Images

USGS technician Jenny White and Ray Sliter check instruments on the fantail of the research vessel Pelican during a cruise to explore gas hydrates in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico from April to May, 2013.

USGS technicians Tom O'Brien, Eric Moore, and Wayne Baldwin deploy the seismic streamer aboard the research vessel Pelican to collect data on gas hydrates in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico from April to May, 2013.

USGS technicians Eric Moore, Wayne Baldwin, and Tom O'Brien ready the 72-channel digital streamer for deployment on the research vessel Pelican during a cruise to explore gas hydrates in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico from April to May, 2013.

Seismic equipment is craned off the research vessel Pelican at the dock in Cocodrie, Louisiana after a 15-day expedition to explore gas hydrates in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

Two wind turbines in a New York forest. 

Some of the larger wind energy facilities in North America are composed of hundreds of wind turbines dispersed across tens of thousands of acres, like this one in Colorado.

The new solar heating system will reduce the center's carbon footprint by supplementing the current natural gas boiler and reduce energy costs.

Scientists from AIST, JOGMEC, Georgia Tech, and the USGS prepare to analyze pressure cores as part of a multi-year gas hydrates research project in Japan. Left to right: Carlos Santamarina (Georgia Tech) and David Mason (USGS).

Scientists from AIST, JOGMEC, Georgia Tech, and the USGS prepare to analyze pressure cores as part of a multi-year gas hydrates research project in Japan. Left to right: Emile Bergeron (USGS), Kiyofumi Suzuki (JOGMEC), Marco Terzariol (Georgia Tech), William Waite (USGS), and Carlos Santamarina (Georgia Tech).

Scientists from AIST, JOGMEC, Georgia Tech, and the USGS prepare to analyze pressure cores as part of a multi-year gas hydrates research project in Japan. Left to right: Yoshihiro Konno (AIST) and David Mason (USGS).

Scientists from AIST, JOGMEC, Georgia Tech, and the USGS prepare to analyze pressure cores as part of a multi-year gas hydrates research project in Japan. Front, left to right: Efthymios Papadopoulos (Georgia Tech) and Jun Yoneda (AIST).

Scientists from AIST, JOGMEC, Georgia Tech, and the USGS prepare to analyze pressure cores as part of a multi-year gas hydrates research project in Japan. Left to right: Emile Bergeron (USGS) and Carlos Santamarina (Georgia Tech) are preparing to use a cutter (center) to saw a pressure core into shorter-length sections for transfer into various test devices.

USGS technicians Ray Sliter, Pete Dal Ferro, and Tom O'Brien retrieve the 72-channel digital seismic streamer on the research vessel Pelican during a cruise to explore gas hydrates in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico from April to May, 2013.

USGS technicians Eric Moore and Jenny White deploy instruments at the start of a seismic survey to explore gas hydrates in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico from April to May 2013.

Wind turbines at certain sites in North America each cause dozens of bat fatalities per year.

This photo shows one of the three 135-ft blades of a turbine before installation. Although the blades of wind turbines appear to move quite slowly to the human eye, blade tips often move at speeds faster than 100 mph.

The new solar heating system will reduce the center's carbon footprint by supplementing the current natural gas boiler and reduce energy costs.

Scientists from AIST, JOGMEC, Georgia Tech, and the USGS prepare to analyze pressure cores as part of a multi-year gas hydrates research project in Japan.

Photograph of the international team studying gas hydrates in Japan. Front row, kneeling: Jun Yoneda (AIST).

Scientists from AIST, JOGMEC, Georgia Tech, and the USGS prepare to analyze pressure cores as part of a multi-year gas hydrates research project in Japan. Left to right: Junbong Jang (Georgia Tech), David Mason (USGS), Carlos Santamarina (Georgia Tech), and Emile Bergeron (USGS).

USGS technician Jenny White and co-chief scientist Patrick Hart on the fantail of the research vessel Pelican during a cruise to explore gas hydrates in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico from April to May, 2013.