Images

Salt deposits along the Paria River, UT. USGS scientists are studying salinity in the Upper Colorado Basin.

The Dolores River, CO, a tributary of the Colorado River. USGS scientists are studying salinity in the Upper Colorado Basin.

A Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) camera along the San Antonio River in San Antonio, Texas. The camera is used to verify the position of a gate that is operated by the City of San Antonio. Check out the camera here.

A soil moisture data logger buried in the ground is a specialized instrument designed to measure and record the moisture content of soil over time. Here's how it generally functions:

The image is the logo for pywatershed created by James L. Mccreight. jmccreight@usgs.gov

Photo of a lush green forested area around Makamaka‘ole Stream near Kānoa Ridge, Maui.

Photo of lush green forested area around Makamaka‘ole Stream near Kānoa Ridge, Maui.

Cloud covered forest landscape in Nakula, Maui with outlines of trees in the distance.

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This diagram, released in English and Spanish in 2022, depicts the global water cycle. It shows how human water use affects where water is stored, how it moves, and how clean it is. This diagram is also available in other languages available on our Downloadable Products page.

The USGS National Water Quality Program (NWQP) is funding 24 projects in 15 geographic areas that advance real-time monitoring, remote sensing, and use of molecular techniques in identifying and predicting the occurrence of HABs and the toxins they produce.

March-August daily average streamflow for the last 30 years (1991-2022) (dark gray lines) compared to 2023, showing the periods where 2023 streamflow was above (blue) and below (orange) the historical average. Individual years of the relevant historical streamflow period are shown in light gray. 

Map of the Integrated Water Science study area for the Willamette River Basin, Oregon.

Collecting field samples to validate satellite remote sensing of water quality on Fernan Lake, Idaho.

Photo of the USGS UMID Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory at the Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Cyanobacteria (a form of algae) accumulated near the shore of Lake Lowell, Idaho.  Field samples from this site visit are used to validate satellite remote sensing of water quality.

Photograph of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Photo taken on September 8, 2023.

Abandoned cars on a flooded street in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY during a storm in 2023.

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.

Vegetation growth is assisting the Muddy Creek channel in becoming deeper and narrower (Carbon County, Wyoming).  Photo by Patrick Anderson (USGS)

This is a screenshot taken from a timelapse video of a rising glacial lake from May through August 2023. The video was captured by a USGS Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS) camera. The water level in the lake gradually rises throughout the video and then the water level dramatically decreases towards the end of the video.