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See our science through the images below.

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A turtle mosaic made from broken tiles
A sea turtle mosaic made from the field station's broken floor tiles
A sea turtle mosaic made from the field station's broken floor tiles
A sea turtle mosaic made from the field station's broken floor tiles

After Hurricane Michael obliterated Fish Inn, the sea turtle research team's field station, team members salvaged some of the building's floor tiles and made this sea turtle mosaic, which they plan to eventually install in a new field station.

After Hurricane Michael obliterated Fish Inn, the sea turtle research team's field station, team members salvaged some of the building's floor tiles and made this sea turtle mosaic, which they plan to eventually install in a new field station.

root nodules
Alder root nodules
Alder root nodules
Alder root nodules

Root nodules are a symbiotic relationship between a plant and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. A symbiotic relationship is one where both organisms benefit. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria change inorganic nitrogen from the air into ammonia, a form of nitrogen most organisms can use.

Root nodules are a symbiotic relationship between a plant and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. A symbiotic relationship is one where both organisms benefit. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria change inorganic nitrogen from the air into ammonia, a form of nitrogen most organisms can use.

scientist Miriam Jones holds a peat core in a bog
Miriam Jones holds a peat core in Alaska
Miriam Jones holds a peat core in Alaska
Miriam Jones holds a peat core in Alaska

Miriam Jones holding a peat core that was extracted from a thawed permafrost bog at the Alaska Permafrost Experiment (APEX) site at Bonanza Creek LTER, Alaska. The boundary between the formerly frozen permafrost plateau and thawed bog is visible in the peat stratigraphy, with the light-colored peat indicated thawed bog.

Miriam Jones holding a peat core that was extracted from a thawed permafrost bog at the Alaska Permafrost Experiment (APEX) site at Bonanza Creek LTER, Alaska. The boundary between the formerly frozen permafrost plateau and thawed bog is visible in the peat stratigraphy, with the light-colored peat indicated thawed bog.

two otters - a baby and mom - relax on their backs in Glacier Bay, AK
Otter mom feed pup in Glacier Bay, AK
Otter mom feed pup in Glacier Bay, AK
Otter mom feed pup in Glacier Bay, AK

A sea otter mother feeds her pup in Glacier Bay, Alaska. USGS researchers study sea otter distribution and abundance in Alaska and other parts of the country.

A sea otter mother feeds her pup in Glacier Bay, Alaska. USGS researchers study sea otter distribution and abundance in Alaska and other parts of the country.

Photo of the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Tethys’
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Tethys’
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Tethys’
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) ‘Tethys’

The USGS along with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) funded a pilot study to use a long-range AUV to study limnology of Lake Michigan. The AUV is pictured here being deployed in Lake Michigan to document variation in algae productivity at a whole-lake scale and compare 3-D spatial patterns in chlorophyll a to satellite estimates.

The USGS along with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) funded a pilot study to use a long-range AUV to study limnology of Lake Michigan. The AUV is pictured here being deployed in Lake Michigan to document variation in algae productivity at a whole-lake scale and compare 3-D spatial patterns in chlorophyll a to satellite estimates.

A dark salamander with bright blue spots rest on a moss-covered log
Blue spotted salamander
Blue spotted salamander
Blue spotted salamander

Eastern Iowa Ambystoma laterale - Blue-spotted Salamander. USGS ARMI photo by Evan S. Grimes

Eastern Iowa Ambystoma laterale - Blue-spotted Salamander. USGS ARMI photo by Evan S. Grimes

A spotted lizard shaped animal with red, frilly gills at the base of its head is in shallow water
Gulf Coast Waterdog - Necturus beyeri
Gulf Coast Waterdog - Necturus beyeri
Gulf Coast Waterdog - Necturus beyeri

Source: USGS National Wetlands Research Center. Photographer: Brad M. Glorioso. St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana

Necturus beyeri - Gulf Coast Waterdog

Source: USGS National Wetlands Research Center. Photographer: Brad M. Glorioso. St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana

Necturus beyeri - Gulf Coast Waterdog

Map of AK showing probability of change occurrence
Map of AK showing probability of change occurrence
Map of AK showing probability of change occurrence
Map of AK showing probability of change occurrence

Map of Alaska showing probability (%) of change occurrence. Insets show fire boundaries from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Large Fire Database and Landsat 8 imagery (bottom right; 2016) north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Map of Alaska showing probability (%) of change occurrence. Insets show fire boundaries from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Large Fire Database and Landsat 8 imagery (bottom right; 2016) north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Image collage of USGS Ecosystems Mission Area scientists in the field.
Image collage of USGS Ecosystems Mission Area scientists in the field.
Image collage of USGS Ecosystems Mission Area scientists in the field.
Image collage of USGS Ecosystems Mission Area scientists in the field.

Image collage of USGS Ecosystems Mission Area scientists in the field. 

Juvenile salt marsh harvest mouse
Juvenile Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)
Juvenile Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)
Juvenile Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)

USGS wildlife biologists holding a juvenile salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris). The species is listed as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

USGS wildlife biologists holding a juvenile salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris). The species is listed as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

bee approaching a flower
Male leafcutting bee (Megachile) approaching an Origanum
Male leafcutting bee (Megachile) approaching an Origanum
Male leafcutting bee (Megachile) approaching an Origanum

The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is an introduced species common to Southwest Idaho. They originate from the old world, most likely from northeastern Africa or the Middle East. These bees are successful pollinators of various crops and have been imported to North America for use in agriculture and beekeeping.

The alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is an introduced species common to Southwest Idaho. They originate from the old world, most likely from northeastern Africa or the Middle East. These bees are successful pollinators of various crops and have been imported to North America for use in agriculture and beekeeping.

Photo Dakota buckwheat
Dakota buckwheat flowers
Dakota buckwheat flowers
Dakota buckwheat flowers

Photograph of the flowers of Dakota wild buckwheat (Eriogonum visheri).

It is native to the Great Plains in the United States, where it is known from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

Photograph of the flowers of Dakota wild buckwheat (Eriogonum visheri).

It is native to the Great Plains in the United States, where it is known from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

Aquatic insect eggs laid on a rock at the water line in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Aquatic insect eggs just above the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Aquatic insect eggs just above the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Aquatic insect eggs just above the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon

Aquatic insect eggs are laid on rocks just at the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and here they are exposed as the water levels fluctuate. Aquatic insects are an important part of the food base in the Colorado River, providing food for fish, bats, and birds. Aquatic insects need to stay damp to survive and hatch.

Aquatic insect eggs are laid on rocks just at the waterline along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon and here they are exposed as the water levels fluctuate. Aquatic insects are an important part of the food base in the Colorado River, providing food for fish, bats, and birds. Aquatic insects need to stay damp to survive and hatch.

Flames from the Woodbury Fire at Tonto National Monument
Flames from the Woodbury Fire rise above Tonto National Monument
Flames from the Woodbury Fire rise above Tonto National Monument
Flames from the Woodbury Fire rise above Tonto National Monument

Flames from the Woodbury Fire rise above Tonto National Monument.

Satellite photos of Cape San Blas, Florida before and after Hurricane Michael
Cape San Blas Road, before and after a Category 5 hurricane
Cape San Blas Road, before and after a Category 5 hurricane
Cape San Blas Road, before and after a Category 5 hurricane

These two NOAA satellite images show Cape San Blas Road in the Florida Panhandle town of Cape San Blas before Hurricane Michael, and after the Category 5 storm. The red circle shows where the USGS sea turtle researchers' field station and seasonal home once stood. The building was demolished down to the concrete slab.

These two NOAA satellite images show Cape San Blas Road in the Florida Panhandle town of Cape San Blas before Hurricane Michael, and after the Category 5 storm. The red circle shows where the USGS sea turtle researchers' field station and seasonal home once stood. The building was demolished down to the concrete slab.

USGS presentation title slide for GenEst, A Generalized Estimator of Mortality
Slide 1 26Nov2018 NWCC GenEst Workshop
Slide 1 26Nov2018 NWCC GenEst Workshop
Slide 1 26Nov2018 NWCC GenEst Workshop

Opening slide for the Intro to GenEst, A Generalized Estimator of Mortality, Workshop held at the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative's Wind Wildlife Research Meeting XII on November 26, 2018 in St. Paul Minnesota.

Opening slide for the Intro to GenEst, A Generalized Estimator of Mortality, Workshop held at the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative's Wind Wildlife Research Meeting XII on November 26, 2018 in St. Paul Minnesota.

owl
Burrowing Owl at LAX Dunes Preserve
Burrowing Owl at LAX Dunes Preserve
Burrowing Owl at LAX Dunes Preserve

A burrowing owl, captured by a wildlife camera, standing next to the enterence of its den.

A burrowing owl, captured by a wildlife camera, standing next to the enterence of its den.

Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment
Manatee Health Assessment

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida.

USGS conducts a health assessment on a mantee in Crystal River, Florida.

A dead golden eagle with a transmitter attached to its back lays on a rock and grass covered hillside. Snow is shown in the b
Dead golden eagle with transmitter
Dead golden eagle with transmitter
Dead golden eagle with transmitter

In August of 2018 this adult female golden eagle was captured and outfitted with a GPS transmitter. You can see the transmitter on the eagle’s back, below the head. This was the first golden eagle ever captured as part of a research project in Yellowstone National Park.

In August of 2018 this adult female golden eagle was captured and outfitted with a GPS transmitter. You can see the transmitter on the eagle’s back, below the head. This was the first golden eagle ever captured as part of a research project in Yellowstone National Park.

A vegetated sandy coastline with water at low tide, and a strip of land in the distance with houses
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Dauphin Island, Alabama

A view of a vegetated inland coastline overlooking the water on Dauphin Island, Alabama. The island protects mainland Alabama’s coastal communities and resources from storms, while also providing recreational opportunities (fishing, beach tourism, etc.) and other economic benefits to the local community and state.

A view of a vegetated inland coastline overlooking the water on Dauphin Island, Alabama. The island protects mainland Alabama’s coastal communities and resources from storms, while also providing recreational opportunities (fishing, beach tourism, etc.) and other economic benefits to the local community and state.

A low-lying, flat sandy area with water on both sides and a bridge in the distance
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Dauphin Island, Alabama
Dauphin Island, Alabama

A panoramic view on Dauphin Island, Alabama. The island protects mainland Alabama’s coastal communities and resources from storms, while also providing recreational opportunities (fishing, beach tourism, etc.) and other economic benefits to the local community and state.

A panoramic view on Dauphin Island, Alabama. The island protects mainland Alabama’s coastal communities and resources from storms, while also providing recreational opportunities (fishing, beach tourism, etc.) and other economic benefits to the local community and state.