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Our Western Geographic Science Center (WGSC) priority is to continue the important work of the Department of the Interior and the USGS, while also maintaining the health and safety of our employees and the community. Based on guidance from the White House, the CDC, and state and local authorities, we are shifting our operations to a virtual mode and have minimal staffing within our offices. If you need additional assistance, please contact Susan Benjamin, sbenjamin@usgs.gov.
Anne Wein Wins Bay Area Metro Award!
Congratulations to Dr. Anne Wein, Operations Research Analyst at WGSC, who received a 2019 Bay Area Metro Award for her work as lead researcher for the HayWired earthquake scenario!
Learn moreRemote Sensing and Dryland Management
With the use of remote sensing and spatial analysis, WGSC scientists study dryland vegetation and soils to determine disturbances and help manage recovery.
Learn moreProjects and teams at WGSC
Just a few examples of WGSC projects and science teams.
Global Food Security-Support Analysis Data at 30 m (GFSAD30)
Hazards Societal Consequences and Risk Communication
Land-Use and Climate Change Team (LUCC)
Applied Landscape Ecology and Remote Sensing
Patterns in the Landscape – Analyses of Cause and Effect (PLACE)
News
Media Advisory: A Jaguar’s Field of Dreams – Live Online Public Lecture
The U.S. Geological Survey public lecture series is back and virtual. News reporters are invited to attend to learn how USGS scientists are helping protect one of the only jaguars that lives in the U.S.
New Geo-Narrative explores California’s exposure to volcanic hazards
The first step in mitigating volcanic risk and building community resilience to volcanic hazards is identifying what and who is in harm’s way.
Anne Wein Wins Prestigious 2019 Bay Area Metro Award
Congratulations to Dr. Anne Wein, Operations Research Analyst at WGSC, who received a 2019 Bay Area Metro Award from the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for her work as lead researcher for the HayWired earthquake scenario.
Publications
Coral reef resilience differs among islands within the Gulf of Mannar, southeast India, following successive coral bleaching events
We used a 12-yr data set of benthic cover (2005–2017), spanning two bleaching events, to assess changes in benthic cover and coral community composition along 21 islands within Gulf of Mannar (GoM), southeast India. Overall, between 2005 and 2017 reefs had a simultaneous decrease in relative coral cover (avg. = − 36%) and increase in algal cover...
Raj, K Diraviya; Aeby, Greta S.; Mathews, G.M.; Williams, Gareth J; Caldwell, Jamie M.; Laju, R L; Bharath, M Selva; Kumar, P Dinesh; Arasamuthu, A; Asir, N Gladwin Gnana; Wedding, Lisa M.; Daview, Andrew; Moritsch, Monica Mei Jeen; Edward, J K Patterson Expansion of intertidal mussel beds following disease-driven reduction of a keystone predator
Disease shapes community composition by removing species with strong interactions. To test whether the absence of keystone predation due to disease produced changes to the species composition of rocky intertidal communities, we leverage a natural experiment involving mass mortality of the keystone predator Pisaster ochraceus from Sea Star Wasting...
Moritsch, Monica Mei Jeen Editorial: Combining the science and practice of restoration ecology-Case studies of a grassroots binational restoration collaborative in the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion (2014- 2019)
The Sky Island Restoration Collaborative (SIRC) is a growing partnership between government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners in southeast Arizona, the United States, and northern Sonora, Mexico. Starting in 2014 as an experiment to cultivate restoration efforts by connecting people across vocations and nations, SIRC has...
Norman, Laura M.; Pulliam, H. Ronald; Girard, Michele; Buckley, Steven M.; Misztal, Louise W.; Seibert, David; Campbell, Carianne; Callegary, James B.; Tosline, Deborah J.; Wilson, Natalie R.; Hodges, David; Conn, Jeff; Austin-Clark, A. Valer