Monitoring riparian vegetation along the Colorado River
Monitoring riparian vegetation along the Colorado RiverMonitoring riparian vegetation along the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam
Images
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Monitoring riparian vegetation along the Colorado River
Monitoring riparian vegetation along the Colorado River
Monitoring riparian vegetation along the Colorado RiverMonitoring riparian vegetation along the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam
Setting up experimental restoration plots.
Field crew install a Restoration Field Trial Network garden in the rangelands of Northern Arizona.
Field crew install a Restoration Field Trial Network garden in the rangelands of Northern Arizona.
Southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida), Mojave River, CA
Southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida), Mojave River, CAA female southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida) basks in the sun, Mojave River, CA. Photo taken by Shellie Puffer, 2017, SBSC, USGS.
Southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida), Mojave River, CA
Southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida), Mojave River, CAA female southwestern pond turtle (Actinemys pallida) basks in the sun, Mojave River, CA. Photo taken by Shellie Puffer, 2017, SBSC, USGS.
Bare Ground = Blowing Dust
Across the desert Southwest, ground void of plant material is prone to soil erosoin and dust storms. In this fallowed agricultural field, we see that a spring breeze can carry away fertile top soil and create air quality concerns.
Across the desert Southwest, ground void of plant material is prone to soil erosoin and dust storms. In this fallowed agricultural field, we see that a spring breeze can carry away fertile top soil and create air quality concerns.
Oil pad near Vernal, Utah
Oil pad near Vernal, Utah
Repeat photographs of the Colorado River at River Mile 130 below Lees Ferry
Repeat photographs of the Colorado River at River Mile 130 below Lees FerryRepeat photographs, like this one from river mile 130 below Lees Ferry, capture changes in riparian plant communities along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon over time. Notice the increase in vegetation along the river bank. The historic photo on the left was taken by E.C. LaRue in 1923. The photo on the right was taken by Alan H. Fairley.
Repeat photographs of the Colorado River at River Mile 130 below Lees Ferry
Repeat photographs of the Colorado River at River Mile 130 below Lees FerryRepeat photographs, like this one from river mile 130 below Lees Ferry, capture changes in riparian plant communities along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon over time. Notice the increase in vegetation along the river bank. The historic photo on the left was taken by E.C. LaRue in 1923. The photo on the right was taken by Alan H. Fairley.
Biocrusts, Utah, Colorado Plateau
Biocrusts on the Colorado Plateau, canyonlands, Utah. Image courtesy of Erika Geiger, USGS, 2017.
Biocrusts on the Colorado Plateau, canyonlands, Utah. Image courtesy of Erika Geiger, USGS, 2017.
Biocrusts with mosses, Utah
Biocrusts with moss species. Photo taken by SBSC in Utah, during surveys, 2017, courtesy of Erika Geiger.
Biocrusts with moss species. Photo taken by SBSC in Utah, during surveys, 2017, courtesy of Erika Geiger.
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtleAn extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle was recently observed by USGS scientists and staff from The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in the Mojave Desert. Turtles of this population have rarely been seen since the late 1990s.
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtleAn extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle was recently observed by USGS scientists and staff from The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in the Mojave Desert. Turtles of this population have rarely been seen since the late 1990s.
USGS researcher collects data on saguaro blooming patterns for phenology study
USGS researcher collects data on saguaro blooming patterns for phenology studySouthwest Biological Science center research ecologist Daniel Winkler photographs the top of a saguaro using the "world's largest selfie stick" to collect phenology data for a study that examined saguaro flowering patterns.
USGS researcher collects data on saguaro blooming patterns for phenology study
USGS researcher collects data on saguaro blooming patterns for phenology studySouthwest Biological Science center research ecologist Daniel Winkler photographs the top of a saguaro using the "world's largest selfie stick" to collect phenology data for a study that examined saguaro flowering patterns.
Sampling invertebrates on the Colorado River downstream of Davis Dam with a Hess sampler
Sampling invertebrates on the Colorado River downstream of Davis Dam with a Hess samplerSampling invertebrates on “Casino Row” at Laughlin, Nevada, just downstream of Davis Dam on the Colorado River, September 7, 2015.
