Due to a lapse in appropriations, the majority of USGS websites may not be up to date and may not reflect current conditions. Websites displaying real-time data, such as Earthquake and Water and information needed for public health and safety will be updated with limited support. Additionally, USGS will not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted. For more information, please see www.doi.gov/shutdown
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Images
Explore our planet through photography and imagery, including climate change and water all the way back to the 1800s when the USGS was surveying the country by horse and buggy.
Landsat ARD tiles used for LCMAP
Image of Landsat ARD tiles and Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection (LCMAP) Regions.
Data Science: Lake Mead Water Level Drop Visualization 2
Data Science: Water Use in 2015 Visualization 2. Click here to read more about USGS Water Resources Mission Area Data Science.
Data Science: Lake Mead Water Level Decline Visualization
Data Science: Lake Mead Water Level Decline Visualization. Click here to read more about USGS Water Resources Mission Area Data Science.
Data Science: Probability of abundant Bass/Walleye Visualization
Data Science: Probability of abundant Bass/Walleye Visualization. Click here to read more about USGS Water Resources Mission Area Data Science.
Data Science: Water Use in 2015 Visualization
Data Science: Water Use in 2015 Visualization. Click here to read more about USGS Water Resources Mission Area Data Science.
Hurricane Florence Data Visualization
Data visualization pulling together multiple datasets from multiple agencies to explain how rain and flooding from Hurricane Florence impacted the landscape.
Data Science Tools
Data science tools and techniques to build and execute data workflows for modeling and complex data analyses.
Multi-figure, interactive data visualization of US Water Use
A U.S. national map with notes about areas of high water use in 2015.
Data Story: Hurricane Florence carousel
Data visualization pulling together multiple datasets from multiple agencies to explain how rain and flooding from Hurricane Florence impacted the landscape.
Data Pipelines
Enhancing scientific research with reproducible, collaborative, and scalable data analysis workflows and methodologies.Example R code leveraging a reproducible data pipeline with the package “remake” to handle dependencies and organize workflow.
Data Science for Water Resources GIF
Data Science for Water Resources GIF
Collection of data visualizations
Collection of visualizations that take complex data and make them accessible to non-scientific audiences
Mount Shasta, a steep-sided Cascade Range stratovolcano in Northern Ca
Mount Shasta, a steep-sided Cascade Range stratovolcano in Northern California, looms above Little Glass Mountain, a thick obsidian flow erupted from the Medicine Lake shield volcano about 1,000 years ago. These are just two of the young volcanic areas monitored by the USGS California Volcano Observatory. USGS photo.
Map of volcano threat category designated by color
Map showing the locations of all U.S. volcanoes with their threat category designated by color. Very high threat is red, high is orange, moderate is yellow, low is green, and very low is blue.
Male leafcutting bee (Megachile) approaching an Origanum
The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is an introduced species common to Southwest Idaho. They originate from the old world, most likely from northeastern Africa or the Middle East. These bees are successful pollinators of various crops and have been imported to North America for use in agriculture and beekeeping.
Beach profiles show the changes resulting from the Nor'Ida storm
Nor'Ida was a nor'easter that formed from the remnants of Hurricane Ida during November 2009. These beach profiles show the changes resulting from the storm which caused widespread beach erosion (loss of elevation) but little changes to the dunes. Hurricane Irene made landfall several times along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. in August 2011. By the time the storm was
...Two examples of pre- and post-Sandy beach profiles
Two examples of pre- and post-Sandy beach profiles showing the flattening of dune and upper beach elevations in addition to morphological changes at the shoreface.
Coastal Change Hazards Portal showing Category 3 probabilities
Coastal Change Hazards Portal showing probabilities of collision, overwash, and inundation at Fire Island during a Category 3 hurricane. For more information on other category storms, see https://marine.usgs.gov/coastalchangehazardsportal/).
Coastal Change Hazards Portal showing short-term shoreline change
Coastal Change Hazards Portal showing short-term shoreline change at Fire Island. For more information, see https://marine.usgs.gov/coastalchangehazardsportal/).
Fire Island coastal system research is focused on integrating research
The newest Fire Island coastal system research is focused on integrating information across research themes.
