Unified Interior Regions
Washington
Washington's Puget Sound is a complex ecosystem directly adjacent to a robust metropolitan area that scientists from the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center study. Recent surveys have looked at juvenile surf smelt, a key link in the food web that are consumed by predators such as salmon, orca, and many marine birds.
Western Fisheries Research Center
Research at the WFRC focuses on the environmental factors responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of fish populations including their interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems.
Go to CenterWashington Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's mission is to collect, analyze and disseminate the impartial hydrologic data and information needed to wisely manage water resources for the people of the United States and the State of Washington.
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Fine sediment infiltration in Chinook spawning gravels in the Sauk River Basin, Washington
The Issue: There is concern that inherently high finer-grained (small gravel, sand, and silt) sediment loads in the Sauk River system may adversely affect egg-to-fry survival of ESA-listed Chinook salmon in the Sauk River and lower Skagit River Basin. However, there are no quantitative data for the Sauk River basin to assess if fine sediment deposition and infiltration into...
Cheatgrass and Medusahead
Invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), are one of the most significant stressors to rangeland ecosystems in the western U.S. Their expansion and dominance across this area are the most damaging ecosystem agents on this iconic landscape.
Southeast Sound Groundwater Flow Model
The Issue: Groundwater is an important resource for domestic, commercial, and industrial usage in the Puyallup River and Chambers-Clover Creek Watersheds, and groundwater discharge helps maintain late-summer and early-fall streamflow (baseflow) in many area streams. Consequently, as the population grows, and commercial and industrial activity increase, so does the demand for...
United States Assessments of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources
USGS Energy Resources Program provides periodic assessments of the oil and natural gas endowment of the United States and the World. This website provides access to new, prioritized, assessment results and supporting data for the United States, as part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).
December 2014 Pacific Coast Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the December 2014 Pacific Coast floods, which included flash floods, heavy snows, high winds, and mudslides throughout Oregon, Washington, and California.
WFRC Ecology Section - Projects Overview
The Ecology Section examines how environmental variability, human activities and infrastructure influence food web interactions and species performance in freshwater and marine ecosystems. We have extensive experience in quantifying aquatic food web processes as they relate to growth, survival and production of key species of interest, especially resident and anadromous salmonids.
Life History of Pacific Northwest Fishes through Age and Growth Structures
The focus of our research is the ecological analysis of Pacific Northwest fishes through age and growth structures such as: scales, fin rays and otoliths (small calcium carbonate deposits beneath the brain used in hearing and balance that grow in proportion to the overall growth of the fish). These structures are utilized as research tools for understanding life histories and habitat...
Eastern Oregon-Washington Oil and Gas Assessments
In 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed the following assessments of undiscovered gas resources of the Eastern Oregon and Washington Province 5005.
Western Oregon-Washington Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Western Oregon and Washington Province 5004.
Examining controls on the solubility in the ocean of iron from dust and volcanic ash- John Crusius
Biological productivity in the Gulf of Alaska is limited by availability of the micronutrient iron. Dust derived from Alaskan glacial flour and from Asian deserts, and ash from Alaskan volcanoes, episodically supply iron from the atmosphere. This internship would carry out studies on archived material from a variety of dust and ash samples to examine controls on the supply of this...
Effects of Nanophyetus salmincola on the Health and Survival of Puget Sound Steelhead
Low early marine survival rates of Puget Sound steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), the state fish of Washington, have contributed to its dramatic population decline and current listing as a “Threatened Species” under the Endangered Species Act. Determining the cause(s) of this elevated mortality remains a primary objective of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project, a large US / Canada effort...
Genomic Mechanisms that Underlie Lack of Recovery of Prince William Sound Herring Following the 1990s Collapse
In the decades following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS), it has become increasingly apparent that oil can be toxic at extremely low concentrations to developing fish embryos including herring, where some toxic phenotypes may be apparent during embryogenesis, but some are delayed until later in life. Therefore, acute and lingering oil may act as an insidious selective force within...
Downloadable Data for Western Oregon-Washington Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Western Oregon-Washington Oil and Gas Assessments
Chinook Salmon Use of Eelgrass Habitats Skagit River Delta Washington
The degree to which eelgrass on river deltas provides critical habitat for estuarine fishes, especially out‐migrating juvenile salmon, is an important scientific and management issue that bears on efforts to conserve and restore both eelgrass and fish.
2015 environmental DNA surveys for lampreys in Chehalis River tributaries, Washington
Columns of data representing Chehalis River tributary, sample reach locations, dates of water sampling, quantitative PCR results, and whether lamprey were sampled by electrofishing in each sample reach.
