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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.

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Scientist posing next to a snow scale
Scientist posing next to a snow scale
Scientist posing next to a snow scale
Scientist posing next to a snow scale

Physical Scientist Serena Matt posing next to a snow scale during the Snow Depth and Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) measurement. Sleepers River Research Watershed, Danville, Vermont.

Physical Scientist Serena Matt posing next to a snow scale during the Snow Depth and Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) measurement. Sleepers River Research Watershed, Danville, Vermont.

USGS scientist standing with a pole annotated with land-surface elevation marks at given years at bench mark W 990.
Land Subsidence near El Nido, CA
Land Subsidence near El Nido, CA
Land Subsidence near El Nido, CA

National Geodetic Survey vertical control bench mark W990 CADWR in Merced County, California. W 990 CADWR is on the Mariposa Bypass Bridge on Washington Rd. This is one of several bench mark locations used to help measure the largest recent subsidence in the area using repeat surveys.

National Geodetic Survey vertical control bench mark W990 CADWR in Merced County, California. W 990 CADWR is on the Mariposa Bypass Bridge on Washington Rd. This is one of several bench mark locations used to help measure the largest recent subsidence in the area using repeat surveys.

USGS scientist standing with a pole annotated with land-surface elevation marks at given years at bench mark H 1235 RESET.
Land Subsidence near El Nido, CA
Land Subsidence near El Nido, CA
Land Subsidence near El Nido, CA

National Geodetic Survey vertical control bench mark H1235 RESET in Merced County, California. H 1235 RESET is in the median of State Highway 15. This is one of several bench mark locations used to help measure the largest recent subsidence in the area using repeat surveys.

National Geodetic Survey vertical control bench mark H1235 RESET in Merced County, California. H 1235 RESET is in the median of State Highway 15. This is one of several bench mark locations used to help measure the largest recent subsidence in the area using repeat surveys.

Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida.

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida.

Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida. 

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida. 

Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida.

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida.

Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida.

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida.

At Kīlauea's ocean entry on Jan. 28 and 29, the interaction of molt...
At Kīlauea's ocean entry on Jan. 28 and 29, the interaction of molt...
At Kīlauea's ocean entry on Jan. 28 and 29, the interaction of molt...
At Kīlauea's ocean entry on Jan. 28 and 29, the interaction of molt...

At Kīlauea's ocean entry on Jan. 28 and 29, the interaction of molten lava flowing into cool seawater caused pulsating littoral explosions that threw spatter (fragments of molten lava) high into the air. Some of these incandescent clasts fell on top of the sea cliff behind the ocean entry, forming a small spatter cone.

At Kīlauea's ocean entry on Jan. 28 and 29, the interaction of molten lava flowing into cool seawater caused pulsating littoral explosions that threw spatter (fragments of molten lava) high into the air. Some of these incandescent clasts fell on top of the sea cliff behind the ocean entry, forming a small spatter cone.

drill rig
Exploratory well drilling on Long Island, New York
Exploratory well drilling on Long Island, New York
Exploratory well drilling on Long Island, New York

Exploratory well drilling on Long Island to study the effective management of Long Island’s groundwater resources

Exploratory well drilling on Long Island to study the effective management of Long Island’s groundwater resources

Ground crack at Kīlauea ocean entry is cause for concern...
Ground crack at Kīlauea ocean entry is cause for concern
Ground crack at Kīlauea ocean entry is cause for concern
Ground crack at Kīlauea ocean entry is cause for concern

Due to the instability of the sea cliff above the ocean entry and other hazards created by molten lava flowing into the sea, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has established a viewing area (noted by yellow arrow in photo) from which the ocean entry can be seen in relative safety.

Due to the instability of the sea cliff above the ocean entry and other hazards created by molten lava flowing into the sea, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park has established a viewing area (noted by yellow arrow in photo) from which the ocean entry can be seen in relative safety.

Satellite image showing the flooding in California.
January Rain, Snow Refills California Reservoirs
January Rain, Snow Refills California Reservoirs
January Rain, Snow Refills California Reservoirs

A decade of drought in California has eased after the first month of 2017 thanks to heavy rains and snow, a fact that Landsat images are helping to confirm.

A decade of drought in California has eased after the first month of 2017 thanks to heavy rains and snow, a fact that Landsat images are helping to confirm.

Using a thermal image of the crack above Kīlauea volcano's ocean en...
Using a thermal image of the crack above Kīlauea's ocean entry (ste...
Using a thermal image of the crack above Kīlauea's ocean entry (ste...
Using a thermal image of the crack above Kīlauea's ocean entry (ste...

Using a thermal image of the crack above Kīlauea volcano's ocean entry (steam from lava flowing into the sea is visible at the top of the left photo), HVO geologists determined that the temperature within the eastern end of the crack is up to about 220 degrees Celsius (428 degrees Fahrenheit).

