Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Explore images taken during Ecosystems' Land Change Science Program fieldwork and research.
Slide 2: Once a region of interest is selected, the control options are displayed on the left-hand side of the application. These control which climate variable, month, model, scenario, and time period are displayed in the map and charts.
Slide 2: Once a region of interest is selected, the control options are displayed on the left-hand side of the application. These control which climate variable, month, model, scenario, and time period are displayed in the map and charts.
Slide 6: From the right-hand side menu, the Data Table view displays the projected change for all models in tabular form. Clicking on the top row of the table allows you to sort the columns in ascending or descending order.
Slide 6: From the right-hand side menu, the Data Table view displays the projected change for all models in tabular form. Clicking on the top row of the table allows you to sort the columns in ascending or descending order.
A forest trail meanders through a grove of Aspen trees in Colorado during early autumn.
A forest trail meanders through a grove of Aspen trees in Colorado during early autumn.
A USGS scientist preparing a soil monitoring station for winter, with a view of Mt. Baldy in the Colorado Elk Mountains.
A USGS scientist preparing a soil monitoring station for winter, with a view of Mt. Baldy in the Colorado Elk Mountains.
A USGS scientist maintaining a soil monitoring station in the Elk Mountains of Colorado. Soils play an important role in the global carbon cycle. USGS scientists measure and map soil carbon storage in many public lands of the southwestern U.S.
A USGS scientist maintaining a soil monitoring station in the Elk Mountains of Colorado. Soils play an important role in the global carbon cycle. USGS scientists measure and map soil carbon storage in many public lands of the southwestern U.S.
A view of Gothic Mountain from the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory research meadow in Gothic, Colorado.
A view of Gothic Mountain from the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory research meadow in Gothic, Colorado.
A scenic view of Gothic Mountain in the Elk Mountains of Colorado. USGS scientists captured this photo while collecting soil sample data in the area.
A scenic view of Gothic Mountain in the Elk Mountains of Colorado. USGS scientists captured this photo while collecting soil sample data in the area.
A stunning farewell to the field expedition in Dinosaur National Monument with early morning sunshine gleaming off the riverside cliffs. Credit: Becky Brice, USGS.
A stunning farewell to the field expedition in Dinosaur National Monument with early morning sunshine gleaming off the riverside cliffs. Credit: Becky Brice, USGS.
Scientists and volunteers collect other tree measurements in Dinosaur National Monument. On the left, tree diameter is measured and on the right, cone dispersion is measured. (Credit: Becky Brice, USGS)
Scientists and volunteers collect other tree measurements in Dinosaur National Monument. On the left, tree diameter is measured and on the right, cone dispersion is measured. (Credit: Becky Brice, USGS)
Physical Scientist Michelle Leung prepares to drill tree cores in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado. Tree cores provide seasonal to centennial records of past precipitation and provide local to regional reconstructions of hydroclimate.
Physical Scientist Michelle Leung prepares to drill tree cores in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado. Tree cores provide seasonal to centennial records of past precipitation and provide local to regional reconstructions of hydroclimate.
Michelle Leung and Becky Brice collect samples from fire-scarred trees in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado. Trees provide records of past droughts, fires, and the response of vegetation to a changing snowpack.
Michelle Leung and Becky Brice collect samples from fire-scarred trees in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado. Trees provide records of past droughts, fires, and the response of vegetation to a changing snowpack.
Physical Scientist Michelle Leung and Geographer Becky Brice collect samples from fire-scarred trees in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado. Trees provide records of past droughts, fires, and the response of vegetation to a changing snowpack.
Physical Scientist Michelle Leung and Geographer Becky Brice collect samples from fire-scarred trees in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado. Trees provide records of past droughts, fires, and the response of vegetation to a changing snowpack.
The USGS provides science to understand, protect, restore, and solve problems in the world around us, and that includes interconnected communities of living things called ecosystems.
The USGS provides science to understand, protect, restore, and solve problems in the world around us, and that includes interconnected communities of living things called ecosystems.
USGS and FWS researchers collect sediment cores from Lake Layman (Kamole) to reconstruct vegetation history, nutrient cycling related to bird populations, and climate change over the Holocene.
USGS and FWS researchers collect sediment cores from Lake Layman (Kamole) to reconstruct vegetation history, nutrient cycling related to bird populations, and climate change over the Holocene.
The Maurepas Swamp of southeastern Louisiana is a mostly flooded cypress tupelo swamp.
The Maurepas Swamp of southeastern Louisiana is a mostly flooded cypress tupelo swamp.
Word cloud of science keywords from the USGS Ecosystems Land Change Science Program. Larger words were submitted more often and from multiple projects whereas smaller words were submitted less frequently. Words in the word cloud, listed in order from largest (used most often) to smallest (used least often) and the number of times each were submitted are below:
Word cloud of science keywords from the USGS Ecosystems Land Change Science Program. Larger words were submitted more often and from multiple projects whereas smaller words were submitted less frequently. Words in the word cloud, listed in order from largest (used most often) to smallest (used least often) and the number of times each were submitted are below:
Word cloud of science keywords from the USGS Ecosystems Land Change Science Program. Larger words were submitted more often and from multiple projects whereas smaller words were submitted less frequently. Words in the word cloud, listed in order from largest (used most often) to smallest (used least often) and the number of times each were submitted are below:
Word cloud of science keywords from the USGS Ecosystems Land Change Science Program. Larger words were submitted more often and from multiple projects whereas smaller words were submitted less frequently. Words in the word cloud, listed in order from largest (used most often) to smallest (used least often) and the number of times each were submitted are below:
Early morning fog lifts at Leonard Lake, located in Mendocino, California. (Photo Credit: Dave Wahl)
Early morning fog lifts at Leonard Lake, located in Mendocino, California. (Photo Credit: Dave Wahl)
Marie Champagne holds a freshly obtained surface sediment core while Lysanna Anderson takes measurements of the sediment and sediment-water interface length. (Photo Credit: Dave Wahl)
Marie Champagne holds a freshly obtained surface sediment core while Lysanna Anderson takes measurements of the sediment and sediment-water interface length. (Photo Credit: Dave Wahl)
USGS scientists Clarke Knight, Marie Champagne, and Lysanna Anderson (left to right) drive a coring device into the bottom of Leonard Lake to recover a sedimentary core in 2022. (Photo Credit: Dave Wahl)
USGS scientists Clarke Knight, Marie Champagne, and Lysanna Anderson (left to right) drive a coring device into the bottom of Leonard Lake to recover a sedimentary core in 2022. (Photo Credit: Dave Wahl)
The tree rings in this whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) cross-section provide a view back in time. Scientists study the patterns of tree ring growth, scars, and wood coloration to determine how long the tree lived, record changes in climate, and even track past fires, insect attacks, and earthquakes!
The tree rings in this whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) cross-section provide a view back in time. Scientists study the patterns of tree ring growth, scars, and wood coloration to determine how long the tree lived, record changes in climate, and even track past fires, insect attacks, and earthquakes!