National Water Information System Elwha River at Diversion
Site Number 12046260 Elwha River at diversion near Port Angeles, WA
National Water Information System McDonald Bridge
Site Number 12045500 Elwha River at McDonald Bridge Near Port Angeles, WA
USGS Domestic Continuous (Unconventional) Oil & Gas Assessments, 2000-Present
Interactively explore assessment summary information for continuous (unconventional) assessments conducted at the USGS from 2000-2018. The assessment results data used to generate this visualization can be downloaded here in Excel Format. These data represent all assessment results...
MODFLOW-NWT model used to simulate groundwater storage changes in the Quincy Basin, Washington
A three-dimensional, groundwater flow model (MODFLOW-NWT) was developed to
examine groundwater storage changes in the Quincy Basin, Washington. The
model was calibrated to conditions from 1920 to 2013. The model was used to
(1) determine the change in groundwater storage from 1920 to 2013 , and
(2) simulate the potential effects of increases in pumping.
Data collected in 2008-2010 to evaluate juvenile salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass on the Skagit River Delta, Washington State, USA
Data are abundance and body size (length) of juvenile salmon, forage fish, and other species captured with a lampara net in eelgrass and nearby unvegetated habitat on the Skagit River Delta monthly, April-September, 2008-2010, as well as vegetation status, water depth, temperature, salinity, and clarity for each fish netting event.
River-channel topography and sediment grain size on the Elwha River, Washington, 2006 to 2017
This data release presents topographic and sediment grain size data collected by the USGS in the Elwha River channel between 2006 and 2017. These data have been used to inform interpretations of geomorphic and sediment evolution in the Elwha River before, during, and after dam removal, including the response to several flood events. We measured topography and bed-sediment grain size in five...
Land Treatment Exploration Tool
The Land Treatment Exploration Tool is designed for resource managers to use when planning land treatments. The tool provides useful summaries of environmental characteristics of planned treatment areas and facilitates adaptive management practices by comparing those characteristics to other similar treatments within a specified distance or area of interest. ...
Coastal and Marine Geology Program Internet Map Server and GIS Data
The USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) Internet Map Server is an interactive mapping service which allows the user to explore and download GIS data sets published by CMGP.
Surface-Water for Washington
Real-time, daily, peak-flow, field measurements, and statistics of current and historical data that describe stream levels, streamflow (discharge), reservoir and lake levels, surface-water quality, and rainfall in Washington. Surface-water data are collected and stored as either discrete field-water-level measurements or as continuous time-series data from automated recorders.
Effects of transmitter type, tagging method, body size, and temperature on behavior, physiology, and swimming performance of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of different tagging methods and transmitter types on juvenile salmonid behavior, mortality, physiology, and swimming performance over a range of water temperatures and fish sizes.In Chapter 1, two laboratory experiments were conducted to assess maximum burst-swimming speeds, the probability of...
Perry, Russell W.; Liedtke, Theresa L.
Post‐release predation mortality of age‐0 hatchery‐reared Chinook salmon from non‐native smallmouth bass in the Snake River
Release of age‐0 hatchery‐reared fall Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha(Walbaum), in the Snake River resulted in up to 30‐fold increases in salmon consumption by non‐native smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu Lacepѐde. In an upper river reach, smallmouth bass fed intensively during a release in May, but Chinook salmon...
Erhardt, John M.; Tiffan, Kenneth F. Geomorphic evolution of a gravel‐bed river under sediment‐starved vs. sediment‐rich conditions: River response to the world's largest dam removal
Understanding river response to sediment pulses is a fundamental problem in geomorphic process studies, with myriad implications for river management. However, because large sediment pulses are rare and usually unanticipated, they are seldom studied at field scale. We examine fluvial response to a massive (~20 Mt) sediment pulse released by...
East, Amy E.; Logan, Joshua B.; Mastin, Mark C.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Bountry, Jennifer A.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Sankey, Joel B. Upstream migration and spawning success of Chinook salmon in a highly developed, seasonally warm river system
This review summarizes what is known about the influence of water temperature and velocity on the migration and spawning success of an inland population of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Models are then developed and used to illustrate how migration and spawning success might change if temperatures and velocities increase under a...
Connor, William P.; Tiffan, Kenneth F.; Chandler, James A.; Rondorf, Dennis W.; Arnsberg, Billy D.; Anderson, Kelvin C. Wetland stratigraphic evidence for variable megathrust earthquake rupture modes at the Cascadia subduction zone
Although widespread agreement that the Cascadia subduction zone produces great earthquakes of magnitude 8 to 9 was reached decades ago, debate continues about the rupture lengths, magnitudes, and frequency of megathrust earthquakes recorded by wetland stratigraphy fringing Cascadia’s estuaries. Correlation of such coastal earthquake evidence along...
