Validation of the geometric accuracy of airborne light detection and ranging data for eastern Iowa, 2019
Aparajithan Sampath, Jeffrey Irwin, Travis Kropuenske
2025, Open-File Report 2025-1017
A geometric accuracy assessment of lidar data collected in eastern Iowa in 2019 as part of the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) was conducted. The assessment involved evaluating interswath accuracy, same surface precision, point density, absolute accuracy, and consistency with adjacent 3DEP datasets. The results demonstrate that the data meet or...
Municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant effluent contributions to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the Potomac River: A basin-scale measuring and modeling approach
Larry B. Barber, Samuel Adam Miller, Lee Blaney, Paul M. Bradley, Kaycee E. Faunce, Jacob Fleck, Malinda Frick, Ke He, Ryan D. Hollins, Conor J. Lewellyn, Emily H. Majcher, Mitchell A. McAdoo, Kelly Smalling
2025, Environmental Science and Technology (59) 11720-11734
Managing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water resources requires a basin-scale approach. Predicted environmental concentrations (PEC) and stream-vulnerability scores for PFAS were determined for the Potomac River watershed in the eastern United States. Approximately 15% of stream reaches contained municipal and/or industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges that are...
Relations of groundwater quality to long-term surface disposal of produced water near the Midway-Sunset and Buena Vista Oil Fields, California, USA
Riley Gannon, Matthew K. Landon, Justin T. Kulongoski, Michael J. Stephens, Lyndsay B. Ball, John G. Warden, Tracy Davis, Janice M. Gillespie, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
2025, Science of the Total Environment (987)
Contamination of groundwater by oil-field fluids in proximity to oil and gas development has been an issue of concern to water users and regulators given long histories of development and legacy disposal practices. A robust set of geochemical tracers including petroleum hydrocarbon compounds, thermogenic gases, inorganic ion concentrations, stable isotopes,...
Great Lakes lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) thiamine monitoring program annual report
Jacques Rinchard, Brian F. Lantry, Brian O’Malley
2025, Report
Thiamine deficiency in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) eggs has been linked to early life-stage mortality in the Great Lakes from the 1960s through the 1990s, potentially affecting lake trout recruitment. In response, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC), Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC), and Columbia Environmental Research...
Effects of climate change on midwestern ecosystems: Eastern North American temperate freshwater marsh, wet meadow and shrubland
Hugh Ratcliffe, Katherine Charton, Taylor Siddons, Marta P. Lyons, Olivia E. LeDee
2025, Report
The Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow and Shrubland is a hydrologically dynamic ecosystem highly sensitive to shifts in water availability. Across the Midwest, climate change is expected to intensify two primary stressors, flooding and drought, resulting in increased hydrologic variability that may threaten the persistence of these...
Hydrogeologic mapping and three-dimensional geologic modeling of glacial deposits in a multicounty area of southeastern Michigan, northeastern Indiana, and northwestern Ohio
Alexander D. Riddle, Leslie D. Arihood, Shawn Naylor, David C. Lampe
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5008
The glacial deposits underlying southeastern Michigan, northeastern Indiana, and northwestern Ohio are a substantial source of water to communities, agriculture, and industry in the region. Previous efforts to characterize aquifer materials in the area cited a need for additional information about the underlying hydrogeologic characteristics and related groundwater availability as...
2023 Earthquake Ground-Motion Workshop for the Central and Eastern United States, with a focus on the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plains—Agenda and abstracts
Oliver S. Boyd, Julie A. Herrick, Ashly Cabas, Sean Kamran Ahdi
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5025
The U.S. Geological Survey held a virtual workshop December 7–8, 2023, to share research and ideas about earthquake ground motions in the Central and Eastern United States, with a focus on the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains. The workshop was organized to learn about potential regionalization of ground-motion characteristics (source,...
The 3D Elevation Program—Supporting Connecticut's economy
Laura Harrington, Dan Walters
2025, Fact Sheet 2025-3030
Introduction Connecticut has a diverse, largely forested landscape characterized by hills and low mountains in the Western Upland, hills in the Eastern Upland, ridges and broad valleys in the Central Lowland, and many beaches and harbors along the coast of Long Island Sound. Connecticut is manufacturing and service focused, ranking almost...
Combining acoustic telemetry and side-scan sonar to estimate abundance of endangered shortnose sturgeon in the Hudson River, New York
Amanda Higgs, Shannon L. White, John Madsen, David C. Kazyak, Dewayne Fox, Richard Pendleton, Adam Bonemery, Tomasz Smolinski, Amanda Simmonds, Patrick Sullivan
2025, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (82) 1-12
For endangered shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), the ability to estimate and monitor population size is critical for tracking species’ recovery. Yet, contemporary abundance estimates have not been completed for many shortnose sturgeon populations, largely owing to the difficulty in using traditional abundance estimators for sturgeons. Here, we estimate the adult...
