USGS Publications Warehouse

This study provides a comprehensive assessment of decadal changes in the quality of groundwater used for public drinking-water supply at 444 monitoring sites across California during 2004–23. We assessed decadal step trends in groundwater quality for 145 water-quality constituents and geochemical indicators statewide and across geographic and land-use based network groups. We evaluated the statis…

Lead exposure has been documented in a multitude of bird and mammal species but less frequently in reptiles. Of the studies that have evaluated lead concentrations in reptiles, few have focused on snakes. We analyzed lead concentrations in liver and two types of bone from 24 gophersnakes ( Pituophis catenifer; Pc) and 12 Great Basin rattlesnakes ( Crotalus oreganus lutosus; Col) found dead along …

1. Rare long-distance movements can increase the spatial spread of invasive species and shifts in species ranges. However, in the context of wildlife disease spread, seasonal migrations only matter if they lead to transmission beyond an individual’s initial set of contacts, and the importance of juvenile dispersal depends on whether those juveniles become infected before they disperse. 2. High re…

Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 (424-374 ka) has long been an analog for Holocene climate, because it is the most recent interglacial period with similar orbital conditions. However, there is significant global and regional variability in the climate response to MIS 11 warmth. Here, we review sediment core records from across the Bering Sea to investigate changes in paleoceanographic conditions dur…

Machine learning is the key to uncovering where populations across the globe are at risk from manganese in their groundwater-sourced drinking water.

Toxoplasma gondii —the causative agent of toxoplasmosis—is a zoonotic pathogen of warm-blooded hosts. Infection causes mild-to-severe symptoms, including lethargy, fever, muscle pain, abortion, ocular disease, and encephalitis. Toxoplasma affects many vertebrate species, although felids are the only known definitive hosts. Seroprevalence in wildlife is often assessed using cross-sectional data, b…

Avian migration represents one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena, providing critical ecological services and acting as an indicator of environmental change. Flyways are geographical ranges through which migrating bird species move, and the flyway concept has been used to identify countries that share species to highlight their collective responsibility for conservation. Of the nine recognize…

Dams are well known to alter river thermal regimes, but assessments of downstream temperature changes have been constrained to single dams, single basins, or specific seasonal windows, thus limiting knowledge of their widespread impacts. We used satellite-based thermal infrared observations to quantify river surface temperature differences up- and downstream of 287 large dams in the United States…

Introduction Geologic mapping in the southern Lake Champlain valley of New York and Vermont (fig. 1) has required evaluation of stratigraphic nomenclature used since the early 1900s. The paleogeography of the Cambrian and Ordovician adjacent to the Adirondack Highlands, the high-relief mountains of Proterozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks of northern New York, has impacted the lithostratigraphic…

This is the third volume in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) series of reports on stratigraphy entitled “Stratigraphic Notes,” which consists of short papers that highlight stratigraphic studies, changes in stratigraphic nomenclature, and explanations of stratigraphic names and concepts used on published geologic maps. “Stratigraphic Notes” is a long-term (multiyear), multivolume publication con…

This report presents a comprehensive set of prospectivity maps for lithium in brines located within the playas of the Basin and Range Province of western United States. The prospectivity assessment is based on criteria established in the descriptive deposit model outlined in a previous U.S. Geological Survey report, with a focus on regional remote sensing methodologies. The playas within the stud…

FLOwPER v3 user’s guide supplement: Field application for collection of FLOw PERmanence field observations Links - More information: Publisher Index Page (pdf) - Related Work: Open-File Report 2020-1075 - FLOwPER User’s Guide—For Collection of FLOw PERmanence Field Observations - Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core Abstract No abstract available. Suggested Citation Heaston, E.D., Chelgren, N.…

This report documents the process and outcomes of a workshop convened by the U.S. Geological Survey in December 2024 to identify cascading postfire hazards and other effects stemming from the 2021 Dixie Fire in northern California and to explore potential intervention strategies. The Postfire Hazards and Consequences Workshop brought together stakeholders with expertise across disciplines relevan…

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 2.4 billion barrels of shale oil and 65.4 trillion cubic feet of shale gas in the Berkine, Illizi, Hamra, Murzuq, and Erdis Kufra Basins of northern Africa.

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 114.1 trillion cubic feet of tight gas in the Berkine, Illizi, and Hamra Basins of northern Africa.

Climate-mediated shifts in species distributions are reshaping ecosystems worldwide, creating major challenges for conservation and resource management. These range shifts have far-reaching ecological and socio-economic consequences, requiring managers to address complex ecological dynamics while navigating diverse regulatory and value systems. Despite growing attention, key gaps remain in suppor…

Elevated groundwater salinity in coastal regions threatens the beneficial use of fresh groundwater. Coastal groundwater management typically focuses on preventing intrusion from modern sources of seawater; however, past geological processes can also leave a legacy of saline groundwater now hidden in the subsurface. Here, multiple extensive airborne electromagnetic surveys provide detailed evidenc…

Objective Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are exhibiting catastrophic declines throughout much of the Pacific Northwest, and juvenile mortality contributions are disproportionately high. Many Pacific salmon smolt populations are exhibiting high natal stream mortality; however, detailed natal stream reach-specific survival knowledge is lacking. Our objectives were to estimate natal stream reach-s…

Beaver modify hydrological regimes and have the ability to both increase water storage and alter stream temperatures. For these reasons, beaver translocation and the construction of human engineered beaver-dam analogs (BDAs) have become popular tools for climate-change adaptation. However, there is a lack of understanding about how beaver engineering affects stream temperature. The results from p…

The long-term eruptive record of a region helps better elucidate magmatic processes at depth as well as volcanic hazards at the surface. Typically, reconstructing such records is done using proximal tephrostratigraphy and linking individual tephras to source volcanoes. These records, however, can only be accurately constructed if they are both well preserved and correctly linked to source volcano…