Images

Image-based flow cytometer for cell population analysis

U.S. Geological Survey scientists, collecting oil from wells at the National Crude Oil Spill Fate and Natural Attenuation Research Site near Bemidji, Minnesota. 

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

Confined swine feeding operation; taken by Kent Becker, unknown location.

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

Environmental Chemistry Laboratory — Columbia, Missouri. Customized extraction system

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

Early development zebrafish embryos are used as an alternative approach to the use of adult zebrafish in ecotoxicology studies.

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.

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

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.

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.

The Snake River is the largest tributary of the Columbia River. It drains over 108,000 square miles in mainly Idaho and portions of Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. The climate of much of the Snake River watershed is arid or semi-arid and spring snowmelt contributes substantially to the river’s flow.