Nelson, Alan R.; Witter, Robert C.; Englehart, Simon; Hawkers, Andrea; Horton, Benjamin P. State transportation agencies partner to deploy and enhance ShakeCast
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is organizing and leading a three-year Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) project, Connecting the Dots: Implementing ShakeCast Across Multiple State Departments of Transportation for Rapid Post-Earthquake Response. Ten state Departments of Transportation (DOT)—CA, ID, MO, MS, OK, OR, SC, TX, UT...
Turner, L.; Wald, David J.; Lin, Kuo-wan; Chiou, Brian; Slosky, Daniel
A snapshot of women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers
IntroductionThe term “STEM” has been used to group together the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to describe education and professions related to these fields. The professional fields connected to STEM education are thought of as engineering, medicine, and computer technology. Yet these professional fields are merely...
Aragon-Long, Susan C.; Burkett, Virginia R.; Weyers, Holly S.; Haig, Susan M.; Davenport, Marjorie S.; Warner, Kelly L. A bioenergetics evaluation of temperature‐dependent selection for the spawning phenology by Snake River fall Chinook salmon
High water temperatures can increase the energetic cost for salmon to migrate and spawn, which can be important for Snake River fall‐run Chinook salmon because they migrate great distances (>500 km) at a time when river temperatures (18–24°C) can be above their optimum temperatures (16.5°C). Average river temperatures and random...
Plumb, John M. Holocene fault reactivation in the eastern Cascades, Washington
Significant uncertainty remains concerning how and where crustal shortening occurs throughout the eastern Cascade Range in Washington State. Using light detection and ranging (lidar) imagery, we identified an ∼5‐km‐long">∼5‐km‐long lineament in Swakane canyon near Wenatchee, roughly coincident with a...
Carlson, Benjamin L.; Schermer, Elizabeth R.; Amos, Colin B.; Stephenson, William J.; Sherrod, Brian; Mahan, Shannon A. Integrated diet analyses reveal contrasting trophic niches for wild and hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon in a large river delta
Hatchery programs have been used as a conservation tool to bolster declining populations of Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha along much of the North American Pacific coast. In many watersheds, hatchery stocks are released concurrently with the wild population, thus raising the potential for density‐dependent effects. Competition...
Davis, Melanie J.; Woo, Isa; Ellings, Christopher S.; Hodgson, Sayre; Beauchamp, David A.; Nakai, Glynnis; De La Cruz, Susan E.W. Crustal inheritance and a top-down control on arc magmatism at Mount St Helens
In a subduction zone, the volcanic arc marks the location where magma, generated via flux melting in the mantle wedge, migrates through the crust and erupts. While the location of deep magma broadly defines the arc position, here we argue that crustal structures, identified in geophysical data from the Washington Cascades magmatic arc, are equally...
Bedrosian, Paul A.; Peacock, Jared R.; Bowles-Martinez, Esteban; Schultz, Adam; Hill, Graham Juvenile Chinook salmon and forage fish use of eelgrass habitats in a diked and channelized Puget Sound River Delta
Eelgrass Zostera marina can form extensive meadows on Puget Sound river deltas. The extent to which these meadows provide critical rearing habitat for local estuarine fishes, especially out‐migrating juvenile salmon, is not well understood. Further, delta eelgrass has been impacted by diking and river channelization with unknown...
Rubin, Stephen P.; Hayes, Michael C.; Grossman, Eric E.
First mission: USGS UAS monitors gas emissions at Mount St. Helens —AD
On September 25, 2018, a team of three scientists based at the USGS–Cascades Volcano Observatory conducted the first-ever USGS-led Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) campaign at Mount St. Helens. The UAS survey was conducted with the permission and coordination of the U.S. Forest Service Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
The team used a multi-rotor UAS (“
Diversion web cam on the Elwha River
Web cam mounted near USGS gaging station site number 12046260, looking upstream from the water supply diversion structure on the lower Elwha River near Port Angeles in Washington.
Flushing stomach contents from a live resident Chinook salmon
Flushing stomach contents from a live resident Chinook salmon for an investigation of cannibalism and predation impacts.
Gills from Lost River Suckers - Heavy Infestation of Ichthyobodo sp.
Gills from Lost River suckers with a heavy infestation of Ichthyobodo sp. (arrows). Slide is stained with hematoxylin and eosin.
Herring (top) and juvenile Chinook salmon (bottom)
Herring (top) and juvenile Chinook salmon (bottom) flushed from the stomach of a resident Chinook salmon in Puget Sound.
