Science Explorer
Exploring: California
The Southwest Region includes California, Nevada, and Arizona. The Regional Office, headquartered in Sacramento, provides Center oversight and support, facilitates internal and external collaborations, and works to further USGS strategic science directions.
A photo of a California (ecoregion 6) grape vine taken during field verifcation of Land Cover Trends project.
California condors are one of the most endangered birds in North America. In the early 1990s, captive-bred condors were reintroduced into the wild in California. As of January 2010, about 190 condors now live in the wild and more reintroductions are being considered. To facilitate this, USGS researchers are assisting Fish and Wildlife Service in...
Map of historic seismicity, major faults, and paleoseismic summary of San Andreas Fault system.
Satellites have captured views of the numerous major fires burning in California.An image acquired on November 9, 2018, from NASA’s MODIS sensor on the Terra satellite shows smoke pouring out of two major fires, the Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire, which both ignited the day before.In the north, the Camp Fire quickly became the deadliest...
Public service announcement from the Bureau of Reclamation on the investment it will provide under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to the state of California.
California condors are one of the most endangered birds in North America. In the early 1990s, captive-bred condors were reintroduced into the wild in California. As of January 2010, about 190 condors now live in the wild and more reintroductions are being considered. To facilitate this, USGS researchers are assisting Fish and Wildlife Service in...
The U.S. west coast is an area of complex coastal geography. This photograph depicts several examples of geological features along the California coastline that are shaped by varied coastal processes. The gently sloping beach, stark bluffs, and presence of smooth rocks suggests that the coastal processes shaping this coastline are complex.
The USGS closely monitors the effects of drought through data collection and research. USGS science supports water managers in preparing for possible future drought by providing information that takes into account long-term hydrologic, climatic, and environmental changes. These studies support successful planning and science-based decision-making...
Land subsidence is a gradual settling or sudden sinking of the Earth's surface due to subsurface movement of earth materials. The main cause of subsidence in California is groundwater pumping. The effects of subsidence include damage to buildings and infrastructure, increased flood risk in low-lying areas, and lasting damage to groundwater...
This dataset represents thermoluminescence (TL) data that was obtained after a series of experiments to investigate how TL techniques can indicate the depth of soil heating. This project was attempted to ultimately predict changes in erosion properties in burned areas subject to debris flow hazards. The soil samples were obtained from an area...
The Center's mission is to collect and analyze hydrologic data needed to manage water resources for the State of California. The CAWSC operates local and statewide networks to collect high-quality data that define natural and human hydrologic changes; analyzes hydrologic processes; maintains data bases; and publishes peer-reviewed reports to...
Withdrawal estimates for each category represent the total amount of water removed from the water source, regardless of how much of that total is consumptively used. In most cases, some fraction of the total withdrawal will be returned to the same or a different water source after use and is available for other withdrawals.
An endangered California condor flies over the Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge, California. USGS scientists are helping managers understand how California condors use their habitat, gaining valuable information that will help inform not only which potential energy development sites are likely to have the least impact on condors but also...
Colorful vegetated clifftop near Half Moon Bay, California.
In the Landsat 8 image acquired on December 9, smoke is carried west by strong winds, which also continued to spread fire through the dry terrain, mountain passes, and canyons. The diagonal lines are an airplane contrail and its shadow cast on the ground. Landsat 8’s December...
Satellites have captured views of the numerous major fires burning in California.
Spruce-covered mountains surround a dried-up lake.
Phenolic mount used to deploy an RDI ChannelMaster 600kHz ADVM. Mount is resistant to corrosion and is articulated to allow adjustment of heading, pitch, and roll.