Images

A storm rolls in during field work at the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. Crews were measuring plant cover and other site characteristics. Sagebrush and yellow sweet clover are visible.

Photomicrographs from a sea otter (Enhydra lutris) found dead in Washington State, USA.

In the same day, a female mule deer (left image), an elk (middle image), and finally a buck mule deer (right image) visited the same mineral lick in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The USGS is investigating how the aggregation of multiple individuals and species in mineral lick locations can influence wildlife disease transmission.  

Wind turbines in Wyoming with one blade painted black. These turbines are part of a study in collaboration with PacifiCorp to assess if the contrasting colors of turbine blades can reduce bird fatalities at wind turbines. 

Cyanobacteria bloom near the shoreline of North Bar Lake in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan during the fall of 2024. 

Microscope image of cyanobacteria (Microcystis sp.) collected from Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, June 23, 2024.  Photo by Leon Katona 

A five-person USGS crew collecting Rapid and Other Assessment and Monitoring (ROAM) density data in southwest Idaho. One person is inspecting a plant in the foreground, while the rest of the team are identifying and counting individual plants during a radial density belt. 

A downward-facing photo taken on a Rapid and Other Methods for Assessment and Monitoring (ROAM) plot that is within a fuel break. The photo includes a lot of gravel and bare ground, with intermixed small grasses, forbs, and shrubs. 

Lake Abert, Oregon is one of the 20 terminal lakes identified by USGS partners as priority ecosystems for study by the Saline Lakes Ecosystems IWAA.

How hot do wildfires get? 

• 570 F degrees - TEMPERATURE AT WHICH WOOD WILL BURST INTO FLAMES
• 2,200 F degrees - TEMPERATURE WILDFIRES COULD REACH IN EXTREME CONDITIONS

Fast-moving, highly destructive debris flows triggered by intense rainfall are one of the most dangerous post-fire hazards. The risk of floods and debris flows after fires increases due to vegetation loss and soil exposure. Cases of sudden and deadly debris flow are well documented along the western United States, particularly in Southern California.

Pair of Pelagic Cormorant (Urile pelagicus) nest along the sea cliffs of a grotto on St. Matthew Island. The island is home to over 1.6 million nesting seabirds, including murres, kittiwakes, puffins and auklets. 

Orange streams are increasingly common in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska. The orange stream color reflects oxidized iron, but also often indicates elevated heavy metal concentrations. Our ongoing study aims to document these occurrences and the timing of their onset.

Photomicrographs from an unaffected Little Brown Bat (M. lucifugus; A-B) and Little Brown Bat found dead in Montana, USA with the square-eared anomaly (C-E). Periodic Acid Schiff-Hematoxylin. (A) Pinna of an unaffected Little Brown Bat showing the epidermis (e and arrow), dermis (d) and central elastic cartilage plate (c).

Coral reefs provide ample opportunities for recreational activities and fishing and add important cultural value to coastal communities. 

They also bolster biodiversity by giving food and shelter to many species. 

The structure of a reef helps dampen waves and protects coastlines from storms and erosion. 

Goose Lake, on the Oregon-California border, is one of the 20 terminal lakes identified by USGS partners as priority ecosystems for study by the Saline Lakes Ecosystems IWAA. 

A buoy marking the location of monitoring equipment in Pool 13 of the Upper Mississippi River in 2024. The equipment is placed below the water surface to monitor waves and water clarity in the spring and summer. 

How Streamgages are Used in Postfire Flood Forecasting

Stream data is recorded in real time and posted online.

Stream data include water level, velocity, and turbidity.

During storms, rainfall data is compared to the stream data.

The National Weather Service uses the data to issue flood warnings.

Many new big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) plants that have just sprouted from the ground in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho.

A field crew member collecting stick-point intercept data at a Project ROAM (Rapid and Other Methods for Assessment and Monitoring) plot. A meter-long 'stick' is dropped and five recordings of vegetation are collected by dropping a pin flag along the stick. The vegetation it comes into contact with is recorded to estimate cover. 

A scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) photographed during a Project ROAM (Rapid and Other Methods for Assessment and Monitoring) survey in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. ROAM protocols are tailored to detect uncommon species, such as native forbs.