Monday, July 23rd, 2012
To keep pace with the growing demand for the latest map coverage of the United States, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been building a national map series named the US Topo. Nearly 690 revised digital maps covering Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont have been added to approximately 51,000 maps currently covering
Monday, July 23rd, 2012
Engineers at Orbital Sciences Corporation, Gilbert, Ariz., have installed the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) instrument back onto to the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) spacecraft. With both the Operational Land Imager (OLI) and TIRS instruments now on the spacecraft, LDCM is a complete observatory.
Wednesday, July 18th, 2012
For the first time, about 70 percent of a country has been mapped using an advanced remote sensing technique known as hyperspectral imaging. In order to assist Afghanistan in understanding their abundant natural resources, in particular the development of an economically viable minerals market, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Defense Task Force
Thursday, July 12th, 2012
Humans have dramatically altered wildlands in the western United States over the past 100 years by using these lands and the resources they provide. Anthropogenic changes to the landscape, such as urban expansion and development of rural areas, influence the number and kinds of plants and wildlife that remain. In addition, western ecosystems are also
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
The U.S. Geolgoical Survey, along with the Wyoming State Geological Survey, have released a detailed energy map of southwestern Wyoming. The map captures details on coal and wind energy resources, along with the infrastructure to transport the energy. The project was developed as a component of the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI).
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
As the climate has warmed, many plants are starting to grow leaves and bloom flowers earlier. A new study published in the journal, Nature, suggests that most field experiments may underestimate the degree to which the timing of leafing and flowering changes with global warming.
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
Thanks to citizen-scientists around the country, the USA National Phenology Network hit a major milestone this week by reaching its one millionth nature observation. The millionth observation was done by Lucille Tower, a citizen-scientist in Portland, Ore., who entered a record about seeing maple vines flowering. Her data, like all of the entries, came in
Thursday, April 19th, 2012
In 1884, the second USGS Director John Wesley Powell briefed Congress the need for a national mapping program, stating, “The map once constructed should be enduring…” In keeping with that spirit, The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has publicly released more than 161,000 digitally scanned historical maps spanning in excess of 130 years and covering the
Friday, April 13th, 2012
Nearly two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the meticulous, long-term efforts of scientists finally yielded the official results: namely, that the brown, wilted, dying corals found at the Mississippi Canyon lease block 294 were indeed damaged by a plume of oil from the spill. For many, it seemed a foregone conclusion. Back in
Thursday, April 12th, 2012
Spring rains in the eastern Horn of Africa are projected to begin late this year and be substantially lower than normal.From March – May, the rains are expected to total only 60 to 85 percentage of the average rainfall in this region. This is a significant deterioration compared to earlier forecasts. Lower rain amounts would
