Peter L. Pearsall

Between January 14-15, 2022, volcanic eruptions destroyed much of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, an uninhabited island in the Tonga archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. A plume of ash rising 36 miles into the atmosphere blanketed the neighboring Tongan islands.

Seafloor features such as sulfide mounds and chimneys are prominent evidence of hydrothermal activity. These features, whether active or dormant, are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak; much of the “plumbing” of hydrothermal systems exists beneath the seafloor surface.

For scientists aboard the Escanaba Trough expedition, obtaining sediment cores or deep-sea biological and geological samples after a Jason dive is only the beginning.

Critical to scientific operations aboard the Escanaba Trough expedition is the submersible robots Sentry and Jason. Owned and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), these robots allow researchers to observe seafloor features and collect data from depths seldom visited by humans.

Embarking on a three-week deep-sea research expedition requires a lot of preparation. For this expedition to Escanaba Trough, U.S. Geological Survey scientists and partners spend the first few days in port, building their laboratory space aboard the research vessel Thomas G. Thompson.

Coastal wetlands are among the most productive and valuable ecosystems in the world—comparable to even rainforests and coral reefs.

Geologist Ann Gibbs studies the vulnerability of the rapidly-warming Alaska coast to climate change effects like sea level rise and permafrost thawing.

Research Fish Biologist Vanessa von Biela investigates how heatwaves and other climate-driven stressors may affect Alaska’s spawning Pacific salmon in the future.

Wildlife Biologist Vijay Patil explores the effects of climate change and shifting seasons on Arctic-nesting waterfowl.

Along reef-lined shores of the Pacific Islands, USGS Research Geologist and Oceanographer Ferdinand Oberle studies how warming surface waters, nutrient runoff, and increasingly powerful storms impact coral reefs.  

USGS Wildlife Research Biologist Heather Johnson uses collar-mounted video cameras to peer into the lives of climate-threatened caribou.  

Fish Ecologist Mike Carey studies the impacts beavers have on warming Alaskan permafrost landscapes.

Research Oceanographer Kira Mizell studies change in ocean chemistry by collecting marine minerals, looking for insights into past climate conditions and geologic history.

Research Wildlife Biologist Steve Matsuoka explores how climate change affects the reproductive success of Alaska’s diverse bird communities, which include more than 100 species that migrate to Alaska each year world to breed.

The Arctic region is warming faster than anywhere else in the nation. Understanding the rates and causes of coastal change in Alaska is needed to identify and mitigate hazards that might affect people and animals that call Alaska home.

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American Avocets with long grey legs, white body feathers, and white and brown wing feathers, dip their long, narrow grey beaks in and out of shallow water as they search for food. Their bodies reflect off of the pond surface as they move along at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Oregon.