Images

Multidisciplinary Approach That Considers Occurrence, Geochemistry, Bioavailability, and Toxicity to Prioritize Critical Minerals for Environmental Research

Elk and bison being fed on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming. Grand Teton and Grand Teton National Park are in the background. A map inset shows federal, state, and private land holdings of core winter elk range around the National Elk Refuge (labeled as the FWS unit). Map was generated by the USGS.

Map showing federal, state, and private land holdings of core winter elk range around the National Elk Refuge (labeled as the FWS unit). Map was generated by the USGS. 

Ecosystems Mission Area Friday's Findings webinar; audio described version.  Indigenous Knowledge - Providing Insight into Climate Change.   Presented by Nicole Herman-Mercer, Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, on August 23, 2024.

Ecosystems Mission Area Friday's Findings webinar.   Indigenous Knowledge - Providing Insight into Climate Change.   Presented by Nicole Herman-Mercer, Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, on August 23, 2024.

This is a photo of a filtration apparatus being used for microplastics analysis, November 2024.

USGS is developing and testing a safe rabies vaccine for vampire bats and conducting field studies for a practical delivery of this vaccine to wild populations of bats in the future. 

Dark field microscope from the manuscript, " a) A dark-field image of 1.5 µm PS LMMPs on a 0.4 μm PCTE membrane sensor. b) A Raman map of PS acquired by tracking its Raman band at 996 cm-1

USGS national estimates of the probability for PFAS in groundwater at the depth of public drinking water supply. Read the associated USGS study at https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ado6638.

USGS national estimates of the probability for PFAS in groundwater at the depth of private drinking water supply. Read the associated USGS study at https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ado6638.

SPOOKY SCIENCE (and having some fun with a playful, silly, not real science career)

The northern rubber boa is an example of a species predicted to have a smaller climate-niche space by the end of the century. Under climate scenario RCP 8.5--which assumes carbon emissions stay near current levels--this species' range could be reduced from most of the northwestern U.S. to only a small portion of British Columbia.

Photo taken of a USGS scientist working on PFAS analyses in front of her mass spectrometer within a laboratory.

A USGS field crew working on soil sampling, plant community monitoring, and soil water infiltration in the Colorado 'front range.'

Cyanobacteria bloom in a shallow Michigan lake during the fall of 2024. Photo by Leon Katona 

A USGS scientist uses the grid-point intercept method to characterize plant communities in Larimer County, Colorado. The grid-point intercept method uses points along a grid to sample plant species or ground cover within a larger plot.

USGS scientists dig small ‘micro pits' to collect soil for testing. The team is careful to minimize the impact to the environment. Soil is stored on a tarp while sampling so it can be returned to the pit afterwards.

A USGS scientist prepares a mini-disc infiltrometer to assess soil water infiltration. The degree to which water can infiltrate soil is closely tied to soil carbon content.

Screenshot of USGS FaST map showing potential spread of alligatorweed to new locations following Hurricane Helene.

USGS scientists identifying plant community composition in Larimer County, Colorado. Information on plant community composition is critical for understanding differences in soil carbon-responses to exotic annual grass invasion between sites. 

Desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata) blooming in a monitoring quadrat at a RestoreNet site in Northern Arizona. Photo by Laura Shriver (USGS).