Ecosystems

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a dye-trace assessment on May 5, 2021 along the Missouri River near Huntsdale, Missouri. The assessment helped scientists understand how larvae from the critically endangered pallid sturgeon drift downstream after hatching and how they find supportive habitat in the complex Missouri River. 

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a dye-trace assessment on May 5, 2021 along the Missouri River near Huntsdale, Missouri. The assessment helped scientists understand how larvae from the critically endangered pallid sturgeon drift downstream after hatching and how they find supportive habitat in the complex Missouri River. 

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a dye-trace assessment on May 5, 2021 along the Missouri River near Huntsdale, Missouri. The assessment helped scientists understand how larvae from the critically endangered pallid sturgeon drift downstream after hatching and how they find supportive habitat in the complex Missouri River. 

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a dye-trace assessment on May 5, 2021 along the Missouri River near Huntsdale, Missouri. The assessment helped scientists understand how larvae from the critically endangered pallid sturgeon drift downstream after hatching and how they find supportive habitat in the complex Missouri River. 

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a dye-trace assessment on May 5, 2021 along the Missouri River near Huntsdale, Missouri. The assessment helped scientists understand how larvae from the critically endangered pallid sturgeon drift downstream after hatching and how they find supportive habitat in the complex Missouri River.
 

This tree-ring sample from an avalanche path captures 256 years of data between the years 1777 and 2013. The scars in 1818 and 1974 are examples of mechanical damage caused by an avalanche. The pith is the center of the tree.

This video shows a California tiger salamander finding its way to an underpass designed to help amphibians and reptiles cross the road safely, with the help of a "turn-around" that helps guide the salamander back in the right direction as it travels away from the underpass. The salamander was caught on wildlife cameras at various points between the turn-around and the

A small watershed restoration project proves that land farmed for half a century can be returned to a previous state. In 2002, Mike Osterholm bought 98 acres in northeastern Iowa, most of it annually tilled cropland. The land included the confluence of Duck Creek and Waterloo Creek. He observed soggy patches of ground during wet periods and marked the locations with flags

Annual change in winter colony size of little brown bats (2000 – 2019) as white-nose syndrome spread across the eastern U.S. and Canada. Shrinking red circles indicate bat colony size; expanding gray shading depicts WNS-positive counties by detection year.

Welcome to the "The I Am A..." series. This is the seventh video in a series of USGS whiteboard animations that highlight USGS careers. The concept is to show "what society (or my mom) thinks I do" compared with "what I really do." One image captures a more whimsical representation of a "scientist" and the second demonstrates a more accurate representation of what we

In this episode of Outstanding in the Field, we take you to the swamps and coastal wetlands of Louisiana, the land of bayous and beignets and a state with one of the most dynamic coastlines in the United States. The wetlands that make up the Louisiana coast are vast and help protect important cultural and natural resources. Here we learn about how USGS plays a key role in