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Explore our planet through photography and imagery, including climate change and water all the way back to the 1800s when the USGS was surveying the country by horse and buggy.
Weighing type precipitation gage and new radar-based sensor
The Wolverine Glacier weather station was installed in 1968, and at 3250 ft is the highest elevation long-term weather record on the Kenai Peninsula. On October 19, 2020, USGS scientists upgraded the power system to a Lithium battery bank and installed a radar-based precipitation sensor (Lufft WS-100) to compare with the weighing based precipitation gage. From this angle
...Blackfeet Hydrologic Assessment Webpage Map
Blackfeet Hydrologic Assessment webpage map
Tropical Storm Eta effects on Madeira Beach, Florida
Tropical Storm Eta had effects on Florida's Gulf Coast beaches, including dune erosion and overwash. This image from the coast cam at Madeira Beach, Florida captured high water levels and resulting overwash of sand onto the patio of the Shoreline Resort. The USGS Coastal Change Hazards team works to predict these types of events to
...Kīlauea's summit lake between rain showers
A quick visit to the western caldera rim provided brief views of Kīlauea's summit lake between rain showers. The lake colors were particularly vibrant today, with a deep blue-green color in the western end (bottom of photo), with dark brown near the center. USGS photo by M. Patrick.
Landsat 8 image showing southwest Morocco
Landsat 8 image acquired on November 11, 2020 over southwest Morocco (Path 203 Row 40). The image is shown using the shortwave infrared 2, red, and blue bands (bands 7,4,2).
Landsat Scene ID LO08_L1TP_203040_20201107_20201111_01_T1
Measuring water chemistry in Double Keyhole Cave, FL
Robert Scharping, a post-doctoral fellow jointly appointed by the USGS and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) measures water chemistry 40’ underwater and underground in Double Keyhole Cave near the coastline of Tampa Bay Florida. Robert is identifying the microbes and chemical conditions supporting chemosynthetic production of organic matter that is expelled
...Department of the Interior Bison Conservation Initiative 2020
Bison
Since the late 19th century, the Department of the Interior, in collaboration with others, has been a leader in shared conservation stewardship of bison and manages...
- 11,000 plains bison
- 19 herds
- On 4.6 million acres of the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, & Bureau of Land Management
- In 12 states
TNMCorps Mapping Challenge: City/Town Halls in IL & MO (IncPl StLouis)
TNMCorps Mapping Challenge: The labeled communities on this map represent incorporated places in the St. Louis metropolitan area (i.e., IL and MO) that have a population greater than 1,000 but do not yet have a city/town hall within their corporate boundaries.
Close up of the new radar precipitation sensor on the top of the pole
The Wolverine Glacier weather station was installed in 1968, and at 3250 ft is the highest elevation long-term weather record on the Kenai Peninsula. Close up of the new radar precipitation sensor on the top of the pole. The crazy looking thing in the middle of the picture is an aspirated temperature sensor. Have you ever noticed a day where it feels really hot in the sun
...Upgraded Wolverine Glacier weather station, Alaska
The Wolverine Glacier weather station was installed in 1968, and at 3250 ft is the highest elevation long-term weather record on the Kenai Peninsula. In Ocotober 2020, USGS scientists upgraded the power system to a Lithium battery bank and installed a radar-based precipitation sensor (Lufft WS-100) to compare with the weighing based precipitation gage. The new radar-based
...Wolverine Glacier weather station on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
The Wolverine Glacier weather station was installed in 1968, and at 3250 ft is the highest elevation long-term weather record on the Kenai Peninsula. On October 19, 2020, USGS scientists upgraded the power system to a Lithium battery bank and installed a radar-based precipitation sensor (Lufft WS-100) to compare with the weighing based precipitation gage. The data from
...October 2020 Active Groundwater Level Network Animation
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 a daily snapshot of water-level statistics in the network for October 2020. Please note: starting around October 22nd
...Yellowstone seismic network
Map of seismic stations in the Yellowstone region, with numbers of channels indicated by number and sensor type by color. Inverted triangles indicate stations operated by University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS), and squares indicate stations operated by other agencies.
Cessna Grand Caravan fixed-wing and an Airbus A350 B3 helicopter
Survey aircraft include a Cessna Grand Caravan fixed-wing and an Airbus A350 B3 helicopter with magnetometer stinger and towed bird respectively. Photos courtesy of Dewberry Engineers, Inc.
Flight area for Trans-Pecos aeromagnetic and radiometric survey
Map indicating flight area for Trans-Pecos aeromagnetic and radiometric survey. The survey area includes parts of El Paso and Hudspeth counties, Texas, and Otero County, New Mexico. Flights will begin in November 2020 and are expected to conclude in mid-January 2021.
SPCMSC and OSU researchers preparing for fieldwork in the Florida Keys
Dr. Ilsa Kuffner of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center and her collaborator Dr. Andrea Grottoli in the School of Earth Sciences at Ohio State University prepare for field work to study endangered elkhorn corals in the Florida Keys along with their team of researchers. They are researching where and why
...Elkhorn coral at calcification assessment station in Dry Tortugas
Established in 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coral Assessment Network (USGS-CAN) provides data on coral-growth (calcification) rates throughout the Florida Keys. Pictured here is one of 30 stations located in in Dry Tortugas National Park. The data document seasonal and spatial patterns in coral growth that correlate with ocean conditions and are used to guide the
...Chiropterologist coloring page
Chiropterologist coloring page.
