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
Improving temporal frequency of Landsat surface temperature products using the gap-filling algorithm
Remotely sensed surface temperature (ST) has been widely used to monitor and assess landscape thermal conditions, hydrologic modeling, and surface energy balance. Landsat thermal sensors have continuously measured the Earth surface thermal radiance since August 1982. The thermal radiance measurements are atmospherically compensated and converted to Landsat STs and delivered as part of the U.S. Geo
Authors
George Z. Xian, Hua Shi, Saeed Arab, Chase Mueller, Reza Hussain, Kristi Sayler, Danny Howard
Decoupling of species and plant communities of the U.S. Southwest: A CCSM4 climate scenario example
Climate change is predicted to alter the current climate suitability under which plant species and communities occur. Predictions of change have focused on individual species or entire communities, but theory indicates plants will not respond uniformly to climate change within or between communities. We developed models of the current climate suitability (the baseline) of 66 plant species characte
Authors
Kathryn A. Thomas, Brett A. Stauffer, Christopher J. Jarchow
Effect of thermal and mechanical processes on hydraulic transmissivity evolution
Fracture healing is a critical component of enhanced geothermal systems, the earthquake cycle, and induced seismicity. Accordingly, there is significant interest in understanding the process of healing and its effects on fluid transport. The creation, reactivation, and sustainability of fracture networks depend on complex coupling among thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, and chemical processes. We us
Authors
Tamara Nicole Jeppson, David A. Lockner, Joshua M. Taron, Diane E. Moore, Brian D. Kilgore, Nicholas M. Beeler, Stephen H. Hickman
A comparison of direct & indirect survey methods for estimating colonial nesting waterbird populations
Population estimates derived from monitoring efforts can be sensitive to the survey method selected, potentially leading to biased estimates and low precision relative to true population size. While small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) present a unique opportunity to survey avian populations while limiting disturbance, relatively little is known about how this method compares with more traditional
Authors
Diann Prosser, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Christopher J. Gilbert, David F. Brinker, Peter C. McGowan, Carl R. Callahan, Ben Hutzell, Laurence E. Smith
Genetic diversity and IUCN Red List status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List is an important and widely used tool for conservation assessment. The IUCN uses information about a species’ range, population size, habitat quality and fragmentation levels, and trends in abundance to assess extinction risk. Genetic diversity is not considered, although it affects extinction risk. Declining populations are more st
Authors
Chloe Schmidt, Sean M. Hoban, Margaret Hunter, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Colin J. Garroway
eDNA Metabarcoding Analyses of Diet in Yellow-Billed Loons of Northern Alaska
Environmental DNA is a burgeoning tool used to address wide-ranging scientific questions, including determining diets of difficult-to-sample predators. Loons are large piscivorous diving birds that capture and consume prey underwater, making it nearly impossible to visually determine their diet via observation alone. Identifying species' diets is important for understanding basic life history trai
Authors
Damian M. Menning, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Melanie J. Flamme, Trey Simmons, Joel Schmutz, Sandra Talbot
Mapping ancient sedimentary organic matter molecular structure at nanoscales using optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy
Elucidating the molecular structure of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) is key to understanding petroleum generation processes, as well as ancient sedimentary environments. SOM structure is primarily controlled by biogenic source material (e.g., marine vs. terrigenous), depositional conditions, and subsurface thermal history. Additional factors, e.g., strain, may also impact the molecular structur
Authors
Aaron M. Jubb, Martha (Rebecca) Stokes, Ryan J. McAleer, Paul C. Hackley, Eoghan Dillion, Jing Qu
Peak Cenozoic warmth enabled deep-sea sand deposition
The early Eocene (~ 56–48 million years ago) was marked by peak Cenozoic warmth and sea levels, high CO2, and largely ice-free conditions. This time has been described as a period of increased continental erosion and silicate weathering. However, these conclusions are based largely on geochemical investigation of marine mudstones and carbonates or study of intermontane Laramide basin settings. Her
Authors
Zachary FM Burton, Tim McHargue, Christopher H. Kremer, Richard B Bloch, Jared T. Gooley, Chayawan Jailka, Jake Harrington, Stephan A. Graham
Declines in body size of sockeye salmon associated with increased competition in the ocean
Declining body sizes have been documented for several species of Pacific salmon; however, whether size declines are caused mainly by ocean warming or other ecological factors, and whether they result primarily from trends in age at maturation or changing growth rates remain poorly understood. We quantified changes in mean body size and contributions from shifting size-at-age and age structure of m
Authors
Jan Ohlberger, Timothy Joseph Cline, Daniel Schindler, Bert Lewis
The Volcanic Hazard Maps Database: An initiative of the IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk
In this work we present the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk (CVHR) Volcanic Hazard Maps Database and the accompanying volcanichazardmaps.org website. Using input from a series of IAVCEI CVHR Working Group on Hazard Mapping workshops, we developed a classification scheme and terminology framework for cat
Authors
Sarah E. Ogburn, Danielle Charlton, Diana Norgaard, Heather M. Wright, Eliza S. Calder, Jan Lindsay, John W. Ewert, Shinji Takarada, Yasuhisa Tajima
Applications of nonergodic site response models to ShakeAlert case studies in the Los Angeles area
In this study, we explore whether the Parker and Baltay (2022) site response models for the Los Angeles (LA) basin region can improve ground‐motion forecasts in the U.S. Geological Survey ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system (hereafter ShakeAlert). We implement the peak ground acceleration and peak ground velocity site response models of Parker and Baltay (2022) in ShakeAlert via the earthqu
Authors
Rongrong Lin, Grace Alexandra Parker, Jeffrey McGuire, Annemarie S. Baltay
Bluegill population demographics as related to abiotic and biotic factors in Florida lakes
Research on Bluegills, Lepomis macrochirus R., is abundant but typically focuses on water bodies with similar environmental conditions. We assessed Bluegill density, relative abundance (catch per unit effort [CPUE] by electrofishing), growth, and size structure in 60 lakes with wide-ranging surface areas (2–12,412 ha), trophic states (oligotrophic–hypereutrophic), and macrophyte abundances (0.3–10
Authors
Andrew Kenneth Carlson, Mark V. Hoyer