Unified Interior Regions
Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Real-time and Historical Data
These pages provide access to water-resources data collected at approximately 1.9 million sites in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Online access to this data is organized around the categories listed at the bottom.
The USGS investigates the occurrence, quantity, quality...
Real-Time Data Links
The U.S. Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center operates and maintains approximately 929 real-time sites in Florida, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands which provide long-term, accurate, and unbiased information that meets the needs of many diverse users. The USGS collects the streamflow data needed by Federal, State, and local agencies for planning and operating water-resources projects and...
Black Warrior Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Black Warrior Basin Province 5065:
- 2002 Continuous and Conventional Assessment (Read more in DDS 69-I).
- 1995 Assessment ( ...
Illinois Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources of the Illinois Basin Province 5064:
- 2007 Continuous and Conventional Assessment (Fact Sheet 2007-3058).
- 1995 Assessment ( ...
Gulf Coast Petroleum Systems Project - Research
This site highlights the research on the processes that impact the formation, accumulation, occurrence and alteration of hydrocarbon energy resources of the Gulf Coast of Mexico. This portion of the project also conducts assessments of undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources (click here for...
Natural Drought and Flood Histories from Lacustrine Archives
Previous work performed as part of the USGS Holocene Synthesis project illuminated complex centennial-scale patterns of drought and wetter-than-average conditions across the North American continent interior during the past two millennia, where paleorecord data coverage is sparse. In order to explain the patterns of naturally-occurring drought, floods, and storms for the past, identified by...
Understanding Drivers of Cyanotoxin Production in the Lake Okeechobee Waterway
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other researchers combined field and laboratory approaches in two studies to understand the factors that drive cyanobacterial bloom development and associated cyanotoxin production in Lake Okeechobee, the St. Lucie River and Estuary, and the Indian River Lagoon in response to the large-scale Lake Okeechobee cyanobacteria bloom in 2016.
Geological Investigations of the Neogene
More than a third of the United States population lives in counties directly on the shoreline, making them vulnerable to hazards associated with changing sea level and storm surges associated with hurricanes and severe storms. The geologic record contains many examples of past intervals of warm climate and high sea level. "Geological Investigation of the Neogene" is examining proxy records of...
Coral Reef Facts
These facts about coral reefs are presented in conjunction with the USGS Coral Reef Project.
Using Molecular Tools to Recalibrate Freshwater Mussel Taxonomy with a Focus on Imperiled Species
Freshwater mussels of the family Unionidae, also known as naiads, pearly mussels, freshwater clams, or unionids, are a diverse group of bivalve mollusks that are distributed on every continent except Antarctica. Approximately 300 species are known from the United States, with most of this diversity residing in rivers of the Southeast where many endemic taxa have evolved.
Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont Geologic Mapping
The Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont Geologic Mapping Task (BRIP) is the western focus of geologic mapping and framework studies of the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Project. BRIP will conduct modern geologic mapping and geologic framework studies in the Wytheville, Hickory and Boone 30x60-min. sheets. Collectively, the objectives of BRIP are to (1) characterize the geologic framework of the Blue Ridge...
Fine-scale Benthic Habitat Mapping
Both ATRIS configurations was deployed in Dry Tortugas National Park (DRTO) to fill information gaps in the spatial coverage of existing habitat maps.
Book review: Proceedings of the First International Snakehead Symposium
Snakehead fishes (family Channidae) are among the most maligned aquatic invasive species in the USA and some other countries where they have been introduced outside of their native range in Asia and Africa. Nevertheless, snakeheads continue to be widely exploited in the live‐food trade in aquaculture and wild‐capture fisheries, are highly sought...
Walsh, Stephen The incubation environment of nests deposited by a genetically distinct group of loggerhead sea turtles in Northwest Florida
The warming climate presents a challenge to conservation of all threatened and endangered species but particularly to those that exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination such as sea turtles. Changes in temperature may result in changes in the sex ratio of the population which can directly affect reproductive rate, abundance and population...
Lamont, Margaret; Johnson, Darren; Carthy, Raymond
Potentiometric surface and hydrologic conditions of the South Coast aquifer, Santa Isabel area, Puerto Rico, March–April, 2014
A potentiometric surface map of the South Coast aquifer near Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, was created from data collected during a synoptic survey of groundwater levels at 55 wells from March 31 to April 17, 2014. Measured groundwater level values ranged from −22.8 to 185.4 feet above mean sea level. During the study period, cumulative rainfall of 0...
