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Public Lecture Series Archive


Wednesday January 6, 2010, 7:00 PM
Title: Flight from Extinction: Helping Whooping Cranes Survive
By Dr. John French


(PDF of Flyer 956 KB)

"Whoopers" were on the verge of extinction but thanks to some innovative efforts they have a chance at "flying high." Dr. John French will describe the remarkable journey of survival that begins before the whooping crane chicks are even hatched and ends with taking flight behind an ultralight plane along the migratory route. These extraordinary conservation efforts to establish a migratory population of whooping cranes in the eastern United States are the result of countless partners, pilots, scientists and volunteers.

 

Additional images from the lecture:

see caption Dr. John French, Jr. holds wing of subadult Whooping crane.  (Full size image)
see caption Flight from Extinction: Helping Whooping Cranes Survive  (Full size image)
see caption Dr. John French Jr with audience volunteer dressed in crane costume, holding whooping crane puppet. The costume keeps the crane chicks from becoming accustomed to human contact.  (Full size image)
see caption
Whooping crane chick enjoys a swim while being fed by a crane puppet - a person in disguise. (Full size image)

Wednesday December 2, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: Mapping the Future from 125 Years of Experience
By Mark DeMulder

The USGS Celebrates the 125th Anniversary of its national topographic mapping program on December 5, 2009. This lecture will highlight elements of the colorful history of the program and describe the future of topographic mapping at the USGS. on December 2, 2009.

see caption
Above, a topographer surveys in the field making a pencil sketch on vellum fastened to a plane table and sighting traverses with an alidade. His position on the top of a hill provides a panoramic view of the topography. Such locations were often marked permanently as reference points with metal benchmarks. (Additional historical images)

Wednesday, November 4 , 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: Expanding the Energy Frontier
By Brenda Pierce

Over the next 20 years, U.S. demand for energy is projected to increase substantially. Learn how USGS science is providing valuable information to help America find energy for the future.

For more information on this topic, visit:

solar panels
Solar panels on public land in BLM California offer a form of renewable energy development. (High Resolution image)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: Out of Africa--Dust in the Wind
By Ginger Garrison

Every year, billions of tons of fine desert dust from the Saharan Desert are transported thousands of miles through the atmosphere to the Americas, Europe and the Near East. Living microorganisms and chemical contaminants such as pesticides and metals are carried along with the dust. What biological and chemical contaminants are hitch-hiking with the dust and how might downwind ecosystems such as coral reefs and human health be affected?

see caption
The satellite image, acquired by NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center’s SeaWiFS Project and ORBIMAGE on February 26, 2000, shows one of the largest Saharan dust storms ever observed by SeaWiFS as it moves out over the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Spain and Portugal are at the upper right; Morocco is at the lower right. (Additional images)

Wednesday, September 2, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: Baked Alaska
What's Happening to the Glaciers in Alaska?
By Dr. Bruce F. Molnia

"Glaciers are Earth’s largest reservoir of freshwater. As they change, so does global sea level. Alaska has one of the largest accumulations of glaciers anywhere on Earth outside of the Polar regions. For most of the past half century, Alaska has experienced a significant increase in temperature that has profoundly impacted its glaciers. Join USGS scientist Dr. Bruce F. Molnia to explore the relationship between Alaska’s glaciers, climate, and sea level. Visit a number of Alaskan landscapes and examine their changes on yearly, decadal, and century time scales."

For more information on this topic, visit:

Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, August 13, 1941
Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, August 13, 1941. (High Resolution image)
Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, August 31, 2004
Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, August 31, 2004. (High Resolution image)

Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: Climate Change 101
By Dr. Tom Armstrong

Climate change is an issue of increasing public concern because of its potential effects on land, water, and biological resources. In the next several years, the United States will be challenged to make management and policy decisions as well as develop adaptation and mitigation strategies that will require anticipating the effects of a changing climate and its impacts on humans and ecosystems. The USGS has a well-regarded history in studying these potential effects and understanding climate change science.