Evidence for petit-spot volcanism in the Puerto Rico Trench
Nicholas Harmon, William W. Danforth, Uri S. ten Brink, J. Pablo Canales, Shuoshuo Han, Elizabeth Vanacore, Jose-Luis Granja-Bruna, Wayne E. Baldwin, Seth D. Ackerman, Liam Moser, Elisaveta Sokolkova
2025, Geophysical Research Letters (52)
Petit-spot volcanism occurs in intraplate settings along the outer rise of subducting plates. Here we present evidence for petit-spot type of volcanism from multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data from the Puerto Rico Trench (PRT). It is the first report of such volcanism in the Atlantic basin. Up to 34 possible...
Northward migrations of nonbreeding Bald Eagles from Arizona, USA.
Caroline D. Cappello, Kenneth V. Jacobson, James T. Driscoll, Kyle M. McCarty, Javan Mathias Bauder
2025, Journal of Raptor Research (59) 1-16
Knowledge of the spatiotemporal patterns of migratory and nonbreeding-season movements by animals is critical for conservation, but can be difficult to obtain if animals move far from known breeding territories and across administrative and country borders. To understand the migratory movements of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) originating from a demographically...
Bedrock geologic map of the Bellows Falls 7.5- x 15-minute quadrangle, Windham and Windsor Counties, Vermont, and Sullivan and Cheshire Counties, New Hampshire
Arthur J. Merschat, Gregory J. Walsh, Peter M. Valley, Ryan J. McAleer, Thomas R. Armstrong
2025, Scientific Investigations Map 3535
Introduction The bedrock geology of the Bellows Falls 7.5- x 15-minute quadrangle, Vermont and New Hampshire, consists of polydeformed Ordovician to Devonian metasedimentary, metavolcanic, and metaplutonic rocks of the Connecticut Valley trough, Bronson Hill anticlinorium (or Bronson Hill terrane), and the Central Maine terrane. Previous work in this area includes a...
Negative growth in body mass of trout and salmon in a small stream network
Benjamin H. Letcher, Keith Nislow, Matthew O’Donnell, Michael J. Hayden, Todd Dubreuil
2025, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (82) 1-14
In species inhabiting stressful environments, some individuals experience negative growth in body mass during their lives, potentially influencing survival, reproduction, populations, and ecosystems. Using data from a long-term (1997–2015) study of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), brown trout (Salmo trutta), and juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Massachusetts, USA, we analyzed...
Independent and interactive effects of disease and methylmercury on demographic rates across multiple amphibian populations
Morgan P. Kain, Blake R. Hossack, Kelly Smalling, Brian J. Halstead, Daniel A. Grear, David A. Miller, Michael J. Adams, Adam R. Backlin, William J. Barichivich, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Colleen Emery, Jillian Elizabeth Fleming, Robert N. Fisher, Elizabeth Gallegos, Duoa J. Lor, Patrick M. Kleeman, Erin L. Muths, Ty Pan, Christopher Pearl, Charles W. Robinson, Caitlin Teresa Rumrill, Brian J. Tornabene, J. Hardin Waddle, Susan C. Walls, Evan H. Campbell Grant
2025, Scientific Reports (15)
Disease, alone or combined with other stressors such as habitat loss and contaminants, affects wildlife populations worldwide. However, interactions among stressors and how they affect demography and populations remain poorly understood. The amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Bd) is a sometimes-lethal pathogen linked with population declines and extirpations of amphibians...
Observation of unusual neonate-clustering behavior on maternal Cambarus chasmodactylus (New River Crayfish) after molting
Anna Marie Welsh, Zachary J. Loughman, Zackary A. Graham, Paula F. P. Henry
2025, Northeastern Naturalist (32) N12-N17
Cambarus chasmodactylus (New River Crayfish) is one of the largest crayfish species occurring in the Appalachian Mountains and occupies a niche similar to several highly imperiled crayfishes within the same region. While conducting a controlled mesocosm study assessing the impacts of contaminants on crayfish growth, development, and reproductive status, we recorded...
The Hardscrabble Creek complex: A newly discovered, mostly buried, Mesoproterozoic mafic-ultramafic pluton in the Wet Mountains, Colorado, USA
Benjamin Patrick Magnin, Sandra S. Brake, Yvette Kuiper, Michael T. Mohr, Richard E. Hanson
2025, GSA Bulletin (137) 4558-4574
The origin of prolific ca. 1.4 Ga ferroan magmatism between the southwestern USA and eastern Canada is enigmatic and has been explained by various models, including extensional, mantle plume, and convergent plate-margin models. Rare mafic plutons are associated with the ferroan plutons, which may help constrain their mantle source and...
