Multimedia Gallery

USGS Hydrotechs sample collecting in the early morning at the Gathering Pond below Milford Lake.

Station HRPKE is located southwest of Kīlauea's summit, in the upper Southwest Rift Zone region, within Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. The station measures sulfur dioxide (SO₂) concentrations in the air, as well as local meteorological data such as wind speed, wind direction, and rainfall. On September 1, an HVO scientist and two technicians conducted HRPKE

HVO technician Steven Fuke checks the solar panel at station HRPKE while conducting station maintenance on September 1. HVO remote monitoring stations are powered via solar panels and a suite of batteries. Remote stations such as HRPKE are telemetered, meaning that data collected at the remote station is transferred to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and can be viewed in

View to the southwest from HVO station HRPKE, showing Pu‘ukoa‘e on Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone in the background. Pu‘ukoa‘e formed during an eruption more than 200 years ago; lava flows from the December 1974 eruption of Kīlauea's Southwest Rift Zone—which are visible in the foreground—flowed southwest towards Pu‘ukoa‘e, with one lava flow from the eruption stopping at

The USGS Active Groundwater Level Network includes about 20,000 wells that have been measured by the USGS or USGS cooperators at least once within the past 13 months. The animation shows snapshots of water-level statistics in the network during August 2021.

Refer to the 

Photo Contest Winner | August 2021 | People
Field sampling crew with favorite equipment

Photo Contest Winner | September 2021 | Honorable Mention 2
Liz Nystrom captaining a boat on the Hudson River

Photo taken from a bridge over Ferguson Marsh. Hydrologic technicians Ryan and Justin kayaking through Ferguson Marsh to identify sampling locations for potential CyanoHABs.

Algal accumulation at Ferguson Marsh in the Perry Lake Wetland Complex.

Point Barrow, Alaska, or Nuvuk, is the northernmost point in the United States. USGS has set up video cameras, mounted to the pole shown here, to study sediment movement and wave dynamics along this dynamic coastline.

Point Barrow, Alaska, or Nuvuk, is the northernmost point in the United States. USGS has set up video cameras, mounted to the pole shown here, to study sediment movement and wave dynamics along this dynamic coastline.

Point Barrow, Alaska, or Nuvuk, is the northernmost point in the United States. USGS has set up video cameras, mounted to the pole shown here, to study sediment movement and wave dynamics along this dynamic coastline.

On Tuesday, August 31, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists and technicians visited the Keller Well in Kīlauea's south caldera region. Water from the well is typically sampled and analyzed quarterly to monitor how magma supply to Kīlauea's summit reservoirs might impact regional ground water. HVO scientists conducted an additional sampling mission due to the

On August 31, the water level in Keller Well was measured at approximately 514.12 m (1686.75 ft) below the ground surface. Though an intrusion of magma took place beneath the ground surface in Kīlauea's south caldera region from August 23–30, water level in Keller Well does not show significant changes as a result of this event. USGS image by P. Nadeau.

This map depicts the detected intrusive activity over the past week at Kīlauea Volcano. The initial swarm of small earthquakes from August 23–25 was centered in the south caldera region, as labelled on the map. A second swarm started late on August 26 in the same area; earthquake counts dropped the following day, but they have remained above background levels and

Modernizing the National Water Information System: Charting the Course for Delivering Water Data in the 21st Century

By: Daniel Pearson, USGS NWIS Modernization Program Manager, Water Mission Area 

• More rapid and accessible data delivery that will support the prediction of water hazards and water availability in near-

Pore waters from Yellowstone Lake sediment cores collected in August 2021 are extracted through filtration devices into plastic syringes.  Note that the second core from the left appears light in color because the plastic core liner was etched by very hot 91°C (196°F) fluids.

Gravity coring device on the rear deck of the R/V Annie after coring the floor of Yellowstone Lake, with dark mud coating the outside of the corer.  The 100-lb. green coring head is at the top, and the bottom of the barrel has a tapered stainless steel core cutter.  Mud-filled plastic core-liners are removed from the core barrel and replaced with a new core liner

View to the aft of the R/V Annie as it leaves Bridge Bay Marina early in the morning of August 26, 2021.

