UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY (USGS)
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
The United States Geological
Survey (USGS) is the primary U.S. government agency studying the Earth.
The mission of the USGS is to “(1) describe and understand the Earth, (2)
minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters, (3) manage water,
biological, energy, and mineral resources, and (4) enhance and protect
our quality of life.” To these ends, the USGS has a number of divisions
and programs, links to some of these are given below.
Coastal and Marine Geology Program
The Coastal and Marine
Geology Program focuses on environmental concerns, natural hazards, and
natural resources that are particular to the coastal regions and offshore
environments.
The Geologic Hazards page
offers links to the topics Earthquakes, Landslides, Geomagnetism, and Interactive
Maps.
General information on
earthquakes, including hazards and preparedness.
National Earthquake Information Center
More detailed information
on earthquakes. The mission of the NEIC is to (1) determine the location
and size of all major earthquakes worldwide, (2) provide an extensive seismic
database to scientists and the public, and (3) to improve its ability to
locate earthquakes and understand earthquake mechanisms.
This site is a source of
general and detailed information on landslide hazards for scientists and
the general public.
The National Mapping Information
Web site is a source of information on mapping, printed and electronic
map data, educational resources. Includes Ask USGS -- Earth Science Information
Center, a for USGS products and educational resources, and Microsoft TerraServer,
a source for digital orthophoto quadrangles.
The Energy Resources Program
(1) assesses our energy resources, (2) studies the environmental effects
of the occurrence and exploitation of energy resources, and (3) serves
a national source of geoscience information on energy.
The Mineral Resources Program
is a source of information on the occurrence, quality, quantity and availability
of our mineral resources.
Water Resources of the United States
This site provides information for scientists and the public on our surface and ground water resources. Topics include Data, Publications and Products, Technical Resources, Programs, Local Information, and Connections.
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS
AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA is the major U.S.
organization doing space research. NASA conducts studies of our solar system
and conducts exploration of space, as well as studying the Earth from space.
Some of NASA’s numerous divisions and programs are listed below.
Part of NASA’s mission
is to study the Earth from space using technologies such as the Earth Observing
System (EOS). NASA’s studies of the Earth focus on the behavior and processes
of the atmosphere, oceans, and land surface.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) is the major U.S. center for robotic exploration of the solar system.
JPL is managed by the California Institute of Technology, and is a source
of general and technical information.
National Space Science Data Center
The National Space Science
Data Center (NSSDC) is a source of scientific data from NASA and some other
sources. In addition to technical information, NSSDC includes educational
and public outreach information and a photo gallery.
NASA’s Office of Space Science conducts studies of “astronomy, the solar system, and the sun and its interactions with Earth.” Important Projects of the Office of Space Science include the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Lunar Prospector, Galileo, Mars Global Surveyor, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and Deep Space 1 (ion propulsion engines).
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND
ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
NOAA is the primary government
agency studying our oceans and our atmosphere. Its strategic goals are
environmental assessment (including short-term warnings and forecasts,
seasonal to interannual climate forecasts, assessment and predictions of
decadal to centennial change, and promotion of safe navigation) and environmental
stewardship (build sustainable fisheries, recover protected species, and
sustain healthy coastal ecosystems). Three of NOAA’s major division are
listed below.
The primary role of the
National Ocean Service (NOS) is coastal stewardship, focusing on these
four areas: healthy coasts, navigation, coastal and ocean science, and
coastal hazards. The NOS provides nautical charts, tide and current information,
and geodetic data.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an important source of information on all aspects of our weather. The NWS provides information on current conditions, forecasts, warnings, storm predictions, marine weather, extended forecasts, as well as information on flooding and natural hazard statistics.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
The Smithsonian Institution
holds “some 140 million artifacts and specimens” in its trust for ‘the
increase and diffusion of knowledge.’” The Smithsonian Institutions is
composed of sixteen museums, the National Zoo, and research centers in
the United States and abroad. Two of the Smithsonian’s museums are important
resources for earth and space science information.
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of
Natural History houses one of the worlds finest collections of fossils,
minerals, and gems. Scientists at the Museum conduct important research
in their fields and a large percentage of the museums collections remain
out of view to the public, but available to scientists for research.
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Smithsonian Institution scientists conduct research in astronomy and astrophysics in conjunction with scientists from Harvard University. In addition to its headquarters in Cambridge, MA, the Smithsonian has research facilities in Arizona, Hawaii, and other locales.
U.S. GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH
PROGRAM (USGCRP)
U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)
The U.S. Global Change
Research Program is an interagency program created by a Presidential Initiative
in 1989. This research program looks at all factors that may contribute
to global climate change, and involves researchers at NASA, NOAA, the Smithsonian
Institution, and other federal agencies.
This page
was created by Robert
Tolliver on October 3, 1999.