United States of America
Suspended-Sediment and Solids Sampling
Suspended-sediment samples are collected on each visit at both gage and border site locations.
January 2021: Evaluation of debris flow activity in recent California Burn Areas following atomospheric river event
The January 2021 atmospheric river event produced heavy rainfall in some areas burned by wildfires in 2020. The Landslide Hazards Program (LHP) staff has evaluated the debris-flow activity in several areas. The locations are: The Carmel Fire, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire (San Mateo and Santa Cruz), the Dolan Fire, and the River Fire burn areas.
Reports by date are below. Photos will...
How Often Do Rainstorms Cause Debris Flows in Burned Areas of the Southwestern U.S.?
Debris flows, sometimes referred to as mudslides, mudflows, lahars, or debris avalanches, are common types of fast-moving landslides. They usually start on steep hillsides as a result of shallow landslides, or from runoff and erosion that liquefy and accelerate to speeds in excess of 35 mi/h. The consistency of debris flows ranges from thin, watery to thick, rocky mud that can carry large...
Longfin Smelt Distribution in the Coastal Pacific Ocean
Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) is a pelagic fish species found in waters along the Pacific coast, from Alaska to central California. Its complex life cycle makes it vulnerable to threats in both freshwater and at sea. Longfin Smelt is listed as a threatened species by the state of California.
Eyes on Earth Episode 43 - U.S.-Canada Water Use
Eyes on Earth is a podcast on remote sensing, Earth observation, land change and science, brought to you by the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. In this episode, we about international cooperation in water use management.
Pacific Marine Heatwave
The USGS conducts research on marine wildlife, habitats, and ecosystem processes to provide science to inform our partners as they make decisions relative to species status, resource use, and human activities. These studies examine impacts of severe heatwaves on marine ecosystems of the North Pacific.
HAIL (Hydrologic Applied Innovations Lab)
HAIL (Hydrologic Applied Innovations Lab)
Landsat Benefits, State By State
From mapping wildfires and permafrost thaw in Alaska to tracking algal blooms and Gypsy moth invasions in Ohio, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Program offers an expansive list of benefits across all 50 States. Click the publications tab above to download each fact sheet!
Big Sur Landslides
On California’s Big Sur coast, the steep slopes at Mud Creek suffered a catastrophic collapse (May 20, 2017). On January 28, 2021, heavy rains from a two-day storm caused debris from fire-scarred slopes to wash out another section of road at Rat Creek. USGS scientists are monitoring this 100-mile section of the California coastline, in collaboration with the CA Department of Transportation....
North Atlantic-Appalachian AI/ML Capabilities
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) includes a broad suite of flexible data-driven empirical approaches to perform tasks that are difficult to implement using conventional methods. AI and ML harness the power of computing resources to evaluate the underlying patterns and relationships within a dataset without explicit instructions.
The North Atlantic-Appalachian AI/...
The Mud Creek Landslide May 20 2017
On May 20, 2017, the steep slopes at Mud Creek on California’s Big Sur coast, about 140 miles south of San Francisco, suffered a catastrophic collapse. USGS scientists from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center and the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center continue to monitor this section of the coastline, in collaboration with the California Department of...
Water Quality Watch for Maryland
Maryland's Water Quality Watch provides access to real time water-quality data collected in surface waters throughout the United States as part of the USGS mission to describe water resources. Measurements include streamflow (through WaterWatch) water temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and nitrate.