Ramos, Félix A.; Santiago, Alex A. A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations
Identifying and clearly communicating the drivers of ecosystem function is a crucially important goal for both basic and applied ecology. This has proven difficult because the putative causes (e.g., environment, species identity, biodiversity, and functional traits) are numerous and correlated. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of a formal...
Schoolmaster, Donald R.; Zirbel, Chad R; Cronin, James P.
Characterization of water-quality and bed-sediment conditions in Currituck Sound, North Carolina, prior to the Mid-Currituck Bridge construction, 2011–18
The North Carolina Turnpike Authority plans to improve transportation in the Currituck Sound area by constructing a two-lane bridge—the Mid-Currituck Bridge—across Currituck Sound from the mainland to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. The results of the final environmental impact statement for the project indicate potential water-quality and...
Harden, Stephen L.; Fitzgerald, Sharon A.; Wagner, Chad R.; Bristow, Emilia L.; Loftin, Keith A.; Rosen, Barry H.
Bathymetric survey and sedimentation analysis of Lago Carite, Puerto Rico, January 2018
During January 23–30, 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, conducted a bathymetric survey of Lago Carite primarily to update estimates of the contemporary reservoir storage capacity and sedimentation rate. Previously designated transect lines were surveyed by using a depth sounder coupled...
Gomez-Fragoso, Julieta Migration corridors and threats in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits for loggerhead sea turtles
Along migration corridors, animals can face natural and anthropogenic threats that differ from those in breeding and non-breeding residence areas. Satellite telemetry can aid in describing the timing and location of these migrations. We use this tool with switching state-space modeling and line kernel density estimates to identify migration...
Iverson, Autumn; Benscoter, Allison; Fujisaki, Ikuko; Lamont, Margaret; Hart, Kristen Sea turtle conservation: 10 ways you can help
Five species of sea turtle rely on Florida’s coastal and nearshore habitats for nesting during the summer months and foraging throughout the year (Figure 1). - Loggerhead turtles, named for their large, block-shaped heads with strong jaw muscles for crushing benthic invertebrates, are the most common sea turtle species on Florida’s nesting...
Swindall, Jessica E.; Ober, Holly K.; Lamont, Margaret; Carthy, Raymond R.
Effects of box culverts on stream habitat, channel morphology, and fish and macroinvertebrate communities at selected sites in South Carolina, 2016–18
Much attention has been placed on the role that under-roadway culverts may have in inhibiting upstream fish movement because of altered hydrology and unsuitable conditions for accessing or swimming through the culvert. Other culvert effects related to habitat alterations or disturbance to macroinvertebrate communities have received relatively...
Riley, Jeffrey W.; Beaulieu, Karen M.; Walsh, Stephen J.; Journey, Celeste A. Climate and local environment structure asynchrony and the stability of primary production in grasslands
Aim Climate variability threatens to destabilize production in many ecosystems. Asynchronous species dynamics may buffer against such variability when a decrease in performance by some species is offset by an increase in performance of others. However, high climatic variability can eliminate species through stochastic extinctions or cause similar...
Gilbert, B.; MacDougall, A.S.; Kadoya, T.; Akasaka, M.; Bennett, J. R.; Lind, E.M.; Flores-Moreno, H.; Firn, J.; Hautier, Y.; Borer, E.T.; Seabloom, E.W.; Adler, P.B.; Cleland, E.E.; Grace, James; Harpole, W.S.; Esch, E.H.; Moore, J.L.; Knops, J.; McCulley, R.; Mortensen, B.; Bakker, J.; Fay, P.A. The ODD protocol for describing agent-based and other simulation models: A second update to improve clarity, replication, and structural realism
The Overview, Design concepts and Details (ODD) protocol for describing Individual- and Agent-Based Models (ABMs) is now widely accepted and used to document such models in journal articles. As a standardized document for providing a consistent, logical and readable account of the structure and dynamics of ABMs, some research groups also find it...
