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Powering Progress

How Science Can Fuel the Energy Resources Life Cycle

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USGS Wildland Fire Science

USGS science helps understand the causes, consequences, and benefits of wildfire and helps prevent and manage larger, catastrophic events.

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USGS Drought Science

Helping managers understand the interactions that determine the magnitude and impact of drought on water availability and ecosystems across the Nation

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Ecosystems Science at USGS

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The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area

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EcoNews

A USGS Ecosystems Mission Area Newsletter

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Ecosystems Mission Area

The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides science that directly benefits the health, safety, and prosperity of the American people by providing trusted and timely information to help address the Nation’s toughest management and conservation issues impacting public lands and the surrounding communities that benefit from them. 

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USGS Science for Food & Water Security

A view of a farm field in Iowa

USGS Ecosystems Mission Area science helps ensure safe and abundant domestic food and water supplies, ensuring all Americans access to livelihoods and traditions that connect generations with each other and the outdoors and strengthen America’s self-reliance

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USGS Science for Public Safety & Security

Before and after pictures - Hurricane Rita and Holly Beach, Louisiana, USA

Science within the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area provides a critical advantage in addressing public safety, infrastructure, and security issues surrounding natural disasters and changing landscapes, strengthening America’s ability to be a hazard ready Nation. 

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USGS Science for Economic Growth

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Science provided by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area helps boost America’s economy by providing practical tools to implement cost-effective management and development strategies that supports the Nation’s economic growth and protects our natural heritage.

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News

Geospatial Applications to Visualize Science and Support Decision‑Making Across Scales

Geospatial Applications to Visualize Science and Support Decision‑Making Across Scales

EcoNews | Winter 2026 - Vol. 7 | Issue 1

EcoNews | Winter 2026 - Vol. 7 | Issue 1

National Conservation Lands: A hub for scientific discovery

National Conservation Lands: A hub for scientific discovery

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Publications

Design and function of the Autonomous Benthic Imaging and Surveying System (ABISS) for remote sensing of lake and seabed environments Design and function of the Autonomous Benthic Imaging and Surveying System (ABISS) for remote sensing of lake and seabed environments

Lake and seabed environments are home to fisheries and other biota that are important to ecosystems and economies, yet these environments and the species that use them are difficult to accurately assess and monitor. Traditional benthic survey techniques, like bottom trawling used by the U.S. Geological Survey, are limited by substrate constraints, poor spatial resolution and precision...
Authors
Alden T. Tilley, Peter C. Esselman, Christopher Roussi, Ben Hart, Aaron Lyons, Anthony J. Arnold, Jeremy Childress, Charley Weller
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Future aquatic invaders of the Northeast U.S.: How climate change, human vectors, and natural history could bring southern and western species north Future aquatic invaders of the Northeast U.S.: How climate change, human vectors, and natural history could bring southern and western species north

As environmental conditions change, land managers are increasingly concerned about the potential for new aquatic invasive species to move into their jurisdictions. Because managers may have limited resources, detecting invasive species early is important as prevention is more effective and less costly than ongoing mitigation of established populations. Tools built to assist early...
Authors
Catherine S. Jarnevich, Peder Engelstad, Shelby K. LeClare, Richard D. Inman, Ian Pfingsten, Wesley Daniel
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

American kestrel population trends and vital rates at the continental scale American kestrel population trends and vital rates at the continental scale

The American kestrel (Falco sparverius, hereafter referred to as kestrel) has declined across much of its North American range since at least the mid-1960s. Kestrel population dynamics have been explored through a multitude of local studies and two broad reviews of available data. Across large geographic extents, however, the demographic cause(s) of kestrel population declines remain(s)...
Authors
Paige E. Howell, Abigail Jean Lawson, Davis Kristin P., Guthrie S. Zimmerman, Orin J. Robinson, Matthew A. Boggie, Mitchell J. Eaton, Fitsum Abadi, Jessi L. Brown, Julie A. Heath, John A. Smallwood, Karen Steenhof, Ted Swem, Brian W. Rolek, Christopher J.W. McClure, Jean-Francois Therrien, Karl E. Miller, Brian A. Milsap
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Science

view of shrubs leading into the ocean, blue skys

Where Land Meets Sea: USGS Science for Resilient Coastal Habitats

USGS coastal science plays a critical role in supporting the effective, science-based management of coastal ecosystems, where the biodiversity of land and sea meet. It provides managers with the information they need to make sound decisions. Through cutting-edge research, predictive modeling, and decision-support tools, USGS empowers resource managers to make informed, science-based choices. From...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, California Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Fisheries Research Center, Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Where Land Meets Sea: USGS Science for Resilient Coastal Habitats

Where Land Meets Sea: USGS Science for Resilient Coastal Habitats

USGS coastal science plays a critical role in supporting the effective, science-based management of coastal ecosystems, where the biodiversity of land and sea meet. It provides managers with the information they need to make sound decisions. Through cutting-edge research, predictive modeling, and decision-support tools, USGS empowers resource managers to make informed, science-based choices. From...
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A small blue, black and white songbird perched on a single branch.

USGS Bird Science by Flyway—Winter 2026 Highlights

Connecting state agencies and biologists to the breadth of partner-driven science that USGS supports in your flyway.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program
USGS Bird Science by Flyway—Winter 2026 Highlights

USGS Bird Science by Flyway—Winter 2026 Highlights

Connecting state agencies and biologists to the breadth of partner-driven science that USGS supports in your flyway.
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panoramic shot of sagebrush with mesas and canyon landscape in the background

AI-driven science synthesis tools for resource managers

The scientific literature is abundant on drought-related topics in the western United States, including areas of the Colorado River Basin and the sagebrush biome. Scientists, resource managers, and decision makers use this science to assess, predict, and respond to the effects of drought on people and the environment. However, it can be difficult to quickly synthesize large amounts of research. To...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Colorado River Basin: Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology, Drought
AI-driven science synthesis tools for resource managers

AI-driven science synthesis tools for resource managers

The scientific literature is abundant on drought-related topics in the western United States, including areas of the Colorado River Basin and the sagebrush biome. Scientists, resource managers, and decision makers use this science to assess, predict, and respond to the effects of drought on people and the environment. However, it can be difficult to quickly synthesize large amounts of research. To...
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