USGS Newsroom

Media Advisory: Man-Made Chemicals Found in Drinking Water at Low Levels
Released: 12/3/2008 6:15:00 PM (Share)
Low levels of certain man-made chemicals remain in public water supplies after being treated in selected community water facilities.

New National Program to Study Seasonal Changes in Wildlife Begins
Released: 12/2/2008 10:00:00 AM (Share)
The Wildlife Society and USA-National Phenology Network Announce New Wildlife Phenology Program Editors: Additional information is available at USA-National Phenology Network

Getting Warmer? Prehistoric Climate Can Help Forecast Future Changes
Released: 11/24/2008 11:58:52 AM (Share)
The first comprehensive reconstruction of an extreme warm period shows the sensitivity of the climate system to changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels as well as the strong influence of ocean temperatures, heat transport from equatorial regions, and greenhouse gases on Earth's temperature.

Pecora Award Recognizes Stellar Achievements in Earth Observation
Released: 11/21/2008 7:51:03 AM (Share)
The prestigious 2008 William T. Pecora Award for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the Earth by means of remote sensing has been presented to Samuel N. Goward of the University of Maryland and the NASA QuikSCAT Mission Team.

Reversing Coral Reef Decline in Hawai`i -- A New Look at a Critical Problem
Released: 11/20/2008 6:42:31 PM (Share)
New discoveries about how even small amounts of sediment can severely impact fragile ocean coral and suggestions about solutions are illustrated and described in a new book written by a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and their colleagues. Coral reefs are in decline worldwide, and a leading cause is the runoff of sediment and pollutants from nearby land surfaces.

Pavement sealcoat linked to urban lake contamination in the Central and Eastern United States
Released: 11/20/2008 3:19:22 PM (Share)
Dust collected from coal-tar sealcoated parking lots in Central and Eastern U.S. cities contains concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are about 1,000 times greater than levels found in Western cities where coal-tar sealcoat is less commonly used, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study published this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Group on Earth Observations Heralds Free, Global Access to USGS Earth Imagery
Released: 11/20/2008 10:00:00 AM (Share)
In a breakthrough applauded today by the international Group on Earth Observations, scientists and decision-makers will soon have unrestricted global access at no charge to the USGS Landsat archive, the world's most extensive collection of continuously-acquired land imagery. By the end of this year, the full collection will, for the first time, be freely available online to users around the globe under a policy initiated by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.

Acid Soils in Slovakia Tell Somber Tale
Released: 11/17/2008 11:00:00 AM (Share)
Increasing levels of nitrogen deposition associated with industry and agriculture can drive soils toward a toxic level of acidification, reducing plant growth and polluting surface waters, according to a new study published online in Nature Geoscience.

Invasive Species, Climate Change, --Drought Challenges for Resource Management in the Colorado River Basin
Released: 11/17/2008 11:00:00 AM (Share)
Invasive species, long-term drought, and climate change are a few of the new management challenges facing policy makers for conservation and restoration efforts in the Colorado River Basin. Scientists and resource managers will gather to explore these complex and compelling issues Nov. 18–20 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

How Science Helps Communities Prepare for and Survive Earthquakes
Released: 11/14/2008 7:40:51 PM (Share)
Earthquakes are far more than just geological phenomena-they can greatly alter the way people live by damaging whole communities.

Media Advisory: Colorado River Restoration: Complex Challenges Explored at Symposium
Released: 11/14/2008 5:52:09 PM (Share)
Invasive species, long-term drought, climate change. These are hard challenges to resource managers as they attempt to conserve native species and natural systems while also meeting human needs for water and hydropower in the Colorado River Basin.

USGS, NOAA Collaborate with Canada on Climate Data
Released: 11/13/2008 3:25:20 PM (Share)
The U. S. Geological Survey is joining with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Environment Canada (EC) in jointly operating and calibrating high-tech climate monitoring stations.

Secretary Kempthorne to Join Gov. Schwarzenegger, Other Leaders for Great Southern California Shakeout Earthquake Drill
Released: 11/13/2008 10:10:02 AM (Share)
Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne will join California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Geological Survey Director Mark Myers and other leaders in participating in the The Great Southern California Shakeout.

Media Advisory: NOW ON THE WEB! USGS 3-D Animations of Dramatic Ground Shaking
Released: 11/12/2008 12:15:00 PM (Share)
New 3-D animations of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake scenario are now available to the public at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/simulations/shakeout/.

Gas Hydrates on Alaska's North Slope Hold One of Nation's Largest Deposits of Technically Recoverable Natural Gas
Released: 11/12/2008 11:41:15 AM (Share)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and U.S. Geological Survey Director Mark Myers today released a USGS assessment estimating that there are 85.4 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable gas from natural gas hydrates on the Alaskan North Slope. This would be enough natural gas to heat more than 100 million average homes for 10 years, according to current usage rates provided by the Energy Information Administration. However, further research, including long-term production tests, still is needed to demonstrate gas hydrates as an economically producible resource.

One-Stop Web Shop for USGS Great ShakeOut Science Resources Now Open
Released: 11/10/2008 7:17:56 AM (Share)
You can now view video interviews, see earthquake animations and impacts, download high-resolution imagery and much more, all related to the USGS science behind the Great Southern California ShakeOut, all in one place: www.usgs.gov/shakeout.

Media Advisory: USGS Animations Show Intense Ground Shaking From 7.8 Great ShakeOut Scenario Quake
Released: 11/10/2008 6:14:47 AM (Share)
New 3-D animations showing the way ground in the Southern California would move and shake during the very strong 7.8 earthquake scenario planned for the Great Southern California ShakeOut will be shown and available to the media on November 12.

What Would a Great Earthquake do to the Buildings in Downtown Los Angeles?
Released: 11/6/2008 1:53:46 PM (Share)
A great earthquake along the southern San Andreas Fault could cause many tall buildings to collapse in Los Angeles, explains USGS earthquake expert Dr. Ken Hudnut in a new video interview.

 

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