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
Stormwater Monitoring in Rapid City
Project Period: 2008-current
Cooperator: City of Rapid City
Project Chief: Galen Hoogestraat
Hydrologic Information for Evaluation of Reservoir Management Strategies for Sheridan Lake to Enhance Fish Habitat in Spring Creek
Project Period: 2007-2008
Cooperator: South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks
Project Chief: Dan Driscoll
Madison Aquifer Study in the Rapid City Area
Project Period: 2000-2008
Cooperator: City of Rapid City
Project Chief: Larry Putnam
National Rivers and Streams Assessment in South Dakota
Project Period: 2008-2009
Cooperator: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Project Chief: Kathy Neitzert
Statewide Flood-Frequency Analyses for Streamflow Gaging Stations in South Dakota
Project Period: 2002-2008
Cooperator: South Dakota Department of Transportation
Project Chief: Dan Driscoll
Sensitivity of Ground Water to Contamination in Lawrence County, South Dakota
Sensitivity of Ground Water to Contamination in Lawrence County, South Dakota
Rosebud Sioux Tribe and U.S. Geological Survey Collaboration for Groundwater Flow Modeling of the Ogallala and Arikaree Aquifers
Project Period: 2006-2009
Cooperators: Rosebud Sioux Tribe
Project Chief: Andy Long
Geohydrologic Framework and Assessment of Aquifer Characteristics of the Big Sioux Aquifer and Groundwater Flow Model to Determine Sustainable Yield for the City of Sioux Falls
Project Period: 2015-18
Cooperators: City of Sioux Falls
Project Chief: Greg Delzer
Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Madison and Minnelusa Aquifers, Black Hills Area
Project Period: 2011-2018
Cooperator: National Park Service, Black Hills National Forest, City of Rapid City, West Dakota Water Development District
Project Chief: Bill Eldridge
Real-time, Continuous Nitrate Monitoring of the Big Sioux River near Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Project Period: ongoing
Cooperators: City of Sioux Falls and East Dakota Water Development District
Project Chief: Galen Hoogestraat
Study to Examine Water-Quality Concerns within Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Project Period: 2011-2016
Cooperators: Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Project Chief: Galen Hoogestraat
Reconstructing Flow History From Riparian Tree Rings
Aquatic Systems Branch scientists analyze rings of riparian trees relating tree growth and establishment to historical flow. We then use the tree rings to reconstruct the flow in past centuries. Flow reconstructions discover the frequency and magnitude of past droughts and floods—information that is essential for management of rivers and water supplies. We also use downscaled climate...
Pressurized fluid extractor used to extract organic compounds
Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas. Pressurized Fluid Extractor
New (2018) instrument laboratory at the OGRL
View of the new (2018) instrument laboratory at the Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory (OGRL), Lawrence, Kansas. View of a row of instruments in the laboratory.
Time-of-flight mass spectrometer used for the analysis of pesticides
Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas. Scientists working on at time-of-flight mass spectrometer
New (2018) sample processing laboratory at the OGRL
Organic Geochemistry Research Laboratory — Lawrence, Kansas. Sample processing laboratory.
Flow Measurement on Little Missouri River
USGS Civil Engineer Brent Hanson measuring the streamflow of the Little Missouri River near Watford City, ND (streamgage 06337000). More information about this streamgage is available at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv/?site_no=06337000.
PubTalk 3/2018 - Snow & Avalanche Science
Title: Snow and Avalanche Science - Highlights of applied avalanche research and forecasting
- Avalanches impact transportation corridors, with subsequent economic ramifications, including the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.
- Large magnitude avalanches affect the landscape creating new habitat for flora and fauna.
- Dendrochronology
Flow over road on way to Teton Riv nr Dutton streamgage
Flow over road on way to Teton Riv nr Dutton streamgage
Harmful algal blooms turn water in Milford Lake emerald green
Harmful algal blooms turn water in Milford Lake emerald green
LP DAAC Prospectus 2017 - 2019
The “LP DAAC Prospectus: 2017 to 2019” short video features the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC), a key access point for global land remote sensing data. The video provides an overview of the significance of the LP DAAC’s archive and distribution functions, explains the depth of the user
Ice Jam on White River near White River, SD (06447450)
Ice jam on the White River near White River, SD (USGS streamgage 06447450) on March 15, 2018. Ice jams occur when floating ice carried with a stream’s current accumulate at any obstruction to the stream flow. These ice jams can develop near river bends, mouths of tributaries, areas of decreased river slope, and upstream of obstructions like bridges. Ice jams can cause
...Groundwater-Level Measurement near Jewel Cave National Monument, SD
USGS groundwater hydrologist, Bill Eldridge, is lowering a transducer into an observation well near Jewel Cave National Monument to monitor water-level changes in the Madison aquifer. The data collected will be used to update previously published groundwater-altitude maps to help better understand groundwater flow. The work is being conducted in cooperation with the
...Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientists Host Facebook Live Event
USGS–Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Mike Poland, Deputy Scientist-in-Charge Wendy Stovall, and Chief Seismologist Jamie Farrell answer questions from the public about Yellowstone earthquakes, deformation, eruptive history, the magmatic plumbing system, and more, during a USGS Volcanoes Facebook Live event recorded on March 7, 2018, at the USGS–Cascades
Streams in the Upper Clark Fork Basin have shown a decrease or no change in the occurrence of metals and arsenic associated with historical mining, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report released today. The largest decreases were in areas targeted by remediation efforts.
Three sites on the Powder River show a difference in water quality between the time prior to coalbed methane development and during the production period, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.
Clearer views of waters along the U.S. and Canadian border are now possible with new seamless digital maps. These maps make it easier to solve complex water issues that require a thorough understanding of drainage systems on both sides of the International Boundary.
One year ago, on February 11, 2013, NASA launched the Landsat 8 Earth-observing satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, California.
What is all the buzz about in the Yellowstone area? Is it really dangerous? On January 23rd Jake Lowenstern, Scientist-in-Charge of Yellowstone Volcano Observatory will explain what is happening now with earthquakes, ground uplift, and steam explosions.
Earlier spring nesting related to climate change could negatively affect the survival of pelican chicks at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, N.D., according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today that Interior’s Northwest Climate Science Center is awarding nearly $1.3 million to universities and other partners for research to assist Native Americans and federal and state land managers plan for and adapt to climate change.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today that Interior's North Central Climate Science Center is awarding slightly more than one million dollars to universities and other partners for research to guide managers of parks, refuges and other cultural and natural resources in planning how to help species and ecosystems adapt to climate change.
Land-use in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the northern Great Plains has been shifting at an extraordinary rate, including changes in agriculture practices, the recent boom in petroleum production, and rising tourism, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.
The U.S. Geological Survey's Wyoming and Montana water science centers will merge in October, improving science capacity and capabilities by integrating scientists in the two centers and allowing them to share equipment and expertise.
Warmer spring temperatures since 1980 are causing an estimated 20 percent loss of snow cover across the Rocky Mountains of western North America, according to new research from the U.S. Geological Survey.
A new model to better describe groundwater changes and chloride movement in the Equus Beds aquifer, a primary water-supply source for the Wichita, Kansas area, has been completed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Wichita.