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: 171813
Seismic sources in the aleutian cradle of tsunamis
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert C. Witter, Richard W. Briggs, Tina Dura, Simon E. Engelhart, Alan Nelson
A study on the effect of site response on California seismic hazard map assessment
Prior studies have repeatedly shown that probabilistic seismic hazard maps from several different countries predict higher shaking than that observed. Previous map assessments have not, however, considered the influence of site response on hazard. Seismologists have long acknowledged the influence of near-surface geology, in particular low-impedance sediment layers, on earthquake ground-motion at
Authors
Molly M. Gallahue, Leah Marschall Salditch, Madeleine C. Lucas, James S. Neely, Seth Stein, Norman A. Abrahamson, Tessa Williams, Susan E. Hough
Wind turbine wakes can impact down-wind vegetation greenness
Global wind energy has expanded 5-fold since 2010 and is predicted to expand another 8–10-fold over the next 30 years. Wakes generated by wind turbines can alter downwind microclimates and potentially downwind vegetation. However, the design of past studies has made it difficult to isolate the impact of wake effects on vegetation from land cover change. We used hourly wind data to model wake and n
Authors
James E. Diffendorfer, Melanie K. Vanderhoof, Zachary H. Ancona
A hierarchical approach to fish conservation in semiarid landscapes: A need to understand multiscale environmental relationships
A multiscale perspective is essential for conservation planning of riverine fishes. Coarse-scale habitat (e.g., basis) can influence both finer-scale habitat characteristics (e.g., reaches and microhabitat) and associated species distributions. Finer-scale management and habitat rehabilitation efforts can fail without the consideration of coarser-scale constraints. We provide a conceptual hierarch
Authors
Robert Michael Mollenhauer, Shannon K. Brewer, Desiree Moore, Dusty Swedberg, Maeghen Wedgeworth
Insights on multistage rock avalanche behavior from runout modeling constrained by seismic inversions
Inversion of low-frequency regional seismic records to solve for a time series of bulk forces exerted on the earth by a landslide (a force-time function) is increasingly being used to infer volumes and dynamics of large, highly energetic landslides, such as rock avalanches and flowslides, and to provide calibration information on event dynamics and volumes for numerical landslide runout models. Mu
Authors
Andrew Mitchell, Kate E. Allstadt, David L. George, Jordan Aaron, Scott McDougall, Jeffrey R. Moore, Brian Menounous
Astrochronology of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum on the Atlantic Coastal Plain
The chronology of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ~56 Ma) remains disputed, hampering complete understanding of the possible trigger mechanisms of this event. Here we present an astrochronology for the PETM carbon isotope excursion from Howards Tract, Maryland a paleoshelf environment, on the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain. Statistical evaluation of variations in calcium content and magnet
Authors
Mingsong Li, Timothy J. Bralower, Lee R. Kump, Jean Self-Trail, James C. Zachos, William D. Rush, Marci M. Robinson
The effects of cheatgrass invasion on US Great Basin carbon storage depend on interactions between plant community composition, precipitation seasonality, and soil climate regime
Annual-grass invasions are transforming desert ecosystems in ways that affect ecosystem carbon (C) balance, but previous studies do not agree on the pattern, magnitude and direction of changes. A recent meta-analysis of 41 articles and 386 sites concludes that invasion by annual grasses such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L) reduces C in biomass across the Great Basin (Nagy et al., 2021). Reanalys
Authors
Toby M Maxwell, Matthew J. Germino
Diet energy density estimated from isotopes in predator hair associated with survival, habitat, and population dynamics
Sea ice loss is fundamentally altering the Arctic marine environment. Yet there is a paucity of data on the adaptability of food webs to ecosystem change, including predator-prey interactions. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are an important subsistence resource for Indigenous people and an apex predator that relies entirely on the under-ice food web to meet their energy needs. Here, we assessed whe
Authors
Karyn D. Rode, Brian D. Taras, Craig A. Stricker, Todd C. Atwood, Nicole P Boucher, George M. Durner, Andrew E. Derocher, Evan S. Richardson, Seth Cherry, Lori T. Quakenbush, Lara Horstmann, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin
Decision-making for managing harmful algal blooms
Cyanobacteria are a global water-quality
concern because these organisms can develop into
harmful blooms that affect ecologic, economic, and
public health.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists worked with
the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation and the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation to
develop a structured decision-making template for
managing
Authors
Jennifer L. Graham
Evaluating acid-aluminum stress in streams of the Northeastern U.S. at watershed, fish community and physiological scales
In spite of overall improvements in air and water quality, biological stress from low pH and high concentrations of inorganic aluminum continue to impact fish and fish habitat in northeastern North America, with independent and interactive effects on individuals, populations and communities. Integrative indicators can therefore be useful in monitoring both impact and recovery across multiple scale
Authors
Benjamin J Zdasiuk, Celia Y. Chen, Stephen D. McCormick, Keith H. Nislow, Joel G Singley, John T. Kelly
Inventory of eelgrass (Zostera marina) and seaweeds at the end of the Alaska Peninsula, August–September 2012:
Coastal communities in Alaska are undergoing rapid environmental change from increasing temperatures and baseline data are needed to monitor potential impacts. We conducted the first surveys of the abundance and distribution of eelgrass (Zostera marina) and seaweeds in the western part of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge at the end of the Alaska Peninsula. Six embayments and two offshore islands w
Authors
David H. Ward, Kyle R. Hogrefe, Tyronne F. Donnelly, Neils C. Dau, Orville Lind, Kevin J. Payne, Sandra C. Lindstrom
Eelgrass (Zostera marina) and seaweed abundance along the coast of Nunivak Island, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2010
Eelgrass (<em>Zostera marina</em>) is a highly productive seagrass that plays an essential role in the health of the estuarine and coastal ecosystems; however, information about its abundance and distribution is insufficient in the Bering Sea along the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. We inventoried the spatial extent and abundance of eelgrass and seaweed in Duchikthluk and Shoal bays on Nuni
Authors
David H. Ward, Kyle R. Hogrefe, Tyrone F. Donnelly, Lucretia L. Fairchild