USGS
Upper Midwest Water Science Center Products Published Quarter One, Fiscal Year 2024
By jvelkoverh@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 30, 2023.
Below are all products released by the Upper Midwest Water Science Center in the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 (September 1, 2023 - November 30, 2023)
Inspired by EROS: See Unisphere Display at Sioux Falls Museum
By slevisay@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 29, 2023.
Forgotten plans for a 12-story sphere inspired by the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center are part of an exhibit at the Old Courthouse Museum in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
DOI Announces Membership for New CASC Federal Advisory Council
By jbush@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 29, 2023.
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the 19 members who will make up the newly-established Advisory Council for Climate Adaptation Science (ACCAS). Council members from state agencies, Tribal and Indigenous peoples, universities, non-profits, and the private sector will advise the Secretary on the operations and priorities of the Climate Adaptation Science Centers
USGS Researchers Return to Eastern Galapágos Spreading Center
By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 28, 2023.
A research team including USGS scientists returned to the Eastern Galapágos Spreading Center to investigate its deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where formations of massive sulfide deposits may contain critical marine minerals.
USGS multimillion-dollar science investments strengthen domestic supply chains for critical minerals
By apdemas@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 27, 2023.
RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey is investing millions of dollars in strengthening domestic supply chains for mineral resources critical to every economic sector and every member of society. The flagship effort within these investments is a nationwide mapping effort for critical minerals, which has been expanded and accelerated by funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Call for Nominations: Experts and Fellows for IPBES Biodiversity Monitoring
By evarelaminder@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 27, 2023.
The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is seeking experts and fellows from a range of disciplines, including but not limited to, ecology, evolution, social science and statistics with experience and/or interest in monitoring biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.
New Landsat 9 Cloud Cover Assessment Validation Dataset Published
By thansen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 27, 2023.
Clouds are unavoidable in space-borne optical imagery. Accurate, well-documented, and automated cloud detection algorithms are necessary to effectively leverage large collections of remotely sensed data. Manually generated cloud truth masks support the efficiency of the selected algorithms.
Reflecting on Mauna Loa's Reawakening
By ssobie@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 27, 2023.
For months, USGS monitoring had shown that Mauna Loa was inching close to an eruption. Just before midnight on Sunday, November 27, 2022, the wait was over.
Lidar data shed new light on “hidden” geological hazards near the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park
By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 27, 2023.
Lidar data have just been released, for the first time, for Paradise Valley and the northern gateway corridor to Yellowstone National Park. These high-resolution topographic data are revealing new details of the landscape never seen before for this area.
USGS Friday's Findings—December 1, 2023
By shouse@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 22, 2023.
Title: Adaptive capacity as a lens to inform decisions on conservation status, invasive species, & climate-adaptation actions
Speaker: Erik Beever, Research Ecologist, USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Date: December 1, 2023 from 2:00pm - 2:30pm ET
Volcano Watch — Volcano monitoring can be a risky business: how scientists work safely
By kmulliken@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 22, 2023.
Active volcanoes are inherently hazardous places to work. Even when a volcano is quiet, volcanic gases, ground cracks, earthquakes, and uneven surfaces can be unsafe. Advanced planning and preparation for fieldwork in these environments is critical to reducing the personal risk of volcanic hazards to field crews.
Young Tree Vulnerability to Drought and Heatwaves Affects Forest Regeneration
By cduzet@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 20, 2023.
Southwest CASC researchers studied how juvenile trees of five species would respond to drought and extreme heat to better prepare forest managers for a changing climate.
PCMSC Scientists Among USGS Contributors to National Climate Assessment
By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 20, 2023.
Scientists from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) are among dozens of USGS contributors to the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5), released in November 2023.
CASC Presentations at the 2023 AGU Meeting
By tplum@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 20, 2023.
Are you attending the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting this year in San Francisco? Don't miss these presentations from staff and partners from across the CASC network!
Newly Identified Invasive Grasses in Hawaiʻi Pose Significant Fire Risk
By cduzet@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 20, 2023.
New flammable invasive grass species and weeds were discovered on five Hawaiian Islands through extensive surveying funded by the Pacific Islands CASC.