Powerpoint (28.6 MB)

For more information on this topic, visit:

polar bear
Polar bear (High Resolution image)

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 7:00 PM
Title: Hurricanes and Our Changing Coasts
By Dr. Asbury (Abby) Sallenger

In September 2008, Hurricane Ike destroyed nearly every house in the Gulf-front community of Gilchrist, just north of Galveston Texas. In addition to storm surge and battering waves, the land on which the houses were built contributed to the disaster by changing in shape and elevation. Dr. Sallenger will explain how the coast changes during extreme storms -- such as Hurricanes Isabel, Katrina, and Ike -- and what this means for our coastal developments today and in the future.

For more information on this topic, visit:



Hurricane Ike before and after picture
Oblique aerial photography of Bolivar Peninsula, TX, on September 9, 2008 (top) and September 15, 2008, two days after landfall of Hurricane Ike (bottom). Yellow arrows mark features that appear in each image. In addition to the loss of houses, the evidence of inundation here includes eroded dune face and sand deposited well inland of the shoreline. (Full size, high resolution image)

Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: A Field Trip to the Congo--Hydroacoustic measurements in "the river that swallows all rivers."
By John M. Shelton, Associate Director-Hydrologic Data South Carolina Water Science Center

Imagine yourself in central Africa, in a dugout canoe crossing the lower Congo River's rapids and whirlpools. USGS scientist John Shelton found himself there this past summer, measuring places where the waters reached a depth of over 700 feet. His measurements indicate that the Congo River is perhaps the deepest river in the world! This discovery was made during data collection to describe the River’s conditions and understand its extraordinarily diverse richness of fish species. In this effort, Shelton worked with a team of scientists from the American Museum of Natural History.

To view the public lecture, visit the video on the USGS Multimedia Gallery site.

For more information on this topic visit:
The American Museum of Natural History
National Geographic--Monster Fish of the Congo

USGS scientist John Shelton using high-tech hydroacoustic equipment to measure the depth and velocity of the Congo River
USGS scientist John Shelton using high-tech hydroacoustic equipment to measure the depth and velocity of the Congo River.  (Full size, high resolution image)

Wednesday, May 6, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: "Watching Nature's Clock: A Citizen-Scientist Effort to Track Seasonal Signs of Climate Change"
By Dr. Jake Weltzin

A new USGS program, the USA National Phenology Network, is recruiting tens of thousands of volunteers to team up with scientists to help track the effects of climate on seasonal patterns of plant and animal behavior. Come learn how you can contribute to this new national effort, by getting outside, and observing and recording flowering, fruiting and other seasonal events. Scientists and resource managers will use your observations to help track effects of climate change on the Earth’s life-support systems. Watch the video

For more information on this topic visit:

USA National Phenology Network Web site
USA National Phenology Network fact sheet  (PDF)
Ways to participate

Polar bear striding across the ice
Rice Paper Butterfly (Idea leuconoe). (Larger image)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 7:00 PM
Title: Knee-high to Bird's Eye: Multi-scale Remote Sensing of Vegetation Dynamics
By Dr. John Jones

Combining collaborative field and modeling with various airborne and satellite sensing technologies Dr. Jones measures how land cover and terrain varies across space and through time. Dr. Jones will provide an introduction to these technologies and a sampler of his work to illustrate how this research helps address resource management issues related to climate change, water flow, and habitat condition.

To view the public lecture, visit the video on the USGS Multimedia Gallery site.

For more information on this topic visit:
Shenandoah National Park Phenology Project
Eastern Geographic Science Center
Land Surface Anaylsis of the Florida Everglades

View from the USGS Phenology Cam in Shenandoah National Park overlooking the valley
View from the USGS Phenology Cam in Shenandoah National Park overlooking the valley.  (Full size, high resolution image)


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