Map showing the seismic activity beneath the south part of Kīlauea caldera, within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, from August 23, 2021, at noon through the same time on August 25, 2021. The earthquake swarm began in that region at around 4:30 p.m. HST on August 23 and continued until the morning of August 25, 2021. Almost 500 earthquakes were detected during this swarm.

An animated map of tropical storm Henri that made landfall in Rhode Island on Sunday, August 22, 2021. The map shows the east coast of the United States from Maryland to Maine, with the storm path traveling from the Atlantic Ocean north to make land in Rhode Island. As the storm proceeds, precipitation accumulates over New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania,

Bathymetry data from various sources, including newly released 2018 and 2019 multibeam data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), were combined to create a composite 30-m resolution multibeam bathymetry surface of the southern Cascadia Margin offshore of Oregon and northern California.

Las consecuencias significativas del riesgo de inundación debido a los daños en los arrecifes de coral causado por los huracanes Irma y María clarifican por qué los beneficios de defensa de esta infraestructura natural deben recuperarse, repararse y restaurarse.

Los arrecifes de coral proporcionan una importante primera línea de defensa costera

RESUMEN DEL REPORTE

Los daños causados ​​por los huracanes a los arrecifes de coral en 2017 aumentan el riesgo de inundaciones futuras en Puerto Rico y Florida

El daño a la infraestructura natural de los arrecifes por los huracanes Irma y María pone a las personas y propiedades de los EE. UU. en un riesgo significativo de futuras inundaciones

The significant flood risk consequences of damage to coral reefs from Hurricanes Irma and Maria clarify why the defense benefits from this natural infrastructure should be recovered, repaired and restored.

Coral reefs provide a significant first line of coastal defense from storms and hurricanes by serving as offshore submerged breakwaters. But

Report Summary

Hurricane Damage to Coral Reefs in 2017 Increases Future Flood Risk in Puerto Rico and Florida

The damage to reef natural infrastructure from Hurricanes Irma and Maria puts U.S. people and property at significant risk of future flooding

Key Points

• Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused significant damage to coral

Future flooding on Florida’s reef-lined coasts would increase by 16% if present reef loss continues.

Coral reefs provide a significant first line of coastal defense from storms and hurricanes by serving as offshore submerged breakwaters. The degradation of coral reefs raises risks by increasing the exposure of coastal communities to flooding hazards

Report Summary

Future Flooding Impacts from Projected Coral Reef Degradation in Florida

Projected future degradation of reef natural infrastructure puts U.S. people and property at significant risk of future flooding.

Key Points

• Florida’s coral reefs are dying and eroding with losses in living corals and reef height.

Coral reef restoration can yield significant flood reduction benefits. These natural defenses were damaged in the 2017 hurricanes; their recovery would reduce the risks of further storm damages to nature, people and property.

The coastal protection benefits of coral reefs and other natural defenses are not usually assessed in the same rigorous,

Report Summary

The Social and Economic Benefits of Coral Reef Restoration in Florida

Targeted restoration of reef natural infrastructure can protect U.S. people and property from significant risk of future flooding.

Key Points

• The social and economic benefits of potential reef restoration scenarios, which varied in

La restauración de los arrecifes de coral puede producir beneficios significativos en la reducción de inundaciones. Estas defensas naturales sufrieron daños a causa de los huracanes de 2017; su recuperación reduciría riesgos adicionales a la naturaleza, las personas y propiedades causados por tormentas.

Los beneficios de protección costera de los

RESUMEN DEL REPORTE

Los beneficios sociales y económicos de la restauración de arrecifes de coral en Puerto Rico

PUNTOS CLAVE

• Se evaluaron los beneficios sociales y económicos de los posibles escenarios de restauración de arrecifes, los cuales varían en altura y en ancho del arrecife restaurado, a lo largo de las

Coral reef restoration can yield significant flood reduction benefits. These natural defenses were damaged in the 2017 hurricanes; their recovery would reduce the risks of further storm damages to nature, people and property.

