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U.S. Geological Survey

Publications and source records attributed to U.S. Geological Survey.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Minnesota and Landsat

Landsat land-imaging satellites underpin public and private sector decisions in the Minnesota and across the Nation for effective adaptation to changing landscapes. Those decisions often lead to enhanced agricultural productivity, smart urban development, and sustainable forest management. Landsat also enables more accurate inland lake water-quality monitoring, increased disaster resilience and risk assessment, effective water use, more-informed climate research, and other applications.

Minnesota↗

New Mexico and Landsat

New Mexico relies on observations from the Landsat series of satellites operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. Data from Landsat also assist New Mexico in managing its precious water resources for agriculture, recreation, and industrial and community consumption. Landsat supports a variety of public and private sector decisions across New Mexico and the Nation for effective adaptation to changing landscapes.

New Mexico↗

Ohio and Landsat

In Ohio, remote-sensing systems such as Landsat play an important role in monitoring natural resources and informing management decisions on everything from dangerous freshwater algal blooms to gypsy moth defoliation and more. Landsat imagery underpins public and private sector decisions in Ohio and across the Nation for effective adaptation to changing landscapes. Those decisions lead to enhanced agricultural productivity, smart urban development, sustainable forest management, and inland lake water-quality monitoring.

Ohio↗

Maine and Landsat

Maine is a place of rocky coastlines, of rich maritime history symbolized by lighthouses dotting the ocean bluffs, and of wondrous nature areas like the granite and spruce islands of Acadia National Park. But Maine is a place of changes, too. Climate variability has brought the state heavier and more frequent rainstorms. Summers are hotter and drier. With sea levels rising, severe storms increasingly cause floods that damage property and infrastructure. In the coming decades, Landsat satellite systems can be valuable tools in monitoring those changes and their effects on the land and in the water.

Maine↗

Alaska and Landsat

Alaska’s landscapes are changing at a more rapid rate than those of the lower 48. Its large size makes the collection of aerial surveys—a biannual occurrence for the conterminous United States—cost-prohibitive. That means the Landsat series of land imaging satellites offer the only publicly available, up-to-date imagery of land conditions for Alaska. Landsat satellites underpin public and private sector decisions in the State and across the Nation for effective adaptation to changing landscapes.

Alaska↗

Meeting the challenge: U.S. Geological Survey North Atlantic and Appalachian Region fiscal year 2020 in review

The utilization, preservation, and conservation of the Nation’s resources requires well-informed management decisions. The North Atlantic and Appalachian Region (NAAR) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supports science-based decision making for Federal, State, and local policymakers to meet the challenges of today and into the future. The science centers in the NAAR have well-deserved reputations as world leaders in delivering unbiased science. We help protect the lives and property of our families, friends, neighbors, and the Nation by providing the data and scientific interpretation that decision makers need to make informed choices on a myriad of topics. Many of our jobs include inherent risk. When others are moving themselves and their families to higher ground during storms, NAAR employees can be found heading toward high water to ensure that accurate streamflow and storm-tide data continue to be collected and delivered to the public and first responders. In March 2020, the world changed, and the NAAR staff adapted to it. Despite the challenges, the NAAR has had an incredibly productive year. I am not just citing publications (with our labs and field offices closed in the spring, centers increased annual publications by 10 to 40 percent compared with 2019) or partnerships (new science initiatives and partnerships are up significantly as well). Leaders at the center level created the right environments for their teams to be safe but still meet and exceed their program goals. Our vast data collection networks were maintained and enhanced. Our laboratories met holding times and quality-control objectives. When folks asked for help, our staff provided. Some solutions were not perfect at first, but they just kept trying. What started as a short-term inconvenience may now have become the new normal, but in quickly adapting, the NAAR staff showed dedication and wisdom, made the region a little safer, and just might change the world. This general information product highlights just a few of the many accomplishments of the NAAR staff during these challenging times and offers a taste of all the great work being done by the USGS community.

Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, ↗

Strategic Plan for the North American Breeding Bird Survey, 2020–30

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) has been the cornerstone of continental bird conservation and management for hundreds of North American bird species in the United States and Canada for more than 50 years. This strategic plan was developed in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders and charts the ambitious course for the BBS over the next decade (2020–30). Using this plan as a guide, the BBS program will set out to improve the breadth and depth of standardized data collection and analytical products; ensure its products are widely used and recognized as the authoritative source for long-term population change information for most birds; and secure adequate resources, internally and through partnerships, to realize the expanded vision of the BBS intended to support avian management needs through 2030.

Circular↗

Michaelah postcard

Michaelah is an environmental chemist in the Organic Geochemistry Research Unit. She received her bachelor of science degree in environmental chemistry from the University of Kansas and her master’s degree in biomimicry from Arizona State University.

General Information Product↗

Chemist postcard

Chemists design analytical methods, analyze samples, and review instrument results to ensure high-quality, defensible data are provided to our Nation’s decision makers. For more information, visit https://www.usajobs.gov .

General Information Product↗

Hydrologist postcard

Hydrologists study the properties, distribution, and effects of water on the Earth’s surface, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere. For more information, visit https://www.usajobs.gov .

General Information Product↗

Chantelle postcard

Chantelle is a hydrologist in the Surface Water Investigation Unit. She received her bachelor of science degree in environmental geology from the University of Kansas.

General Information Product↗

Hydrologic technician postcard

Hydrologic technicians collect water data related to water quantity, quality, availability, and movement in surface-water and groundwater environments. For more information, visit https://www.usajobs.gov .

General Information Product↗

Brad postcard

Brad is a hydrologist in the Surface Water Investigation Unit. He received his bachelor of science degree in natural sciences from Concordia University in Wisconsin and his master’s degree in freshwater sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

General Information Product↗

Brianna postcard

Brianna is a hydrologist in the Hydrologic Investigations (Studies) Unit. She received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas.

General Information Product↗

PFAS in the environment

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working with Federal, State, and local partners to monitor and evaluate perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the State’s groundwater and surface waters. PFAS are synthetic chemicals with widespread commercial and industrial use that can take a very long time to break down in the environment and may affect human health. The USGS in New York is working with experts across the Nation to develop and implement rigorous and innovative techniques to detect PFAS at concentrations as low as parts per trillion to help the public understand the spatial distribution and magnitude of PFAS contamination within the environment.

General Information Product↗

Microplastics

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working with Federal, State, and local partners to monitor and evaluate microplastics in our lakes, rivers, and coastal waters. Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic, some-times so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. The USGS is taking an active role in monitoring and assessing our natural resources in New York and throughout the Nation. To support microplastics research, the USGS has created two laboratories to identify the type and quantity of microplastic particles in water, air, sediment, and animal life. These results will help decisionmakers learn about the presence and potential bioavailability of microplastics in ecosystems and public water supplies.

General Information Product↗

Mineral commodity summaries 2020

Each chapter of the 2020 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries (MCS) includes information on events, trends, and issues for each mineral commodity as well as discussions and tabular presentations on domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, 5-year salient statistics, and world production and resources. The MCS is the earliest comprehensive source of 2019 mineral production data for the world. More than 90 individual minerals and materials are covered by two-page synopses.

Mineral Commodity Summaries↗