Images

Flood damage from tropical storm Irene, August 28, 2011, washed out Maxam Road bridge on the West Branch North River in Colrain, Massachusetts. 

Steaming to the deployment site south of Martha's Vineyard, MA in 2011. The platform shown was specially adapted so the arm cycles up and down through the Benthic Boubdary Layer while deployed on the seafloor.  For more information see https://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2011/11/fieldwork2.html.

Nice photo-op of Healy with a striking background.

Ice conditions in the Arctic from CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent.

It is very unusual for large (400 ft) vessels to be so close together during normal science operations.  In this case, the skilled ship handling of the Captain from USCGC Healy enabled Healy to back within ~75 ft of Louis to clear ice around the bow of Louis, thereby releasing pressure and allowing her to move again.

A debris line was left on the ground where the river reached its peak at USGS station ID 010642505 Saco River at Bartlett, New Hampshire. This is a type of High-Water Mark that was flagged for an indirect measurement of discharge.

USGS staffer in Susquehanna River floodwaters in Owego, NY 2011

USGS scientists test the moving arm bottom platform at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) dock.  While it was deployed, the system moved sensors through the bottom boundary layer and transmitted data in real time to shore via WHOI's Martha's Vineyard coastal observatory.

USGS scientists assembling a novel profiling arm to measure suspended sediment in the benthic boundary layer. This large seafloor platform was later deployed for several months off Martha's Vineyard, MA as part of the Optics Acoustics and Stress In Situ (OASIS) Project in 2011.

Nice photo-opportunity of USGS working near the North Pole!

The channel at Roaring Brook needed reconstruction after Irene devastated the river system due to the immense rainfall. This image was taken looking upstream from Route 7 (North St) crossing in Bennington, Vermont.

Before Irene reached New England, the USGS New England Water Science Center had to make sure our boats were running properly in anticipation of making discharge measurements in the larger rivers. In some cases, we had to get permission ahead of time to use boat ramps that were closed to the public.

Damage to bridge at E. Kill nr Jewett from Tropical Storm Irene

USCG Healy is circling to pass CCGS Louis in order to break her free from the ice. The joint field program utilized two icebreakers so that the seismic vessel, with gear in the water behind the ship, could be broken free when the ice prevented her forward progress.

Deploying the airgun array from CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. USCGC Healy can be seen in the background.

This photo taken on August 30, 2011 shows what used to be the parking lot where we parked our field vehicle during a previous deployment. The rocks in the forefront used to be part of the paved parking lot that was largely destroyed during Irene. 

This photograph of the White River near West Hartford, Vermont (USGS station ID 01144000, gage on the left) was taken on August 29, 2011 and is looking upstream towards the USGS gage.

Cohoes Falls in Cohoes, NY following Tropical Storm Irene

USCG Healy is circling to pass CCGS Louis in order to break her free from the ice.  The joint field program utilized two icebreakers so that the seismic vessel, with gear in the water behind the ship, could be broken free when the ice prevented her forward progress.

USGS station ID 01144000 White River near West Hartford, Vermont. Rainfall from Irene led to flooding throughout New England including here where floodwaters damaged Route 14. Note the debris line on the bridge rail, which is the river’s peak from the storm!

USGS station ID 01150900 Ottauquechee River at West Bridgewater, Vermont. Bridge and road damage was substantial throughout New England due to the intense rainfall. Amazingly, the USGS gage survived the storm!