Images

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.

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.

U.S. River Conditions, April to June 2023 visualization thumbnail image. For more visualizations, check out https://labs.waterdata.usgs.gov/visualizations/vizlab-home/index.html#/

USGS Staff at the Unuk River Streamgage in Southeast Alaska. The Unuk River is the second smallest watershed in the transboundary study of Southeast Alaska, but has three large mining projects in development (Kerr-Sulplherets-Mitchell (KSM), Brucejack, and Eskay Creek)

View of Palisades Reservoir, on the Idaho-Wyoming border.  This waterbody was included in a state-wide effort to validate satellite remote sensing of water quality.

Validating satellite observations of water quality includes measuring the incident lighting conditions. Here solar radiation is measured with a spectral radiometer on Fernan Lake, Idaho.

Water clarity, a fundamental measure of water quality, is measured using a standard sized “Secchi” disk that is lowered until it is no longer visible. Measurements like this from Lake Fernan, Idaho, are used to validate satellite remote sensing estimates of water quality.  

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.

The Saline Lake Ecosystems IWAA Waterbird Movement Project began tagging American Avocets in March 2023 to track their movements across the landscape. Tracking data from these birds will help scientists better understand why these birds choose to use the terminal lake and wetland habitats they do in the Great Basin.

American Avocet are a bird that relies heavily on the Saline Lakes ecosystem during their spring migration periods. Over 50% of these birds exist here. Part of their use includes using the terminal lakes there to breed. 

The USGS Water Resources Mission Area will assess water availability based on these core components of water supply and demand. 

Physical Scientist Molly Huber of the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center examines tree roots in a location where a root cookie was recently cut.

Molly was there as part of a stream habitat/riparian assessment at Orson Creek in south central Pennsylvania.

#RecreateWithUSGS is a national photo contest to raise awareness of the importance of USGS water data collected on public lands where people recreate in, on, and around water. Participate in this national photo contest and share your photo with us. Post on Instagram using #RecreateWithUSGS and tag @USGS_Water. The contest is open from June 12th - August 20th, 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.

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.

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.

Photo of Blake Dudding, USGS, performing a survey on the banks of Lake Anna, Virginia 

USGS hydrographer Kristopher Ross makes an acoustic streamflow measurement from a cableway at streamgage 10308200 East Fork Carson River below Markleeville Creek, near Markleeville, CA. This station was recently nominated to be a part of the new Federal Priority Streamgage network design.​

The USGS Water Resources Mission Area will assess water availability based on these core components of water supply and demand. 

Regional water availability assessment basins, as of 2023. USGS is conducting regional water availability assessments in medium-sized watersheds throughout the US.  These assessments are designed to capture a range of conditions in major drivers of water availability.

USGS Scientist Brendan Foster taking and sealing an algal sample on a dock at Lake Anna, Virginia.