The coastal protection benefits of coral reefs and other natural defenses are not usually assessed in the same rigorous,

Report Summary

The Social and Economic Benefits of Coral Reef Restoration in Puerto Rico

Key Points

• The social and economic benefits of potential reef restoration scenarios, which varied in restored reef height and width, were assessed across the entire reef-lined coasts of Puerto Rico.
• Reef restoration in Puerto Rico

Maps show the potential decrease in annual coastal hazard risk provided by coral reef restoration in Puerto Rico.

1. Potential population protected by Ecological 25 Restoration Scenario per kilometer (upper left)
2. Potential population protected by Structural 05 Restoration Scenario per kilometer (upper right)
3. Potential values of assets ($)

Maps of Puerto Rico show the increase in annual coastal hazard risk due to damage by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

1. Increase in population at risk due to coral reef damage per kilometer (top)
2. Increase in value ($) of assets at risk due to coral reef damage per kilometer (bottom)

Maps show the potential decrease in annual coastal hazard risk provided by coral reef restoration in Florida.

1. Potential values of assets ($) protected by Ecological 25 Restoration Scenario per kilometer (upper left)
2. Potential values of assets ($) protected by Structural 05 Restoration Scenario per kilometer (upper right)
3. Potential population

Maps for the southern part of the Florida coastline show the increase in annual coastal hazard risk due to damage by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

1. Increase in population at risk due to coral reef damage per kilometer (left)
2. Increase in value ($) of assets at risk due to coral reef damage per kilometer (right)

Four scenarios for the southern part of the Florida coastline show the increase in annual coastal hazard risk due to projected coral reef degradation.

1. Potential values of assets ($) lost due to mean elevation degradation scenario per kilometer (upper left)
2. Potential values of assets ($) lost due to mean erosion degradation scenario per kilometer (upper

Continuous water quality station on the Mystic River at the Mystic Seaport, Mystic CT (Site ID 412141071580200). Setup includes top and bottom multiparameter sondes and velocity uplooker.

Photo Contest Winner | September 2021 | USGS at Work
USGS Research Hyrologist Neil Terry preparing for resistivity surveys in Northern Minnesota
 

Photo looking downstream from the Pack Creek Road Bridge shows the rain gage on top with a USGS sticker. Below is a solar panel for power. The other white round object contains the data logger and satellite antenna. The station is wired to a

USGS New York Water Science Center Research Hyrologist Neil Terry preparing for resistivity surveys in Northern Minnesota. (Credit: Josh Woda, USGS NY WSC, Public domain.)

The week of August 16^th-20^th Terry, Neil C and Josh Woda contributed to a 30+ year long research effort near Bemidji, Minnesota. The two worked with 20+ USGS scientists and

Species Modeling for Endangered Species

By: Thomas Edwards, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

August 26th, 2021 at 7:00PM (PDT) 

An HVO scientist uses a syringe to capture a sample from an area within Kīlauea caldera that was identified as emitting elevated levels of the volcanic gas carbon dioxide. The sample is transferred to a gas sample bag, which will later be taken to a lab for chemical analyses. USGS photo by K. Mulliken on August 3, 2021.

On the north margin of the south sulfur bank, which was exposed during the Kīlauea summit collapse events in 2018, light-colored deposits are evidence of the ongoing alteration from volcanic gas emissions. Near the bottom of the photo, bright yellow sulfur deposits, which are a stark contrast to the darker gray basalt rocks, are further evidence of ongoing gas emissions in

USGS infographic on the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck central Virginia August 23, 2011, east coast earthquake hazards and how the USGS is helping inform critical decisions to protect lives and property. 

Full Text Description:

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE M5.8 EARTHQUAKE IN VIRGINIA
America’s Most Widely Felt Earthquake

M5.8 EARTHQUAKE