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Watch all episodes of USGS On The Road, a web-series about USGS scientists and water science from all corners of Maryland, Delaware, and DC.

Season 2

Servicing Saltwater Monitoring Equipment in the Delaware Bay

Video Transcript

It’s quite the trek to get to Ship John Shoal lighthouse, which is several miles off the Delaware coast and only accessible by boat. There, USGS scientists clean and service equipment that plays an important role in our understanding of the salt front in the Delaware Bay.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 7

Original Release Date: February 15, 2023

On Camera: Samantha Woomer, Michael Brownley

Audio Description Version: USGS on the Road: Servicing Saltwater Monitoring Equipment in the Delaware Bay (AD) | U.S. Geological Survey

Gage Data: Delaware Bay at Ship John Shoal Lighthouse NJ - USGS Water Data for the Nation

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Editing, Cinematography), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

 

Rain Check

Video Transcript

Did you know that the USGS maintains a network of precipitation gages that need to be calibrated to ensure accuracy? In this episode, hydro-tech Tyler Bowser services a rain gage in Harford Glen Park.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 6

Original Release Date: February 8, 2023

On Camera: Tyler Bowser

Audio Description Version: USGS on the Road: Rain Check (AD) | U.S. Geological Survey

Gage Data: ATKISSON RESERVOIR NEAR BEL AIR, MD - USGS Water Data for the Nation

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

 

First Stop On The Potomac

Video Transcript

Learn how the USGS services the streamgage at Barnum, WV, which is situated along the North Branch Potomac River downstream of Jennings Randolph Lake.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 5

Original Release Date: January 18, 2023

On Camera: Eric Boyd

Audio Description Version: USGS on the Road: First Stop on the Potomac (AD) | U.S. Geological Survey

Gage Data: NORTH BRANCH POTOMAC RIVER AT BARNUM, WV - USGS Water Data for the Nation

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Editing, Cinematography), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

 

Stormflow Forensics

Video Transcript

It’s an age-old question: If the river floods and no one sees it, did it flood? Yes! High water events leave behind clues such as debris that USGS scientists can observe to indirectly estimate the water level and streamflow during the event.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 4

Original Release Date: January 11, 2023

On Camera: Ashley Ryan, Sarah Queen

Audio Description Version: USGS on the Road: Stormflow Forensics (AD) | U.S. Geological Survey

Gage Data: DEAD RUN TRIBUTARY NEAR WOODLAWN, MD - USGS Water Data for the Nation

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Editing, Cinematography), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

 

Doing Well In DC

Video Transcript

How do we know if D.C. aquifers are protected from human contamination? The USGS samples groundwater for the presence or absence of specific chemical markers known to be of human origin. If we don’t find these markers, it’s a good indication the water is protected.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 3

Original Release Date: January 4, 2023

On Camera: Tim Wilson

Audio Description Version: USGS on the Road: Doing Well in DC (AD) | U.S. Geological Survey

Gage Data: WE Cb 8 - USGS Water Data for the Nation

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Editing, Cinematography), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

 

The Lake on the Potomac

Video Transcript

Why is it important to know how much water is in Jennings Randolph Lake? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers factors water-level data collected by the USGS into how much water they should release downstream into the North Branch Potomac River.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 2

Original Release Date: December 21, 2022

On Camera: Eric Boyd

Audio Description Version: USGS on the Road: The Lake on the Potomac (AD) | U.S. Geological Survey

Gage Data: JENNINGS RANDOLPH LAKE NEAR ELK GARDEN, WV - USGS Water Data for the Nation

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Editing, Cinematography), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

 

Home Stream Home

Video Transcript

Physical Scientists Leah Staub and Zachary Clifton assess a stream along the Chesterville Branch on the Eastern shore of Maryland.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 2, Episode 1

Original Release Date: December 14, 2022

On Camera: Leah Staub, Zach Clifton

Audio Description Version: USGS on the Road: Home Stream Home (AD) | U.S. Geological Survey

Gage Data: CHESTERVILLE BRANCH NEAR CRUMPTON, MD - USGS Water Data for the Nation

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics)

 

Season 1

Keeping Stormwater Under Control in Clarksburg MD

Video Transcript

How can we best manage stormwater in our local Montgomery County, Maryland neighborhoods to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and help aquatic organisms?

Let’s take a #WaterScienceRoadTrip to Clarksburg, MD to learn more about the best stormwater management practices.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 7

Original Release Date: June 9, 2022

See The Full Study Video: Soaking Up Stormwater

Study Page: Unique 20-year study assesses ecosystem response to different types of stormwater management

Learn More: Understanding the Effects of Stormwater Management Practices on Water Quality and Flow

On Camera: Marina Metes

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics), Matthew Pajerowski & Caitlyn Dugan (Production)

 

HIVIS-ability at Serene Lake

Video Transcript

What is HIVIS?

