Images

The small house is the monitoring station for Columbia River at The Dalles. The house protects sensitive electronics from the elements.

A substrate mapping survey in action. Scientists aim to map the size and distribution of river sediments.

Native fish populations, like the Chinook salmon during spawning season, rely on the Santiam River.

Hydrologic technician, Ann McGowan, shows OMSI representative a water quality sensor deployed in the Willamette River near OMSI. This sensor monitors water temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, blue green algea, specific conductance and pH. The sensors need cleaned every 4-6 weeks.

Hydrologist Kurt Carpenter demonstrated gathering a water sample from the Willamette on the docks at OMSI. The netting gets pulled through the water and is then funneled into a sample bottle.

Oregon Water Science Center received the award plaques during the 2023 USGS National Data Training Conference in Phoenix Arizona. Pictured right to left: Marc Stewart, Deputy Director for Data, followed by expert hydrologic technicians; Carrie Boudreau, Amarys Acosta, Scott Deweese, and Tasha Albertson-Herberholz.

Green cyanobacteria in the Willamette River at the new USGS water quality monitor at OMSI. 

Streaks of blue-green cyanobacteria in the Willamette River at the new USGS water-quality monitor at OMSI. 

Cyanobacteria in the Willamette River near new USGS water quality monitor at OMSI. Photo courtesy of Kale Clausen (ODEQ).

Microcyctis aeruginosa is a freshwater cyanobacteria that produce cyanotoxins such as Microcystin. Cyanotoxins are harmful to humans and pets.

New USGS water temperature and water level gage installed in Middle Santiam River in the Middle Santiam Wildness Area upstream of Green Peter Dam. This gage will help characterize habitat conditions for multiple life stages of spring Chinook salmon in this river reach.

Brandon Overstreet paddles North Santiam River near Narrows Rapid collecting survey data and underwater photographs to characterize channel bed topography and substrates

Image of a preliminary topobathymetric digital elevation model captured of the of the Santiam River, OR. 

An American coot nest in Malheur Lake was built with bulrush and floated on the surface even as waves passed by. 

Diatom, Synedra, from the Greek word synedria meaning "a sitting together". The genus Synedra has long, needle like cells that can exist singly or radiate in colonies.  

Photo taken of the Willamette River near Harrisburg, Oregon during the "heat dome" of 2021. This historic heatwave occurred in Oregon and the greater Pacific Northwest in late June of 2021 breaking high temperature records, some by several degrees.

Lake Abert, Oregon is one of the 20 terminal lakes identified by USGS partners as priority ecosystems for study by the Saline Lakes Ecosystems IWAA.

The Saline Lake Ecosystems IWAA Waterbird Movement Project began tagging American Avocets in March 2023 to track their movements across the landscape. Tracking data from these birds will help scientists better understand why these birds choose to use the terminal lake and wetland habitats they do in the Great Basin.

American Avocet are a bird that relies heavily on the Saline Lakes ecosystem during their spring migration periods. Over 50% of these birds exist here. Part of their use includes using the terminal lakes there to breed. 

An outside gage set-up at Quartzville Creek near Cascadia Oregon. Graduated staff plates installed at various heights to capture the range in water levels. Staffs are used to get river level readings hydrologic technicians need to calibrate electronic sensors.  The vertical grey metal pipe is a crest stage gage (CSG).

Photo taken by hydrotech Josh Price while he scouts for potential spots to install the new monitoring equipment.