The Mystery of Flagg Ranch, OR, the case of the unknown ignimbrite
By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 20, 2023.
Near the south boundary of Yellowstone National Park is a curious ash flow deposit of unknown origin. Geologists from Montana State University took on the challenge of solving the mystery.
Waste not, want not: How USGS capabilities enhance COVID-19 wastewater surveillance
By mcollier@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 19, 2023.
You can tell a lot about someone’s health from their body’s waste. If you are fighting an infectious illness, you flush away more than yesterday’s lunch. It may be off-putting, but checking wastewater for infectious disease has become an important tool that scientists and public health officials can use to respond to and prevent new infectious disease outbreaks.
The USGS Updates Major Climate Change Visualization Tool
By jbush@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 17, 2023.
The USGS recently updated its National Climate Change Viewer (NCCV), a premier web application for visualizing climate projections across the contiguous United States. The updated tool incorporates the latest CMIP6 climate change models and integrates new guidance on model summarization and weighting.
Upper Midwest Water Science Center hosted center-wide face-to-face meeting at end of September
By jvelkoverh@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 17, 2023.
At the end of September, the employees at the Upper Midwest Water Science Center met in Madison for the first Center-wide face to face meeting since merging in 2017.
Why we have better maps of Mars than of the seafloor—and what USGS is doing to change that
By mcollier@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 17, 2023.
The ocean covers 71% of Earth’s surface. We know only a small fraction of what the land beneath the waves looks like.
On a golden wing and a prayer: your actions can give birds a better chance of surviving migration
By kharvey@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 17, 2023.
Although we may feel worlds apart, we are connected by migratory birds. In turn, migratory birds are connected to us and directly affected by our actions.
Recording Available for Webinar: How to develop successful synthesis proposals for submission to the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
By aliford@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
A recording of the webinar is available by contacting Jill Baron jill_baron@usgs.gov or Demi Bingham dbingham@usgs.gov.
Landsat Supporting Greater International Water Security
By mbouchard@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
Looking to the past to protect the future: Landsat products and tools informing water security initiatives around the world. This is the second in a series of four articles showcasing the socio-economic benefits of Digital Earth Africa and Australia products and services, through user case studies and impact stories.
Landsat Level-1 Product Processing Resumes
By thansen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
The issues that affected the Landsat processing system earlier today have been resolved and Level-1 product processing has resumed.
Recently Processed Landsat 8 Products Removed from USGS Inventory
By thansen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
In October 2023, a Landsat 8 satellite anomaly forced Level-1 product processing to pause while the data acquired were assessed. After the satellite recovered and data acquisitions resumed, a number of scenes were processed with updated calibration information and made available for download.
FORT scientists develop density-habitat relationships and density distribution maps to guide management of 11 songbird species in the Intermountain West
By edietrich@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
FORT scientists Nicholas Van Lanen, Adrian Monroe, and Cameron Aldridge recently published population trends and density-habitat associations for 11 songbird species using summertime point count data collected throughout the Intermountain West. These maps can help managers identify areas for protection or where management activities may have undesired effects on species.
Research Explores Conservation Strategies for Shifting Walleye Populations
By cduzet@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
Given the challenges that warming waters pose to walleye populations, USGS researchers created a data-rich “RAD Walleye Tool” that can help managers determine which lakes are the best candidates for different conservation strategies now and in the future.
Volcano Watch — Fostering Prepared Youths on the Natural Hazards of Backyard Volcanoes
By ldesmither@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
During volcanic crises, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) plays a pivotal role, sharing information on activity and associated hazards with close partners on the Island of Hawai‘i, including the Mayor's Office, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
Landsat 8, Landsat 9 Level-1 Product Processing Encountering Issues
By thansen@contractor.usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
Level-1 product processing of Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 scenes from November 15, 2023, to the present is suspended while engineers investigate an issue with the processing systems.
The formation of our solar system was a destructive process!
By rbanderson@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Nov 16, 2023.
How did the planets and moons in our solar system form? How do we know they involve collisions called ‘giant impacts’? Read on to find out more about how planets form through collisions and how scientists study this complex topic.
