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.
Scientists collect alpine plant species and distribution data to complete a GLORIA site inventory on the summit of Seward Mountain, Glacier National Park, Montana.
Scientists collect alpine plant species and distribution data to complete a GLORIA site inventory on the summit of Seward Mountain, Glacier National Park, Montana.
Marci Robinson collects sediment and fossilized shell samples from the Yorktown Formation in Virginia.
Marci Robinson collects sediment and fossilized shell samples from the Yorktown Formation in Virginia.
USGS scientists at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center use repeat photography to document glacier change and as a communication tool.
USGS scientists at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center use repeat photography to document glacier change and as a communication tool.
Image of live, single-celled foram, Globorotalia truncatulinoides, viewed under a microscope and collected with a plankton net on the R/V Pelican. Its shell is made from Calcium carbonate and the spikes extensions are called rhizopodia.
Image of live, single-celled foram, Globorotalia truncatulinoides, viewed under a microscope and collected with a plankton net on the R/V Pelican. Its shell is made from Calcium carbonate and the spikes extensions are called rhizopodia.
A USGS/USFWS team working at a coastal marsh site near a surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) station at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Left to right, Tiffany Lane, Claudia Laurenzano, Laura Feher, Camille Stagg, Jena Moon, and Michael Osland. Taken via camera timer by the team, 10/3/2019.
A USGS/USFWS team working at a coastal marsh site near a surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) station at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. Left to right, Tiffany Lane, Claudia Laurenzano, Laura Feher, Camille Stagg, Jena Moon, and Michael Osland. Taken via camera timer by the team, 10/3/2019.
An ablation stake which began the summer below the surface of the snow is shown here in the fall, extending far above bare ice surface of Wolverine Glacier, Alaska. A USGS scientist carries a portable steam drill, used to install the stakes in the glacier.
An ablation stake which began the summer below the surface of the snow is shown here in the fall, extending far above bare ice surface of Wolverine Glacier, Alaska. A USGS scientist carries a portable steam drill, used to install the stakes in the glacier.
Tree-ring analyses from Lassiter Swamp, located along a tributary of the Chowan River, indicate that cypress trees have occupied the site for at least 500 years. To extend the record even farther back in time, scientists from USGS, Duke University and East Carolina University are working together with students at C.S.
Tree-ring analyses from Lassiter Swamp, located along a tributary of the Chowan River, indicate that cypress trees have occupied the site for at least 500 years. To extend the record even farther back in time, scientists from USGS, Duke University and East Carolina University are working together with students at C.S.
True-color image of wildfire smoke over Alaska on July 7, 2019 captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite.
True-color image of wildfire smoke over Alaska on July 7, 2019 captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite.
Researcher holds an ablation stake and winter snow probe during spring mass balance field work on Gulkana Glacier, AK.
Researcher holds an ablation stake and winter snow probe during spring mass balance field work on Gulkana Glacier, AK.
Partners discuss seasonal drought experiments.
Partners discuss seasonal drought experiments.
A cross section of ice-rich permafrost. Layers and areas of sediments are interspersed with frozen patches of ice.
A cross section of ice-rich permafrost. Layers and areas of sediments are interspersed with frozen patches of ice.
Miriam Jones holding a peat core that was extracted from a thawed permafrost bog at the Alaska Permafrost Experiment (APEX) site at Bonanza Creek LTER, Alaska. The boundary between the formerly frozen permafrost plateau and thawed bog is visible in the peat stratigraphy, with the light-colored peat indicated thawed bog.
Miriam Jones holding a peat core that was extracted from a thawed permafrost bog at the Alaska Permafrost Experiment (APEX) site at Bonanza Creek LTER, Alaska. The boundary between the formerly frozen permafrost plateau and thawed bog is visible in the peat stratigraphy, with the light-colored peat indicated thawed bog.
Map of Alaska showing probability (%) of change occurrence. Insets show fire boundaries from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Large Fire Database and Landsat 8 imagery (bottom right; 2016) north of Fairbanks, Alaska.
Map of Alaska showing probability (%) of change occurrence. Insets show fire boundaries from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Large Fire Database and Landsat 8 imagery (bottom right; 2016) north of Fairbanks, Alaska.
Caption: Trees tipping over and dying as ice-rich permafrost thaws in the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
Caption: Trees tipping over and dying as ice-rich permafrost thaws in the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
Dense stands of Douglas-fir surround South Twin Lake in the Klamath bioregion of northwestern California.
Dense stands of Douglas-fir surround South Twin Lake in the Klamath bioregion of northwestern California.
Burned, hollowed out base of a sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park
Burned, hollowed out base of a sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park
Photo shows USGS geologists obtaining microfossil and biomarker samples from the Calvert Formation at Scientists Cliffs.
Photo shows USGS geologists obtaining microfossil and biomarker samples from the Calvert Formation at Scientists Cliffs.
A scientist prepares to extract a snow core from one of the Benchmark Glaciers. Cores are used to determine the density of the snow and ice on the surface of the glacier in order to determine the mass balance.
A scientist prepares to extract a snow core from one of the Benchmark Glaciers. Cores are used to determine the density of the snow and ice on the surface of the glacier in order to determine the mass balance.
USGS scientist, Chris McNeil, measures and weighs an ice core extracted from Wolverine Glacier to determine the density of the firn layer.
USGS scientist, Chris McNeil, measures and weighs an ice core extracted from Wolverine Glacier to determine the density of the firn layer.
A USGS scientist testing drone technology to measure methane fluxes from thawing permafrost.
A USGS scientist testing drone technology to measure methane fluxes from thawing permafrost.
A cyprus tree in Lake Drummond, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia
A cyprus tree in Lake Drummond, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia