Images

Wolf Creek site map modified from Figure 1 of 'Organic geochemistry and toxicology of a stream impacted by unconventional oil and gas wastewater disposal operations, Orem and Others, 2017'.  

United States occurrence of microcystins in lakes in the contiguous 48 U.S. states categorized by World Health Organization relative probable health risk. WHO low, moderate, and high refer to the relative human recreational health thresholds for microcystin exposure. Map not shown to scale.

Aquariums where male fathead minnows were exposed to the effluent from a wastewater treatment plant

Microbial Biogeochemistry Laboratory — Menlo Park, California. USGS scientist collecting samples of aquatic species from the Pike River, Wis., for later analysis of mercury contamination.

Passive Sampling Research—Columbia, Missouri. The polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS - on the left) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs - on the right) samplers are used for sampling hydrophilic organic chemicals from water. The SPMDs sampler can also be deployed for air sampling.

Hydrogeophysics Laboratory — Storrs, Connecticut. A saltwater tracer was injected into the shallow aquifer at a uranium-contaminated site in Colorado and monitored for 28 days using a combination of geophysical and well-sampling arrays; the sampling array is marked by the white standpipes adjacent to the central injection tank.

USGS scientist collecting samples of aquatic species from the Pike River, Wis., for later analysis of mercury contamination

Environmental Chemistry Laboratory — Columbia, Missouri. Customized extraction system

National Wildlife Health Center — Madison, Wisconsin. Digestive gland from a freshwater snail (Lymnaea stagnalis)

Organic Chemistry Research Laboratory -- Sacramento, California. Small sample bottles with pollen inside

Early life stage exposure laboratory study

Bioactive Chemicals Research Laboratory — Boulder, Colorado. Fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) swimming in an experimental aquarium. The aquarium is part of an experiment to assess endocrine disruption in fish.

Hydrogeophysics Branch -- Storrs, Connecticut

Scientist preparing samples in a laboratory for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis

Diagram showing antrhopods, fish, and other aquatic life in the area of an oil and gas spill.

Filtration system used for processing samples using a technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or quantitative PCR (qPCR). 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientist preparing samples for analysis of protein levels to normalize results from oxidative stress bioassays.

Scientists optimized existing methods to collect and identify microorganisms including Bacillus anthracis, a pathogenic microorganism, in 4,800 soil samples across the United States, and developed a

Photomicroscopy and Flow Cytometry Laboratory — Lafayette, Louisiana. Microscopic video imaging is used for computerized analysis of sperm motility parameters

Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory — Lansing, Michigan. A microbiologist preparing a water sample

Landsat 8 captured this image of Lake Erie during a harmful algal bloom event on September 26, 2017.