Images

A view of the Scarlett Isabella from shoreline.

A view from the deck of the Scarlett Isabella. 

The kitchen onboard the Scarlett Isabella.

A view of the Klein  side scan sonar instrument. 

Several of the systems used for viewing and storing geologic data as it's captured from the onboard instrumentation.

Laura Brothers, USGS, pointing to the map of the backscatter data that's collected.

A view of the Scarlett Isabella from shoreline.

A view of one of the bedrooms aboard the Scarlett Isabella.

The crew of the Scarlett Isabella need to have some downtime from time to time. Here is the entertainment room aboard the ship.

Laura Brothers, USGS, explaining what the crew of the Scarlett Isabella were doing on their month long journey.

A view from the dock looking up at the Scarlett Isabella.

A view from the deck of the Scarlett Isabella. 

Tim Sargent, a hydrology tech at the New England Water Science Center, is checking to make sure that the bracket he installed is level.

USGS hydrologist Craig Brown installs a sensor pipe for the SWaTH Network.

A prairie dog returns to its burrow in Wind Cave National Park after scientists free it from a trap. The animal is part of a field test to determine the effectiveness of a USGS-developed oral sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV). This prairie dog was previously tagged, and its blood, hair, and whisker samples were taken. 

Wind Cave National Park is one of 34 areas testing a USGS-developed oral vaccine to prevent the spread of plague in prairie dogs. If successful, the sylvatic plague vaccine could help protect endangered black-footed ferrets in the western U.S. because the ferrets rely on prairie dogs for food.

Over 30 organizations and agencies are testing a USGS-developed oral vaccine to prevent the spread of plague in prairie dogs. If successful, the sylvatic plague vaccine could help protect endangered black-footed ferrets in the western U.S. because the ferrets rely on prairie dogs for food.

This prairie dog was trapped by scientists outside its burrow in Wind Cave National Park as part of a field test to determine the effectiveness of a USGS-developed oral sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV). This animal will be brought to a research van for tagging and blood, whisker, and hair sampling, and then released.

The chin of an anaesthetized prairie dog in Wind Cave National Park is marked before the animal is released back into the wild.

National Park Service veterinarian Kevin Castle places a prairie dog under anesthesia in Wind Cave National Park. He will tag this trapped prairie dog and take hair, whisker, and blood samples before scientists release the animal back into the wild.

A prairie dog trapped outside its burrow in Wind Cave National Park waits for a crew of scientists to arrive. The animal is part of a field test to determine the effectiveness of a USGS-developed oral sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV).