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: 171804
Multi-decadal sandbar response to flow management downstream from a large dam—The Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons, Arizona
Sandbars are an important resource in the Colorado River corridor in Marble and Grand Canyons, Arizona, downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. Sandbars provide aquatic and riparian habitat and are used as campsites by river runners and hikers. The study area is the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Diamond Creek, which is about 388 kilometers (241 miles) downstream from the dam. Closure of Glen
Authors
Joseph E. Hazel, Matthew A. Kaplinski, Daniel Hamill, Daniel Buscombe, Erich R. Mueller, Robert P. Ross, Keith Kohl, Paul E. Grams
Mass wasting along the Cascadia subduction zone: Implications for abyssal turbidite sources and the earthquake record
The only submarine records of large (>Mw7) prehistoric earthquakes along the Cascadia subduction zone are derived from sequences of deep sea turbidites interpreted to represent synchronous, shaking-induced failures along the continental slope. However, the spatial correlation of these deposits along the margin is complicated and the chronological constraints involve significant uncertainties, rais
Authors
Jenna C. Hill, Janet Watt, Daniel S. Brothers
You vs. us: Framing adaptation behavior in terms of private or social benefits
Private actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change may have benefits to both the individual and society. In some cases, an individual may be motivated by appeals that highlight benefits to others, rather than to oneself. We test whether such prosocial framing influences information-seeking behavior to address wildfire risk among homeowners. In a field experiment across ten communities in west
Authors
Hilary Byerly Flint, Paul Cada, Patricia A. Champ, Jamie Gomez, Danny Margoles, James Meldrum, Hannah Brenkert-Smith
Remote sensing evaluation of winter cover crop springtime performance and the impact of delayed termination
In 2019, the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Winter Cover Crop Program introduced a delayed termination incentive (after May 1) to promote springtime biomass accumulation. We used satellite imagery calibrated with springtime in situ measurements collected from 2006–2021 (n = 722) to derive biomass estimates for Maryland fields planted to cereal cover crop species (286,200 ha total over two se
Authors
Alison Thieme, W. Dean Hively, Feng Gao, Jyoti Jennewein, Steven Mirsky, Alex M. Soroka, Jason Keppler, Dawn Bradley, Sergii Skakun, Gregory W. McCarty
Improving gas-derived parameterization of groundwater using free phase gas measurements
Dissolved atmogenic gasses in groundwater provide significant information about recharge conditions, flowpath, and age. Free phase gas in aquifers is largely ignored in these analyses and there is a lack of quantitative analysis for gas flux mechanisms. Many related fields encountering multiphase flow acknowledge that the presence of bubbles allows for the rapid exsolution of dissolved gasses and
Authors
Robert J Agnew, Andrew Hunt, Todd Halihan
Evaluation of sample preservation methods for analysis of selected volatile organic compounds in groundwater at the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho
During 2020, water samples were collected from 25 wells completed in the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer and from 1 well completed in perched groundwater above the aquifer at the Idaho National Laboratory to determine the effect of different sample-preservation methods on the laboratory determinations of concentrations of volatile organic compounds. Paired-sample sets were collected at each well
Authors
Kerri C. Treinen, Roy C. Bartholomay
Intra-site sources of restoration variability in severely invaded rangeland: Strong temporal effects of herbicide-weather interactions; weak spatial effects of plant-community patch type and litter
Invasions by exotic annual grasses (EAGs) are replacing native perennials in semiarid areas globally, including the vast sagebrush-steppe rangelands of western North America. Efforts to eradicate EAGs and restore perennials have had mixed success, especially in relatively warm and dry areas where EAGs had high dominance prior to intervention. Greater consideration of the ecological sources of vari
Authors
Rebecca Donaldson, Matthew Germino
In-reservoir physical processes modulate aqueous and biological methylmercury export from a seasonally anoxic reservoir
Anoxic conditions within reservoirs related to thermal stratification and oxygen depletion lead to methylmercury (MeHg) production, a key process governing the uptake of mercury in aquatic food webs. Once formed within a reservoir, the timing and magnitude of the biological uptake of MeHg and the relative importance of MeHg export in water versus biological compartments remain poorly understood. W
Authors
Austin K. Baldwin, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, James Willacker, Brett Poulin, David P. Krabbenhoft, Jesse Naymik, Michael T. Tate, Dain Bates, Nick Gastelecutto, Charles Hoovestol, Christopher F. Larsen, Alysa Muir Yoder, James A. Chandler, Ralph Myers
Combining eddy covariance and chamber methods to better constrain CO2 and CH4 fluxes across a heterogeneous restored tidal wetland
Tidal wetlands play an important role in global carbon cycling by storing carbon in sediment at millennial time scales, transporting dissolved carbon into coastal waters, and contributing significantly to global CH4 budgets. However, these ecosystems' greenhouse gas monitoring and predictions are challenging due to spatial heterogeneity and tidal flooding. We utilized eddy covariance and chamber m
Authors
Julie Shahan, Housen Chu, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Maiyah Matsumura, Joseph Carlin, Elke Eichelmann, Ellen J Goodrich-Stuart, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Kyle Kensuke Nakatsuka, Cove Sturtevant, Patty Oikawa
Evaluation of select velocity measurement techniques for estimating discharge in small streams across the United States
Multiple instruments and methods exist for collecting discrete streamflow measurements in small streams with low flows, defined here as less than 5.7 m3/s (200 ft3/s). Included in the available methods are low-cost approaches that are infrequently used, in part, because their uncertainty is not well known. In this work, we evaluated the accuracy and suitability of three low-cost velocity measureme
Authors
Tyler Victor King, Stephen Hundt, Amy E. Simonson, Kyle W. Blasch
Distribution and abundance of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) on the Upper San Luis Rey River, San Diego County, California—2021 data summary
We surveyed for Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus; flycatcher) along the upper San Luis Rey River near Lake Henshaw in Santa Ysabel, California, in 2021. Surveys were completed at four locations: three downstream from Lake Henshaw, where surveys occurred from 2015 to 2020 (Rey River Ranch [RRR], Cleveland National Forest [CNF], Vista Irrigation District [VID]), and one at
Authors
Scarlett L. Howell, Barbara E. Kus
Mars Science Laboratory CheMin data from the Glen Torridon region and the significance of lake-groundwater interactions in interpreting mineralogy and sedimentary history
The Glen Torridon (GT) region is positioned in terrains with strong clay mineral signatures, as inferred from orbital spectroscopy. The GT campaign confirmed orbital distinctions with in situ measurements by the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, and the CheMin X-ray diffraction instrument with of some of the highest clay mineral abundances to date. Additionally, GT is unique because of dis
Authors
Michael T. Thorpe, T. F. Bristow, E. Rampe, Nicholas Tosca, John P. Grotzinger, Kristen A. Bennett, C. N. Achilles, D. F. Blake, S. J. Chipera, G. Downs, R. T. Downs, S. M. Morrison, V. Tu, N. Castle, P. Craig, D. J. Des Marais, R. M. Hazen, D. W. Ming, R. V. Morris, A. H. Treiman, D. T. Vaniman, A. S. Yen, A. R. Vasavada, Erwin Dehouck, J. Bridges, J.O. Berger, Amy McAdam, T. Peretyazhko, K. Siebach, A. B. Bryk, V. F. Fox, Christopher M. Fedo