Photograph of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) taken during a UAS mission in Utah

Please don’t walk on the biocrust!

Photograph of biological soil crusts (biocrusts) taken by Lance Brady (USGS NUSO) during a UAS mission at the USGS Canyonlands Research Station long-term biocrust monitoring site near Moab, Utah. Biocrusts are made up of organisms that help with maintaining soil moisture and providing for soil stability. Biocrusts are common in arid landscapes and are very fragile needing numerous years to recover after they are disturbed. The micro topographic features of these specific crusts are from winter freeze/thaw cycles. 

Researchers from the NUSO, USGS Canyonlands Research Center, USGS Western Geographic Science Center, and the University of Arizona School of Natural Resources and the Environment teamed up in February 2022 for a biocrust remote sensing and field data campaign near Moab, Utah to enable cross-scale observations of biocrust presence, composition, and behavior changes in response to climate change.