Images

Microplastics, organic material, and other debris in a sample from the Milwaukee River, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Brian Selck, a USGS National Association of Geoscience Teachers intern, collects a water level measurement from a domestic well at a site north of Jersey Shore in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, June 2014.

Both irrigation wells and municipal wells affect water levels in the Little Plover River, Wisconsin. 

USGS biologists surveying for bullfrogs at Two Moon Park, Billings, MT.

Sample graphic of airborne lidar data acquisition. Target area is illuminated by pulsed laser light in the aircraft, Differences in laser return times and wavelengths are then used to make digital 3D representations of the selected ground sections.

A 3D Elevation Program lidar point cloud showing simulated flooding (in blue) of an area in Denver, Colorado

USGS scientists Pete Lenaker and Nic Buer collect a microplastic sample at the Manitowoc River, Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Aerial photo of the Oso, Washington landslide in 2014. The red arrows show the direction of material flow. The inset lidar image was derived from 3DEP data collected by the Washington Department of Transportation.

This green tree frog (Hyla cinerea) sits on the lip of a pitcher plant in a bog in Alabama. The frog was down in the pitcher plant, but moved up to rest on its edge as the photographer approached.

Researchers with the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department transport a captured a mule deer in the Wyoming Range of Wyoming. The deer was fitted with a GPS tracking and its body fat was assesssed and other biolgogical samples taken before release. 

A bird's nest in a cholla cactus in Pine Creek Canyon. The bird is likely a cactus wren, a species that nests specifically in cacti.

Pine Creek Canyon is a remnant ecosystem of loblolly pines. A remnant ecosystem is the last vestige of an ecosystem type that used to be more widespred.

Pine Creek Canyon is a remnant ecosystem of loblolly pines. A remnant ecosystem is the last vestige of an ecosystem type that used to be more widespred.

Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Mojave Desert.

Lichen on sandstone in Pine Creek Canyon. Lichen is a composite organism made up of algae and fungi, which form a symbiotic relationship.

Pine Creek Canyon is a remnant ecosystem of loblolly pines. A remnant ecosystem is the last vestige of an ecosystem type that used to be more widespred.

A view of the Calico Tanks, a sandstone formation in Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Mojave Desert.

The Moon rises over the Calico Tanks, a sandstone formation within Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Mojave Desert.

A view of the Calico Tanks, a sandstone formation in Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Mojave Desert.

A view of the Calico Tanks, a sandstone formation in Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Mojave Desert.

A view of the Sandstone Quarry in Red Rock Canyon. Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Mojave Desert.

A bird's nest in a cholla cactus in Pine Creek Canyon. The bird is likely a cactus wren, a species that nests specifically in cacti.

Pine Creek Canyon is a remnant ecosystem of loblolly pines. A remnant ecosystem is the last vestige of an ecosystem type that used to be more widespred.

Pine Creek Canyon is a remnant ecosystem of loblolly pines. A remnant ecosystem is the last vestige of an ecosystem type that used to be more widespred.

Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Mojave Desert.

Pine Creek Canyon is a remnant ecosystem of loblolly pines. A remnant ecosystem is the last vestige of an ecosystem type that used to be more widespred.

Red Rock Canyon is a National Conservation Area managed by the Bureau of Land Management, located just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. It is part of the Mojave Desert.