New Research Informs Dredging Efforts at Columbia River Mouth, Conserving Valuable Resource
New Research Informs Dredging Efforts at Columbia River Mouth, Conserving Valuable Resource
Midwinter Dry Spells Amplify Post-Fire Snowpack Decline in California
Midwinter Dry Spells Amplify Post-Fire Snowpack Decline in California
Carmel River: An Approach To Dam Removal To Minimize Downstream Impacts
Carmel River: An Approach To Dam Removal To Minimize Downstream Impacts
USGS-Engineered Tripod Allows Study of Deep-Sea Oceanographic Processes
USGS-Engineered Tripod Allows Study of Deep-Sea Oceanographic Processes
Groundwater and Coral Health at Moloka'i, Hawai'i
Groundwater and Coral Health at Moloka'i, Hawai'i
Federal Scientists Assess Unusual River-Erosion Disaster in Ecuadorian Amazon
Federal Scientists Assess Unusual River-Erosion Disaster in Ecuadorian Amazon
Video Highlights San Francisco Bay Sediment Transport Fieldwork
Video Highlights San Francisco Bay Sediment Transport Fieldwork
USGS Remote Sensing Data Tracks Coastal Erosion from California Storms
USGS Remote Sensing Data Tracks Coastal Erosion from California Storms
Understanding Extreme Wave Events for Coastal Adaptation
Understanding Extreme Wave Events for Coastal Adaptation
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
We conduct multidisciplinary scientific research in the coastal and offshore areas of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, and other US Pacific Islands; and in other waterways of the United States.
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The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project (SBSPRP) encompasses over 6,000 hectares of former salt production ponds along the south edge of the San Francisco Bay and represents the largest wetland restoration effort on the west coast of North America. A series of studies associated with Phase 1 (2010–2018) restoration activities that are focused on a historically mercury contaminated slough and s
Combinatorial optimization of earthquake spatial distributions under minimum cumulative stress constraints
We determine optimal on‐fault earthquake spatial distributions using a combinatorial method that minimizes the long‐term cumulative stress resolved on the fault. An integer‐programming framework was previously developed to determine the optimal arrangement of a millennia‐scale earthquake sample that minimizes the misfit to a target slip rate determined from geodetic data. The resulting cumulative
Observations of coastal circulation, waves, and sediment transport along West Maui, Hawaiʻi (November 2017– March 2018), and modeling effects of potential watershed restoration on decreasing sediment loads to adjacent coral reefs
Terrestrial sediment discharging from watersheds off West Maui, Hawaiʻi, has been documented as a primary stressor to local coral reefs, causing coral reef health to decline. The U.S. Geological Survey acquired and analyzed physical oceanographic and sedimentologic field data off the coast of West Maui to calibrate and validate physics-based, numerical hydrodynamic and sediment transport models of
Science
Klamath Dam Removal Studies
Following the removal of four dams along the Klamath River, more naturally dynamic flow conditions may result in novel water quality, sediment transport, and geomorphic conditions leading to temporary or longer-term ecological impacts. USGS continuous and discrete monitoring data on aspects related to sediment and geomorphic conditions will be integral to post-dam removal assessments and...
Delineating the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf
The United States has an interest in knowing the full extent of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from shore (called the extended continental shelf, or ECS) so that it can better protect, manage and use the resources of the seabed and subsoil contained therein. The USGS contributes to the ECS effort through membership and leadership on the interagency U.S. ECS Task Force, a group...
USGS Law of the Sea
The USGS Law of the Sea project helps to determine the outer limits of the extended continental shelf (ECS) of the United States. The ECS is that portion of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. It is an important maritime zone that holds many resources and vital habitats for marine life. Its size may exceed one million square kilometers, encompassing areas in the Arctic, Atlantic...