Sampling invertebrates on the Colorado River downstream of Davis Dam with a Hess sampler
Sampling invertebrates on the Colorado River downstream of Davis Dam with a Hess samplerSampling invertebrates on “Casino Row” at Laughlin, Nevada, just downstream of Davis Dam on the Colorado River, September 7, 2015.
Biocrusts in healthy grassland data collection
Person taking data in a healthy dryland grassland with dark biocrusts between bunchgrasses and cacti in Utah.
Person taking data in a healthy dryland grassland with dark biocrusts between bunchgrasses and cacti in Utah.
Sandbar on the Colorado River
A river trip on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon camping on a sandbar beach. Photo by Scott VanderKooi, USGS. Public domain.
A river trip on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon camping on a sandbar beach. Photo by Scott VanderKooi, USGS. Public domain.
Colorado River sticky trap for emergent aquatic insects
Colorado River sticky trap for emergent aquatic insectsSticky trap for insects Located on the banks of the Colorado River, at the confluence of the Little Colorado River and the Colorado River in AZ.
Colorado River sticky trap for emergent aquatic insects
Colorado River sticky trap for emergent aquatic insectsSticky trap for insects Located on the banks of the Colorado River, at the confluence of the Little Colorado River and the Colorado River in AZ.
Sticky trap for aquatic insects on the bank of Little Colorado River
Sticky trap for aquatic insects on the bank of Little Colorado RiverSticky trap for emergent aquatic insects (close-up) showing captured insects. Photo by Eric Kortenhoeven, USGS.
Sticky trap for aquatic insects on the bank of Little Colorado River
Sticky trap for aquatic insects on the bank of Little Colorado RiverSticky trap for emergent aquatic insects (close-up) showing captured insects. Photo by Eric Kortenhoeven, USGS.
A nurse tree cohort of Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert, AZ
A nurse tree cohort of Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert, AZSimilar aged saguaros can often be found in groups where nurse trees once stood. Nurse debris remains in place for years after the nurse died. Photo courtesy of Daniel Winkler, USGS SBSC.
A nurse tree cohort of Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert, AZ
A nurse tree cohort of Saguaro cacti in the Sonoran Desert, AZSimilar aged saguaros can often be found in groups where nurse trees once stood. Nurse debris remains in place for years after the nurse died. Photo courtesy of Daniel Winkler, USGS SBSC.
View from Canyonlands Research Center
View from Canyonlands Research Center.
USGS scientist Jayne Belnap examines instruments to measure biocrust
USGS scientist Jayne Belnap examines instruments to measure biocrustUSGS scientist Jayne Belnap examines instrumentation to measure photosynthetic rates of biocrusts.
USGS scientist Jayne Belnap examines instruments to measure biocrust
USGS scientist Jayne Belnap examines instruments to measure biocrustUSGS scientist Jayne Belnap examines instrumentation to measure photosynthetic rates of biocrusts.
Footprint damage to biocrusts
Many human activities can be unintentionally harmful to biological crusts. The biocrusts are no match for the compressional stress caused by footprints of livestock or people or tracks from vehicles.
Many human activities can be unintentionally harmful to biological crusts. The biocrusts are no match for the compressional stress caused by footprints of livestock or people or tracks from vehicles.
Dark-colored mature biocrust
On the Colorado Plateau, mature biocrusts are bumpy and dark-colored due to the presence of lichens, mosses, and high densities of cyanobacteria and other organisms. These organisms perform critical functions, such as fertilizing soils and increasing soil stability, therefore reducing dust.
On the Colorado Plateau, mature biocrusts are bumpy and dark-colored due to the presence of lichens, mosses, and high densities of cyanobacteria and other organisms. These organisms perform critical functions, such as fertilizing soils and increasing soil stability, therefore reducing dust.
Biocrust
On the Colorado Plateau, mature biocrusts are bumpy and dark-colored due to the presence of lichens, mosses, and high densities of cyanobacteria and other organisms. Disturbed biocrusts are lighter in color, looking more like the underlying sand than undisturbed ones, and are less capable of stabilizing soils or providing soil fertility.
On the Colorado Plateau, mature biocrusts are bumpy and dark-colored due to the presence of lichens, mosses, and high densities of cyanobacteria and other organisms. Disturbed biocrusts are lighter in color, looking more like the underlying sand than undisturbed ones, and are less capable of stabilizing soils or providing soil fertility.