USGS Multimedia Gallery Video Set for: Ecosystems

Scuba Divers Catalogue Aquatic Life

srubin - at - usgs.gov (Steve Rubin) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:00:00 EDT

Scuba-diver scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey explore and catalogue the effect of released sediment on marine life following the nation�s largest dam removal effort.

The Floating Marshes of Louisiana: A Unique Ecosystem

mckeek - at - usgs.gov (Karen L. McKee) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Extensive floating marshes occur in a few locations around the world. Papyrus swamps of tropical Africa occur along the White Nile, the Okavango and Niger deltas, and along the shoreline of Lake Victoria. There are extensive Phragmites swamps in the Danube Delta in Romania. Seasonal and permanent floating meadows are found in the middle Amazon flood plain. In the Mississippi River Delta Plain, there are large expanses of floating marsh, which are the focus of this video. This unique ecosystem is dominated by a variety of grasses and forbs, which can create a buoyant mat that floats on a layer of water. How these marshes form and some of their unique features are described.

Land Area Change in Coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2010)

twilleyr - at - usgs.gov (Ryan M. Twilley) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Coastal Louisiana wetlands make up the seventh largest delta on Earth, contain about 37 percent of the estuarine herbaceous marshes in the conterminous United States, and support the largest commercial fishery in the lower 48 States. These wetlands are in peril because Louisiana currently undergoes about 90 percent of the total coastal wetland loss in the continental United States. Documenting and understanding the occurrence and rates of wetland loss are necessary for effective planning, protection, and restoration activities. USGS land change analyses show that coastal Louisiana has undergone a net change in land area of about -1,883 square miles (mi2) from 1932 to 2010, or an area equivalent to the size the of State of Delaware. This net change in land area amounts to a decrease of about 25 percent of the 1932 land area. Trend analyses from 1985 to 2010 show a wetland loss rate of 16.57 mi2 per year. If this loss were to occur at a constant rate, it would equate to Louisiana losing an area the size of one football field per hour, or an area greater than the size of the Island of Manhattan every year.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

J. Harold Hudson — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Former U.S. Geological Survey geologist Gene Shinn has been documenting coral reef conditions in the Florida Keys for 50 years. During those decades coral conditions have changed dramatically in the Caribbean and Florida Keys. Coral disease and bleaching events have led to the decline of certain types of coral species. Ocean acidification could lead to further impacts on coral reefs. These videos show Shinn snorkeling in the Keys on the 50th year since he began documenting coral reef conditions and taking photographs of coral reefs in their current state. Sea fans and gorgonian corals are seen in abundance in the area as well as various types of coral diseases such as black band disease.

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

J. Harold Hudson — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

J. Harold Hudson — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Scientific Diving: Invasive Species Research at Flathead Lake Montana

jdallen - at - usgs.gov (Jeff Allen) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EDT

USGS - GLSC SCUBA divers search Flathead Lake, MT for zebra mussels after water quality samples detected the presence of a larval stage. The dive team did not find evidence of adult zebra mussels.

Stormwater, Impervious Surface, and Stream Health

daharned - at - usgs.gov (Douglas Harned) — Thu, 9 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Urban development is associated with an increase in impervious surfaces, that is, surfaces such as rooftops, sidewalks, and streets that prevent precipitation from infiltrating into the groundwater. Impervious surfaces increase the volume and energy of stormwater that reaches streams and can lead to adverse physical and water quality impacts, including erosions and increased nutrient runoff. In this video USGS scientist Tom Cuffney and Tom Schueler, director of the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, discuss the effects of impervious surfaces on stream health.

The Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems (extended) Part I: Introduction

Thu, 3 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Part one of a three part series on how development can have negative effects on streams in urban and suburban areas. As a watershed becomes covered with pavement, sidewalks, and other types of urban land cover, stream organisms are confronted with an increased volume of storm water runoff, increased exposure to fertilizers and pesticides, and dramatic changes in physical living spaces within the stream itself.

The Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems (extended) Part II: Study Design

Thu, 3 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Part two of a three part series on how development can have negative effects on streams in urban and suburban areas. As a watershed becomes covered with pavement, sidewalks, and other types of urban land cover, stream organisms are confronted with an increased volume of storm water runoff, increased exposure to fertilizers and pesticides, and dramatic changes in physical living spaces within the stream itself.

The Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems (extended) Part III: Study Results

Thu, 3 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Part three of a three part series on how development can have negative effects on streams in urban and suburban areas. As a watershed becomes covered with pavement, sidewalks, and other types of urban land cover, stream organisms are confronted with an increased volume of storm water runoff, increased exposure to fertilizers and pesticides, and dramatic changes in physical living spaces within the stream itself.