Map of Waiʻōhinu area, Island of Hawaiʻi
Map of Waiʻōhinu area, Island of Hawaiʻi, showing the location of the 3,740 year old age.
Scientist holding brown treesnake
A USGS scientist holds an invasive brown treesnake.
Black Oystercatcher on Gull Island, Alaska
Black Oystercatcher on Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
Streamflow Measurement
Spread Creek streamflow measurement
USGS Technicians Prepare to Take a Core of the Austin Chalk in Texas
USGS technicians at the USGS Gulf Coast #4 Bonham borehole in preparation for geophysical logging of the Austin Chalk Group and the Eagle Ford Group mudstones, Fannin County, Texas.
Austin Chalk Core
Bedding features in the core from the USGS Gulf Coast #4 Bonham borehole, in the Eagle Ford Group mudstones from a depth of about 401 feet, Fannin County, Texas. The Eagle Ford Group lies underneath the Austin Chalk and serves as the source rock for much of the Austin Chalk's petroleum.
Old Faithful bathhouse during 1914-1933 (top) and 1934-1951 (bottom)
Old Faithful bathhouse as it appeared in 1914-1933 (top) and 1934-1951 (bottom).
Wave animation
Waves are the motion of the water's surface, usually caused by the transfer of energy from wind. Wave energy causes the water to move in a circular motion. The height and length of these waves combined with the slope of the beach influence how high the water can reach up on the coast. Waves are an important component of the total water level, which is how high the water
...Scientists process sediment cores from the deep sea
To help study the biodiversity present in the deep sea, scientists collect sediment cores. These cores are about a foot long and provide a vertical profile of deep-sea sediment, or mud. USGS scientists at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center identify and quantify the tiny animals found
...Collecting beach profile data in Science Festival video
This screenshot was taken from a video created for the virtual 2020 St. Petersburg Science Festival that discussed Coastal Change Hazards research at the USGS. Justin Birchler is seen walking up the beach with GPS equipment to measure the elevation of the beach. These data are used to create a beach profile, that shows the shape of the
...Obsidian Cliff lava flow, Yellowstone
Photograph of Obsidian Cliff along Grand Loop Road between Norris and Mammoth Hot Springs. Photograph by John Good, U.S. National Park Service, 1965.
Yellowstone map with rhyolite eruptions highlighted
Map of Yellowstone National Park adapted from Christiansen and others (2007). The pink regions are rhyolite flows erupted within Yellowstone caldera; these flows contain 5% to 15% crystals by volume. The purple region is the Obsidian Cliff flow, which contains close to 0% crystals.
Ecomapper Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
The Ecomapper is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that is a specialized submersibile device that operates by propelling through a water body between points along a constant depth.
Tingmerkpuk Ridges
Geologists discuss the geology of Jurassic rocks in thurst-faulted structures near the southern limit of Western North Slope.
Surprise Creek, Western North Slope of Alaska
Overview of folded Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous rocks in southern part of Western North Slope.
Kukpowruk Redwul
Geologist examines f Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks is at the upper limit of oil preservations. Oil odor indicates that oil was generated from these rocks but it likely migrated to other
...Kukpowruk Redwul
Faulted and folded petroleum source rocks in Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks (Kingak Shale, pebble shale unit, and gamma-ray zone of Hue Shale) in southern part of Western North Slope. Thermal maturity of these rocks are at the upper limit of oil preservations. Oil odor indicates that oil was generated from these rocks but it likely migrated to other rocks or was transformed
...Kokolik River Oil Sand
Oil-saturated sandstone in the Nanushuk Formation in westernmost National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). Oil in these rocks likely was generated beneath Western North Slope and migrated northeastward into NPR-A.
Silica Crucible and Glass Desiccator
Geochemists use platinum, silica, and ceramic crucibles, shown here in a glass container called a desiccator. Silica is used because it is resistant to extremely high temperatures and because it is chemically inert. Silicon, linked up with a pair of oxygen molecules as silicon dioxide, is known as silica.
Geophysicist checks data output at Mount Rainier station
A seismologist with the Cascades Volcano Observatory checks the data output on a newly installed monitoring station at Mount Rainier.
Avalanche debris on road
Avalanche debris covers a road in Glacier National Park at Red Rock point.
Mount Rainier's seismic and infrasound station PARA
Seismic and infrasound station PARA, installed October 6-8, 2020 at Mount Rainier.
Soil Sample Collection Materials
Soil sample collection for sediment fingerprinting on Littlefield Creek
Sediment Fingerprint Project Field Collection
Heading out to collect soil samples for our sediment fingerprinting project
Littlefield Creek Flume Measurement
Littlefield Creek flume measurement
Flume Measurement on Littlefield Creek
Flume measurement on Littlefield Creek
Taking a channel measurement
Surface-water modeling for Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance rate maps.
A USGS employees stands in the river channel keeping a prism on a survey rod level while a point measurement is taken with a total station located on the river bank.
Setting reference marks
Surface Water Modeling for FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
USGS employees use a GPS to set reference marks next to a damn near St. Johnsbury, VT.
Behind the Total Station
Surface Water Modeling for FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
Hydrologic Technician Gunther Schletter takes a channel measurement using a Total Station on a river near St. Johnsbury, VT.