Joint trend analysis of streamflow and groundwater on a national scale is a critical step toward understanding how national water budget components respond concurrently and interactively to environmental drivers. A new USGS study shows that groundwater and streamflow don’t always respond...Read more

Coastal communities are facing a hidden threat that is making rising seas far more dangerous: the land beneath them is sinking. New research shows that people in densely populated coastal regions experience an average relative sea-level rise of about 6...Read more

Here in the Southeast, drought is no stranger, and this summer it is impacting communities and rivers in the region just as in many other parts of the country. In North Carolina, much of the state has been in severe or extreme drought...Read more

Natural and engineered sand dunes serve as barriers to protect against storms. Engineered sand dunes, called "Nature-based Solutions", are increasingly being used for coastal protection, yet their effectiveness remains understudied. New research finds that dunes' flood protection benefits depend not...Read more

A new USGS study estimates that adult humpback chub in western Grand Canyon increased roughly 160-fold between 2010 and 2024, a large population increase within this river segment, even as the long-term resilience of the population overall remains unknown.Read more

World Nature Conservation Day is July 28. It is more important than ever to speak up and make your voice heard for our nation’s rivers. We know there is a lot going on in the world that can make it...Read more

World Nature Conservation Day is July 28. It is more important than ever to speak up and make your voice heard for our nation’s rivers. We know there is a lot going on in the world that can make it...Read more

By Karl BlankenshipBay Journal, July 20, 2026Last fall on Marshyhope Creek, which flows into the Nanticoke River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, biologists found something they thought they might never see: six adult female sturgeon that appeared ready to spawn. Read more

Excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in streams can lead to the need for costly water treatment and ecosystem management. New USGS nutrient models examine how nutrients move from landscape to streams, including how past pollution affects water quality...Read more

Excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus in streams can lead to the need for costly water treatment and ecosystem management. New USGS nutrient models examine how nutrients move from landscape to streams, including how past pollution affects water quality...Read more

Scientists have identified a hidden feedback loop that may explain how Earth has regulated its climate for tens of millions of years. As sea levels rose and fell, they changed how much phosphate reached the open ocean, affecting marine life...Read more

Sediment washing into coral reefs from land has long been viewed as one of the biggest threats to reef health. But new research from USGS and collaborators indicates that what happens after sediment reaches the reef may be just as...Read more

Scientists discovered that extreme deep-sea pressure squeezes valuable nutrients out of sinking organic particles, providing an unexpected food source for ocean microbes. The finding could rewrite our understanding of both deep-ocean ecosystems and how carbon is stored on Earth.Read more

The Colorado River, from one viewpoint, is a mess. The iconic waterway, fundamental to the region’s modern existence – its desert metropolises, its high-tech industries, its agriculture, and its recreation economy – is on the verge of crashing. A two-decade...Read more

Coral disease is now one of the major causes of reef degradation and coral mortality. Tune into Friday's Findings to learn how USGS researchers are studying an emerging threat, stony coral tissue loss disease.Read more