UAS

Approximately 2 billion people are expected to experience diminished water supplies because of seasonal snowpack decline this century.  Over the last 50 years, particularly in some regions of the western U.S., declines in annual snowpack levels have contributed to reduced streamflow levels, a trend supported by both models and in situ observations (USGS,

USGS researchers in the Water Resources Mission Area are partnering with NASA and the University of Southern California (USC) to measure stream surface velocity using a spectrum of sensors and edge-computing tools carried on Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS).

This project uses aerial imagery collected with Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS, or “drones”) to assess and monitor vegetation at contaminated wetlands and neighboring lands being remediated and restored under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

The USGS Volcano Hazards Program and

The western U.S., including California, has experienced extreme weather events that have resulted in catastrophic and deadly fires.  These destructive fires have resulted in loss of life and property, and burned through iconic landscapes within the National Park Service (NPS). This ongoing project measures the impact and landscape response of these fires on three national parks in California.

The Department of Interior’s Office of Wildland Fire (OWF), in partnership with the USGS, is conducting evaluations to determine best practices and methodology for data collection of post-fire eve

Accurate maps of seasonal habitat for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are of paramount importance to conservation efforts in sagebrush ecosystems across the Great Basin, particularly for habitat assessments and mitigation efforts.

Microbial biofilm communities, which are comprised of bacteria, diatoms, protozoa, and fungi, inhabit the surface of intertidal mudflats. They play a major role in intertidal food webs and comprise a large proportion of shorebirds’ diets, so understanding biofilm distribution, quantity, and nutritional value is important for shorebird conservation and management.

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) can be used to collect monitoring data, including elevation information via Structure from Motion (SfM) and vegetation information from multispectral imagery, with a temporal resolution that is well-suited for dynamic barrier island environments. However, SfM data represent the elevation of the land surface including the vegetation canopy.

Scientists from eight USGS Science Centers completed a multidisciplinary data collection effort during the week of October 21–25, 2019, using new technologies to map and validate bathymetry over a large stretch of the non-tidal Potomac River.