Ground based / sensor web / web cam

The joint U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)--National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth observation Landsat mission began in July 1972 and surpassed its 50th anniversary in July 2022. The 50-year Landsat global data archive comprises eight independently developed NASA multispectral visible-to-shortwave infrared (VSWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) observatories that have been or are currently operated by the USGS.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources and Observation Science (EROS) Center has been transcribing film from analog media to digital form since the photo processing lab was closed in 2004. In 2015, EROS offered this service to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and began scanning their collection of film records. Seven years later, the scanning of all 4,400 rolls of film contained in the BLM archive is nearly complete. Digitization is achieved using the EROS high-resolution photogrammetric scanning systems.

Mineral resources are essential to the national security and economic prosperity of the United States. The Nation’s heavy reliance on imports of critical minerals increases its vulnerability to events that disrupt the supply chain. Novel methods to characterize new mineral resources are required to meet expected national and global demands and an anticipated shift to a renewable energy economy. 

Mercury is a neurotoxin and environmental pollutant that endangers the health of humans and wildlife. When mercury flows into aquatic environments like San Francisco Bay (SFB), it can be converted by microorganisms to methylmercury (MeHg), which is the most poisonous of mercury compounds. MeHg bioaccumulates in aquatic food webs and can cause a wide range of impairments in fish, birds, and humans.

The island of Puerto Rico is subject to numerous natural hazards including hurricanes, coastal erosion, and flooding. Information on how the island’s coastal environments respond to these events is critical for bolstering coastal resilience.

Microbial biofilm communities, which are comprised of bacteria, diatoms, protozoa, and fungi, inhabit the surface of intertidal mudflats. These communities represent a large proportion of shorebirds’ diets, so understanding biofilm distribution, quantity, and nutritional value supports efforts to manage shorebird populations.

Coastal wetlands and estuaries are critical ecosystems that serve as the bridge between land and sea, provide habitat for numerous species of fish and wildlife, and offer protection from storms and waves for inland communities. When these environments evolve naturally, they can adapt to rising sea levels by retreating landward, and fish and wildlife follow suit.

High water levels and heavy wave action have degraded shoreline, beaches, and infrastructure along the Lake Superior side of the Minnesota Point barrier island, located between the Duluth and Superior Harbor entries. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been exploring the beneficial use of dredge material for beach nourishment on the barrier island to slow the impact of erosion.

Non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV) is plant material that has no photosynthetic function, such as dead biomass, surface litter, and woody stems. NPV serves an ecologically beneficial role; in the agricultural setting, maintaining crop residue on the soil surface reduces erosion, improves soil structure, maintains stable temperatures, and increases soil carbon, all of which support the health of farming systems.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) monitors two mine sites in the State of Washington where it is difficult to obtain cloud-free multispectral imagery. OSMRE worked with the Civil Applications Committee to evaluate solutions for overcoming this limitation through high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR). SAR is an active remote sensing system in which the sensor emits a radio wave and then measures the reflected return; it is not hampered by cloud cover.