Multimedia Gallery

USGS scientists work with heavy machinery to collect sediment through the full thickness of the San Juan and Colorado River deltas. 

A near-infrared image of a Hawaiian Hoary bat in flight is part of a project to measure bat activity on a wind energy site on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.

USGS scientists collect sediment cores to examine the amount and distribution of metals within Lake Powell.  

Satellites have captured views of the numerous major fires burning in California.

A well sensor continuously monitors salinity, temperature, and water level in a salt marsh, Cape Cod, MA

Image from video camera along Sunset State Beach in Watsonville, CA, looking northwest. Every half hour during daylight hours, the camera shoots video for 10 minutes. This variance image shows the standard deviation of pixel intensity throughout the video frames, useful for determining how much variation or movement is occurring at a given location. Brighter tones indicate

Meagan Gonneea checks on instruments at a tidal creek in Great Pond, Falmouth, MA. Daily tides drive exchange between coastal wetlands and adjacent estuaries. Here we have instrumented a tidal channel to measure those fluxes over a tidal cycle. When the marsh floods, material is imported from the estuary. Biogeochemical cycles within the wetland, driven by plants and

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center contractor Bruce Pengra presents on LCMAP validation during a workshop in Sioux Falls, SD.

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center scientist Roger Auch presents on Land Change in the Piedmont Ecoregion at a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection in Sioux Falls, SD. 

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center scientist Kristi Sayler speaks to participants in a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection in Sioux Falls, SD. 

In this photo, a small unoccupied aicraft (sUAS) or drone is being prepared to collect thermal infrared data to assess groundwater discharge into Las Vegas Wash, in Clark County, Nevada. The umbrella provides shade to keep the equipment from getting too hot.

This study is using thermal infrared imaging to aid in location and evaluation of areas of gains and

Team at the 2018 WIM Summit

South Dakota State University Extension Office Senior Ag Research Technician Brad Richardson uses the LCMAP Timeseries Analysis and Plotting Tool (TAPTool) at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD. 

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center contractors Suming Jin, Patrick Danielson and Kelcy Smith use the LCMAP Timeseries Analysis and Plotting Tool (TAPTool) during a November 2018 workshop in Sioux Falls, SD. 

USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center scientists Heather Tollerud, Terry Sohl, Jennifer Rover and Jon Dewitz use the LCMAP Timeseries Analysis and Plotting Tool (TAPTool) during a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection in Sioux Falls, SD. 

Group photo of participants in a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD. 

Texas Tech University's Zhe Zhu and Boston University's Curtis Woodcock at a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD. 

Shawn Harrison stands near video cameras on top of a building overlooking Isla Verde in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cameras measure wave run-up and flooding as part of a study in response to Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.

Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in water samples is measured with a UIC, Inc. Coulometer

Gamma well detectors are used to determine the ages of sediments based on activities of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides

Map depicting the bounderies of the New Jersey Pinelands Management Areas

USGS Mollusk Fossils in the Denver Collection.

The urban reef at Isla Verde supports various species of protected corals, sea turtles, and crustaceans, as well as many Caribbean fish. It also protects the International Airport and numerous homes and resorts on the coast.

RestoreNet locations are testing commonly used restoration techniques, including pitting, mulching, and above-ground micro sites. This photo shows the mulching treatment, which can increase soil moisture and lead to higher plant survival under some conditions. The project will illustrate which techniques work to establish plants depending on local conditions (like soil

RestoreNet locations are testing commonly used restoration techniques, including pitting, mulching, and above-ground micro sites. Here, metal crosses create an above-ground microsite that can increase soil moisture by providing shade and collecting debris under some conditions. The project will illustrate which techniques work to establish plants depending on local

RestoreNet locations are testing commonly used restoration techniques, including pitting, mulching, and above-ground micro sites. Here, pits have filled with water, illustrating how this technique increases soil moisture by capturing rainwater. The project will illustrate which techniques work to establish plants depending on local conditions (like soil type) and climate

A broken concrete foundation and some shattered floor tiles were all that remained of the sea turtle researchers' field station and home base after Category Four Hurricane Michael struck Cape San Blas on Oct. 10, 2018.

A wave-tide gauge, pictured here on a coral reef amongst among sea rods, brain corals, and sea fans, is installed off Isla Verde in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

This image is a screen capture of the application that highlights the USGS Domestic Continuous (Unconventional) Oil & Gas Assessments, 2000-Present.