HIVIS stands for Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System. HIVIS is a network of cameras across the United States that serve as remote “eyes on the ground,” providing the USGS and its cooperators with the ability to monitor conditions in near real-time at sites where a camera is installed.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 6

Original Release Date: June 1, 2022

See the Camera Feed: HIVIS Network - Lake Serene

Explore the entire HIVIS network: HIVIS Dashboard

On Camera: Chuck Walker (Interviewed), Michael Geissel, Nicholas Giro

Audio Description Version: HIVIS-ability at Serene Lake (AD)

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics), Matthew Pajerowski & Caitlyn Dugan (Production)

 

Securing Sediment Samples at Hickey Run

Video Transcript

The USGS wants to know where nutrient-rich sediment in the DC area is coming from.

Through its sediment fingerprinting project with the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, the USGS is looking into the sources of the excess sediments that are found in Hickey Run and the National Arboretum.

Why It’s Important: This sediment contains important nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen. But too much sediment can block sunlight from aquatic plants, while excess nutrients can stimulate phytoplankton growth that use up all the oxygen in the water.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 5

Original Release Date: May 18, 2022

On Camera: Zach Clifton

Audio Description Version: Securing Sediment Samples at Hickey Run (AD)

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Graphics), Matthew Pajerowski & Caitlyn Dugan (Production)

 

Swamp Surveillance - Nassawango Creek

Video Transcript

How do land use and best management practices affect the Chesapeake Bay watershed?

To find out, USGS scientists trudge through the muddy swamp of Nassawango Creek on Maryland’s Eastern Shore for a water science partnership with Virginia Tech.

The USGS is conducting an ecological assessment of regions in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and assessing how best management practices (BMPs) on the landscape affect stream health. USGS is monitoring water quality, water temperature, salinity, flow, and geomorphology, while researchers from VA Tech are surveying macroinvertebrates and fish. Put together, these data can be used to determine the effects of land use and BMPs on stream conditions, and how those stream conditions affect biodiversity.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 4

Original Release Date: May 11, 2022

On Camera: Tristan Mohs (Interviewed), Anthony Tallman, Ashley Melvin, Jacob Mavrogeorge

Audio Description Version: Swamp Surveillance at Nassawango Creek (AD)

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics), Matthew Pajerowski & Caitlyn Dugan (Production)

Sediment source analysis in the Linganore Creek watershed, Maryland, USA, using the sediment fingerprinting approach: 2008 to 2010

 

Powerful Water Samples - Conowingo Dam

Video Transcript

USGS hydro-techs Shane and Kelly collected water samples at Conowingo Dam. The USGS routinely samples for water-quality conditions at Conowingo Dam as part of the USGS National Water Quality Network (NWQN).

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 3

Original Release Date: May 4, 2022

Learn More About The National Water Quality Network: USGS National Water Quality Network

View Real Time Data From This Gage: Susquehanna River at Conowingo, MD (01578310)

On Camera: Kelly McVicker (Interviewed), Shane Mizelle

Audio Description Version: Powerful Water Samples From Conowingo Dam (AD)

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics), Matthew Pajerowski & Caitlyn Dugan (Production)

 

Sediment Fingerprinting - Langdon Park

Video Transcript

It’s not just the big rivers and streams. USGS MD-DE-DC Water Science Center scientists also collect samples from local parks.

Zach and Leah collected sediment auger samples from Langdon Park in Washington, D.C. as part of a study to find the sources of sediment runoff. The sediment will later be analyzed at in-house and third-party labs for geochemical signatures in a process known as sediment fingerprinting.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 2

Original Release Date: April 27, 2022

On Camera: Leah Staub (Interviewed), Zach Clifton

Audio Description Version: Sediment Fingerprinting in Langdon Park (AD)

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography), David Fisher (Cinematography, Editing, Graphics), Matthew Pajerowski & Caitlyn Dugan (Production)

Also See: Sediment Source Assessment Using Sediment Fingerprints 

Sediment source analysis in the Linganore Creek watershed, Maryland, USA, using the sediment fingerprinting approach: 2008 to 2010

 

Anacostia River Water Quality - Bladensburg Waterfront Park

Video Transcript

Join Ashley and Nick at Bladensburg Waterfront Park along the Anacostia River.

The gage in this park is “supercharged” to monitor the “BIG 5” water-quality parameters: dissolved-oxygen concentration, pH, specific conductance, water temperature, and turbidity.

What’s more, it will soon be equipped with a semi-autonomous bacteria sampler so that scientists and policymakers can monitor the river’s bacteria concentration.

Series: USGS On The Road: Season 1, Episode 1

Original Release Date: April 20, 2022

Learn more: Newly Installed Super Gauge Helps USGS Monitor Water Quality, Bacteria Levels in Lower Anacostia River

And check out the real time data from this site: ANACOSTIA RIVER AT BLADENSBURG WATERFRONT PARK, MD - USGS Water Data for the Nation

On Camera: Nicholas Giro, Ashley Ryan

Audio Description Version: Monitoring Water Quality on the Anacostia River (AD)

Credits: Neel Hodgkinson (Cinematography, Editing), David Fisher (Cinematography, Graphics), Matthew Pajerowski & Caitlyn Dugan (Production)