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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.
Equipment for measuring carbon dioxide and methane emissions used to monitor changes at Steamboat Geyser in 2019. The white cylinder is the chamber, which is lowered to the ground. Gases emitted from the ground surface accumulate in the chamber. An instrument in the cart continuously measures gas concentrations and carbon isotope compositions.
Equipment for measuring carbon dioxide and methane emissions used to monitor changes at Steamboat Geyser in 2019. The white cylinder is the chamber, which is lowered to the ground. Gases emitted from the ground surface accumulate in the chamber. An instrument in the cart continuously measures gas concentrations and carbon isotope compositions.
A View of the York River and Bridge, York County Virginia, July, 2017.
A View of the York River and Bridge, York County Virginia, July, 2017.
USGS scientists continue to monitor the slide by collecting imagery every couple of weeks, weather permitting. Pilot Bob Van Wagenen, contracted through the Department of the Interior’s Office of Aviation Services, takes air photos for Jon Warrick’s Big Sur Landslide team, flying out of the Watsonville Municipal Airport in a Cessna 182R.
USGS scientists continue to monitor the slide by collecting imagery every couple of weeks, weather permitting. Pilot Bob Van Wagenen, contracted through the Department of the Interior’s Office of Aviation Services, takes air photos for Jon Warrick’s Big Sur Landslide team, flying out of the Watsonville Municipal Airport in a Cessna 182R.
Biologist holding a Chinook Salmon over the Yukon River, AK.
Biologist holding a Chinook Salmon over the Yukon River, AK.
A spreadsheet of data collected on Chinook salmon caught in the Yukon River.
A spreadsheet of data collected on Chinook salmon caught in the Yukon River.
Chinook salmon released into Yukon River in Alaska, USA.
Chinook salmon released into Yukon River in Alaska, USA.
Dr. Bethany K. Kunz sets up a mobile-mounted dust meter, which measures concentrations of particulate matter across a range of particle sizes. She and her team use the meter to determine the effectiveness of dust control treatments on roads and estimate human exposure to dust in the inhalable size range.
Dr. Bethany K. Kunz sets up a mobile-mounted dust meter, which measures concentrations of particulate matter across a range of particle sizes. She and her team use the meter to determine the effectiveness of dust control treatments on roads and estimate human exposure to dust in the inhalable size range.
A fish wheel in the Yukon River, AK, where salmon and other species are caught by the net, funneled down the wooden board chute, and drop into a waiting net for studies on warming temperatures' effects on their physiology.
A fish wheel in the Yukon River, AK, where salmon and other species are caught by the net, funneled down the wooden board chute, and drop into a waiting net for studies on warming temperatures' effects on their physiology.
Chinook and chum salmon drying on racks near a home off the Yukon River, AK.
Chinook and chum salmon drying on racks near a home off the Yukon River, AK.
Scientist preparing to release Chinook salmon into the Yukon River in Alaska, USA.
Scientist preparing to release Chinook salmon into the Yukon River in Alaska, USA.
Taking water-quality equipment to Fogarty Creek
USGS Scientist sampling soil gasses from a grassy hilltop soil on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California. The composition of soil gasses is indicative of the number and variety of microorganisms in the soil and what type of material they are digesting.
USGS Scientist sampling soil gasses from a grassy hilltop soil on Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California. The composition of soil gasses is indicative of the number and variety of microorganisms in the soil and what type of material they are digesting.
USGS biological science technician Shannon Waters lifts a Chinook salmon out of a fish wheel in the Yukon River, AK.
USGS biological science technician Shannon Waters lifts a Chinook salmon out of a fish wheel in the Yukon River, AK.
Shoreline traps in Lookout Point Reservoir, Oregon.
Shoreline traps in Lookout Point Reservoir, Oregon.
Upright petrified tree in Yellowstone National Park.
Upright petrified tree in Yellowstone National Park.
The image from the USGS Instagram Story (@USGS) showing places within the U.S. that contain the words red, white, and blue.
The image from the USGS Instagram Story (@USGS) showing places within the U.S. that contain the words red, white, and blue.
A Common Murre holding a juvenile Pacific Herring at its colony on Gull Island, Cook Inlet on July 3, 2017.
A Common Murre holding a juvenile Pacific Herring at its colony on Gull Island, Cook Inlet on July 3, 2017.
Juvenile Chinook salmon on the Middle Fork Willamette River, Oregon.
Juvenile Chinook salmon on the Middle Fork Willamette River, Oregon.
Male Wilson's Warbler. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
Male Wilson's Warbler. This photo was taken on the Seward Peninsula as part of the Changing Arctic Ecosystem Boreal-Arctic Transition Zone program.
The Geospace Navigator bird is a streamer depth control device, used with a high-resolution seismic system to regulate and record the depth of the streamer.
The Geospace Navigator bird is a streamer depth control device, used with a high-resolution seismic system to regulate and record the depth of the streamer.
The Geospace Navigator bird is a streamer depth control device, used with a high-resolution seismic system to regulate and record the depth of the streamer.
The Geospace Navigator bird is a streamer depth control device, used with a high-resolution seismic system to regulate and record the depth of the streamer.