Videos

Welcome to the “I Am A..." series, a whiteboard animation video series highlighting USGS careers.

USGS Wildlife Research Biologist Heather Johnson uses collar-mounted video cameras to peer into the lives of climate-threatened caribou.  

Fish Ecologist Mike Carey studies the impacts beavers have on warming Alaskan permafrost landscapes.

Research Wildlife Biologist Steve Matsuoka explores how climate change affects the reproductive success of Alaska’s diverse bird communities, which include more than 100 species that migrate to Alaska each year world to breed.

Research Fish Biologist Vanessa von Biela investigates how heatwaves and other climate-driven stressors may affect Alaska’s spawning Pacific salmon in the future.

Wildlife Biologist Vijay Patil explores the effects of climate change and shifting seasons on Arctic-nesting waterfowl.

Geologist Ann Gibbs studies the vulnerability of the rapidly-warming Alaska coast to climate change effects like sea level rise and permafrost thawing.

Along reef-lined shores of the Pacific Islands, USGS Research Geologist and Oceanographer Ferdinand Oberle studies how warming surface waters, nutrient runoff, and increasingly powerful storms impact coral reefs.  

Research Oceanographer Kira Mizell studies change in ocean chemistry by collecting marine minerals, looking for insights into past climate conditions and geologic history.

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Mike Poland talks about a recent earthquake swarm in Yellowstone National Park, trends in ground deformation, and water eruptions at Steamboat Geyser, in this video update of recent activity (April 1, 2022).

This video, captured by a webcam on the northwest rim of Kīlauea caldera of March 29, 2022, shows spattering from a cone that has developed on the crater surface in the eastern part of Halema‘uma‘u. The presence of these features demonstrates that molten material is present beneath the solidified surface of the crater floor. 

Activity continues in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Today, spattering was present at the margin of the active lava lake, along with lava pouring from a small cone in the northeast portion of the crater floor. The video ends with crustal foundering in an area of ponded lava in the central portion of the crater floor. 

The summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues with lava lake activity. This video, taken on March 24, 2022, shows lava from the main lake pouring into a smaller lake in the western portion of the crater. 

Hoofing it in the West: Conservation Challenges and Solutions for Migratory Big Game

By Matthew Kauffman, USGS Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

What is a seismic survey? This video gives a very brief overview of the what goes into conducting a seismic survey in an urban area. The survey depicted in this video was done in San Carlos, California.

Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites revealed flooding at Tweed Heads, New South Wales. Heavy rain that persisted for days in late February 2022 caused widespread flooding on Australia's east coast.

A routine helicopter overflight on March 17, 2022, provided airborne views of the summit eruption in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. At the start of the video, the helicopter flies over the edge of the large collapse depression formed during the 2018 eruption.

Low-flying helicopter with geophysical equipment loop deployed below it via slingload. In March 2022, a helicopter carried an airborne electromagnetic induction sensor over parts of southeast and southwest Wisconsin as part of a USGS study to map the aquifers in the region.

A morning overflight of Kīlauea summit on March 2, 2022, provided aerial views of the eruption within Halema‘uma‘u. Lava erupts from the west vent area and pours into the active lava lake area. 

Happy 150th birthday to Yellowstone National Park! The Park is truly a wonderland, and a place of continuous inspiration and learning. Listen, as Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Mike Poland recounts some of its unique history and provides an update of recent earthquakes, ground deformation, and geyser activity.

Scientists continue to study how a warming Arctic will affect polar bear populations. The new 2022 Polar Bear Research Council Masterplan identifies how polar bears in zoos can help fill knowledge gaps that benefit wild populations.