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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.

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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.

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Filter Total Items: 171816

Butler’s Gartersnake, Thamnophis butleri (Cope 1889)

No abstract available.
Authors
Eric Thomas Hileman, Danielle R. Bradke
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Massasauga, Sistrurus catenatus (Rafinesque 1818)

No abstract available.
Authors
Richard S. King, Robert W. Hay, Billie C. Harrison, Eric Thomas Hileman, Craig S. Berg
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Testing assumptions in the use of PIT tags to study movement of Plethodon salamanders

Studying the movements of organisms that live underground for at least a portion of their life history is challenging, given the state of current technology. Passive integrated transponders (PIT tags) provide a way to individually identify and, more recently, study the movement of smaller animals, including those that make subterranean movements. However, there are widespread assumptions of the us
Authors
Sean C Sterrett, Todd L. Dubreuil, Matthew J. O'Donnell, Adrianne Brand, Evan H. Campbell Grant
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

Research to inform passage spacing for migratory amphibians and to evaluate efficacy and designs for open elevated road segment (ERS) passages

This is a multifaceted project that includes three main areas of research targeted to inform effective crossing systems for migratory amphibians, a large group of species which are at very high risk from negative impacts from roads within their habitats (Glista et al. 2008, Hamer and McDonnell 2008, Semlitsch 2008, Brehme et al. 2018). The three projects presented in this report are:1) Movement di
Authors
Cheryl S. Brehme, Stephanie Barnes, Brittany Ewing, Cassie Vaughan, Michael Hobbs, Charles Tornaci, Philip Robert Gould, Sarah Holm, Hanna Sheldon, Robert N. Fisher
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Discovery and potential ramifications of reduced iron-bearing nanoparticles — Magnetite, wüstite, and zero-valent iron — In wildland–urban interface fire ashes

The increase in fires at the wildland–urban interface has raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of ash remaining after burning. Here, we examined the concentrations and speciation of iron-bearing nanoparticles in wildland–urban interface ash. Total iron concentrations in ash varied between 4 and 66 mg g−1. Synchrotron X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy of
Authors
Mohammed Baalousha, Morgane Desmau, Sheryl A. Singerling, Jackson P. Webster, Sandrine Matiasek, Michelle A. Stern, Charles N. Alpers
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Millennia-old coral holobiont DNA provides insight into future adaptive trajectories

Ancient DNA (aDNA) has been applied to evolutionary questions across a wide variety of taxa. Here, for the first time, we leverage aDNA from millennia-old fossil coral fragments to gain new insights into a rapidly declining western Atlantic reef ecosystem. We sampled four Acropora palmata fragments (dated 4215 BCE - 1099 CE) obtained from two Florida Keys reef cores. From these samples, we establi

Authors
Carly B. Scott, Anny Cárdenas, Matthew Mah, Vagheesh Narasimhan, Nadin Rohland, Lauren Toth, Christian Voostra, David Reich, Mikhail V Matz
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Winter severity affects occupancy of spring- and summer-breeding anurans across the eastern United States

AimClimate change is an increasingly important driver of biodiversity loss. The ectothermic nature of amphibians may make them particularly sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation regimes, adding to declines from other threats. While active season environmental conditions can influence growth and survival, effects of variation in winter conditions on population dynamics are less well
Authors
Sarah R. Weiskopf, Alexey N. Shiklomanov, Laura Thompson, Sarah Wheedleton, Evan H. Campbell Grant
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Optimizing survey design for shasta salamanders (Hydromantes spp.) to estimate occurrence in little-studied portions of their range

Shasta salamanders (collectively, Hydromantes samweli, H. shastae, and H. wintu; hereafter, Shasta salamander) are endemic to northern California in the general vicinity of Shasta Lake reservoir. Although generally associated with limestone, they have repeatedly been found in association with other habitats, calling into question the distribution of the species complex. Further limiting our knowle
Authors
Brian J. Halstead, Patrick M. Kleeman, Graziella Vittoria DiRenzo, Jonathan P. Rose
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Projecting flood frequency curves under near-term climate change

Flood-frequency curves, critical for water infrastructure design, are typically developed based on a stationary climate assumption. However, climate changes are expected to violate this assumption. Here, we propose a new, climate-informed methodology for estimating flood-frequency curves under non-stationary future climate conditions. The methodology develops an asynchronous, semiparametric local-
Authors
Chandramauli Awasthi, Stacey A. Archfield, Karen R. Ryberg, Julie E. Kiang, A. Sankarasubramanian
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Dakota Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project

The ​U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project combines decades of direct glaciological data with remote sensing data to advance the quantitative understanding of glacier-climate interactions. The global loss of glaciers, and consequent implications for water resources, sea level rise, and ecosystem function underscores the importance of U.S. Geological Survey glaciology research to facilit

Authors
Caitlyn Florentine, Lisa McKeon
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Alaska Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

An initial assessment of plankton tow detection probabilities for dreissenid mussels in the western United States

Early detection of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensis) is crucial to mitigating the economic and environmental impacts of an infestation. Plankton tow sampling is a common method used for early detection of dreissenid mussels, but little is known about the sampling intensity required for a high probability of early detection using the method. We used implicit dyn
Authors
Meaghan Winder, Adam Sepulveda, Andrew Hoegh
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center

Electrical imaging for hydrogeology

Geophysical methods offer hydrogeologists unprecedented access to understanding subsurface parameters and processes. In this book, we outline the theory and application of electrical imaging methods, which inject current into the ground and measure the resultant potentials. These data are sensitive to rock type, grain size, porosity, pore fluid electrical conductivity, saturation, and temperature.
Authors
Kamini Singha, Timothy C. Johnson, Frederick Day-Lewis, Lee D. Slater
By
Water Resources Mission Area
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