Images

USGS scientist David Rodriguez records high water marks from storm surge near Corpus Christi, Texas. 

USGS scientist Alec McDonald surveying high water marks from storm surge from Hurricane Harvey at Packery Channel near Corpus Christi, Texas.

In early September 2017, Landsat 8 captured this image of what looked like an oil spill off the coast of Brazil, near Sao Paulo. The "oil" turned out to be a vast algal bloom that covered more than 100 km. This bloom was the result of a species of tiny dinoflagellate that multiplied quickly to produce astronomical numbers -- enough to color the ocean water.

Location 4. Sand dunes along this stretch of coast in Sargent, Texas, were overwashed by large waves during the storm. Sand from the beach and dunes is covering the roadway behind the dunes and which may be impassable. The predicted probability of overwash in this area was 94%.

USGS scientist Vidal Mendoza surveying high water marks from storm surge from Hurricane Harvey near Port Aransas, Texas.

Jim Duda, USGS hydrologic technician, installs a Rapid-Deployment Gauge near the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Virginia, to monitor elevated water levels caused by Hurricane Jose. An RDG is a fully functional streamgage designed to be quickly deployed for real-time data monitoring of a stream or river in emergency situations.

USGS scientists Lisa Ashmore and Lee Bodkin collect water-quality samples on Lake Houston in response to the high flow conditions that resulted from Harvey. 

The east side of Mount Rainier, as viewed from Panhandle Gap.

USGS WERC researcher Julia Ersan gets prepared to release a hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) after capture and examination. USGS researchers are conducting multiple projects to learn about the ecology of Western bats, including long distance migrants like the hoary bat.

USGS scientist Jimmy Hopkins repairs a streamgage downstream of Addicks reservoir at Buffalo Bayou after flooding from Hurricane Harvey. This gauge is normally accessed on land from a platform on the side of a bridge.

USGS scientist Lisa Ashmore services a water-quality monitor on Lake Houston. These instruments stayed afloat and collected data throughout Harvey. 

Photograph of USGS hydrologists Lisa Ashmore and Lee Bodkin collecting water quality data on Lake Houston after Hurricane Harvey

A USGS field crew takes water-quality samples on Lake Houston following Harvey.

USGS scientist Lisa Ashmore services a water-quality monitor on Lake Houston. These instruments stayed afloat and collected data throughout the storm.

A peek into a USGS planning meeting to coordinate water-quality sampling efforts in response to Harvey. This sampling effort is part of the federal government’s broad efforts to ensure public health and to support the state, tribal, and local response to the storm

Scientist Nate Stephenson with a large juniper tree in the Sierra Nevada

USGS scientist Alec MacDonald takes flood measurements on the Guadalupe River in Victoria, Texas.

Cores were collected from various areas of thawing permafrost-peatlands in Alaska. Permafrost thaw results in ground subsidence and inundation that kills black spruce and other understory plants living on the permafrost plateau. 

Unnamed stream and beaver pond in the Taiya River floodplain

USGS field crew measure reservoir water-level data at Addicks Reservoir, which are critical for helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers make informed reservoir operation decisions.

USGS field crew measure reservoir water-level data at Addicks Reservoir, which are critical for helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers make informed reservoir operation decisions.