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How Marine Heatwaves are Changing Ocean Ecosystems

A GeoNarrative

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How does this ecosystem support the Nation’s fish and wildlife?

What are some management alternatives for ecosystem rehabilitation?

What is the impact of natural resource use on the environment?

The passion of our scientists.

Environments Program

USGS Environments Program scientists conduct research for the restoration and management of 500 million acres managed by DOI. Scientists work in estuaries, coastlines, deserts, grasslands, rivers and forests from Alaska to Florida to predict how systems respond to change, evaluate restoration, improve habitat for biodiversity and provide services including clean water, food, and storm protect

EMA Animal Welfare Assurance Website

Ecosystem Management

Photograph of a freeze sensitive mangrove-marsh transition zone in Cedar Key, FL.

Our ecological research improves the Nation’s understanding of how management decisions and environmental variation are impacting ecosystems now and in the future.

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Wildland Fire Research

Image: Burned Area Near Yarnell, Arizona

Wildfires are a natural process in most regions of the U.S. They serve a vital role in nature but can also be unusually intense, widespread, or frequent. As a result, response and recovery costs are increasing.

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Environments Science

USGS scientists conduct research to inform the management and conservation of ecosystems across the US. Explore our science using the links below.

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News

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They Do That, Too? Relatable Experiences for Mommas (and Momma-figures) of All Species

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USGS scientists showcase multidisciplinary science in a session on dynamic coastal change at Ocean Sciences 2022

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New Report Highlights Declining Sagebrush Ecosystem, Provides Foundation for Next Generation of Conservation and Management

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Publications

Microbial formation of labile organic carbon in Antarctic glacial environments

Roughly six petagrams of organic carbon are stored within ice worldwide. This organic carbon is thought to be of old age and highly bioavailable. Along with storage of ancient and new atmospherically deposited organic carbon, microorganisms may contribute substantially to the glacial organic carbon pool. Models of glacial microbial carbon cycling vary from net respiration to net carbon fixation. S
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Environments Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Bacterial community diversity of the deep-sea octocoral Paramuricea placomus

Compared to tropical corals, much less is known about deep-sea coral biology and ecology. Although the microbial communities of some deep-sea corals have been described, this is the first study to characterize the bacterial community associated with the deep-sea octocoral, Paramuricea placomus. Samples from five colonies of P. placomus were collected from Baltimore Canyon (379–382 m depth) in the
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Environments Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Coral Microbial Ecology Laboratory

Predicting spatial distribution of postfire debris flows and potential consequences for native trout in headwater streams

Habitat fragmentation and degradation and invasion of nonnative species have restricted the distribution of native trout. Many trout populations are limited to headwater streams where negative effects of predicted climate change, including reduced stream flow and increased risk of catastrophic fires, may further jeopardize their persistence. Headwater streams in steep terrain are especially suscep
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Ecosystems, Environments Program, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
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Science

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Salt marsh nekton monitoring

Use of Structured Decision Making to Optimize Salt Marsh Management Decisions at Northeastern National Wildlife Refuges

US Fish and Wildlife Service completed a regional assessment of salt marsh integrity (SMI) on 15 National Wildlife Refuges/Refuge Complexes in the northeastern US. Developed within a structured decision making (SDM) framework, the SMI assessment provides essential baseline data on salt marsh condition relative to regional management objectives. These data now provide the basis for applying the SDM...
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Ecosystems, Environments Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Use of Structured Decision Making to Optimize Salt Marsh Management Decisions at Northeastern National Wildlife Refuges

US Fish and Wildlife Service completed a regional assessment of salt marsh integrity (SMI) on 15 National Wildlife Refuges/Refuge Complexes in the northeastern US. Developed within a structured decision making (SDM) framework, the SMI assessment provides essential baseline data on salt marsh condition relative to regional management objectives. These data now provide the basis for applying the SDM...
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Everglades National Park- in a salt marsh region

Large-Scale Restoration Science

USGS works collaboratively with partners to improve the stewardship and restoration of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems across the country. Many of these projects are large-scale, crossing multiple organizational and state boundaries and occasionally bridging scientific and engineering disciplines. The primary outcomes of these projects are restoring critical ecosystems and their biological...
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Ecosystems, Environments Program
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Large-Scale Restoration Science

USGS works collaboratively with partners to improve the stewardship and restoration of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems across the country. Many of these projects are large-scale, crossing multiple organizational and state boundaries and occasionally bridging scientific and engineering disciplines. The primary outcomes of these projects are restoring critical ecosystems and their biological...
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Citizen Scientists monitoring Avian populations in the Gulf Coast National Parks

Monitoring Birds in National Parks of the Gulf Coast Network

The Challenge: Avian monitoring within the Gulf Coast Network of the National Park Service is challenged to provide valid quantitative data on bird populations within park boundaries with limited financial input. Thus, citizen science (volunteer) bird monitoring has been proposed to achieve reliable estimates of bird populations and to assess the effects of habitat change and temporal dynamics of...
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Ecosystems, Environments Program, Wildlife Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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Monitoring Birds in National Parks of the Gulf Coast Network

The Challenge: Avian monitoring within the Gulf Coast Network of the National Park Service is challenged to provide valid quantitative data on bird populations within park boundaries with limited financial input. Thus, citizen science (volunteer) bird monitoring has been proposed to achieve reliable estimates of bird populations and to assess the effects of habitat change and temporal dynamics of...
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