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
Recreation and Fishery, Devils Lake Basin
The Devils Lake area has been a popular recreational area for at least the last 120 years, and Devils Lake has been the main attraction for much of the recreation.
Red River Basin Flooding
Learn about and look at pictures from the Red River Basin floods.
Ice Formations on selected North Dakota Rivers and Streams
Learn about and view pictures of ice formtions on North Dakota rivers and streams.
Water Use in South Dakota
Water Use in South Dakota
North Dakota Drought Watch
Drought watch for North Dakota.
How/Why Does the USGS Collect Streamflow Data
Learn how and why the USGS collects streamflow data.
Missouri River Stream Flow-Gaging Station
The Missouri River streamflow-gaging station at Bismarck was established in 1927 and is one of more than 100 gaging stations in North Dakota.
Wetlands of North Dakota
Wetlands once covered about 4.9 million acres of North Dakota--11 percent of the State. By the 1980's, the acreage had decreased to about 2.7 million acres, a loss of about 45 percent.
Oil and Gas Resources
Information on the Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin in the north central part of the United States and associated studies pertaining to the oil and gas development in western North Dakota and in nearby states.
Water Use in North Dakota
The USGS National Water-Use Information Program collects data about the quantities of water withdrawn for specific uses: public supply, domestic, industrial, mining, thermoelectric power, irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture.
Ozark Plateaus Groundwater Availability Study
The U.S. Geological Survey's Groundwater Resources Program (GWRP) is conducting an assessment of groundwater availability throughout the United States to gain a better understanding of the status of the Nation's groundwater resources and how changes in water use and climate may affect those resources.
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Tri-State Ground-Water Modeling
Short Title: Tri-State Ground-Water Model
Project Chief: Jonathan Gillip
Cooperators: Kansas Water Board
Project Time Frame: 2005 - present
To assess the effect that increased water use is having on the long-term availability of groundwater within the Ozark Plateaus aquifer system, a...
Hauling equipment to measure streamflow, Tongue River nr Decker
Hauling equipment to measure streamflow, Tongue River nr Decker
PROSPER classifications for a portion of the Little Blackfoot River ba
PROSPER classifications for a portion of the Little Blackfoot River basin near Deer Loddge, MT
Landsat in Action - Free & Open Landsat Archive with Barbara Ryan
Barbara Ryan, Director of GEO talks about the distribution of Landsat data, starting in 1972, and ultimately transitioning to the free and open policy of today.
Streamflow Measurement Under Ice at Cheyenne River near Wasta, SD
During wintry conditions, streamflow is often measured under ice. This often means using an ice auger to cut holes through the ice, at increments across the full width of the stream. This photograph shows a USGS Hydrologic Technician making a streamflow measurement on January 4, 2018, at the Cheyenne River near Wasta, SD (streamgage 06423500;
...Zero Streamflow at Souris River near Westhope, ND (05124000)
USGS hydrologic technicians Kevin Baker (shown in the picture) and Jarvis Kaderlik found the Souris River near Westhope, ND (streamgage 05124000) to be at zero flow on January 4, 2018. More information on USGS streamgage 05124000 can be found at https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?
...Landsat Collections
Landsat Collections: Providing a Stable Environmental Record for Time Series Analysis
This video introduces the new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Collection 1 inventory structure. Collection 1 required the reprocessing of all archived Landsat data to achieve radiometric and geometric consistency of Level-1 products through time and across all Landsat sensors
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation study area
Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation study area
Map of Lake Koocanusa, Montana, U.S.A., and British Columbia, Canada
Map of Lake Koocanusa, Montana, U.S.A., and British Columbia, Canada
Getting Started with MODIS Version 6 Therm. Anom. & Fire Data Part 1
This video focuses on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Version 6 Thermal Anomalies and Fire data distributed by NASA’s Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC). Information about the MODIS Version 6 Thermal Anomalies and Fire data products, changes between the
Getting Started with MODIS Version 6 Therm. Anom. and Fire Data Part 2
This video focuses on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Version 6 Thermal Anomalies and Fire data distributed by NASA’s Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC). Information about the MODIS Version 6 Thermal Anomalies and Fire data products, the thematic fire
MODIS Observes Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor is located onboard NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites. MODIS data are crucial tools for studying changes that have occurred on the surface of the Earth, including during times of drought. This video highlights Terra MODIS data over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and the changes in the amount of snowpack in
Getting Started with MODIS Version 6 Therm. Anom. & Fire Data Part 3
This video focuses on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Version 6 Thermal Anomalies and Fire data distributed by NASA’s Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (LP DAAC). Information about MODIS Thermal Anomalies and Fire quality information, including how to decode
Flood Markers in Rapid City Vicinity Highlight ‘72 Flood Levels
The public is invited to attend a free conference about critical South Dakota water resources and geology on April 19 in Rapid City.
The Web-based StreamStats tool for South Dakota streams is now publicly available from the U.S. Geological Survey. StreamStats provides users with access to tools that are critical for water-resources planning and management, and for engineering design applications, such as the design of culverts and bridges.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey have, for the first time, demonstrated how aquifer composition can affect how excessive levels of phosphorous (an essential nutrient contained in fertilizers) can be carried from fertilized agricultural fields via groundwater to streams and waterways.
U.S. Geological Survey scientist Joanna Thamke will receive the National Level Silver Medal Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today at a ceremony in Denver, Colo.
High concentrations of naturally occurring arsenic are present in interconnected water bodies within Wind Cave National Park, S.D., according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.
Groundwater withdrawals for crop irrigation have increased to over 16 million acre-feet per year in the High Plains Aquifer, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey study.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Sioux Falls, S.D., announces the selection of Dr. Frank P. Kelly to serve as the Center Director and USGS Space Policy Advisor.
Kanopolis and Tuttle Creek Lakes in Kansas are losing water storage capacity because they retain at least 95 percent of the sediment transported by streams, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.
Deposition of sediment reduces the ability for Kanopolis and Tuttle Creek Lakes to serve several purposes including flood control, water supply, and recreation.
Dr. Gary Krapu, U.S. Geological Survey scientist and Dickey County, N.D. native, was recently elected Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union for his exceptional contributions to ornithology through research, conservation efforts, and education.
Multiple floods during the last 2,000 years were substantially larger than the devastating Black Hills, S.D. flood of 1972 that resulted in at least 238 deaths in the Rapid City and Keystone areas, according to a recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The effects of urbanization, wastewater discharge and treatment facility upgrades on Indian Creek, in Johnson County, Kan., will be evaluated in a new study developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Johnson County Wastewater.