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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Habitat and dissolved organic carbon modulate variation in the biogeochemical drivers of mercury bioaccumulation in dragonfly larvae at the national scale
We paired mercury (Hg) concentrations in dragonfly larvae with water chemistry in 29 U.S. national parks to highlight how ecological and biogeochemical context (habitat, dissolved organic carbon [DOC]) influence drivers of Hg bioaccumulation. Although prior studies have defined influences of biogeochemical variables on Hg production and bioaccumulation, it has been challenging to determine their i
Authors
Sarah J. Nelson, James Willacker, Collin Eagles-Smith, Colleen M Flanagan Pritz, Celia Y. Chen, Amanda J Klemmer, David P. Krabbenhoft
Site fidelity of migratory shorebirds facing habitat deterioration: Insights from satellite tracking and mark-resighting
BackgroundSite fidelity, the tendency to return to a previously visited site, is commonly observed in migratory birds. This behaviour would be advantageous if birds returning to the same site, benefit from their previous knowledge about local resources. However, when habitat quality declines at a site over time, birds with lower site fidelity might benefit from a tendency to move to sites with bet
Authors
Ying-Chi Chan, David Tsz-Chung Chan, Lee Tibbitts, Chris J. Hassell, Theunis Piersma
Assessing microplastics contamination in unviable loggerhead sea turtle eggs
Sea turtles, in comparison with marine mammals, sea birds, and fishes, are the most affected by microplastics in terms of number of individuals impacted and concentration within each organism. The ubiquitous nature and persistence of microplastics in the environment further compromises sea turtles as many species are currently vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. The objective of this
Authors
Lindsay F. Curl, Samantha A. Hurst, Christopher M. Pomory, Margaret Lamont, Alexis M. Janosik
Water-level data for the Albuquerque Basin and adjacent areas, central New Mexico, period of record through September 30, 2022
The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were obtained prima
Authors
Meghan T. Bell, N.Y. Montero
Using an open-source tool to develop a three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework of the Kobo Valley, Ethiopia
Groundwater resource management requires understanding the groundwater basin’s hydrogeology and would be improved with the development of a three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework model (HFM). A wide range of methods and software exist to quantify the extent, structure, and properties of geologic systems. However, most geologic software is proprietary and cost-prohibitive for use in developing c
Authors
Sisay Simachew Mekonen, Scott E. Boyce, Abdella K. Mohammed, Markus Disse
Mapping development preferences on the perceived value of ecosystem services and land use conflict and compatibility in Greater Kuala Lumpur
Rapid and unplanned development can diminish the social values for ecosystem services associated with urban landscapes. Tropical Global South cities, such as Greater Kuala Lumpur (GKL), Malaysia, that are highly biodiverse, are particularly vulnerable to the fragmentation and loss of natural ecosystems. This study investigates the social values for ecosystem services in GKL, a rapidly urbanising m
Authors
Karen T. Lourdes, Chris N. Gibbins, Benson C. Sherrouse, Darius J. Semmens, Perrine Hamel, Ruzana Sanusi, Badrul Azhar, Jay Diffendorfer, Alex M. Lechner
Nitrate-nitrogen and total phosphorus river loads
Nitrate-nitrogen and total phosphorus loads from the major rivers draining Illinois were updated through the 2021 water year (Figure 3.1). Beginning with the 2023 biennial update to the Illinois NLRS, nutrient loads were estimated using data from the U.S. Geological Survey continuous monitoring stations rather than the original Illinois EPA monitoring stations. To maintain consistency with previou
Authors
Timothy O. Hodson
Evaluating water-quality conditions in the mainstem and tidal reaches of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts, June to September 2020
In summer and early fall (June to September) 2020, water-quality data were collected at 13 stations along the mainstem of the Merrimack River and into the Merrimack River estuary. The data are allocated among three different datasets: discrete water sample data, discrete vertical profile data, and continuous data. The collective purpose of these datasets is to enable assessment of the overall wate
Authors
Kaitlin Laabs, Casey Beaudoin, Jason R. Sorenson, Alex Bissell
Effects of temperature on viral load, inclusion body formation, and host response in Pacific Herring with viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN)
ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of temperature on viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) progression under controlled conditions. Secondarily, this study was intended to evaluate the combined effects of temperature and VEN on the Pacific Herring Clupea palasii transcriptome.MethodsThe effects of temperature on VEN progression were assessed by waterborne exposur
Authors
Joanne Elizabeth Salzer, Justin Blaine Greer, Maya Groner, Ashley MacKenzie, Jacob L. Gregg, Paul Hershberger
The magmatic origin of the Columbia River Gorge, USA
Along subduction zones, high-relief topography is associated with sustained volcanism parallel to the plate margin. However, the relationship between magmatism and mountain building in arcs is poorly understood. Here, we study patterns of surface deformation and correlated fluvial knickpoints in the Columbia River Gorge to link long-term magmatism to the uplift and ensuing topographic development
Authors
Nathaniel Klema, Leif Karlstrom, Charles M. Cannon, Chengxin Jiang, Jim E. O'Connor, Ray Wells, Brandon Schmandt
Legacy sediment as a potential source of orthophosphate: Preliminary conceptual and geochemical models for the Susquehanna River, Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
Nutrient pollution from agriculture and urban areas plus acid mine drainage (AMD) from legacy coal mines are primary causes of water-quality impairment in the Susquehanna River, which is the predominant source of freshwater and nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay. Recent increases in the delivery of dissolved orthophosphate (PO4) from the river to the bay may be linked to long-term increases in
Authors
Charles A. Cravotta, Travis L. Tasker, Peter M. Smyntek, Joel Blomquist, John Clune, Qian Zhang, Noah Schmadel, Natalie Katrina Schmer
Total shortening estimates across the western Greater Caucasus Mountains from balanced cross sections and area balancing
The Greater Caucasus orogen forms the northern edge of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone. Although the orogen has long been assumed to exhibit dominantly thick-skinned style deformation via reactivation of high-angle extensional faults, recent work suggests the range may have accommodated several hundred kilometers or more of shortening since its ~30 Ma initiation, and this shortening may be accom
Authors
Charles Cashman Trexler, Eric S. Cowgill, Dylan A Vasey, Nathan A. Niemi