Multimedia Gallery

USGS Storm Tide Sensors are specialized scientific instruments used to measure the depth and duration of storm surge during coastal storms. The data these sensors collect before, during and after a storm will help public officials assess storm damage, and improve computer models used to forecast storm surge and coastal change. FEMA and other federal, state and local

USGS scientists are studying water-quality conditions and harmful algal blooms—known as HABs—in Owasco, Seneca and Skaneateles lakes in New York. The USGS monitoring effort will provide a better understanding of HAB growth and severity and allow for near instantaneous detection of changing water-quality conditions that might be indicative of HAB development. This will

Scientists with the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory use satellite and aerial imagery to map hot springs, geothermal vents, and geysers at Yellowstone National Park. They recently found an entirely new thermal area miles from the nearest trailhead. Landsat 8's thermal infrared sensors captured the change in a nighttime image from April of 2017. Aerial images reveal a

This animation is the third video in a series explaining different aspects of the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF). This video focuses on the machine learning model that PAMF uses to systematically learn from participant's data and then provide site-specific management guidance in return. More information about PAMF can be found at our websites:

This timelapse sequence of webcam images over a 24-hour period shows a typical day at the summit of Mauna Loa. The webcam (MLcam) is located on the northeast rim of Moku‘āweoweo, Mauna Loa's summit caldera. This sequence begins in the dark, with the moon rising (white dot at left in images), then brightens as the sun rises. Clear skies in the morning shift to cloudy

In the Arctic, rivers are often thought to freeze completely during winter. Since fish need liquid water to survive, there are few places where they can live. Fish usually inhabit deep river channels and areas where springwater enters a stream. However, this video shows that winter habitat occurs in places we didn't expect, below the ice in the delta of a shallow river. 

Title: The Story of California's Changing Ecosystems: As observed from space

• How can we use images from space to help us understand changes to our coasts, rangelands, forests and wildlife habitats?
• How can they help to predict future changes?
• What more can we learn from advances in earth observing technologies?

Climate change is predicted to alter sport fish communities in Midwestern lakes, but managers currently have limited information on individual lakes that can be used to set local expectations or intervene with mitigation strategies. Northeast and North Central CASC supported researchers, with strong participation from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership, have combined

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor is located aboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. These data are crucial for studying changes that have occurred on the surface of the Earth, including during times of drought.

This video uses images produced from Terra MODIS Surface Reflectance data over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range to show

This wide-angle video shows the southwest portion of Kīlauea caldera in the area of Halema‘uma‘u. Faint plumes of volcanic gas are rising from yellow fumaroles on the walls of the deep conical pit. Overall, no significant changes were observed at the summit on today's overflight.

In these videos, speakers discuss upcoming changes to the USGS National Water Quality Program (NAWQA Project) and three new priority areas for the USGS Water Mission Area. Gary Rowe discusses plans for transitioning from current NAWQA Project activities to the new priority areas. Chad Wagner discusses plans for the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), which will

In these videos, speakers discuss upcoming changes to the USGS National Water Quality Program (NAWQA Project) and three new priority areas for the USGS Water Mission Area. Gary Rowe discusses plans for transitioning from current NAWQA Project activities to the new priority areas. Chad Wagner discusses plans for the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), which will

In these videos, speakers discuss upcoming changes to the USGS National Water Quality Program (NAWQA Project) and three new priority areas for the USGS Water Mission Area. Gary Rowe discusses plans for transitioning from current NAWQA Project activities to the new priority areas. Chad Wagner discusses plans for the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), which will

In these videos, speakers discuss upcoming changes to the USGS National Water Quality Program (NAWQA Project) and three new priority areas for the USGS Water Mission Area. Gary Rowe discusses plans for transitioning from current NAWQA Project activities to the new priority areas. Chad Wagner discusses plans for the Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), which will

Forests around the world are experiencing increasingly hot and severe drought conditions, and drought severity is expected to increase as temperatures rise in coming decades, particularly in the already hot and dry Southwest U.S. This presentation will describe recent and ongoing research investigating the long-term, broad-scale impact of droughts on forest ecosystems.

Title: Land Subsidence: The Lowdown on the Draw-down

The link between groundwater use and sinking landscapes

• What is land subsidence, where does it happen, and why does it matter?
• How do weather and land use affect land subsidence in California?
• Why are we optimistic about the future of land subsidence in California?

A USGS crew used new drone technology to test and evaluate new technology to measure water speed from the air without touching the water. This drone footage was taken on the Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri on March 27, 2019. Scientists compared these new method results to the conventional way of taking measurements from a boat. 

This work is a part of a national

Ice jam was holding on upstream side of bridge an suddenly broke lose while in the process of making a streamflow measurement. Equipment pulled to safety, and this video taken about 5 minutes later.
 

This tutorial explains how to use the compare browse functionality in EarthExplorer to preview Landsat scenes prior to downloading. 
 

A short video on why the ocean is salty.

A short video on information related to coral reefs and the USGS.

A short video on how carbon can get into the atmosphere. 

This 3D model of the Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō crater was constructed from thermal images taken during a recent helicopter overflight. White areas show warm spots in the crater. Despite the absence of active lava in Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō, changes at the crater have continued since magma drained from beneath it on April 30, 2018. The shape of the crater continues to change through occasional small