2020 has been a busy and
productive year for the
U.S. Geological Survey.
We continued our mission by
delivering high-quality
scientific information
our sister DOI bureaus,
other Federal agencies, Tribes,
States, municipalities,
and the public.
The year began with our
response to on-going
seismic activity in Southwest
Puerto Rico that produced
dozens of damaging
earthquakes and debris flows.
In partnership with the state of
California, we conducted the
first-ever statewide
public testing
of the California Earthquake
Early Warning System, powered by
USGS ShakeAlerts. These alerts
provide residents with critical
seconds to take protective
action before a quake hits.
In Oregon and Washington,
we expanded our
National Volcano
Early Warning System to deliver
life-saving eruption alerts for
Americans living near
Mount Hood and Mount Rainier.
During the 2020 fire season,
we provided real-time
situational awareness
in the form of imagery, data,
and tools,
helping land- and resource
managers make
sound decisions before, during,
and after wildland fires
For example, first responders
used USGS maps showing
potential for post-fire debris
flows to safely stage personnel
and equipment.
The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane
season was one of the busiest
the Nation has faced.
We deployed dozens of scientists
and technicians along the
Atlantic and Gulf Coasts to
collect valuable data to
inform emergency planning
and response before, during,
and after the storms.
During the coronavirus
pandemic, crews kept our
network of about 11,300
streamgages working properly.
This information is relied
upon by the National Weather
Service, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, and FEMA.
Nearly 85% of the Nation’s
rivers and streams are now
mapped in high resolution.
The National Hydrography
Dataset, or NHDPlus HR,
provides geospatial information
that supports decisions
about water
quality and availability, flood
risk management, and
coastal change monitoring.
We have developed a
Next Generation Water
Observing System or NGWOS,
which will provide real-time
data on water quantity and
quality more rapidly and
in more locations helping states
and municipalities manage
water and plan for floods
and drought.
Invasive species cost the
U.S. more than $1 billion
each year.
In 2020, we improved
eDNA sample-collection and
analysis standards to speed
processing and lower costs.
We collaborated with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
to more effectively and
efficiently use eDNA
for early detection of
invasive Asian carp to prevent
their establishment in the
Great Lakes and to
help the National Park Service
determine where to focus
efforts to control invasive
pythons in the Everglades.
The infectious chronic
wasting disease is fatal to
animals in the deer family.
We are developing strategies
for early detection
and identifying
environmental factors that
may facilitate transmission.
FWS, the NPS, and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
use this information to make
informed, effective
conservation decisions.
The USGS 3D Elevation Program,
or 3DEP, worked with
partners to acquire nearly
155,000 square miles
of high-quality 3D elevation
data during 2020, reaching
70% of our goal
of nationwide coverage by 2023.
We developed and
tested the Landsat 9
ground system in preparation
for its launch next year.
2020 also saw completion
of the architectural design
studies for the Landsat
NEXT satellite.
The USGS Landsat data
archive provides high-quality
images to the public.
In March 2020,
the archive hit an
extraordinary milestone,
marking 100 million
images downloaded.
When NASA’s Perseverance
rover lands on Mars in 2021,
it will be equipped with the
most precise maps of the
Red Planet ever created,
ensuring a safe rover landing.
We assessed oil and
gas resources in the
Marcellus Shale and Point
Pleasant-Utica Shale
formations of the
Appalachian Basin.
Additional 2020 assessments
include the National Petroleum
Reserve in Alaska and
adjacent offshore waters in
cooperation with the
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, and Alaska’s
Central North Slope in
support of Secretarial
Order 3352.
We partnered with
the Department of Energy
to map lithium and other
rare earth elements and
critical mineral resources
in western Nevada.
These materials are essential
for batteries and electronics
as well as renewable energy.
Geothermal energy has
the potential to be an
important source of electric
power. In 2020,
we announced a new partnership
with DOE to locate
undiscovered
geothermal resources.
Changes to our Earth
systems will create new
challenges for the safety,
security, and sustainability
of our Nation and for
the stewardship of land,
water, mineral, energy,
and ecosystem resources.
In 2020, we developed
a bold vision for how
we will plan, conduct,
and deliver our science
to the Nation in the
coming decades.
This 21st Century Science
Strategy capitalizes on our
multidisciplinary expertise and
embraces emerging technologies
such as artificial intelligence,
machine learning,
and high-performance and
cloud computing.
A key element of this
plan is an integrated,
predictive science capability
called Earth Monitoring,
Analyses and Prediction,
or EarthMAP.
When fully realized,
EarthMAP will enable us
to deliver actionable
intelligence to our
partners at the speed and
scales they need to wisely
manage the Nation’s natural
resources, save lives and
property, and promote
economic prosperity.
Looking forward to 2021
and beyond, we will begin
implementing our
21st Century Science Strategy.
We will launch an
integrated science pilot
project in the Colorado
River Basin that will
engage stakeholders and
leverage advanced technologies
to deliver answers to
the complex earth
science questions
related to drought.
USGS: providing
science for a changing
world and leading the
way in ensuring the safety,
security, and prosperity of
American communities
for generations to come.