Photo Roundup - Coastal Change Hazards

The atmospheric river, a narrow, powerful track of water vapor that delivers tremendous volumes of rain, hit the central California coast and stalled there between January 26 and 28, 2021 — with catastrophic consequences. The area around Rat Creek, about 20 miles south of Big Sur's town center, received more than 8 inches of rain during a 2-day period, according to the National Weather Service. Rainwater washed dead trees, ash, mud, and rock downslope, a result of large areas of scorched land from the 2020 summer wildfire season. Drain pipes that run below Highway 1 were clogged with the debris and were eventually overwhelmed, causing the massive blow-out of Highway 1. On January 29th, a USGS reconnaissance flight snapped this dramatic photo above the Rat Creek drainage showing the debris flow. Such photos collected over time are precisely analyzed and used to make measurements of cliff movement. This information can help inform emergency managers of specific areas with the potential for future landslides and cliff collapse that threaten coastal communities.

A breach in the coastline of Rodanthe, North Carolina, caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011. Repeated storm impacts, combined with sea level rise, make the development and improvement of models that help forecast coastal change very important to planners working to build more resilient communities

During Hurricane Sandy a breach developed along Fire Island, NY.

This GIF shows a time lapse before and after Hurricane Sandy caused a breach on Fire Island on October 29, 2012. The breach formed a new inlet that connected the Atlantic Ocean with the Great South Bay. The breach remains a relatively stable yet dynamic feature.

USGS staffers on beach making bathymetric survey of Long Island barrier-island breach from Hurricane Sandy.

The USGS, in collaboration with U.S Army Corps of Engineers, used an amphibious vehicle to survey the breach and adjacent coastline.

(Credit: Owen Brenner, USGS. Public domain.)

Winter storm erosion of coastal bluffs at Ocean Beach, San Francisco in 2010.

Learn more: Dynamic coastlines along the western U.S.

Bluff erosion during the 2009–10 El Niño undermined the Great Highway guardrail at the southern end of Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California. The shoreline eroded, on average, 55 meters that winter, leading to lane closures on the highway and an emergency $5-million revetment along the base of this bluff. Photo taken by Jeff Hansen, USGS, 20 January 2010.

Learn more: Dynamic coastlines along the western U.S.

Severe coastal bluff erosion, along the southern end of Ocean Beach, San Francisco, California. This storm damage occurred during the 2009-2010 El Niño, which, on average, eroded the shoreline 55 meters that winter.

Learn more: Dynamic coastlines along the western U.S.

Unusually high tides, sometimes called "king tides," offer a preview of coastal flooding likely to result from rising sea level. In this photograph, taken during a king tide on February 17, 2011, waves overtop Pier 14 in San Francisco, California.

Learn more: Dynamic coastlines along the western U.S. and Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS).

Homes along the edge of the coast in Isla Vista, California, Santa Barbara County, face a short lifespan because of eroding bluffs that support them.

Learn more: Dynamic coastlines along the western U.S.

Residents in the northern part of the capital city of Majuro in the Marshall Islands watch as their neighborhood floods with seawater during a king tide. This high tide followed flooding from storm surge earlier that day (March 3, 2014).

Learn more: Low-lying areas of tropical Pacific islands.

On March 2, 2014, 5-meter-high waves with 15-second periods struck Roi-Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll, during spring high tides, causing the largest overwash event in the Republic of the Marshall Islands since 2008.

Learn more: The Impact of Sea-Level Rise and Climate Change on Pacific Ocean Atolls, and Low-lying areas of tropical Pacific islands.

Damage as seen in Natori, Japan, in May 2011. The March 11, 2011 magnitude 9.1 earthquake off the east coast of Japan caused an epic tsunami. USGS scientist standing near the wrecked boat, and a car on the road, provide scale. Damage to the building indicates a 10-meter flow depth.

Learn more about the March 11, 2011 Japan tsunami: Survey Team Visits Japan, May 2011; Pre-tsunami Japan: April 2010; and Preliminary simulations of the 2011 Japan tsunami.

(Credit: Bruce Jaffe, USGS. Public domain.)

Boat carried inland by tsunami that struck Sumatra on December 26, 2004.

Learn more about the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: Initial Findings from Sumatra; and Tsunami Generation from the 2004 M=9.1 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake.

Photo taken about 100 meters inland at Kalmunai on Sri Lanka's east coast.

Learn more: Initial Findings on Tsunami Sand Deposits, Damage, and Inundation in Sri Lanka.

This simple diagram shows the factors that can affect coastal cliff erosion, including sea level rise, wave energy, coastal slope, beach width, beach height, and rock strength.

High storm surge and wave runup during Hurricane Isabel (2003) caused widespread dune erosion in Nags Head, North Carolina. 

Tropical Storm Eta affected beaches along Florida's Gulf Coast in November 2020. Some dunes were eroded up to several feet due to the high water levels associated with the storm. Madeira Beach is home to many people and animals, and erosion events such as this can affect both habitat and infrastructure. The USGS Coastal Change Hazards team works to predict these erosion events so we can better prepare for coastal change. 

Time-lapse view of California Highway 1 reconstruction after 2017 landslide

USGS scientists produced an animated GIF in coordination with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) re-opening of State Highway 1 through Big Sur on July 18, 2018. In 2017, the massive Mud Creek landslide buried a quarter-mile of the famous coastal route with rocks and dirt more than 65 feet deep. As part of a new research project to monitor erosion along the landslide-prone cliffs of Big Sur, USGS scientists collected aerial photos before and after the slide, and during the construction project. By analyzing overlapping photos, they made precise maps of the slopes and calculated volumes of material lost or gained over time. Our researchers shared data and images with Caltrans to help ensure the safety of workers and the success of the road reconstruction.

Learn more: Remote Sensing Coastal Change and Big Sur Landslides.

Cliff erosion is a common storm-induced hazard along the West Coast. Two condemned apartment buildings along Esplanade Avenue in Pacifica, California are shown here before their demolition in 2016 and 2017.

Learn more: Dynamic coastlines along the western U.S.

Large blocks of coastal bluff tumble down onto the beach of Barter Island, on the North Slope of Alaska.

Large waves breaking on cliffs in Santa Cruz, California, February 13, 2016

Installing large boulders as riprap to armor the shore against further erosion at Goleta Beach in Southern California. The tide is very low (negative).

Waves flood across a coastal road near Santa Cruz, California.

The coastal bluff along East Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz, California are especially vulnerable to rising sea level during big storms. Sometimes even the rip-rap, put in place to protect roadways and homes, cannot protect the bluffs from erosion.

Map showing the simulated flooding for a 100-year storm event with (blue) and without (red) coral reefs in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The red area thus represents the area protected by coral reefs.

Aftermath of the 1960 Chilean tsunami in Hilo, Hawaii, where the tsunami caused 61 deaths.