Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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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
Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and why our research matters
Explore Our ScienceScience Seminar Series
Join us for our next virtual seminar! The upcoming schedule is posted here, and a list of our past presenters is also available.
Science SeminarsNews
Sound Waves Newsletter - December 2020-March 2021
Read about the challenges of conducting research during a pandemic, how USGS scientists conducted a nationwide assessment of salt marsh vulnerability, and more, in this December 2020-March 2021 issue of Sound Waves.
Photo Roundup - December 2020-March 2021
A selection of coastal and marine images and videos from across the USGS.
Bringing USGS Science Expertise Together for Natural Hazards in Big Sur, CA
Recent landslide activity along California’s Pacific coast in the region known as Big Sur has provided graphic examples of the power and impacts of natural hazard events.
Publications
Changes in seabed mining
Chapter 23 of the First World Ocean Assessment (WOA I) focused on marine mining, and particularly on established extractive industries, which are predominantly confined to near-shore areas, where shallow-water, near-shore aggregate and placer deposits, and somewhat deeper water phosphate deposits are found (United Nations, 2017a). At the time of...
Hein, James R.; Madureira, Pedro; Bebianno, Maria João; Colaço, Ana; Pinheiro, Luis M.; Roth, Richard; Singh, Pradeep K.; Strati, Anastasia; Tuhumwire, Joshua T. The value of US coral reefs for flood risk reduction
Habitats, such as coral reefs, can mitigate increasing flood damages through coastal protection services. We provide a fine-scale, national valuation of the flood risk reduction benefits of coral habitats to people, property, economies and infrastructure. Across 3,100 km of US coastline, the top-most 1 m of coral reefs prevents the 100-yr flood...
Reguero, Borja G.; Storlazzi, Curt; Gibbs, Ann E.; Shope, James B.; Cole, Aaron D.; Cumming, Kristen Amory; Beck, Mike
Landscape evolution in eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California
This study investigates sedimentary and geomorphic processes in eastern Chuckwalla Valley, Riverside County, California, a region of arid, basin-and-range terrain where extensive solar-energy development is planned. The objectives of this study were to (1) measure local weather parameters and use them to model aeolian sediment-transport potential...
East, Amy E.; Gray, Harrison J.; Redsteer, Margaret Hiza; Ballmer, Matthew