Images

Great Lakes water availability studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey aim to help characterize how much water the Basin has now, how water availability is changing, and how much water it can expect to have in the future.

The Cannonball River at Breien, ND looking East.

Cannonball River at Breien, ND looking west.

Diatoms are algae that reflect the biotic condition of streams, lakes and estuaries. Diatoms are important indicator organisms because they are sensitive to natural and human impacts, and monitoring their condition provides information about ecosystem health. A scanning electron micrograph (SEM) shows one valve of an unusual species within the genus Aneumastus.

Two new additions to the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center's fleet of large research vessels are currently being constructed. The two new USGS research vessels will replace the aging vessels on lakes Erie and Ontario.

Scattered mature Joshua trees in this northernmost stand of Joshua trees are surrounded by abundant seedlings and saplings. Recent climates, and General Circulation Model results of future climates, portray this area as being suitable for the survival and expansion of Joshua trees.

Turner Falls, the largest waterfall in Oklahoma, near Davis, Oklahoma. Springs discharging from the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer into Honey Creek are the source of water to Turner Falls.

Castle, McNutt, Salazar, and Taylor meet inside the Ball Aerospace facility.

Plasma separated from the blood by centrifuge of a pallid sturgeon is carefully divided into 3 vials.  The plasma samples are immediately frozen for laboratory analysis. 

Flooded gaging station on the Souris River near Westhope, North Dakota, April 20, 2011.  See other pictures in this gallery with the tag 05124000 to see what the gage house normally looks like - it is on a raised platform on the bank of the river with an access road next to it.

Many noxious, invasive species infest our nation’s wetlands. One example is a new type of phragmites, a wetlands grass from Europe that has rapidly spread across the continent, altering soil, producing copious seeds, and resulting in dense stands of mostly one-plant – phragmites – stands.

This lichen is Parmelia sulcata, a common species in North America.   Lichens -- which are often mistaken for moss -- are unusual plant-like organisms that are actually symbioses of fungi, algae and bacteria living together.

Many species of Hawaiian honeycreepers have persisted into the 20th century because high elevation rain forests on the islands of Kaua’i, Maui, and Hawai’i are cool enough to limit transmission of introduced avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum).

Would you know there is a boat ramp here?  Launching a boat during high water on the muddy Missouri River requires intimate knowledge of boat ramps.  The Glasgow, MO, boat ramp (pictured) is underwater when the local gage is approximately 29 feet. 

Acoustic receivers detect and process the acoustic signal from the telemetry tags telling the tracking crew which direction to go to find the fish, and even which fish it is.

Acipenseriformes (sturgeon and paddlefish) larvae are somewhat easy to spot in the field thanks to their large yolk sac (yellow arrow).  However, a microscope is necessary to differentiate between the two. 

An endangered Burrowing Owl near a site in Cape Coral, FL.

The Coachella Canal is an aqueduct that diverts water from the Colorado River to the Coachella Valley, making possible the extensive agriculture production that drives the economy in this arid region of the United States.

Scientist Joe Svetek pauses to record notes in his dump-truck-turned-mobile-office at one of the many seismic shot hole locations of the 2011 Salton Seismic Imaging Project.

Photo taken before Storm Event at the Laguna Cartagena USFWS Wildlife Refuge.

Scientists electrofish low-salinity shorelines, Tarpon Bay, Everglades National Park.