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Listen to USGS podcasts, interviews, and explorer audio clips related to earth science.
The Air We Breathe…It’s a Gas!
We live at the bottom of an ocean of air. Most adults take around 29,000 breaths a day, children breathe a little faster; but what is in this air we breathe? What are the gases in the air? How much of each gas is there? Do these gases have different weights? How cold are liquid nitrogen and dry ice, and where did those names come from? Come join us to explore these
Time-Lapse Photography Project on the Platte River
NEWSC Director Bob Swanson, Wildlife photographer Mike Forsberg, and NET Television producer Mike Ferrell discuss their plans to mount 45 cameras along the entire Platte River to document its changes through the year and beyond.
Who's Your Mama? Conservation Genetics and At-Risk Species
USGS science supports management, conservation, and restoration of imperiled, at-risk, and endangered species. Endangered Species Day is commemorated in May, and we’re taking some time to find out just how one goes about studying at-risk species and what part cutting-edge technologies can play in helping us do the science that informs managers and policy makers. Catherine
USGS Water Activities in South Carolina - Update
An update on USGS Water activities in South Carolina as SC Water Science Center Director Eric Strom is interviewed by SC Public Radio ‘Your Day’ host, Donna London.
Wade into Wetlands Research
May is American Wetlands Month—so we're taking some time out to talk about this important National Treasure that shelters us from storms and provides a unique habitat for wildlife.
Jennifer LaVista asks USGS National Wetlands Research Center Director, Phil Turnipseed a few questions on the importance of wetlands
Shocking! Electrofishing for Largescale Suckers on the Columbia River
In this episode we take to the water and accompany a USGS field crew as they collect largescale suckers (Catostomus macrocheilus) along the lower Columbia River. Using a boat equipped with specialized shocking equipment, researchers stun nearby fish, allowing them to be easily collected and examined. Join us, as we explore how native fish are used to determine the water
USGS Economic Analysis Updated for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA)
An updated USGS assessment on the economic recoverability of undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) and adjacent state waters is available. Economically recoverable resources are those that can be sold at a price that covers the total costs from finding the resource to getting it the market. Join us as we
USGS Economic Analysis Updated for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA)
An updated USGS assessment on the economic recoverability of undiscovered, conventional oil and gas resources within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) and adjacent state waters is available. Economically recoverable resources are those that can be sold at a price that covers the total costs from finding the resource to getting it the market. Join us as we
Flooding Hits Along the Mississippi River
2011 had been predicted to be a particularly bad year for flooding in the northern Plains and upper Midwest. Areas along the Red River in North Dakota and Minnesota and the James Rivers in the Dakotas are still experiencing flooding from snowmelt. Now extreme rainfall is causing severe flooding along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Record floods are possible in some areas
USGS Hydrologic Investigation of West Africa's Congo River (part 3)
USGS South Carolina Water Science Center Data Chief, John Shelton in a special hydrologic expedition down the Congo River, West Africa. Part three of the three part episode, reveals a hydrologic data set that changed the world record books.
New Madrid Earthquake Bicentennial
Earthquakes – and large ones at that – threaten to shake residents and buildings of the central and eastern United States, a reality that scientists, emergency responders and others hope to drive home during the bicentennial of the 1811 and 1812 New Madrid earthquakes. Scientific presentations and discussions about these historic events and recent major earthquakes
Treasures of the USGS Library
Since its creation in 1882, the USGS Library has grown to become the world's largest library dedicated to earth and natural sciences, holding more than 1.5 million volumes and 800,000 maps. Richard Huffine, Director of the USGS Libraries Program, will highlight some of the rarest, most valuable, and significant materials held by the USGS. These include early maps of
An Unseen World Beneath Our Feet - Caves, Sinkholes and Springs
Randall Orndorff, Director of the Eastern Geology and Paleoclimate Science Center, discusses how Karst affects daily life. Beneath a quarter of the United States are rock types that can dissolve to form caves, sinkholes and other features. Nearly every state has rock layers of limestone, gypsum, and other soluble rocks we call ‘karst’. Karst is important for many reasons.
Beyond Billions: Threatened Bats are Worth Billions to Agriculture
Insect-eating bats provide pest-control services that save the U.S. agriculture industry over $3 billion per year, according to a study released today in the journal Science. However, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Pretoria in South Africa, University of Tennessee, and Boston University who contributed to the study warn that these valuable
Waves Rippling Through Groundwater
Earthquakes affect Earth’s intricate plumbing system. The magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011 affected water levels in groundwater wells in many places in the United States. In this episode of CoreCast USGS Geophysicist Evelyn Roeloffs explains this phenomenon.
Flooding Spring 2011
The upper Midwest, the Deep South, the Northern Plains, the Ohio Valley and parts of southern New England are experiencing flooding now or are highly vulnerable to flooding this spring. In this episode of CoreCast USGS National Flood Coordinator Bob Holmes talks to CoreCast host Kara Capelli about why increased flooding is likely this year and how USGS is responding.
Magnitude 8.9 Near the East Coast of Japan
A magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. USGS geophysicists and Bill Ellsworth and Eric Geist talk to CoreCast host Kara Capelli about the quake and subsequent tsunami.
Oregon Songbirds: Singing for Their Supper in Evergreen Forests
In this episode we sit down with USGS wildlife biologist Joan Hagar and discuss her recent study on songbirds in the Pacific Northwest. New research indicates a possible relationship between reductions in the abundance of some species of songbird and reductions in the amount of deciduous trees in evergreen forests. Join us, as we demonstrate how Oregon songbirds sing for
Groundwater Awareness Week is March 6-12
Groundwater is not a single vast pool of underground water; rather, it is contained within a variety of aquifer systems. Each of these aquifers has its own set of questions and challenges. From large drawdowns in the Great Plains aquifer to arsenic in some wells in New England, this episode of CoreCast highlights six different USGS groundwater studies all across the United
New model gives insight to the potential future of the Pacific walrus
Walruses are important to human communities bordering the Chukchi and Bering seas in the United States and Russia, and the status of walrus provides information about the health of these highly productive marine ecosystems. Projecting the future population status of the Pacific walrus was investigated with a new model developed by scientists at the USGS Alaska Science
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: 75 Years of Wildlife Conservation Research
Dr. Matthiew Perry, Senior Advisor at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, highlights 75 years of wildlife conservation research at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in celebration of the Center’s 75th anniversary. Major programs include global climate change studies, Chesapeake Bay studies, and wildlife conservation monitoring. Perry gives an overview of the center’s
Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Strikes New Zealand
A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the south island of New Zealand near Christchurch on February 21, resulting in 75 lives being lost. This earthquake was an aftershock from the Sept. 4th magnitude 7.0 earthquake that occurred in nearby Darfield last year. So why did this lesser magnitude earthquake result in more damage and lives lost?
Jennifer LaVista
Lava lake activity from inside Halema`uma`u Crater
Sounds of lava lake activity within Kilauea Volcano's summit vent inside Halema`uma`u Crater on the afternoon of February 14, 2011. The continuous "crashing wave" noise is the sound of churning lava as gases are released from the lake surface, which is in nearly constant motion. The discontinuous sharp "pops" occur when rocks falling from the vent wall hit the lava lake
Great Lakes Water Availability
Though the Great Lakes are the largest freshwater system on Earth, the basin has the potential for local shortages, according to a new basin-wide water availability assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. Kara Capelli spoke with Howard Reeves, USGS scientist and lead author on the report, about why uneven distribution of water can cause local shortages and conflicts.