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
Grinnell Glacier from Mount Gould, 1938 - 1981 - 1998 - 2015
Oblique view of Grinnell Glacier taken from the summit of Mount Gould, Glacier National Park. The relative sensitivity of glaciers to climate change is illustrated by the dramatic recession of Grinnell Glacier while surrounding vegetation patterns remain stable.
Image Use
Most of the repeat photography images available on this website are in the...
Critical Commodity Studies, Stillwater Complex, Montana
Scientific research can make our resource assessments of critical minerals more effective. This project focuses on the Stillwater Complex, Montana, which has rocks enriched in platinum-group elements (PGE), chromium, cobalt, and nickel. Project objectives are to update databases, evaluate new mapping techniques, document new styles of mineralization, and document and support research on the...
Glaciers and Climate Project
Scientists with the Glaciers and Climate Project study many of the pertinent impacts that glaciers present to society, such as altering hydrologic cycles, contributing to sea-level rise, and creating environmental hazards.
Grinnell Ridge, Gem & Salamander Glaciers 1910 - 2017
In 1910, Morton Elrod documented how Grinnell Glacier’s mass filled the basin and how the glacier was then joined with the ice apron we now call the Salamander (right). Close inspection of Gem Glacier (top-center) reveals a loss of thickness / volume over the past 107 years as well.
Image Use
Most of the repeat photography images available on this website...
Land Cover Projections
Scientists at EROS look at local and global drivers of land-use change to project how different scenarios will impact and change landscapes. Using the FOREcasting SCEnarios of Land-use Change (FORE-SCE) modeling framework provides spatially explicit projections of future land-use and land-cover change.
Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications
The Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) and Applications project at EROS offers information used for a range of applications analysis needed for climate change analysis.
StreamStats in Montana and Wyoming
StreamStats is a Web-based geographic information system application that provides users with access to basin and streamflow characteristics for gaged and ungaged streams.
Land Treatment Exploration Tool
The Land Treatment ExplorationTool provides a practical resource for managers who are planning restoration and rehabilitation actions on public lands. The tool generates a variety of spatial products while being user friendly for all levels of GIS expertise, even to those with little or no experience.
Clark Fork Water-Quality Monitoring
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has collected water-quality samples from selected stream sites upstream from Missoula since 1985. Sampling was initiated in response to elevated trace-element concentrations and the designation of areas in the upper Clark Fork basin by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as National Priorities List...
Hydrologic Characterization of Potential Sites for Restored and Constructed Wetlands, Montana
Projects conducted by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) sometimes result in unavoidable impacts to wetlands and other aquatic habitats. To compensate for these impacts, MDT mitigates the loss of wetlands by providing replacement wetlands within the watershed.
Establishment of a baseline groundwater monitoring program in an area identified for energy development on the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana
As a result of energy development, the Blackfeet Environmental Office has developed a groundwater monitoring program specifically focused on the Cut Bank Creek watershed of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The addition of groundwater data to an existing surface-water monitoring program will help the Blackfeet Tribe develop a more complete understanding of the current conditions of their water...
Bird Banding Laboratory
The Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) is an integrated scientific program established in 1920 supporting the collection, archiving, management and dissemination of information from banded and marked birds in North America. This information is used to monitor the status and trends of resident and migratory bird populations. Because birds are good indicators of the health of the environment, the...
South Dakota Ground Water Data
Data from wells, springs, test holes, tunnels, drains, and excavations in South Dakota; well location data includes information such as latitude and longitude, well depth, and aquifer. Groundwater level data are collected and stored as either discrete field-water-level measurements or as continuous time-series data from automated recorders.
North Dakota Water Quality Data
At selected surface-water and groundwater sites, the USGS maintains instruments that continuously record physical and chemical characteristics of the water including pH, specific conductance, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and percent dissolved-oxygen saturation. Supporting data such as air temperature and barometric pressure are also available at some sites.
North Dakota Surface Water Data
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 Wisconsin. Surface-water data are collected and stored as either discrete field-water-level measurements or as continuous time-series data from automated recorders.
North Dakota Ground Water Data
Data from wells, springs, test holes, tunnels, drains, and excavations in North Dakota; well location data includes information such as latitude and longitude, well depth, and aquifer. Groundwater level data are collected and stored as either discrete field-water-level measurements or as continuous time-series data from automated recorders.
National Weather Service AHPS, Kansas
Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) is a new and essential component of our Climate, Water, and Weather Services. AHPS is a web-based suite of accurate and information-rich forecast products. They display the magnitude and uncertainty of occurrence of floods or droughts, from hours to days and months, in advance.
Groundwater Watch - Below Normal Groundwater Levels (GA/NC/SC)
The U.S. Geological Survey has a database/archive of about 850,000 wells across the Nation. A well with below normal groundwater levels is identified when the most recent water-level measurement is in the 24th percentile or lower in the month of measurement over the period of record for the well.
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Area of the Named Glaciers of Glacier National Park (GNP) and Flathead National Forest (FNF) including Little Ice Age extent, and years 1966, 1998, 2005 and 2015
These data represent a time series of the 37 named glaciers of Glacier National Park, MT, USA and two named glaciers in the Flathead National Forest.
Data Organized by River Basin, in Georgia, North and South Carolina
Nebraska Natural Resources Districts Wells on Groundwater Watch
Groundwater well networks for Natural Resources Districts in Nebraska. Real-time, continuous, and periodic data are available.
