Images

Cover of USGS professional paper 1651 "Integrated investigations of environmental effects of historical mining in the Animas River Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado."

Stream sampling in the Upper Animas River, the mixing zone downstream from Cement Creek, CO. This image is part of the USGS Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative (AMLI): Upper Animas River Study Area Project. Part of the Gold King Mine archived page.

Using a groundwater observation well, a USGS hydrologist conducts a groundwater elevation survey on a city street on Staten Island, New York.

USGS scientists sampled sediment transport during (and after) the breaching of the Marmot Dam on the Sandy River, OR.

Sand patterns in a stretch of beach near Waimea, Kauai.

Sunset over the ocean near Poipu, Kauai, Hawaii.

Windswept coastline near the southernmost tip of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Sampling acid mine drainage residuals in Elk County, Pennsylvania.  The USGS has pioneered a new use for these residuals that are currently a disposal challenge, using them to filter phosphorus from agricultural and municipal wastewaters.

After heavy rains the river floods over the bridge and then for several months it will flow through the conduits under the roadway before it dries up again. The location is at 17º59"15"N, 66º17"40" and the elevation is 10 m. 

Early morning fog  and pilings at Oswego River near Phoenix, NY -  index velocity gaging station

View of Suwannee River at White Springs looking upstream.  USGS has maintained a gage here since 1906, the longest period of record stream gage in the state. 

American Falls at Niagara Falls, NY

Sediment cores from lakes and reservoirs can be used to reconstruct contaminant histories in watersheds. Sediment-core analyses indicate that concentrations of PAHs in many U.S. urban lakes are increasing, and multiple lines of evidence indicate that the source of the PAHs in coal-tar-based pavement sealants.

Many homeowners have their driveway sealcoat to protect and beautify the underlying asphalt. Coal-tar-based sealcoat, predominantly used east of the Continental Divide, is a potent source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Read more about coal-tar-based sealcoat and PAHs here.

Chesapeake Bay coast at St. Michaels, Maryland

Dust swept from parking lots sealed with coal-tar-based sealant contains concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) about 1,000 higher than dust from parking lots with other surface types (concrete, unsealed asphalt, asphalt-based sealcoat).

Solar-powered streamage on Lackawaxen River, PA supports Lake Wallenpaupack hydropower facility.

A seascape of tropical vegetation, sea water, mountains, mists, and storms. Photograph taken in the evening.

Four endangered Nene geese, photographed atop the sea cliffs on Kauai's north shore.

This photograph, taken at low tide along a stretch of sandy and rocky coastline, features a tide pool habitat.

This photograph, taken from a seaside cliff, features a coconut palm against a backdrop of the sea far below.