Images of multiple oceanside beaches and dunes at Fire Island New York
For more than 15 years, the USGS has actively studied natural and human changes to the shoreline, beaches, and dunes at Fire Island. This research program has refined our understanding of the long (decades to centuries)- and short-term (storm events, seasons, years) geomorphological changes on the barrier island that influence natural, cultural, and recreational resources
...Photo collage of images from Fire Island
Photo collage of images from Fire Island showing dunes and beaches
Graphic map of the Fire Island study area with labels
Location map of the Fire Island study area with labels
Map of the Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket study sites outlined in red
Map of the Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket study sites outlined in red.
Land Change in the Black Hills - LCMAP
Animation of land cover change in the Black Hills, created using Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection data from the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.
LCMAP animation - solar farm
An animation of the growth of a solar farm, created using Land Change Monitoring, Assessment, and Projection data.
On-site data processing of geophysical data from Fire Island, New York
Fire Island is a 50-km long barrier island along the south shore of Long Island, NY. The island is comprised of seventeen year-round communities; federal, state, and county parks; and supports distinct ecosystems alongside areas of economic and cultural value. In addition to providing resources to its residents, the barrier island also protects the heavily-populated
...UAS pilots at Kilauea
Department of Interior UAS pilots from left to right – Elizabeth Pendleton (USGS, Woods Hole, MA), Colin Milone (Office of Aviation Services, AK), John Vogel (USGS; Flagstaff, AZ), Sandy Brosnahan (USGS, Woods Hole, MA), Brandon Forbes (USGS; Tuscon, AZ), Chris Holmquist-Johnson
...Windmills at sunset, Oʻahu
Turbines at a wind energy site on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi.
Equipment set up at wind energy site
Bat detection and monitoring equipment set up below a turbine at an Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi wind energy site.
Wind turbine towering over trees
A wind turbine rising above Oʻahu trees forms part of a wind energy installation where USGS bat research is taking place.
Scientists collect data on Pelican Island, Alabama
In an effort spanning the Natural Hazards and Ecosystems Mission Areas, pilots from the Saint Petersburg and Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Centers collect imagery data using Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) while personnel from the Wetlands and Aquatic Research Center (WARC) conduct ground-based site surveys of Pelican Island, Alabama. These data are being combined to
...ShakeAlert sensor station being serviced by USGS personnel
A USGS electronics technician performs maintenance on a ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) sensor station, located in the San Francisco Bay Area. ShakeAlert station components include strong-motion accelerometers, solar panel and battery power systems, and communications & telemetry equipment for communication with the wider ShakeAlert network.
Honorable Mention #2 Oct. 2018
October 2018 Photo Contest Honorable Mention #2
Taken by: Paul Joseph Shea
Description: USFACE
Overview of Water Quality in Principal Aquifers
Overview of Water Quality in Principal Aquifers
The Bay Bridge and the Oakland city skyline
The nighttime Oakland city skyline as seen from San Francisco with the Bay Bridge in the foreground
B-Roll: California ShakeAlert Sensor
Maintenance of high quality ShakeAlert sensor, power and telemetry station in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
B-Roll: Northwest ShakeAlert Sensor Station
Maintenance of a high-quality ShakeAlert sensors, power and telemetry stations in Portland, OR.
Saline Groundwater Use in the U.S.
Data show that use of saline groundwater has been increasing since 1985.
Power Generation Plant
Source: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Brackish water desalination facility in Harlingen, Texas.
Brackish water desalination facility in Harlingen, Texas. The plant was built in 2007 and has a capacity of 2.25 million gallons per day. Source: North Cameron Regional Water Supply Corporation
Groundwater Desalination Facilities
Groundwater Desalination Facilities. Source: Mickley & Associates, written commun., 2013. Survey of municipal desalination plants.
Total Saline Groundwater Use, 2010
Total Saline Groundwater Use, 2010
Unlined brine pit on the shore of Skiatook Lake, Okla.
Unlined brine pit on the shore of Skiatook Lake, Okla.
(Source: USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program)
Salt Impacted Field
Salt impacted field.
(Source: Colorado State University Extension, Fact Sheet No. 0.521)
Development of geothermal saline groundwater into a warm-spring spa.
Development of geothermal saline groundwater into a warm-spring spa.
(Source: State of Florida Department of Natural Resources. Special Publication No. 21, 1977)
Seawater Intrusion Figure
Seawater Intrusion Figure. (Source: USGS Circular 1262)