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USGS Researchers Return to Eastern Galapágos Spreading Center

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PCMSC Scientists Among USGS Contributors to National Climate Assessment

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Why we have better maps of Mars than of the seafloor—and what USGS is doing to change that

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Shifting Practices of Dam Management and Dam Removal in a Changing World

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USGS-Led Study Reassesses Earthquake Hazard Potential for Central California’s Hosgri Fault

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Seafloor Mapping, Machine Learning Uncover Historical Ocean Dumping Grounds

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Methane Seep Distribution in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

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Using Climate Models for Global Storm Surge Projections

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Hawaiian Drowned Reefs Expedition

Coral Cores Provide Glimpse into Climate Past and Future

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New Models Show Restoration Can Benefit Salmon While Reducing Flood Risks to Pacific Northwest River Deltas

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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.

Research Projects

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Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and discover the reasons why our research matters.

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Science Seminar Series

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Join us for virtual science seminars via Microsoft Teams. Details will be posted here!

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USGS Researchers Return to Eastern Galapágos Spreading Center

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PCMSC Scientists Among USGS Contributors to National Climate Assessment

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Why we have better maps of Mars than of the seafloor—and what USGS is doing to change that

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Publications

Shifted sediment-transport regimes by climate change and amplified hydrological variability in cryosphere-fed rivers

Climate change affects cryosphere-fed rivers and alters seasonal sediment dynamics, affecting cyclical fluvial material supply and year-round water-food-energy provisions to downstream communities. Here, we demonstrate seasonal sediment-transport regime shifts from the 1960s to 2000s in four cryosphere-fed rivers characterized by glacial, nival, pluvial, and mixed regimes, respectively. Spring see
Authors
Tinghu Zhang, Dongfeng Li, Amy E. East, Albert J. Kettner, James L. Best, Jinren Ni, Xixi Lu
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

A watershed moment for western U.S. dams

The summer of 2023 is a notable time for water-resource management in the western United States: Glen Canyon Dam, on the Colorado River, turns 60 years old while the largest dam-removal project in history is beginning on the Klamath River. This commentary discusses these events in the context of a changing paradigm for dam and reservoir management in this region. Since the era of large dam buildin
Authors
Amy E. East, Gordon E. Grant
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Where ice gave way to fire: Deglacial volcanic activity at the edge of the Coast Mountains in Milbanke Sound, BC

Kitasu Hill and MacGregor Cone formed along the Principe Laredo Fault on British Columbia’s central coast as the Wisconsinan ice sheet withdrew from the Coast Mountains. These small-volume Milbanke Sound Volcanoes (MSV) provide remarkable evidence for the intimate relationship between volcanic and glacial facies. The lavas are within-plate, differentiated (low MgO < 7%) Ocean Island Basalts, hawai
Authors
Tark S. Hamilton, Randolph J. Enkin, Zhengpeng Li, Jan M. Bednarski, Cooper D. Stacey, Mary McGann, Britta J.L. Jensen
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Science

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A pole has two shaded cameras mounted on it and they are pointing at a beach from high up on a grassy bluff.

USGS CoastCams

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses a nationwide network of coastal observing cameras, or CoastCams, to monitor coastal conditions in near real-time and support research by the USGS and its partners into a variety of coastal processes and hazards. The most recent CoastCam images are made publicly available within minutes of data collection and can be accessed using the links below or by...
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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USGS CoastCams

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses a nationwide network of coastal observing cameras, or CoastCams, to monitor coastal conditions in near real-time and support research by the USGS and its partners into a variety of coastal processes and hazards. The most recent CoastCam images are made publicly available within minutes of data collection and can be accessed using the links below or by...
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areal view of the Klamath River, Iron Gate Dam and Hatchery. A portion of the Iron Gate Reservoir can be seen to the right.

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...
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California Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Geographic Science Center
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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...
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Image: USCGC Healy in Heavy Ice Passing CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent

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...
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
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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...
Learn More
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