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Science Snippets
Want some fun facts and interesting snippets of science? Then you came to the right place.
Wetland Word: Blue Carbon
Coastal ecosystems, like wetlands, may be smaller in size when compared to say, a forest, but they have the ability to sequester more carbon per unit area, making them an incredible climate change mitigation tool
Wetland Word: Sequestration
Scientifically speaking, sequestration refers to the capture and storage of an element, like carbon, in the environment.
Water Resources in Minnesota Significantly Improved by Land Restoration
Conversion of agricultural lands to wetland and native prairie greatly enhanced the quality of water resources, increased groundwater recharge and decreased floodwaters in the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study.
Wetland Word: Hydrophyte
These water-dwelling plants are found in aquatic ecosystems, including wetlands.
A Whale by Any Other Name
A new paper from the USGS and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History documents some of the first scientific descriptions and names given to what are today known as the sperm whale and false killer whale.
New Patent Helps Coalbed Methane Research
Far underground, in a Wyoming well-bore drilled through rock and coal, exciting research is bubbling up. USGS researchers are studying how bacteria and other microbes may play a role in the formation of natural gas from coal, and they’re using one of USGS’ newest patents to do it. This patent is the subsurface environmental sampler, or SES.
Using Remote Sensing to Turn Trash into Treasure
There’s an old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. At the USGS, we’re taking another look at old mine waste and tailings to see if there might still be mineral potential in them.
Bridging the Language Barrier During the Puerto Rico Earthquake
What happens when a 6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes Puerto Rico and the public needs critical information? How does a mostly English-speaking science agency reach a mostly Spanish-speaking public?
Hurricane Laura Temporarily Reverses Neches River
As Hurricane Laura came ashore near the Texas and Louisiana borders, its strong winds pushed so much water ahead of it that the Neches River even flowed backwards for a time, according to a USGS streamgage in Beaumont.
Citizen Scientist Appreciates the Opportunity to Contribute to National Mapping
A young citizen science volunteer and avid trail enthusiast enjoys “giving back” by helping to map the Nation.
USGS Scientists are Busy as a Bee
Many bumble bee species have declined in recent decades due to changes in habitat, climate, and pressures from pathogens, pesticides and introduced species. The western bumble bee, once common throughout western North America, is a species of concern and is being considered for listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.