By sshukla@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

A new study by several scientists examines the environmental conditions that fueled a massive algal bloom in the San Francisco Bay. By analyzing water quality, circulation, and microscopic communities, the research helps explain how rare combinations of factors can drive major ecological events, including blooms of Heterosigma akashiwo, a species first identified in Japan.

By sernst@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

A selection of coastal and ocean videos and photographs from across the USGS.

By shouse@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

USGS scientists will be sharing their latest innovations during a North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) webinar for National Invasive Species Awareness Week. 

By jlball@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

If you live in California, you've almost certainly felt an earthquake - maybe more than one. Maybe, as the residents of the Bay Area city of San Ramon are finding out, you get to feel a LOT of earthquakes. But how can we tell what's causing them? 

By lhsu@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 04, 2026.

CDI Monthly Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month, from 11-12:30 pm Eastern Time. 

By edietrich@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 03, 2026.

In collaboration with multiple land management agencies, FORT scientists developed a new habitat suitability model to inform decision making on public lands and help conserve a rare plant.

By lhoaks@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 02, 2026.

In February 1996, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most devastating floods of the 20th century struck the region. The U.S. Geological Survey’s rapid response helped protect communities and earned national recognition. 

By lhoaks@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 02, 2026.

Updates from the Center Director, Joanna Thamke.

By ppearsall@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 02, 2026.

While many of California’s beaches have narrowed over time due to coastal erosion, new research from USGS and the University of California, Irvine shows that some beaches consistently defy this trend. In fact, the amount of beach growth outpaces the erosion in southern California—thanks largely to human intervention.

By mpoland@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Feb 02, 2026.

We know that Yellowstone is an active volcanic system due to the high rate of seismicity and the active ground deformation.  What happens when those two things are happening simultaneously, like they are right now?

By rlmedina@usgs.gov from All News. Published on Jan 30, 2026.

The Humboldt River Basin Capture Query Tool (HCQT) is an interactive tool allows users to explore how groundwater pumping affects streamflow and other water sources across the Humboldt River Basin.

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

Large lava fountains streamed from both the north and south vents reaching heights of at least 1475 feet (450 meters) during episode 41 of Kīlauea’s summit eruption on January 24, 2026.  Strong updrafts coupled with light winds blowing to the east and north sent lava fragments from the fountains, called tephra, over much of the District of Puna and into South Hilo and the eastern edge of Kaʻū.

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

During episode 41 on January 24, lava fountains from the north and south vents in Halemaʻumaʻu at the summit of Kīlauea reached up at least 450 m (1475 feet). Weak surface winds in combination with stronger upper-level winds blowing to the east and north resulted in widespread tephra fall in communities to the northeast and east within the Districts of Kaʻū, Puna, and South Hilo. 

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.