Using a thermal image of the crack above Kīlauea volcano's ocean entry (steam from lava flowing into the sea is visible at the top of the left photo), HVO geologists determined that the temperature within the eastern end of the crack is up to about 220 degrees Celsius (428 degrees Fahrenheit).

man in orange USGS sweatshirt holding pipe by drill rig
Drilling exploratory wells on Long Island
Drilling exploratory wells on Long Island
Drilling exploratory wells on Long Island

Drilling exploratory wells on Long Island

Landsat 8 image of Erte Ale, Ethiopia volcano, eruption, January 2017
Landsat 8 image of Erte Ale, Ethiopia volcano, eruption, January 2017
Landsat 8 image of Erte Ale, Ethiopia volcano, eruption, January 2017
Landsat 8 image of Erte Ale, Ethiopia volcano, eruption, January 2017

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard Landsat 8 captured this image an eruption from Ethiopia's Erte Ale volcano in late January of 2017.

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard Landsat 8 captured this image an eruption from Ethiopia's Erte Ale volcano in late January of 2017.

Satellite image showing the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay region
Satellite Image of the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay Region
Satellite Image of the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay Region
Satellite Image of the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay Region

This Indian Space Research Organization LISS-3 image of the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay region, acquired on January 25, 2017, shows the landscape along the densely populated U.S. East coast. Ecosystems and sea-level rise are among the regional landscape changes that satellite imagery helps to monitor. 

This Indian Space Research Organization LISS-3 image of the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake Bay region, acquired on January 25, 2017, shows the landscape along the densely populated U.S. East coast. Ecosystems and sea-level rise are among the regional landscape changes that satellite imagery helps to monitor. 

Satellite image of small crescent-shaped ocean island.
Shoreline changes at Bogoslof volcano
Shoreline changes at Bogoslof volcano
Shoreline changes at Bogoslof volcano

Analysis of shoreline changes at Bogoslof volcano due to eruptive activity between January 11 and 24, 2017. The base image is a Worldview-2 satellite image collected on January 24, 2017. The approximate location of the shoreline on January 11, 2017 is shown by the dashed orange line.

Analysis of shoreline changes at Bogoslof volcano due to eruptive activity between January 11 and 24, 2017. The base image is a Worldview-2 satellite image collected on January 24, 2017. The approximate location of the shoreline on January 11, 2017 is shown by the dashed orange line.

Snowshoeing in the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, New Mexico as part of a snowpack hydrology study
Snowpack Study
Snowpack Study
Snowpack Study

Student Aurelia Mitchell recently trekked up into the Sandia Mountains to collect snow data as part of an ongoing hydrologic study in the East Mountains, conducted in cooperation with the Bernalillo County Public Works Division. They measured the depth and density of the snow in several locations to determine the snow/water equivalent.

Student Aurelia Mitchell recently trekked up into the Sandia Mountains to collect snow data as part of an ongoing hydrologic study in the East Mountains, conducted in cooperation with the Bernalillo County Public Works Division. They measured the depth and density of the snow in several locations to determine the snow/water equivalent.

Hydro techs snowshoeing in the Sandia Mountains as part of a snowpack hydrology study.
Snowpack Study
Snowpack Study
Snowpack Study

Hydrologist Ryan McCutcheon and student Aurelia Mitchell recently trekked up into the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, New Mexico to collect snow data as part of an ongoing hydrologic study in the East Mountains, conducted in cooperation with the Bernalillo County Public Works Division.

Hydrologist Ryan McCutcheon and student Aurelia Mitchell recently trekked up into the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, New Mexico to collect snow data as part of an ongoing hydrologic study in the East Mountains, conducted in cooperation with the Bernalillo County Public Works Division.

The ups and downs of Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake...
The ups and downs of Kīlauea's summit lava lake
The ups and downs of Kīlauea's summit lava lake
The ups and downs of Kīlauea's summit lava lake

Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake level typically rises and falls in concert with summit inflation and deflation, as shown by these two HVO webcam images. The left image was captured a week ago (on Jan. 17, 2017), when the lava level was 52.5 m (172 ft) below the vent rim, the lowest level measured since April 8, 2016. The right image, captured this morning (Jan.

Kīlauea Volcano's summit lava lake level typically rises and falls in concert with summit inflation and deflation, as shown by these two HVO webcam images. The left image was captured a week ago (on Jan. 17, 2017), when the lava level was 52.5 m (172 ft) below the vent rim, the lowest level measured since April 8, 2016. The right image, captured this morning (Jan.

USGS Employee at USGS gage 13213072 making an discharge measurement
USGS Employee Making A Discharge Measurement at USGS Gage 13213072, ID
USGS Employee Making A Discharge Measurement at USGS Gage 13213072, ID
USGS Employee Making A Discharge Measurement at USGS Gage 13213072, ID

Bryce Redinger huddles in the cold while making an Acoustic Doplar Current Profile (ADCP) measurement at USGS gage ID 13213072 SAND RUN GULCH NR PARMA ID.