The Earth in Flux Chart Gallery
A shared initiative between the USGS Water Mission Area and Ecosystems Mission Area to communicate key findings of USGS land change science in innovative ways, and to encourage creativity, exploration, and community in data visualization.
A shared initiative between the USGS Water Mission Area and Ecosystems Mission Area to communicate key findings of USGS land change science in innovative ways, and to encourage creativity, exploration, and community in data visualization.
The Powerhouse of USGS Paleo-research
The USGS is home to one of the largest, most multidisciplinary groups of scientists who unravel mysteries of the past, and help project future patterns, by studying paleoclimate.
The USGS is home to one of the largest, most multidisciplinary groups of scientists who unravel mysteries of the past, and help project future patterns, by studying paleoclimate.
Coring Expedition to Palmyra Atoll
Helping managers understand pre-human vegetation, climate variability, and sea level changes
Helping managers understand pre-human vegetation, climate variability, and sea level changes
National News Release: Study confirms age of oldest fossil human footprints in North America
Two new lines of evidence support the 21,000 to 23,000-year age estimate of the footprints first described and dated in 2021
Two new lines of evidence support the 21,000 to 23,000-year age estimate of the footprints first described and dated in 2021
The Glacier - Climate Connection
The story of the U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project, one of the longest running studies of glaciers on Earth
The story of the U.S. Geological Survey Benchmark Glacier Project, one of the longest running studies of glaciers on Earth
The National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV)
A tool that helps land managers and decision makers plan for climate change
A tool that helps land managers and decision makers plan for climate change
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program
The Land Change Science Program in the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area strives to advance the understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological components of the Earth system, the causes and consequences of climate and land use change, and the vulnerability and resilience of the Earth system to such changes.
News
Earth Science Matters - Volume 20, Spring 2025
Earth Science Matters - Volume 20, Spring 2025
Uncovering the Mysteries of the Bering Land Bridge
Uncovering the Mysteries of the Bering Land Bridge
Restoring Giants from the Ground Up: A Story of Fire, Soil, and Sequoias
Restoring Giants from the Ground Up: A Story of Fire, Soil, and Sequoias
Publications
Linking fire radiative power to land cover, fire history, and environmental setting in Alaska, 2003–2022 Linking fire radiative power to land cover, fire history, and environmental setting in Alaska, 2003–2022
BackgroundFire radiative power (FRP) shows promise as a diagnostic and predictive indicator of fire behavior and post-fire effects in Alaska, USA.AimsTo investigate relationships between FRP, vegetation functional groups, and environmental settings in Alaska (2003–2022) under various fire history conditions.MethodsWe tested for distinctness of MODIS FRP distributions associated with...
An early Holocene wet period in the southwestern United States An early Holocene wet period in the southwestern United States
Multiple generations of spring-fed streams traversed ∼800 km2 of the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada between ca. 10.9 ka and 8.5 ka, depositing an extensive tufa network. The scale of this network and diversity of tufa morphologies is novel in North America and offers an opportunity to obtain quantitative paleoclimate data for the region during the early Holocene. We determined...
An enhanced national-scale urban tree canopy cover dataset for the United States An enhanced national-scale urban tree canopy cover dataset for the United States
Moderate-resolution (30-m) national map products have limited capacity to represent fine-scale, heterogeneous urban forms and processes, yet improvements from incorporating higher resolution predictor data remain rare. In this study, we applied random forest models to high-resolution land cover data for 71 U.S. urban areas, moderate-resolution National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Tree...
Science
Providing Unbiased Actionable Science & Information to Support Natural Resource Management Needs of the U.S. & Department of Interior Priorities
The U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) is uniquely positioned in the Colorado River Basin to provide sound information, specialized expertise, and innovative tools to support the management and sustained use of natural resources on public and Tribal lands in the Southwest U.S.
USGS Ecosystems Science for Food and Water Security
USGS science developed by the Ecosystems Mission Area helps ensure safe and abundant domestic food and water supplies, ensuring all Americans access to livelihoods and traditions that connect generations with each other and the outdoors and strengthen America’s self-reliance. USGS science is used by decision makers at all levels to understand how the quality of America’s food supply is directly...
USGS Ecosystems Science in Support of Economic Growth
Science provided by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area helps boost America’s economy by providing practical tools to implement cost-effective management and development strategies that supports the Nation’s economic growth and protects our natural heritage.