Status of water-level altitudes and long-term and short-term water-level changes in the Chicot and Evangeline (undifferentiated) and Jasper aquifers, greater Houston area, Texas, 2024
Jason K. Ramage, Alexandra C. Adams
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5028
Since the early 1900s, groundwater withdrawn from the primary aquifers that compose the Gulf Coast aquifer system—the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers—has been an important source of water in the greater Houston area, Texas. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, City...
Ultrasonic deterrents provide no additional benefit over curtailment in reducing bat fatalities at an Ohio wind energy facility
Jeffrey Clerc, Manuela Huso, Michael R. Schirmacher, Michael D. Whitby, Cris D. Hein
2025, PLoS ONE (20)
Wind energy is important for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions but also contributes to global bat mortality. Current strategies to minimize bat mortality due to collision with wind-turbine blades fall broadly into two categories: curtailment (limiting turbine operation during high-risk periods) and deterrence (discouraging bat activity near turbines). Recently, there...
Native Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus virginalis bouvieri growth and survival in a headwater stream primarily driven by warming stream temperatures, with non-native brown trout Salmo trutta posing an additional threat to survival
Kadie B. Heinle, Robert Al-Chokhachy, Adam Sepulveda, Christine E. Verhille
2025, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (82) 1-17
Warming rivers and interactions with non-native species impact salmonid species globally. Understanding how hydroclimatic conditions synergistically and independently interact with non-native species is critical for effectively managing salmonids into the future. We used a 10-year mark–recapture dataset to assess how native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (YCT) Oncorhynchus virginalis bouvieri and non-native brown trout Salmo...
Stable occupancy of conservation-priority birds amid community shifts across 16 years on Iowa wetland easements
Lindsey A.W. Gapinski, Karen E. Kinkead, Adam K. Janke, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Todd Bishop, Anna Maureen Tucker
2025, Ornithological Applications (127)
Intensive agriculture in the Prairie Pothole Region of Iowa, USA has resulted in significant wetland drainage and wildlife population declines. However, easement programs are increasingly used to protect and restore wetlands and revitalize biodiversity. Short-term responses (i.e., 1–5 years) of birds to wetland restorations are well-documented, but...
Nonstationary flood frequency analysis using regression in the north-central United States
Sara B. Levin
2025, Scientific Investigations Report 2025-5034
Traditional flood frequency methods assume that the statistical properties of peak streamflow do not change with time and may not be appropriate for many areas in the north-central United States. This study examines a nonstationary flood frequency analysis method that uses ordinary least squares linear regression to estimate flood magnitudes...
Integrated stratigraphic and geochemical analysis of organic-rich intervals of the Lewis Shale in the eastern Washakie Basin, Wyoming
Jane S. Hearon, Paul C. Hackley, Justin E. Birdwell
2025, The Mountain Geologist (62) 5-36
Geological studies in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (KWIS) in North America reveal highly variable sedimentological conditions on its western shore caused by rapidly changing sea level and detrital input during the seaway’s closure. Here we examine a 601-foot (183 meters) continuous core through the lower part of the Maastrichtian...
USGS critical minerals review
Graham W. Lederer, James V. Jones III, Darcy McPhee, Patricia J Loferski, Robert R. Seal, Paul A. Bedrosian, Patricia Grace Macqueen, V. J. S. Grauch, Federico Solano, Joshua Mark Rosera, David George Pineault
2025, Mining Engineering 38-53
No abstract available....
Effects of climate change on midwestern ecosystems: Appalachian – Interior – Northeast Mesic Forest
Hugh Ratcliffe, Katherine Charton, Taylor Siddons, Marta P. Lyons, Olivia E. LeDee
2025, Report
The Appalachian-Interior-Northeast Mesic Forest ecosystem, historically buffered by cool, moist conditions, may experience significant stress under future climate change, particularly due to intensifying droughts and milder winters in the midwestern United States. Droughts are expected to intensify in frequency and severity, depleting soil moisture, increasing tree mortality, and reshaping species...
Experimental evaluation of Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) detectability in visual search surveys
William Heinle, Noelle Beswick, Emily Wapman, J. Andrew Royle
2025, Herpetological Conservation and Biology (20) 82-93
Understanding how detection probability varies over time, space, or in response to measurable covariates is important to inform the monitoring and assessment of many species. A standard model to understand detectability, the availability/perception model, admits that detection probability is the composite of two components: availability and ability of surveyors to...
