The Hidden Cost of Disease for Bighorn Sheep—Smaller Horns
Male bighorn sheep have spectacular horns, making them popular among hikers, photographers and hunters. However, disease threatens the magnificence of these horns. Males that survive exposure to...
View ArticleInvasive Green Crabs Pose Threat to Washington’s Shellfish Industry and...
In recognition of National Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb. 28-March 4), we wanted to call attention to a relatively new threat in the waters off the coast of Washington – the European green crab.
View ArticleMinerals Corner-Winter 2022
For our Winter 2022 newsletter, here are a few highlights from the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s recent activities and publications.
View ArticleHistory of Lake Powell Written in Sediment
Declining water levels in Lake Powell since 2000 provide a unique opportunity to study the sediments along previous shorelines. Researchers from the University of Utah, U.S. Geological Survey, and Utah...
View ArticleBird Mortality at Renewable Energy Facilities have Population-Level Effects
A recent study shows nearly half of bird species studied were vulnerable to population-level effects from fatalities at renewable energy facilities.
View ArticleEverything Old is New Again
“Everything old is new again” is a truism in fashion, but it can also be true in minerals science. Areas that were once mined for certain mineral commodities are receiving new attention as society’s...
View ArticleMarine Biodiversity Data: How USGS and NOAA are collaborating to make data...
USGS and NOAA have partnered through the Ocean Biodiversity Information System-USA and National Centers for Environmental Information to streamline ocean data collection and make sure it's available...
View ArticleAncient methods of preventing desertification and recovering from drought
Around the world, land degradation causes significant loss of biodiversity, impacts food security and water purification. Unsustainable land-use practices, increased population, and climate change...
View ArticleVolcanic eruption? Earthquake? Stay calm and laugh on.
New research demonstrates how laughter can be an effective way to help agencies connect with the people they serve during natural hazard events, like a volcanic eruption or earthquake.
View ArticleIn Blue Water: Tracking Animals in the Open Ocean
Scientists are attaching tracking tags to marine animals at Palmyra Atoll to learn how marine protected areas can best serve diverse species.
View ArticleRedwood Tree Stumps Offer Clues to Past Earthquakes
Researchers are studying slices of tree stumps to study past earthquakes.
View ArticleLoma Prieta Earthquake 33rd Anniversary Compilation
A collection of information and resources to help you understand the significance of the Loma Prieta earthquake, the earthquake hazards in the San Francisco Bay Area and resources available to you to...
View ArticleRocks in unusual positions hold secrets to northeastern U.S. earthquakes
USGS scientists are studying precariously balanced rocks, or rocks that seem on the brink of falling over (but haven’t yet), to estimate the strongest earthquake shaking to rattle parts of New York and...
View ArticleHistoric changes in water quality or lake surface elevation and their impact...
Managing the Upper Klamath Basin to meet its many desired uses requires a delicate balance. The shortnose sucker (Koptu) and both lake-spawning and river-spawning Lost River sucker (C'waam)...
View ArticleHow sea ice, ocean currents, and climate change may have affected early human...
Based on paleoclimate records and climate models, researchers have identified the most feasible time periods for early human migrations along the coastal route between Beringia and North America during...
View ArticleVolcanic explosion penetrates both upper atmosphere and upper crust around...
Slightly more than one year ago, a rare, enormous volcanic explosion created pressure waves in the atmosphere that pushed on the top 3.1 miles/5 kilometers of the Earth, giving scientists a clear...
View ArticleNew insight on sea duck hearing could help protect them from fishing nets
It’s estimated that more than 100,000 sea ducks are killed worldwide annually when caught in large fishing nets known as gillnets. A recent study identifies the frequencies at which sea ducks can hear...
View ArticleSea level rise could significantly impact an endangered sparrow in Florida
Sea level rise along southern Florida’s coast could contribute to a significant decrease in the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow population in the next 50 years, according to a new U.S. Geological...
View ArticleTonga’s Hunga eruption produced the most intense lightning ever recorded
The eruption produced 2,600 flashes per minute at peak intensity. Scientists used the lightning to peer into the ash cloud, teasing out new details of the eruption’s timeline. These findings...
View ArticleArchaeological sites in Grand Canyon National Park eroding following six...
The majority of archaeological sites in the Grand Canyon National Park, Colorado River corridor were created by ancestors of Native Americans who still live in this region, including Havasupai, Hopi,...
View ArticleModels examine how climate change may affect Oregon's Crater Lake
How will climate change affect deep water mixing in Crater Lake?
View ArticleThe Early Deer—and the Late Ones—Get the Herbs
Climate change is messing with nature’s alarm clock. For animals that use seasonal signs from nature to start important activities like migration, getting mixed signals can lead to missed connections....
View ArticleHigh water temperatures bleaching coral along south Florida coast
As much of the world grapples with historic heat waves exacerbated by climate change and the ongoing El Nino event, ocean temperatures are also on the rise.
View ArticleWhere the Rubber Meets the Road (and River)—Evaluating Impacts of Stormwater...
Every day, millions of cars, and trucks drive along our nation’s roadways, many crossing streams and rivers as they go. Those driving may not consider the threat automobiles can pose to our aquatic...
View ArticleUSGS scientists shade corals in emergency rescue effort amidst unprecedented...
Coral provide shelter for many marine species and directly support most of Florida’s multibillion dollar recreation and fishing industries. They also provide coastal communities shoreline protection...
View ArticleCan oceans store more CO2 to help with climate change?
Did you know that oceans capture a large amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping mitigate climate change? It’s true, and scientists are investigating whether oceans can store even more of...
View ArticleKobold to Commodity, a Halloween Minerals Story
Hundreds of years ago, cobalt was thought to be a goblin that ruined silver mines and made miners ill. Now it’s a valued mineral commodity in its own right, and an illustration of the value of mine...
View ArticleWhy we have better maps of Mars than of the seafloor—and what USGS is doing...
The ocean covers 71% of Earth’s surface. We know only a small fraction of what the land beneath the waves looks like.
View ArticleReflecting on Mauna Loa's Reawakening
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.
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