Digital map of hydrothermal alteration type, key mineral groups, and green vegetation of the northwestern United States derived from automated analysis of ASTER satellite data
Mineral groups identified through automated analysis of remote sensing data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used to generate a map showing the type and spatial distribution of hydrothermal alteration, other exposed mineral groups, and green vegetation across the northwestern conterminous United States. Boolean algebra was used to
Shapefiles and Historical Aerial Photographs, Little Missouri River, 1939-2003
The data archive contains the aerial photographs and channel delineations used in our analysis. The images have been geo-referenced to the 1995 digital orthophoto quarter quadrangles as described by Miller and Friedman (2009). The separate images for each year can be viewed as a composite along with that year’s channel delineation using a geographic information system (GIS). The 2
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data, East Poplar Oil Field and surrounding area, October 2014, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey data were collected during October 2014 in a 553-square-kilometer area that includes the East Poplar oil field on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana, USA. Data surround the city of Poplar and extend south into the Missouri River floodplain. Data were acquired with the SkyTEM301 transient electromagnetic helicopter-born...
LCMAP Workshop 2018 Group Photo
Group photo of participants in a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
USGS EROS Scientists at LCMAP workshop
USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center scientists Heather Tollerud, Terry Sohl, Jennifer Rover and Jon Dewitz use the LCMAP Timeseries Analysis and Plotting Tool (TAPTool) during a November 2018 workshop on Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection in Sioux Falls, SD.
LCMAP workshop participants
USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center contractors Suming Jin, Patrick Danielson and Kelcy Smith use the LCMAP Timeseries Analysis and Plotting Tool (TAPTool) during a November 2018 workshop in Sioux Falls, SD.
LCMAP Workshop Computer
South Dakota State University Extension Office Senior Ag Research Technician Brad Richardson uses the LCMAP Timeseries Analysis and Plotting Tool (TAPTool) at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center in Sioux Falls, SD.
EROS in Action - CoNED with Dean Gesch and Jeff Danielson
USGS/EROS Physical Scientist Dean Gesch and USGS/EROS CoNED Applications Project Chief Jeff Danielson discuss the Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED), its acquisition and its uses.
Water and Village model
USGS scientists showing students how water flows through a village using a model.
Presenting a groundwater model
USGS scientist teaching students about the water cycle using a groundwater model for demonstration.
Testing water
USGS scientists showing students how they test water samples in the lab.
Image of the Week - Cottonwood Fire
October 16, 2018, marks the two-year anniversary of the Cottonwood Fire in western South Dakota. The fire consumed a large swath of grassland near the community of Wall and just north of Badlands National Park.
Thanks to low relative humidity, and high winds and temperatures, the fire spread quickly. It burned 41,360 acres by the time it was 100 percent contained
Spearfish Creek at Spearfish, SD (USGS Streamgage 06431500)
Gage house for Spearfish Creek at Spearfish, SD (USGS streamgage 06431500). This site was established as a U.S. Geological Survey streamgage on October 9, 1946, and is operated in cooperation with South Dakota Department of Natural Resources. Streamgages are visited by a USGS hydrologic technician on 6-week intervals throughout the year. The October or early November visit
...Staff Gage for Streamgage 06431500, Spearfish Creek at Spearfish, SD
Staff gage for Spearfish Creek at Spearfish, SD (USGS streamgage 06431500). This site was established as a U.S. Geological Survey streamgage on October 9, 1946, and is operated in cooperation with South Dakota Department of Natural Resources. More information on this streamgage is available at
...EROS: EarthExplorer and GloVis - Register For An Account
USGS EROS | How To Search and Download Satellite Imagery The USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center has created a series of videos to help users search for and download remotely sensed imagery. The first step in the process is to register for a free account so you can search and order data from EarthExplorer and GloVis websites. This video walks you
Streamflow in southwestern Kansas has decreased substantially since the 1950s, most likely due to groundwater withdrawals, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey are applying acoustic technology to better estimate the types and amounts of sediment in northern Idaho's Kootenai River. An improved understanding of how the river transports sediment is critical to ongoing efforts by the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho to restore river habitat.
Increased precipitation is the primary cause of rising streamflow in many eastern South Dakota streams, according to arecent U.S. Geological Survey report.
A new approach to ranking copper resources could result in identifying future supplies of copper while saving both time and money, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Ecosystem restoration is complex and requires an understanding of how the land, plants, and animals all interact with each other over large areas and over time. Today, the U.S. Geological Survey published part two of a three-part handbook addressing restoration of sagebrush ecosystems from the landscape to the site level.
A newly published, three-volume “Remote Sensing Handbook” is a comprehensive coverage of all remote sensing topics written by over 300 leading global experts.
Piping plovers, a federally threatened species of shorebirds, are likely losing wetland breeding habitat in the Great Plains as a result of wetland drainage, climate change or both, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.
With the release of new US Topo maps for Illinois and South Dakota, the USGS has completed the second, three-year cycle of revising and updating electronic US Topo quadrangles. This means that since late 2009, the USGS has published nearly every map in the conterminous U.S., twice.
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Genetic data show the grizzly bear population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has grown since the 1980s with no loss in genetic diversity, according to a report by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team.
Many grassland bird species in the Bakken shale region, including some seriously declining populations, are displaced from their habitats as a result of oil and gas development, according to new U.S. Geological Survey research.
The City of Sioux Falls and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) are conducting a state-of-the-art groundwater survey this fall. Beginning this week, CGG Canada Services, who is under contract with the City, will begin flying a helicopter over the Big Sioux Aquifer to collect, record, and map its geophysical measurements.
One of Wichita’s primary water-supply sources is recovering because of a strategy to reduce the amount of water withdrawn, according to a new report about the Equus Beds aquifer released by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of a long-term, continuing cooperative partnership with the city of Wichita.