Waning fall foliage as seen on a rural Adirondack road during the Western Adirondack Stream Survey (WASS) conducted in November, 2018. Photo by Scott George

Two video cameras overlook the coast from atop a windmill tower in Unalakleet, Alaska where they look westward over Norton Sound. This is a snapshot taken from one of the cameras. The camera system was installed by the USGS in collaboration with Alaska DNR DGGS (Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys), the Native Village of

USGS scientists are documenting the distribution of three mid-sized mammalian carnivores – or mesocarnivores –in the Klamath Network Parks using remote cameras and hair snares. Little is known about the status of Pacific fishers, Pacific martens, and Sierra Nevada red foxes living in the Klamath Network, which include Crater Lake National Park, Lassen Volcanic National

Chesapeake Bay is the Nation's largest estuary and its restoration and protection is a priority. The USGS provides scientific information to help manage this vital ecosystem. As part of that role, staff at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center created this true color composite image. The image was created using Provisional Surface Reflectance data

Location 12: Both overwash and dune erosion can be seen on Dog Island. The lower portion of the image shows numerous overwash deposits and two buildings have been destroyed. In the upper portion of the image the seaward most dune line has been completely eroded and the secondary dune line has moved landward. The probabilities of dune erosion and overwash

Location 11: The low, narrow area on Dog Island shows evidence that water was freely flowing over this portion of the island. A building located in the center of the inundation area, was moved off its foundation and transported 260 feet (~80 meters) bayward. Waves and surge also eroded the beach and exposed an old shipwreck (green arrow). The probability

Location 10: Low-elevation dunes (< 8 feet (2.5 meters)) on St. George Island were overtoped by Michael’s storm surge and large waves. Sand was transported over the beach and dunes more than 200 meters landward and covers the only access road into St. George Island State Park. The predicted probability of overwash for this location was 100%.

Location 9: Low-elevation dunes (< 7 feet (2 meters) on St. George Island were overtoped by Michael’s storm surge and large waves. Sand was transported landward as much as 820 feet (250 meters) and deposited in large overwash fans. The predicted probability of overwash for this location was 100%.

Location 8: The row of townhomes right on the beach on Cape San Blas were completely destroyed by large waves and storm surge. The line of dunes on either side of the townhomes may have helped protect the homes behind them. The probabilities of dune erosion and overwash were 99% and 76% for this location, respectively.

Location 7: Storm surge and waves completely eroded and breached a low, narrow spot on Cape San Blas, creating two new inlets and severing the only road access in T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. The predicted probability of inundation here was only 26%, but the scale of the predictions is for 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) sections of coast,

Location 6: Entire buildings in Mexico Beach were swept off their foundations by Hurricane Michael’s destructive storm surge, measured at 14 feet (~4 meters) at the Mexico Beach Pier. Sand from the beach has covered the roadways, indicating that surge and waves easily overtopped the dunes and seawalls. This area of the beach does not have any predicted

Location 5: Mexico Beach was inundated by 14 feet (~4 meters) of storm surge (according to a USGS water level sensor on the pier seen in this image) and battered by large waves and extreme winds, causing severe erosion of the dunes and complete destruction of the pier and many other buildings. Debris from destroyed buildings was transported far inland, an

Location 4: The low, narrow spit between Tyndall Air Force Base and Mexico Beach was completely eroded and breached by Michael’s storm surge and waves. The probability of inundation for this location was 99%.

Location 3: Low dunes (<10 feet (3 meters)) at Tyndall Air Force Base were overtopped and eroded by waves and surge, allowing sand to be transported landward more than 1150 feet (~350 meters) into the marsh. The predicted probability of overwash in this location was 95%.

Location 2: At St. Andrews State Park, three different coastal responses to Hurricane Michael’s surge and waves can be seen. Near the dune walkovers, high dunes eroded and the eroded sand may have been deposited on the now wider beach. The dunes near to the jetty were eroded and overtopped by waves and surge, resulting in an overwash fan deposit. In the

Location 1: Panama City Beach was to the west of Hurricane Michael’s landfall, and therefore storm surge was lower here than along the coast to the east. As a result, coastal impacts here were primarily dune erosion due to large waves. The dunes along this stretch of beach retreated landward about 40 feet (~12 meters). The probability of dune erosion for

Children at the Science Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida, watch as a scientist explains how personal watercraft are used to collect bathymetric data.

Gradients of N deposition, S deposition, mean annual temperature, and mean annual precipitation across the conterminous U.S. Panels are the a) mean total N deposition from 2000–2012, b) mean total S deposition from 2000–2012, c) mean annual temperature from 2000–2014, and d) mean annual precipitation form 2000–2014. Deposition data are from the TDEP product [23] and