Grimm, Volker; Railsback, Steven F.; Vincenot, Christian; Berger, Uta; Gallagher, Cara; DeAngelis, Don; Edmonds, Bruce; Ge, Jiaqi; Giske, Jarl; Groeneveld, Jurgen; Johnston, Alice S.A.; Miles, Alexander; Nabe-Nielson, Jacob; Polhill, J. Gareth; Radchuk, Viktoriia; Rohwader, Marie-Sophie; Stillman, Richard A.; Theile, Jan; Ayllon, Daniel Scientific contributions of the Mangrove Macrobenthos and Management (MMM) conference series, 2000-2019
The conservation of mangrove forests has become an important international policy priority in recent decades, and is mirrored by a large increase in research interest. Multiple disciplines now use mangroves as a study system, from molecular biology to social science. The variety of research conducted in mangroves is exemplified by the Mangrove...
Friess, Daniel A.; Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid; Satyanarayana, Behara; Cannicci, Stefano; Vannini, Marco; Chua, Siew Chin; Duke, Norman; Feller, Ilka C.; Jaafer, Zeehan; Jayatissa, L.P.; Koedam, Nico; Krauss, Ken; Lee, Shing Yip; Mancera Pineda, Jose Ernesto; Ruwa, Renison; Yando, Erik S.
Video camera setup at Isla Verde
Shawn Harrison stands near video cameras on top of a building overlooking Isla Verde in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cameras measure wave run-up and flooding as part of a study in response to Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
Isla Verde, San Juan, Puerto Rico
The urban reef at Isla Verde supports various species of protected corals, sea turtles, and crustaceans, as well as many Caribbean fish. It also protects the International Airport and numerous homes and resorts on the coast.
A broken slab is all that's left of Fish Inn after Hurricane Michael
A broken concrete foundation and some shattered floor tiles were all that remained of the sea turtle researchers' field station and home base after Category Four Hurricane Michael struck Cape San Blas on Oct. 10, 2018.
Wave-tide gauge off San Juan
A wave-tide gauge, pictured here on a coral reef amongst among sea rods, brain corals, and sea fans, is installed off Isla Verde in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Image of the Week - Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on October 10, 2018.
Landsat 7 images captured before and after highlight the destructive path of the Category 4 storm.
Mexico Beach was all but demolished, with homes left in heaps by wind and storm surge. The green leaves that pop in the September image are stripped from trees by October, and the dull
Children watch a scientist explain data collection at the Science Fest
Children at the Science Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida, watch as a scientist explains how personal watercraft are used to collect bathymetric data.
Coral cores like this one reveal geologic history of Keys reefs
USGS Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth and Oceanographer Anastasios Stathakopoulos study a coral-reef core in the USGS’s Core Archive in St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: Dominique Gallery, USGS.
Hurricane Michael Batters Florida Panhandle
Landsat 7 images captured before and after highlight the destructive path of the Category 4 storm.
Hurricane Michael cut deep into Panhandle dunes
A deeply eroded sand dune on the beach at Cape San Blas shows Hurricane Michael's impact on parts of the Florida Panhandle shoreline.
Hurricane Michael destroyed many houses on Cape San Blas, Florida
A beach house in Cape San Blas, Florida destroyed by Hurricane Michael, which struck the Florida Panhandle as a Category Four storm Oct. 10, 2018.
New Gulf of Mexico network speeds USGS hurricane preparations
Each one these blue dots represents a site where a storm-tide sensor bracket has been installed for the Gulf of Mexico pre-defined network. There are currently 85 brackets in Florida, 6 in Alabama, 3 in Mississippi, 18 in Louisiana and 26 in Texas, for a total of 138 bracketed sites. (Not all brackets will be used in all storms.)
This Flood Event Viewer is a one-stop information source
The USGS creates a Flood Event Viewer for major flooding incidents, as a one-stop, interactive information source. On that website, viewers can click on each red dot (storm-tide sensor) to see details about it. The Flood Event Viewer for Hurricane Michael is at https://stn.wim.usgs.gov/FEV/#MichaelOct2018
Fish Marks 36th Non-Native Marine Fish Species Found in State
USGS is engaged in research, monitoring, sampling and coastal change forecasting associated with Hurricane Matthew from Florida north up into Virginia.
