By twojtowicz@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 29, 2026.

USGS READI-Net project team members and collaborators were trained by Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute staff on a next-generation environmental DNA autonomous robot—the Filtering Instrument for DNA Observation (FIDO). FIDO will enhance READI-Net’s ability to provide managers and scientists tools and strategies for early detection of biological threats.

By lhoaks@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 28, 2026.

Important changes to how USGS water data will be delivered as we modernize our water data storage and delivery systems. 

By lowen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 28, 2026.

The USGS EROS User Services team recently added several new tutorials to their code repository. These guides help users access and work with Landsat data stored in a commercial cloud environment more effectively.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 27, 2026.

Episode 41 of lava fountaining at the summit of Kīlauea was active for 8 hours and 18 minutes on January 24, 2026. Weak surface winds in combination with stronger upper-level winds blowing to the east and north during episode 41 resulted in widespread tephra fall in communities to the north, east-northeast, and east of the eruptive vents (District of Puna on the Island of Hawaiʻi)

By shouse@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 27, 2026.

Grassland ecosystems continue to lose ecological integrity as woody plants invade and fragment habitat. This talk demonstrates how spatial covariance can more accurately flag grassland cores and edge conditions relevant to bird occupancy than tree‑cover metrics alone. The talk highlights management implications for defending cores and restoring contiguous habitat.

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 26, 2026.

Coral reefs do more than support vibrant marine ecosystems—they also act as natural breakwaters, protecting coastlines from storm-driven waves. New USGS-led research shows that as Florida’s coral reefs continue to degrade, the loss of this natural protection could dramatically increase flooding risk for coastal communities in southeast Florida. 

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 26, 2026.

Yellowstone is a land of superlatives. Even in such an environment, the Lower Geyser Basin stands out as one of the most spectacular areas in the park.

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 23, 2026.

The erodibility of bed sediment in estuaries can shape everything from water clarity to habitat quality, and influences the magnitude of sediment transport. While scientists largely understand how bed sediments in sandy environments erode, less attention has focused on muddy sediments in estuaries. New research from USGS shows that waves matter—but so do the animals living in the mud.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 22, 2026.

“Volcano Watch” articles over the past two weeks have described past episodic lava fountaining eruptions at Kīlauea Iki (1959) and Maunaulu (1969). Next week, we will continue this series with a summary of the most recent past episodic eruption at Kīlauea. Why? Because past eruptions can give us clues as to how the ongoing episodic eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu might progress or change.  

By lhoaks@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 22, 2026.

Update for the Saline Lake Ecosystems Integrated Water Availability Assessment project to summarize progress in calendar year 2025 highlighting extensive data collection and preliminary analysis efforts across multiple scientific themes. 

By lowen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 22, 2026.

In 2025, Landsat celebrated several milestones. We officially bid farewell to Landsat 7 and its 26-year mission and legacy, while continuing to show how Landsat imagery supports real world decision-making through new stories highlighting its role across industries. The year also brought the announcement of  a new Landsat Science Team set to begin in 2026. Catch up on our year here.

By jlawson@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 22, 2026.

The USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center scientists’ work helps save lives and protect property while EROS offers remote sensing data to the world.

As the Earth begins its next revolution around the sun, let’s look back at some of the exciting accomplishments at EROS in 2025!

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 21, 2026.

USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists conducted a monitoring overflight of Kīlauea summit on January 16, following the eruption of episode 40 in Halemaʻumaʻu on January 12, 2026. 

By mrwilson@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 21, 2026.

SPCMSC physical scientist Bryan McCloskey and CFWSC hydrologist Saira Haider developed an update to the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) interpolation algorithm by introducing a high-resolution option.

By lcorey@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 21, 2026.

This is the latest in a series of Get to Know posts highlighting and celebrating the contributions of exemplary Scientists Emeriti.  Their work, experience, and contributions are essential to the mission of the USGS. 

