Images

Low-altitude oblique photography taken before Hurricane Matthew (Sept. 6, 2014) and after (Oct. 13, 2016) in Flagler Beach, FL, shows that waves washed away part of Highway A1A and obliterated a 5.2-meter (17-foot) dune.

Low-altitude oblique photography taken before Hurricane Matthew (Sept. 6, 2014) and after (Oct. 13, 2016) shows the storm cut a new inlet between the Atlantic Ocean and the Matanzas River, stripping away a 3.7 meter (12-foot) dune and carrying sand into the estuary.

This was an early morning capture as the sun was rising at Schwabacher's Landing, Wyoming. The heavy cloud cover shielded the Grand Tetons from full view, but as we sat there, a small sliver of the mountains peeked through the clouds just long enough to take a few shots.

This U.S. Geological Survey storm-tide sensor was installed on a pier pylon near Big Talbot Island State Park in Duval County, Florida, in preparation for Hurricane Matthew's arrival. 

A shot taken from the walkway behind the Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. 

USGS hydrologic technician Jym Chapman (above) installs a rapid deployment gauge to measure water-surface elevation and other data in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, prior to Hurricane Matthew’s approach in October 2016. Hydrologist Tim Pojunas (below) measures an elevation reference point used to calibrate the newly installed RDG.

Ryan Patrick, USGS hydrologist, installs a storm-tide sensor in preparation for Hurricane Matthew. The data collected by these sensors is used to create better storm-tide models, more accurate flood forecasts, more effective flood-protection infrastructure, and wiser land use policies.

View from Canyonlands Research Center. 

USGS scientist Jayne Belnap examines instrumentation to measure photosynthetic rates of biocrusts.

Many human activities can be unintentionally harmful to biological crusts. The biocrusts are no match for the compressional stress caused by footprints of livestock or people or tracks from vehicles.

On the Colorado Plateau, mature biocrusts are bumpy and dark-colored due to the presence of lichens, mosses, and high densities of cyanobacteria and other organisms. These organisms perform critical functions, such as fertilizing soils and increasing soil stability, therefore reducing dust.

On the Colorado Plateau, mature biocrusts are bumpy and dark-colored due to the presence of lichens, mosses, and high densities of cyanobacteria and other organisms. Disturbed biocrusts are lighter in color, looking more like the underlying sand than undisturbed ones, and are less capable of stabilizing soils or providing soil fertility.

Don Ashton uses radio telemetry to track a federally threatened Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa). Data provide information on resource use, movement patterns, and overwintering

USGS scientists created outdoor testing plots where large squares of biocrusts were exposed to different warming and precipitation factors over time.

USGS scientist Sasha Reed studies sites where different climate conditions are being mimicked to determine effect on biocrusts.

USGS scientists created outdoor testing plots where large squares of biocrusts were exposed to different warming and precipitation factors over time.

USGS scientists created outdoor testing plots where large squares of biocrusts were exposed to different warming and precipitation factors over time.

Biocrusts provide soil stability and prevent erosion. Soil is the foundation where plants live; if soil is not stable, native plants can have difficulty growing.

A lidar point cloud of the National Mall, Washington, D.C. Photograph Credit: Jason Stoker, USGS

Neil Yobbi, U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic technician, uses an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter to measure stream flow on Curlew Creek in Tampa, Florida. While Hurricane Hermine might have made landfall almost 200 miles away in St.

Fog along the Yukon River showing a Black Spruce dominated forest in the foreground, which is prone to wildfire.  Photo by Bruce Wylie, USGS