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: 171672
Diminishing productivity and hyperstable harvest in northern Wisconsin walleye fisheries
Managing fisheries in a changing socio-ecological environment may require holistic approaches for identifying and adapting to novel ecosystem dynamics. Using 32 years of Ceded Territory of Wisconsin (CTWI) walleye (Sander vitreus) data, we estimated production (P), biomass (B), biomass turnover (P/B), yield (Y), and yield over production (Y/P) and tested for hyperstability in walleye yield. Most C
Authors
Joseph T. Mrnak, Holly Susan Embke, Max V. Wilkinson, Steph L. Shaw, M. Jake Vander Zanden, Greg G. Sass
Disentangling genetic diversity of Myotis septentrionalis: population structure, demographic history, and effective population size
Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat) has recently suffered a >90% decline in population size in North America due to white-nose syndrome (WNS). We assessed genetic diversity, population structure, current effective population size, and demographic history of M. septentrionalis distributed across the United States to determine baseline levels pre-WNS. We analyzed RADseq data from 81 ind
Authors
Jenna R. Grimshaw, Deahn M. Donner, Roger W. Perry, W. Mark Ford, Alex Silvis, Carlos J. Garcia, Richard D. Stevens, David A. Ray
Permafrost history in the sporadic zone as context for recent carbon loss using acryostratigraphy, plant macrofossil, and stable isotope approach
Permafrost and landscape history, in addition to ground ice content, are increasingly identified as important components in predicting permafrost thaw trajectories. Together with cryostratigraphy, plant remains and stable isotopes can provide useful information about past permafrost aggradation and thaw. We applied these methods with radiocarbon dating on peat and permafrost cores in the sporadic
Authors
Miriam C. Jones, Lesleigh Anderson, Eva Anne Stephani, Benjamin M. Jones
Living with wildfire in Lake Wenatchee, Chelan County, Washington: 2022 Data report
Community wildfire readiness includes actions taken by residents, including wildfire risk mitigation at the parcel level and evacuation preparedness. This report presents results from two data collection efforts in the Lake Wenatchee Fire & Rescue service district in Chelan County, Washington: parcel level rapid wildfire risk assessments and household surveys sent to the owners of assessed parcel
Authors
Julia Goolsby, Patricia A. Champ, Suzanne Wittenbrink, Colleen Donovan, Kris King, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, James Meldrum, Christopher M. Barth, Carolyn Wagner, Chiara Forrester
Bottom trawl assessment of Lake Ontario's benthic preyfish community, 2023
Since 1978, surveys of Lake Ontario preyfish communities have provided information on the status and trends of the benthic preyfish community related to Fish Community Objectives that includes understanding preyfish population dynamics and community diversity. Beginning in 2015, the benthic preyfish survey expanded from US-only to incorporate Canadian sites, increasing the survey’s spatial coverag
Authors
Brian O'Malley, Scott P. Minihkeim, Olivia Margaret Mitchinson, Scott David Stahl, Jessica A Goretzke, Jeremy P. Holden
Methods for computing water-quality concentrations and loads at sites operated by the U.S. Geological Survey Kansas Water Science Center
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Kansas Water Science Center (KSWSC) has published time-series computations of water-quality concentrations and loads based on in situ sensor data since 1995. Water-quality constituent concentrations or densities are computed using regression models that relate in situ sensor values to laboratory analyses of periodically collected samples. These regression models c
Authors
Mandy L. Stone, Casey J. Lee, Teresa J. Rasmussen, Thomas J. Williams, Ariele R. Kramer, Brian J. Klager
Geolocators, stable isotopes, and citizen science identify migratory timing, route, and spring molt of Smith’s Longspurs
Climate change is having a disproportionate impact on the Arctic. For Arctic breeding birds, basic knowledge of their annual cycle, specifically the timing, route, and movement behavior of migration, is needed to understand when and where populations may experience threats. We used a combination of geolocators and stable isotope analysis to identify route and timing of migration in Smith’s Longspu
Authors
Alexis Will, Heather McFarland, Christopher Latty, Abby Powell
Identifying transportation data and system needs for a Federal lands transportation data platform
Executive SummaryModern transportation and land-use planning efforts include information from many sources to address topics such as safety, efficiency, commercial, and social needs. This wide breadth of topics provides opportunities for collaboration and development of common tools for diverse users. In many cases, different information systems provide the spatial data and geographic content nece
Authors
Daniel Manier, Nicholas (Cole) Grisham, Amit Armstrong, Elijah Henley, Jason Doolittle, Richard Inman
Assessment of conventional and continuous oil and gas resources in the Lewis Shale in the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming and Colorado, 2023
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional and continuous resources of 294 million barrels of oil and 11 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Lewis Shale in the Southwestern Wyoming Province, Wyoming and Colorado.
Authors
Jane S. Hearon, Christopher J. Schenk, Thomas M. Finn, Benjamin G. Johnson, Sarah E. Gelman, Jenny H. Lagesse, Cheryl A. Woodall, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Kira K. Timm, Ronald M. Drake, Andrea D. Cicero, Geoffrey S. Ellis, Michael H. Gardner, Phuong A. Le, Scott S. Young
Low-flow period seasonality, trends, and climate linkages across the United States
Low-flow period properties, including timing, magnitude, and duration, influence many key processes for water resource managers and ecosystems. We computed annual low-flow period duration and timing metrics from 1951 to 2020 for 1032 conterminous United States (CONUS) streamgages and analyzed spatial patterns, trends through time, and relationships to climate. Results show northwestern and eastern
Authors
Caelan Simeone, Gregory J. McCabe, Jory Seth Hecht, John C. Hammond, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Carolyn G. Olson, Michael Wieczorek, David M. Wolock
Forecasting inundation of catastrophic landslides from precursory creep
Forecasting landslide inundation upon catastrophic failure is crucial for reducing casualties, yet it remains a long-standing challenge owing to the complex nature of landslides. Recent global studies indicate that catastrophic hillslope failures are commonly preceded by a period of precursory creep, motivating a novel scheme to foresee their hazard. Here, we showcase an approach to hindcast lands
Authors
Yuankun Xu, R. Burgmann, David L. George, E..J. Fielding, G.X. Solis-Gordillo, D.B. Yanez-Borja
(Re)Discovering the seismicity of Antarctica: A new seismic catalog for the southernmost continent
We apply a machine learning (ML) earthquake detection technique on over 21 yr of seismic data from on‐continent temporary and long‐term networks to obtain the most complete catalog of seismicity in Antarctica to date. The new catalog contains 60,006 seismic events within the Antarctic continent for 1 January 2000–1 January 2021, with estimated moment magnitudes (Mw
) between −1.0 and 4.5. Most d
Authors
Andres F. Peña Castro, Brandon Schmandt, Jenny Sha Nakai, Richard C. Aster, Julien Chaput