To learn about storm sensors and see their location, explore the USGS Coastal Change Hazard Portal, or see satellite imagery before and after the storm, visit the USGS Hurricane Matthew page.
As the east coast prepares for Hurricane Matthew's arrival, the U.S. Geological Survey uses advanced models to forecast the coastal impacts Matthew could bring.
Media interested in going out with USGS field crews deploying sensors please contact:
Florida: Richard Kane, rkane@usgs.gov, 813-918-1275
Georgia: Brian McCallum, bemccall@usgs.gov, 678- 924-6672
South Carolina: John Shelton, jmshelto@usgs.gov, 803-767-5542
North Carolina: Jeanne Robbins, jrobbins@usgs.gov, 919-571-4017
Burmese pythons have been found on Key Largo.
Threats to groundwater availability and sustainability in the Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain are dependent to a large degree by the type of aquifers used for water supply, according to a new regional assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey.
TECHNICAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Monitoring, verification and accounting are key parts to demonstrating the feasibility or success of integrated carbon capture and storage technologies.
“From the mountains to the coast, the southeastern U.S. contains ecosystems that harbor incredible biodiversity. Many of those ecosystems are already highly at risk from urbanization and other human land-use change. Identifying the ecosystems at risk from climate change will help inform conservation and management to ensure we don’t lose that biodiversity.” (Jennifer Constanza, report author)
Recent scientific work has confirmed the source, composition and origin of methane seeps on the Atlantic Ocean seafloor, discovered in 2012, where scientists never expected them to be.
Outlook incorporates multiple hypoxia models for the second year
New USGS models help predict storm effects on beaches
As the 2016 hurricane season opens, weather forecasters, emergency managers and coastal residents have access to tools developed by the U.S. Geological Survey that predict, more precisely than ever, where beach erosion and beachfront flooding will take place during hurricanes and other storms.
First-of-its-kind survey shows that algal toxins are found nationwide
Follow Region 2 activities on social media, get contact information for Region 2 USGS centers, and meet Region 2's staff and center directors.
Contacts
Locations
Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center - Gainesville, FL
Phone: 352-378-8181
Fax: 352-378-4956
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Nashville, TN Office
GS-W-TNnsh Webmaster@usgs.gov
Phone: (615) 837-4700
Fax: (615) 837-4799
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Montgomery, AL Office
Phone: (334) 395-4131
Fax: (334) 395-4168
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Puerto Rico Office
Phone: (787) 749-7400
Fax: (787) 749-7401
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Raleigh, NC Office
Phone: (919) 571-4000
Fax: (919) 571-4041
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Columbia, SC Office
Phone: (803) 750-6100
Fax: (803) 750-6181
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Norcross, GA Office
Phone: (678) 924-6700
Fax: (678) 924-6710
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Florida Office
Phone: (813) 498-5000
Fax: (813) 498-5002
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Phone: (727) 502-8000
Fax: (727) 502-8181
Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center
USGS-St. Petersburg Carbon Analytical Laboratory
South Atlantic Water Science Center - North Carolina: Charlotte Field Office
Phone: (704) 344-6272
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Tifton, GA Field Office
webmaster-ga@usgs.gov
Phone: 229-382-6353
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Charleston, SC Field Office
Phone: 843-460-9724
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Memphis, TN Office
Phone: 901-678-7287
Fax: 901-678-7300
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Knoxville, TN Office
rbrendli@usgs.gov
Phone: 865-862-2029
Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center - Tuscaloosa, AL Office
Phone: 205-348-0950
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Fort Myers office
Phone: (239) 275-8448
Fax: (239) 275-6820
Caribbean Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee Field office
Phone: (850) 553-3640
Fax: (805) 553-3641
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Orlando Office
Phone: (407) 803-5500
Fax: (407) 803-5501
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center Davie office
Phone: (954) 377-5900
Fax: (954) 377-5901
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center - St. John, USVI
USGS Everglades Research Offices
Phone: 305-242-7834
South Atlantic Water Science Center - North Carolina: Asheville Field Office
Phone: (828) 684-5905
South Atlantic Water Science Center - Georgia: Savannah Field Office
Phone: (843) 784-5005
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) Southern Appalachian Duty Station
Phone: 865-974-4790
Fax: 865-974-3555
