WGSC contributes to HayWired
The GFSAD30 project accomplished their goal!
Dryland Management
Aridland Water Harvesting
Cienega Ranch
Semi-desert Native Grassland Restoration
Semi-desert Native Grassland Restoration
Western Geographic Science Center
The WGSC is responsible for research and applications to understand coupled human-environmental systems in the face of land change and delivering pertinent information to decision makers on the vulnerability and resilience of these systems. WGSC scientists collaborate with partners to advance the goals of the USGS Core Science Systems and Ecosystems Mission Areas and their programs.
Dr. Prasad Thenkabail visits India in Scientist Exchange Program
Dr. Prasad Thenkabail visits India in Scientist Exchange Program
Congratulations to Dr. Prasad Thenkabail, Research Geographer at WGSC, who represented the Department of Interior at the NASA and Indian Space Research Organization Professional Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program. Congratulations Prasad!
Dr Laura Norman wins the Farouk El-Baz Award
Dr Laura Norman wins the Farouk El-Baz Award
Congratulations to Dr. Laura Norman, who won the Farouk El-Bak Award for desert research!
Projects and teams at WGSC
Projects and teams at WGSC
Just a few examples of WGSC projects and science teams.
- Hazards Vulnerability Team
- Global Food Security-Support Analysis Data at 30 m (GFSAD30)
- Hazards Societal Consequences and Risk Communication
- Land-Use and Climate Change Team (LUCC)
- Aridlands Water Harvest Study
- Applied Landscape Ecology and Remote Sensing
- Patterns in the Landscape – Analyses of Cause and Effect (PLACE)
News
Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast
Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast
Dr Laura Norman wins the 2024 Farouk El-Baz Award
Dr Laura Norman wins the 2024 Farouk El-Baz Award
The science that transformed a dry streambed into an oasis
The science that transformed a dry streambed into an oasis
Publications
Federal lands greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration in the United States: Estimates for 2005–22
In 2016, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior requested that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produce a publicly available and annually updated database of estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction and use of fossil fuels from Federal lands. The first report in this series included emissions estimates from 2005 to 2014 and were reported for 29 States and tw
Soil cover heterogeneity associated with biocrusts predicts patch-level plant diversity patterns
ContextSoil resource heterogeneity drives plant species diversity patterns at local and landscape scales. In drylands, biocrusts are patchily distributed and contribute to soil resource heterogeneity important for plant establishment and growth. Yet, we have a limited understanding of how such heterogeneity may relate to patterns of plant diversity and community structure.ObjectivesWe explored rel
Machine learning and new-generation spaceborne hyperspectral data advance crop type mapping
Hyperspectral sensors provide near-continuous spectral data that can facilitate advancements in agricultural crop classification and characterization, which are important for addressing global food and water security issues. We investigated two new-generation hyperspectral sensors, Germany’s Deutsches Zentrum für Luft‐ und Raumfahrt Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS) and Italy’s PRecursore
Science
Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations
Eighteen USGS coastal scientists from all four coasts of the conterminous United States are working together to advance the understanding of climate change and sea-level rise impacts to coastal wetlands.
By
California Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Young and Young at Heart
Young and Young-at-Heart is an early-career group based at Moffett Field, CA.
Impacts of Anthropogenic Land Cover Changes on Wildlife Bioenergetics and Landscape Connectivity
In order to maintain viable populations, wildlife require not only contiguous habitat but also the bodily ability to move through the landscape. The spatial expansion of human development can block or slow the movement of wildlife.