Unified Interior Regions
Region 5: Missouri Basin

USGS Science Centers in the Missouri Basin Region
For more information on what each center is doing in the Missouri Basin, please follow the links below!
Wyoming - Montana Water Science Center
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Defining Native Ranges of U.S. Inland Fishes
Understanding the native versus non-native range of a species can provide useful information about dispersal, population distribution patterns, and human mediated movement across hydrologic barriers. The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program is working with partners to define native ranges of inland fishes in the United States to help identify which species should be included in the...
The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Flood and Storm Tracker (FaST)
Storm-related flooding can lead to the potential spread of nonindigenous (or non-native) aquatic species into waterways they have not been seen in before. The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species program has developed an innovative mapping tool to help natural resource managers with post-storm nonindigenous aquatic species detection and assessment efforts.
June 2014 floods in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the June 2014 Floods in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.
Summer 2011 Missouri River Basin flood
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the 2011 Missouri River Basin Flood resulting from higher-than-average snowmelt runoff combined with heavy spring rains.
Spring/Summer 2011 Mississippi River Basin Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the Spring/Summer 2011 floods throughout the Mississippi River Basin.
April 2011 North Dakota Flood
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the April 2011 North Dakota Flood resulting from sudden winter snowmelt due to warmer-than-expected temperatures and rain.
Yellowstone River Compact Commission: Technical Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes
The Yellowstone River Compact Commission Technical Advisory committee meets periodically. The official minutes of each meeting can be accessed below by clicking on the appropriate link.
Yellowstone River Compact Commission: Annual Reports
The Yellowstone River Compact Commission was established in 1951 and meets annually.
The Commission's formational meeting minutes and annual reports can be accessed below by clicking on the appropriate link. The official minutes of each meeting are incorporated into the Commission's annual reports.
LCMAP Workshop 2018
The Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) team presented pilot data and offered visitors an opportunity to work with LCMAP data at the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center in November 2018. Read more about the workshop by following this link...
Land Product Characterization System (LPCS)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center are collaborating on the development of a Land Product Characterization System (LPCS).
Application and Refinement of a Systems Model for Prairie Pothole Wetlands
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is one of the most important breeding areas for continental waterfowl populations, a Department of Interior (DOI) trust resource. Land use and climate both influence the functioning of the region’s wetland ecosystems, with effects not just on the waterfowl that depend on these wetlands, but also on the services they provide to society, such as...
Science Team about Energy and Plains and Potholes Environments (STEPPE)
Brine Contamination to Plains and Potholes Environments from Energy Development in the Williston Basin
U-Pb SHRIMP and 40Ar/39Ar geochronologic data and backscatter electron (BSE) and panchromatic cathodoluminescent (CL) imagery of sample materials for study of dikes, country rock, and alteration systems, Butte, U.S.A.
These data are for a multidisciplinary study of dikes, country rock, and alteration systems, Butte, U.S.A. Results of the study are described and interpreted in Lund and others (2018). Data included are U-Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) geochronology for quartz porphyry dikes, 40Ar/39Ar thermochronologic data for biotite, hornblende, and K-feldspar fro
Input forms for 2016 water and proppant assessment of the Bakken and Three Forks Formations, Williston Basin, USA
The input form provides a record of the complete input values required for the quantitative assessment of water and proppant associated with oil and gas production for the continuous oil and gas resource in a geologically defined Assessment Unit, and the same form template is used for all such assessments. Each USGS water and proppant assessment builds from a USGS petroleum assessment that...
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...
Conterminous U.S. 1 km AVHRR Remote Sensing Phenology Data
Historical remote sensing phenology (RSP) image data and graphics for the conterminous U.S. are made freely available from the USGS/EROS Center through this website. Five data sets are distributed: CONUS 1 km AVHRR RSP data, C5 Eastern CONUS 250 m eMODIS RSP data, C6 Eastern CONUS 250 m eMODIS RSP data, C5 Western CONUS 250 m eMODIS RSP data, and C6 Western CONUS 250 m eMODIS RSP data.
CoNED Project Viewer
The Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Project Viewer is a portal to the topobathymetric models created with the expertise of the expertise of the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center near Sioux Falls, SD.
EarthNow! Landsat Image Viewer
The EarthNow! Landsat Image Viewer displays imagery in near real-time as Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 orbit the Earth. Along with the near real-time video stream, EarthNow! also replays acquisition recordings from a list of previous Landsat overpasses. When Landsat 7 or Landsat 8 are out of viewing range of a ground station, the most recent overpass is displayed.
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. ...
Rocky Mountain Regional Snowpack Chemistry Monitoring: Data Tables
Rocky Mountain Regional Snowpack Chemistry Monitoring Study. Links to collected snowpack chemistry data.
Rocky Mountain Regional Snowpack Chemistry Monitoring Station List
Snowpack monitoring site identification and snow-sampling-site location information.
Yellowstone River Basin Water-Quality Assessment data tables
Data collected in the Yellowstone River basin since 1998 are available from this link. Data from the Yellowstone River Basin NAWQA study unit and other study units that overlap into Wyoming, such as the Upper Snake River, the Great Salt Lake Basins, and the South Platte River study units, also are available from the...
