WGSC contributes to HayWired
The GFSAD30 project accomplished their goal!
Dryland Management
Aridland Water Harvesting
Cienega Ranch
Semi-desert Native Grassland Restoration
Semi-desert Native Grassland Restoration
Western Geographic Science Center
The WGSC is responsible for research and applications to understand coupled human-environmental systems in the face of land change and delivering pertinent information to decision makers on the vulnerability and resilience of these systems. WGSC scientists collaborate with partners to advance the goals of the USGS Core Science Systems and Ecosystems Mission Areas and their programs.
Dr. Prasad Thenkabail visits India in Scientist Exchange Program
Dr. Prasad Thenkabail visits India in Scientist Exchange Program
Congratulations to Dr. Prasad Thenkabail, Research Geographer at WGSC, who represented the Department of Interior at the NASA and Indian Space Research Organization Professional Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program. Congratulations Prasad!
Dr Laura Norman wins the Farouk El-Baz Award
Dr Laura Norman wins the Farouk El-Baz Award
Congratulations to Dr. Laura Norman, who won the Farouk El-Bak Award for desert research!
Projects and teams at WGSC
Projects and teams at WGSC
Just a few examples of WGSC projects and science teams.
- Hazards Vulnerability Team
- Global Food Security-Support Analysis Data at 30 m (GFSAD30)
- Hazards Societal Consequences and Risk Communication
- Land-Use and Climate Change Team (LUCC)
- Aridlands Water Harvest Study
- Applied Landscape Ecology and Remote Sensing
- Patterns in the Landscape – Analyses of Cause and Effect (PLACE)
News
USGS Scientists Share Their Research at the 2026 Bay-Delta Science Conference
USGS Scientists Share Their Research at the 2026 Bay-Delta Science Conference
Dr. Pardhasaradhi Teluguntla receives ESRI's Award for Best Scientific Paper in GIS -1st Place
Dr. Pardhasaradhi Teluguntla receives ESRI's Award for Best Scientific Paper in GIS -1st Place
Earth Science Matters - Vol. 21 | Issue 1
Earth Science Matters - Vol. 21 | Issue 1
Publications
A little-known piñon from the Mogollon Highlands: Natural history of Pinus x fallax in the Prescott National Forest, Arizona, USA A little-known piñon from the Mogollon Highlands: Natural history of Pinus x fallax in the Prescott National Forest, Arizona, USA
The Mogollon Highlands is an area of rich biodiversity in central Arizona and western New Mexico. The piñon-juniper/chaparral in the Mogollon Highlands is unique from other piñon-juniper woodlands in both taxonomy and structure. The hybridization of the common piñon there, Pinus × fallax (Mogollon Highlands piñon, MHP), is hypothesized to render it more tolerant to heat and aridity than...
Satellite embeddings for crop type classification: A comparative examination Satellite embeddings for crop type classification: A comparative examination
Embedding datasets encode complex relationships among multiple sources of Earth observation data into a compact format. Here, we evaluated the utility of a 10-m global Satellite Embedding product (SE) for classifying crop types in central California for the year 2020. We compared the classification accuracy of a random forest model based exclusively on the SE layer to an existing random...
Hyperspectral narrowband imaging spectroscopy: A new paradigm for Earth observation Hyperspectral narrowband imaging spectroscopy: A new paradigm for Earth observation
This editorial introduces the Special Issue entitled “Hyperspectral Narrowband Imaging Spectroscopy: A New Paradigm for Earth Observation” in the August 2026 issue of Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS), the flagship journal of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). This volume represents the fourth dedicated hyperspectral special issue...
Science
Very-high Resolution Geospatial Ecology (VeRGE) Lab
The Very-high Resolution Geospatial Ecology (VeRGE) Lab at the Western Geographic Science Center specializes in applied remote sensing and landscape ecology. Our research leverages data from drones (a.k.a. small Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles (sUAV)/Unoccupied Aerial Systems (sUAS)) and other high-resolution geospatial sources (ranging from centimeter to meter scale) to address pressing ecological...
New Tools for Modern Land Management Decisions
In an era of rapid land use changes, it is imperative that land managers and policymakers have actionable and current information available for decision processes. In this work, we seek to meet these needs through new data products and decision support tools built on digital soil mapping, new vegetation cover maps, agency inventory and monitoring data sets, and cutting-edge analytical frameworks...
Las Moras Wash Restoration: Integrated Geomorphic Assessment, Modeling, Monitoring, and Adaptive Management
The Las Moras Wash, within the Santa Margarita Ranch, Altar Valley, AZ, exhibits channel incision, gully expansion, head‑cut migration, vegetation loss, and reduced hydrologic connectivity between upper watershed and floodplains.