Figure 1 from Miller, et al, 2018
Map highlighting sampling locations of 339 Northern Spotted Owls used in Miller, et al, 2018
GeoGirls_Core
GeoGirls take core samples at a pond near the Hummocks Trail to study groundwater transport.
GeoGirls Examing Tephra Deposits
The GeoGirls examined tephra (ash and pumice) deposits from Mount St. Helens’ eruptive past and learned how to create a stratigraphic column.
Elwha River delta mapping
Diana McCandless of the Washington State Department of Ecology pauses for a moment, on the beach around the point and to the east of the mouth of Elwha River. McCandless is part of a team of scientists from WA State and the USGS who are periodically mapping the delta and beach areas near the mouth of the Elwha River. The scientists are monitoring how sediment is being
...
Synchronized mapping
USGS and Washington State Department of Ecology scientists are geared up and ready to start a topographic survey at the mouth of the Elwha River, using handheld computers and backpack-mounted GPS equipment. From left to right are Owen Warrick (USGS Volunteer), Jon Warrick (USGS), Andy Ritchie (USGS), Heather Weiner (WA State Dept. of Ecology), Diana McCandless (WA State
...
Nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) for the detection of Rs
Nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) for the detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum. Agarose gel electrophoresis is used for size separation and visualization of amplified DNA sequences.
Starting in 2011, the National Park Service removed two obsolete dams, the world’s largest dam-removal project to date. Over the next five years, water carrying newly freed rocks, sand, silt, and old tree trunks reshaped more than 13 miles of river and built a larger delta into the Pacific Ocean.
USGS researchers are assessing habitat condition, watershed processes, and coho salmon populations in the context of land management and restoration activities.
From July 31 to August 23, a joint USGS-NOAA cruise mapped seafloor depths, texture, and gas seeps in the Cascadia subduction zone offshore of Washington, Oregon, and northern California.
Starting in 2011, the National Park Service removed two obsolete dams from the Elwha River in Olympic National Park, Washington. It was the world’s largest dam-removal project. Over the next five years, water carrying newly freed rocks, sand, silt and old tree trunks reshaped more than 13 miles of river and built a larger delta into the Pacific Ocean.
The atypical location of Mount St. Helens may be due to geologic structures that control where deep magmas can rise through the crust, as suggested by new findings published today in Nature Geoscience.
Due to a recent detection in Washington state of white-nose syndrome, a deadly bat fungal disease, the National Park Service is interested in the status and distribution of bats within the North Coast and Cascades Network of parks.
Evaluating Innovative Fish Passage Alternatives to Support Upstream Sockeye Salmon Passage
An important issue in biodiversity valuation is gaining a better understanding of how biodiversity conservation affects economic activities and human welfare.
Federal researchers used landscape genetics to evaluate the role that forest connectivity plays in determining genetic connectivity for the federally-threatened northern spotted owl.
Twenty-five middle-school girls from Washington and Oregon are participating in the fourth annual “GeoGirls” outdoor volcano science program at Mount St. Helens, jointly organized by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Mount St. Helens Institute.
In a study led by the USGS, researchers developed a framework to infer inbreeding rates of Northern Spotted Owls when incomplete parentage information exists.
WFRC Science Takes to the Skies with Unmanned Aerial Systems
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Locations
Washington Water Science Center
Phone: (253) 552-1600
Fax: (253) 552-1581
Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC)
Phone: (206) 526-6282
Fax: (206) 526-6654
USGS Volcano Science Center
Phone: 360-993-8900
Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO)
vhpweb@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8900
Fax: 360-993-8980
Columbia River Research Laboratory
Phone: (509) 538-2299
Fax: (509) 538-2843
WFRC - Fish Health Program
Phone: 206-526-6282
Fax: 206-526-6654
Marrowstone Marine Field Station
Phone: (360) 385-1007
Fax: (360) 385-7207
Northwest Washington Field Office
Phone: (360) 312-8155 x2001
Fax: (360) 312-8565
Mid-Columbia Field Office
Phone: (509) 735-3739
Fax: (509) 735-3723
Upper Columbia Field Office
Phone: (509) 353-2649
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Olympic Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-565-3041
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) Cascadia Field Station
fresc_outreach@usgs.gov
Phone: 206-616-1874
Fax: 206-685-0790
Contacts
Western Fisheries Research Center
Research at the WFRC focuses on the environmental factors responsible for the creation, maintenance, and regulation of fish populations including their interactions in aquatic communities and ecosystems.
Go to CenterWashington Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's mission is to collect, analyze and disseminate the impartial hydrologic data and information needed to wisely manage water resources for the people of the United States and the State of Washington.
Go to Center