Images

Seam or bed of Pliocene lignite from a mine in the Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) area of Romania. Rainwater falling onto the surface penetrates into the ground, becoming ground water, and leaches toxic organic substances from this coal.

USGS scientist Bill Orem (left) and Adrian Muntean, a colleague from Romania, sampling water from a well in a Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) household in Serbia. The scientists will analyze the water for the presence of coal-derived organic substances dissolved in the water.

Native Americans of the Miwok tribe in the northern Sierra Nevada, California carved these basins into the granite bedrock to produce salt for trade. They filled the basins with water from a salt spring and let the water evaporate, leaving a salt residue in the basin. The basins are about a meter in diameter and span the area of a football field.

Bald Cypress trees are iconic symbols of wetlands, but their distribution and range may be vulnerable to climate change impacts.

Sunrise on the North Platte River at Broadwater, Nebraska. Looking downstream from Hwy 92 bridge. January 2007.

Establishing a release site for salmonids implanted with radio transmitters. Behavior and movement of salmon are monitored as they migrate through the Toutle River.

A scientist creates a quality control sample for a study of MTBE, (methyl tert-butyl ether) a fuel oxygenate used in gasoline.

Stream in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

2009 Red River flooding in Grand Forks, North Dakota

Prairie Creek nr. Silver Creek is a tributary of the Platte River. The photo was taken to capture Autumn's colors amplified by water.

A USGS technician finishes construction on a monitoring station used to monitor surface salinity and temperature below Faka Union Canal Weir #1, Florida. By measuring hydrologic conditions here, researchers found that freshwater flow rates help maintain warm water pockets in downstream areas of the canal.

Stream near Pocosin weather station site, Shenandoah National Park.

Great Lakes water availability studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey aim to help characterize how much water the Basin has now, how water availability is changing, and how much water it can expect to have in the future.

Great Lakes water availability studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey aim to help characterize how much water the Basin has now, how water availability is changing, and how much water it can expect to have in the future.

Great Lakes water availability studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey aim to help characterize how much water the Basin has now, how water availability is changing, and how much water it can expect to have in the future.

Diatoms are algae that reflect the biotic condition of streams, lakes and estuaries. Diatoms are important indicator organisms because they are sensitive to natural and human impacts, and monitoring their condition provides information about ecosystem health. A scanning electron micrograph (SEM) shows one valve of an unusual species within the genus Aneumastus.

Cannonball River at Breien, ND looking west.

The Cannonball River at Breien, ND looking East.

Turner Falls, the largest waterfall in Oklahoma, near Davis, Oklahoma. Springs discharging from the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer into Honey Creek are the source of water to Turner Falls.

Flooded gaging station on the Souris River near Westhope, North Dakota, April 20, 2011.  See other pictures in this gallery with the tag 05124000 to see what the gage house normally looks like - it is on a raised platform on the bank of the river with an access road next to it.

The Coachella Canal is an aqueduct that diverts water from the Colorado River to the Coachella Valley, making possible the extensive agriculture production that drives the economy in this arid region of the United States.