Images

Cyanobacteria bloom in a shallow Michigan lake during the fall of 2024. Photo by Leon Katona 

Tahquamenon River at streamgage 04045500 Tahquamenon River Near Paradise, Michigan, in autumn.

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/04045500/

USGS scientists aboard a sediment sampling vessel on the Rainy River, Minnesota, preparing for a day of sampling.

Two USGS scientists measuring water quality along the Rainy River and at its mouth in Four-Mile Bay, Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, to study how phosphorus stored in sediment may be interacting with river water and potentially contributing to problematic algal blooms in Lake of the Woods.

Hydrologic Technician Ryan Ennis and Physical Scientist Kathryn Johncock collect fish from Underwood Creek in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, using a backpack shocker. The backpack shocker is used to sample fish via electrofishing.

Large volume surface water collections for mercury isotopes in Lake Erie on the US EPA research vessel Lake Explorer II.

A Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) camera in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, at Grand Avenue overlooking the Chippewa River.

Upper Midwest Water Science Center and Michigan Bacteriological Research Lab (MI-BaRL) Supervisory Research Hydrologist, Carrie Givens, shows Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland a cyanobacteria culture grown from Lake Superior water.

Hydrologic technicians Garret Welsh (pictured) and Patrick Farrell (photo credit) made a discharge measurement using an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) at streamgage 05320000, Blue Earth River at Rapidan, Minnesota above the failing Rapidan Dam at 1:33 pm on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.

Biologist Leon Katona collects a water sample on the Fox River, Wisconsin as part of a sampling effort using the Fast Limnological Automated Measurements (FLAMe) platform.

Cyanobacteria bloom near the shoreline of North Bar Lake in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan during the fall of 2024. 

Microscope image of cyanobacteria (Microcystis sp.) collected from Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, June 23, 2024.  Photo by Leon Katona 

USGS water data expert Garret Welsh measures water flow in the pouring rain at the Straight River near Faribault, Minnesota. This measurement recorded the 6th highest flow in the station's 59-year history, highlighting the severity of current flood conditions. Such data is crucial for emergency managers and forecasters to protect communities at risk.

A small flock of brown and golden laying hens (chickens), on a farm in the Upper Midwest.

USGS Upper Midwest Water Science Center hydrologic technician Robert Howell documents water quality readings during sampling efforts on the Detroit River, Michigan.

Hydrologic technicians Josh Hoops and Chuck Taricska operate water quality sampling equipment from a boat on the Detroit River, Michigan.

Two scientists guide sampling equipment attached to large crane, on to deck of boat.

USGS is conducting sediment collection for metals and mercury analysis for Lake Erie, on the US EPA research vessel Lake Guardian.

USGS scientists training university researchers on soil collections for trace metals while at the St. Louis River Peatlands, Minnesota.​

A herd of elk transverse a fire pond at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona on a spring day.

Herd of elk transverse a fire pond at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. USGS scientists collected environmental samples for AIV.

USGS and University of California-Davis scientists sampling pore water in the Shark River Slough of Everglades National Park​.