Montana Crest-Stage Gage Network
The purpose of the crest-stage gage network is to inventory and monitor peak discharges throughout the state of Montana, with special emphasis on streams that may damage transportation infrastructure. Recorded data documenting peak streamflow at various sites within the state will be used by the Montana Department of Transportation to support assessments of culvert size, bridge construction,...
Wyoming-Montana Stream Water-Quality Network
Wyoming-Montana Stream Water-Quality Network
Eyes on Earth Episode 2 - Chernobyl
When an accident occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant's No. 4 reactor in Ukraine on April 26, 1986, Landsat satellites were among the first to capture visual evidence of its widespread impact. This episode of Eyes on Earth outlines how the disaster focused the world's attention on the value of remote sensing.
Eyes on Earth - Episode 3 - The National Land Cover Database
Sorting Landsat data into an accurate and reliable record of land cover in the United States is one of the most important jobs at EROS. This episode of Eyes on Earth explores the what, how, and why of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD).
Eyes on Earth Episode 5 – Declassified Data at EROS
There’s a lot more than Landsat in the EROS Archive. In this episode of Eyes on Earth, we hear from a professor who’s mined satellite data collected during once-classified military missions to peer into the history of land use in Eastern Europe during the height of the Cold War.
Collecting Field Parameters During the 2019 Well Inventory
USGS hydrologic technician collecting field parameters during the 2019 well inventory at a farm and ranch in the north central portion of the Fort Peck reservation.
Abandoned Farm on the Northwest Corner of the Fort Peck Reservation
Abandoned Farm on the Northwest Corner of the Fort Peck Reservation
Fallow Field (Left) and Dryland Wheat (Right) near Larslan, MT
Fallow field on the left and dryland wheat on the right, northwestern corner of the Fort Peck Reservation (near Larslan, MT)
Image of the Week - 50 Year Flood Flashback
A Landsat satellite image captured the flooding in Dell Rapids, SD in the Spring of 2019. It's remarkably similar to an aerial photograph of flooding 50 years earlier.
Eyes on Earth Episode 1 - Intro to EROS
A rundown of the history of the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, the Landsat program, and the Center's role in the observation and study of landscape change worldwide.
Eyes on Earth Episode 8 – Assessing America’s Cropland
Every year, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) uses data from satellites like Landsat to estimate crop types and crop yields in the United States. The result is the Cropland Data Layer (CDL), which offers an annual look at more than 100 crop categories across the country. In this episode, Dave Johnson with NASS discusses how Landsat can identify
Image of the Week - A New Yellowstone Hot Spot
Scientists with the USGS Yellowstone Volcano Observatory use satellite and aerial imagery to map hot springs, geothermal vents, and geysers at Yellowstone National Park. They recently found an entirely new thermal area miles from the nearest trailhead. Landsat 8's thermal infrared sensors captured the change in a nighttime image from April of 2017. Aerial images reveal a
Variable Warming Upper Midwest Lakes and Implications for Sport Fish
Climate change is predicted to alter sport fish communities in Midwestern lakes, but managers currently have limited information on individual lakes that can be used to set local expectations or intervene with mitigation strategies. Northeast and North Central CASC supported researchers, with strong participation from the Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership, have combined
Measuring floodwater in Fargo, ND
A USGS crew measures flooding on the Red River in downtown Fargo, North Dakota. The orange instrument is an acoustic Doppler current profiler, which is used to measure streamflow as it's pulled across the water.
The USGS has up-to-date details on the July 6, 2017 event.
From the journals of Lewis & Clark, April 13, 1805 (in the vicinity of Pouch Point Recreation Area - 16 miles south of New Town, North Dakota):
Human activity, such as groundwater pumping, land management, reservoir operations and urbanization, has a measurable effect on streamflows in Kansas locally, regionally and statewide, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey, done in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.
Reporters: If interested in being notified when the study date is chosen, please contact Jennifer or Susannah.
The U.S. Geological Survey has released a new report detailing changes of groundwater levels in the High Plains aquifer. The report presents water-level change data in the aquifer for two separate periods: from 1950 – the time prior to significant groundwater irrigation development – to 2015, and from 2013 to 2015.
Today, Landsat shows us the evolution of the coal industry near North America & North Dakota’s Center...
Two decades of harmful algal bloom, nutrient and sediment research by the U.S. Geological Survey is helping to support Wichita’s long-term vision of a sustainable water supply into the future. Early warning indicators of harmful algal blooms have been developed for Cheney Reservoir, Kansas, according to a new USGS publication done in cooperation with the City of Wichita, Kansas.
Earth as Art, a U.S. Geological Survey traveling exhibit that merges art with dramatic Landsat imagery of the earth’s surface, is coming to Bismarck for the month of April. This display is free and open to the public.
Media and the public are invited to attend a free meeting about South Dakota water issues on Thursday, April 6, in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Joyce E. Williamson, a native of South Dakota and a South Dakota School of Mines and Technology alumna, was selected as the director of the newly formed U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center. Williamson is located in the center’s Rapid City, South Dakota, office.
Small variations in the density of the earth’s crust—undetectable to humans without sensitive instruments—influence where earthquakes may occur in the central United States. These new findings from the U.S. Geological Survey, published today in Nature Communications, may allow scientists to map where future seismicity in the center of the country is most likely.
Water-level changes from 2002 to 2015 were examined in wells screened in the High Plains aquifer within the Republican River Basin and the results are now available in a new U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map.