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.
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Mega-depressions on the Cocos Ridge: Links between volcanism, faults, hydrothermal circulation, and dissolution
High-resolution bathymetry and 3D seismic data along the Cocos Ridge reveal a 245 km2 field of ∼1 to 4 km in diameter seafloor depressions. The seafloor depressions are part of a two-tiered honeycomb pattern. The lower-tier depressions have steep faults that truncate strata with chaotic internal reflections consistent with sediment collapse into the depression. These extend into a lens shaped inte
Authors
Jared W. Kluesner, Eli Silver, Nathaniel Bangs, César Ranero, Stephanie Nale, James Gibson, Kirk McIntosh
Mapping the altitude of the top of the Dockum Group and paleochannel analysis using surface geophysical methods on and near Cannon Air Force Base in Curry County, New Mexico, 2020
The hydrogeology on and near Cannon Air Force Base (AFB) in eastern New Mexico was assessed to gain a better understanding of preferential groundwater flow paths through paleochannels. In and near the study area, paleochannels incised the top surface of the Dockum Group (Chinle Formation) and were subsequently filled in with electrically resistive coarse-grained sediments of the overlying Ogallala
Authors
Jason D. Payne, Andrew P. Teeple, Jeremy McDowell, David Wallace, Walker A. Hancock
Community for data integration 2020 annual report
The Community for Data Integration is a community of practice whose purpose is to advance the data integration capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey. In fiscal year 2020, the Community for Data Integration held 11 monthly forums, facilitated 13 collaboration areas, and supported 13 projects. The activities supported the broad U.S. Geological Survey priority of producing building blocks for do
Authors
Leslie Hsu, Amanda N. Liford, Grace C. Donovan
Temporal segregation in spawning between native Yellowstone cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout
Hybridisation with introduced taxa poses a threat to native fish populations. Mechanisms of reproductive isolation can limit or prevent hybridisation between closely related species. Understanding how these mechanisms interact between the same species across geographically distinct occurrences of secondary contact, and how regional factors influence them, can inform our understanding of hybridisat
Authors
John M. Fennell, William C. Rosenthal, Catherine E. Wagner, Jason C. Burckhardt, Annika W. Walters
By land, air, and water — U.S. Geological Survey science supporting fish and wildlife migrations throughout North America
Countless species of animals—big game, birds, bats, insects, amphibians, reptiles, and fish—migrate to reach suitable habitats to feed, reproduce, and raise their young. Animal migrations developed over millennia commonly follow migration corridors—unique routes for each species—to move among seasonal habitats. Changes along those corridors, whether from human development (buildings, roads, dams)
Authors
Mona Khalil, Mark Wimer, David H. Hu, Michael J. Adams, Melanie J. Steinkamp, Suzanna C. Soileau
Population genetics reveals bidirectional fish movement across the Continental Divide via an interbasin water transfer
Interbasin water transfers are becoming an increasingly common tool to satisfy municipal and agricultural water demand, but their impacts on movement and gene flow of aquatic organisms are poorly understood. The Grand Ditch is an interbasin water transfer that diverts water from tributaries of the upper Colorado River on the west side of the Continental Divide to the upper Cache la Poudre River on
Authors
Audrey Harris, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Jennifer A. Fike, Matthew P Fairchild, Christopher M Kennedy, Harry J Crockett, Dana L. Winkelman, Yoichiro Kanno
Evaluating the use of video cameras to estimate bridge scour potential at four bridges in southwestern Montana
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation, installed cameras and large-scale particle image velocimetry (LSPIV) recording equipment at four sites where the U.S. Geological Survey and Montana Department of Transportation are monitoring bridge scour using other methods. Determination of stream velocities is an important component of hydraulic engineerin
Authors
Daniel W. Armstrong, Stephen R. Holnbeck, Katherine J. Chase
Characterizing mauka-to-makai connections for aquatic ecosystem conservation on Maui, Hawaiʻi
Mauka-to-makai (mountain to sea in the Hawaiian language) hydrologic connectivity – commonly referred to as ridge-to-reef – directly affects biogeochemical processes and socioecological functions across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems. The supply of freshwater to estuarine and nearshore environments in a ridge-to-reef system supports the food, water, and habitats utilized by marine fau
Authors
Ella Wilmot, Jesse P. Wong, Yinphan Tsang, Abigail Lynch, Dana M. Infante, Kirsten L. L. Oleson, Ayron Strauch, Hannah Clilverd
Ecological status and trends of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers
Executive SummaryThis report assesses the status and trends of selected ecological health indicators of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) based on the data collected and analyzed by the Long Term Resource Monitoring element of the Upper Mississippi River Restoration program, supplemented with data from other sources. This report has four objectives: providing a brief introduction of the UM
An invasive prey provides long-lasting silver spoon effects for an endangered predator
The natal environment can have long-term fitness consequences for individuals, particularly via ‘silver spoon’ or ‘environmental matching’ effects. Invasive species could alter natal effects on native species by changing species interactions, but this potential remains unknown. Using 17 years of data on 2588 individuals across the entire US breeding range of the endangered snail kite (Rostrhamus s
Authors
Caroline L. Poli, Ellen P. Robertson, Julien Martin, Abby Powell, Robert J. Fletcher Jr.
A global ensemble of ocean wave climate statistics from contemporary wave reanalysis and hindcasts
There are numerous global ocean wave reanalysis and hindcast products currently being distributed and used across different scientific fields. However, there is not a consistent dataset that can sample across all existing products based on a standardized framework. Here, we present and describe the first coordinated multi-product ensemble of present-day global wave fields available to date. This d
Authors
Joao Morim, Li H. Erikson, Mark Hemer, Ian Young, Xiaochun Wang, Nobuhito Mori, T. Shimura, Justin Stopa, Claire Trenham, Lorenzo Mentaschi, S. Gulev, V.D. Sharmar, L. Bricheno, Judy Wolf, Ole Aarnes, Paula Camus, J Bidlot, A. Semedo, B. Reguero, T. Wahl
River bathymetry retrieval from Landsat-9 images based on neural networks and comparison to SuperDove and Sentinel-2
The Landsat mission has kept an eye on our planet, including water bodies, for 50 years. With the launch of Landsat-9 and its onboard Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2) in September 2021, more subtle variations in brightness (14-bit dynamic range) can be captured than previous sensors in the Landsat series (e.g., 12-bit Landsat-8). The enhanced radiometric resolution of OLI-2 appeals to the aquatic
Authors
Milad Niroumand-Jadidi, Carl J. Legleiter, Francesca Bovolo