitat for freshwater mussels by transferring a habitat suitability model within the Ozark Ecoregion, Missouri
Habitat suitability models for freshwater mussels can inform conservation of these imperiled animals. Riverscape-scale hydrogeomorphic variables were previously used to predict suitable mussel habitat in the Meramec River basin, Missouri. We evaluated transferability of the Meramec River habitat suitability model to the Gasconade and Little Black rivers, in the Ozark Highlands ecoregion, Missouri.
Authors
Jordan H. Hartman, Amanda E. Rosenberger, Kayla N. Key, Garth A. Lindner
Community and citizen science on the Elwha River: Past, present, and future
This report reflects on the past, present, and potential future of community and citizen science (CCS) in the Elwha River watershed, with particular focus on the years before and after a major restoration event: the removal of two dams that had impacted the river system for a century. We ask: how does CCS feature in the Elwha story and how could it feature? We use the term CCS to reference the bro
Authors
M. V. Eitzel, Sarah A. Morley, Chelsea Behymer, Ryan Meyer, Anna Kagley, Heidi L. Ballard, Christopher Jadallah, Jeffrey J. Duda, Laurel Jennings, Ian M. Miller, Justin Stapleton, Anne Shaffer, Allyce Miller, Patrick B. Shafroth, Barbara Blackie
Invasive Brook Stickleback Culaea inconstans minimally alters the trophic ecology of four native fishes in Wyoming, USA
Invasive species introductions are a primary threat facing populations of native freshwater fishes. There are multiple mechanisms by which an invader can affect native species, with competition for food resources being one mechanism that can lead to declines in the distribution and abundance of native species. Invaders that are trophic generalists may cause shifts in the trophic ecology of native
Authors
Jacob S. Ruthvena, Annika W. Walters