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: 171207
Evaluating risks associated with capture and handling of mule deer for individual-based, long-term research
Capture and handling techniques for individual-based, long-term research that tracks the life history of animals by recapturing the same individuals for several years has vastly improved study inferences and our understanding of animal ecology. Yet there are corresponding risks to study animals associated with physical trauma or capture myopathy that can occur during or following capture events. R
Authors
Tayler N. LaSharr, Samantha P. H. Dwinnell, Brittany L. Wagler, Hall Sawyer, Rhiannon P. Jakopak, Anna C. Ortega, Luke R. Wilde, Matthew Kauffman, Katey S. Huggler, Patrick W. Burke, Miguel Valdez, Patrick Lionberger, Douglas G. Brimeyer, Brandon Scurlock, Jill Randall, Rusty C. Kaiser, Mark Thonhoff, Gary L. Fralick, Kevin L. Monteith
Lingering impacts of the 2014-2016 northeast Pacific marine heatwave on seabird demography in Cook Inlet, Alaska (USA)
A protracted period (2014-2016) of anomalously warm water in the northeast Pacific Ocean precipitated an extensive die-off of common murres Uria aalge (hereafter ‘murres’) during 2015-2016, accompanied by reduced colony attendance and reproductive success of murres and black-legged kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla (‘kittiwakes’) starting in 2015. Most murres died of starvation following a large-scale r
Authors
Sarah K. Schoen, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Caitlin Elizabeth Marsteller, John F. Piatt
Nesting and post-fledging predation risk influence diel patterns of songbird fledging
Among stages of avian ontogeny, the act of nest departure or fledging is an abrupt transition into a new environment and a major leap toward independence for offspring. In altricial birds, the timing of fledging is notable in that many species tend to fledge early in the morning. Past studies have proposed nest predation as a key factor driving birds to fledge earlier in the morning (the ‘survival
Authors
Todd M. Jones, Scott J. Chiavacci, Thomas J. Benson, Michael P. Ward
Occurrence, abundance, movement, and habitat associations of Bonneville Cutthroat Trout in tributaries to Bear Lake, Idaho-Utah
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout (BCT) Oncorhynchus clarkii utah in Bear Lake, Idaho–Utah, is an important endemic and recreational species and plays a vital ecological role in systems throughout the basin. Although the distribution and abundance of BCT have declined due to anthropogenic disturbances, production of wild BCT in Bear Lake has increased over the past decade as a result of extensive habitat
Authors
Megan Heller, Jeff Dillon, Michael Quist
Offspring sex ratios are male-biased reflecting sex-biased dispersal in Idaho, USA, wolves.
Offspring sex ratios can vary widely across species, and the reasons for such variation have long intrigued ecologists. For group-living animals, predicting offspring sex ratios as a function of group and environmental characteristics can be challenging. Additionally, mortality of group members can upend traditional theory used to explain offspring sex ratios observed in populations. Gray wolves (
Authors
David Edward Ausband
Puget small streams monitoring program annual status report, water year 2020
This status report summarizes data collection from Summer 2020 for the Stormwater Action Monitoring (SAM) project.
Authors
Rich W. Sheibley
The vegetation dynamics of the monsoonal wetland of the Keoladeo National Park, India: A reassessment
As a result of a field trip in 1980 to the monsoonal wetland of the Keoladeo National Park, India, which was organized by Dr. Brij Gopal, a study of the vegetation dynamics of this wetland was initiated. The original hypothesis for this study was that the seasonal vegetation changes caused by the annual summer monsoon was a compressed habitat cycle. Habitat cycles are a characteristic of prairie p
Authors
Arnold G. van der Valk, Beth Middleton
Prioritizing imperiled native aquatic species for conservation propagation
Native aquatic species are in decline, and hatcheries can play an important role in stemming these losses until larger ecological issues are addressed. However, as more federal and state agencies face budget uncertainty and the number of imperiled species increases, it is necessary to develop a tool to prioritize species for conservation propagation. Our objective was to create prioritized lists o
Authors
Molly A. H. Webb, Christopher S. Guy, Hilary B. Treanor, Krissy W. Wilson, Cassie D. Mellon, Paul Abate, Harry J. Crockett, Jordan Hofmeier, Chelsey Pasbrig, Patrick Isakson
GeoAI for spatial image processing
The development of digital image processing, as a subset of digital signal processing, depended upon the maturity of photography and image science, introduction of computers, discovery and advancement of digital recording devices, and the capture of digital images. In addition, government and industry applications in the Earth and medical sciences were paramount to the growth of the technology. Fr
Authors
Samantha Arundel, Kevin G McKeehan, Wenwen Li, Zhining Gu
Advancing subsurface investigations beyond the borehole with passive seismic horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio and electromagnetic geophysical methods at transportation infrastructure sites in New Hampshire
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT), surveyed transportation infrastructure sites using rapidly deployable geophysical methods to assess benefits added to a comprehensive site characterization with traditional geotechnical techniques. Horizontal-to-vertical spectral-ratio (HVSR) passive-seismic and electromagnetic-induction
Authors
James Degnan, Krystle Pelham, Neil Terry, Sydney M. Welch, Carole D. Johnson
A characterization of the deep-sea coral and sponge community along the Oregon Coast using a remotely operated vehicle on the EXPRESS 2022 expedition
Deep-sea coral and sponge (DSCS) communities serve as essential fish habitat (EFH) by providing shelter and nursery habitat, increasing diversity, and increasing prey availability (Freese and Wing, 2003; Bright, 2007; Baillon et al., 2012; Henderson et al., 2020). Off the U.S. West Coast, threats to these long-lived, fragile organisms from bottom contact fishing gear, potential offshore renewable
Authors
Tom Laidig, Diana Watters, Meredith Everett, Nancy G. Prouty, Elizabeth Clarke
Hawaiian volcanic ash, an airborne fomite for nontuberculous mycobacteria
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmentally acquired opportunistic pathogens that can cause chronic lung disease. Within the U.S., Hawai'i shows the highest prevalence rates of NTM lung infections. Here, we investigated a potential role for active volcanism at the Kīlauea Volcano located on Hawai'i Island in promoting NTM growth and diversity. We recovered NTM that are known to cause lun
Authors
Stephanie Dawrs, Ravleen Virdi, Grant Norton, Tamar Elias, Nabeeh Hasan, Schuyler Robinson, Jobel Matriz, L. Elaine Epperson, Cody Glickman, Sean Beagle, James L Crooks, Stephen T. Nelson, Edward Chan, David Damby, Michael Strong, Jennifer Honda