By mhartwell@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 20, 2026.

The Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC) is based in Flagstaff, AZ, with field stations in Tucson, AZ, and Moab, UT.  SBSC's social media highlights terrestrial and river ecosystem science conducted on the Colorado Plateau, Colorado River, and drylands of Arizona, California, and Utah. SBSC's mission is to conduct quality, objective research on the lands and aquatic systems of the Southwest.

By ssobie@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 20, 2026.

Since December 23, 2024, an eruption has been intermittently active within the Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea on the island of Hawaiʻi. This recent eruptive event is one of many that have occurred at the volcano over the past few decades. In the timeline below, we outline how these recent eruptions have shaped the island and impacted the people who live there.

By cduzet@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 20, 2026.

CASC researchers, in partnership with other federal and university partners, are studying the impacts of warming temperatures on Arctic rivers that are vital for cultural, spiritual, and subsistence activities, by integrating Indigenous knowledges with western science through the Arctic Rivers Project.

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 19, 2026.

When trying to understand the behavior of a volcanic system like Yellowstone and the likelihood it will have another eruption, it is important to determine how many eruptions occurred in the past and when they occurred. Some of Yellowstone’s past eruptions may be hiding, which makes this question difficult to answer.

By dchilds@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 16, 2026.

USGS researchers at the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, biologists at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC), and researchers at Oklahoma State University are leading a study on rainbow trout fishing at the lower Mountain Fork River (LMFR) below Broken Bow Dam in southeastern Oklahoma. 

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 15, 2026.

Last week’s “Volcano Watch” article reviewed the lava fountaining eruption of Kīlauea Iki in 1959. This week, we’ll continue looking back in time at the next episodic lava fountaining eruption in Kīlauea’s history: the Maunaulu eruption that occurred a decade later, in 1969. 

By edietrich@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 15, 2026.

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has proven to be a complex issue for wildlife managers: effective disease management may not always align with stakeholder wants. In a new study, researchers found that some wildlife managers are feeling caught between a rock and a hard place, operating under constrained decision options where they may struggle to reduce CWD prevalence and meet the public’s needs.  

By lowen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 15, 2026.

The U.S. Geological Survey Technology Transfer Office has entered into three Cooperative Research & Development Agreements (CRADAs) aimed at advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications and Machine Learning (ML) methods to optimize Landsat Missions Flight Operations.

By mnewbrough@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 15, 2026.

Chesapeake Bay Program — Press Release — January 15, 2026

By ssobie@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 15, 2026.

The USGS Albuquerque Seismological Observatory is partnering with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the National Science Foundation to deploy new seismometers in the coolest way possible.

By nschmer@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 14, 2026.

USGS groundwater and surface water monitoring data contributed to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's (PaDEP) January 8, 2026, expansion of drought watches to three additional counties. A total of 40 counties are now under drought watch, and one county under a warning.

By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 14, 2026.

Kīlauea summit eruption episode 40 lava fountaining lasted for just under 10 hours on January 12, with maximum lava fountain heights of about 800 feet (250 meters). 

By samgott@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 14, 2026.

RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey released its assessment of undiscovered gas and oil in the Woodford and Barnett shales in the Permian Basin, assessing that there are technically recoverable resources of 28.3 trillion cubic feet of gas – enough to supply the United States for 10 months at the current rate of consumption -- and 1.6 billion barrels of oil, or 10 weeks’ supply for the nation.

By aaarcher@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 14, 2026.

Despite increases in human population and agricultural production, new national data show meaningful progress in reducing nutrient pollution sources across the United States. 

By jrichie@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 13, 2026.

For millennia, our ancestors have gazed at the stars, wondering what lay beyond our cosmic doorstep, but today we no longer must wonder.  In 1977, NASA’s Voyagers disclosed the view, returning historic images and stirring groundbreaking science. As we step into 2026, we are watching humanity’s most distant messengers reach a mind-blowing new frontier.