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.
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Coastal Change Happens! USGS Has Data and Tools to Help Coastal Communities Prepare
USGS Introduces a National Approach to Coastal Change Hazards (CCH) Science
New Model Shows Sea-level Rise Can Cause Increases in Groundwater Levels along California’s Coasts
A new model that combines sea-level rise scenarios and information about associated groundwater level responses shows that coastal water tables will rise as groundwater levels are pushed up by landward intrusions of seawater due to sea-level rise.
Recent Coastal and Marine Fieldwork - August-September 2020
USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP) scientists were able to safely venture out to collect beach elevations, geochemistry samples for wildfire contamination, water, soil, and meteorological data, offshore bathymetric and seismic data, ocean, lake, and bay sediment samples, and more, from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California, to Massachusetts, New York, and...
Publications
Spectral wave-driven bedload transport across a coral reef flat/lagoon complex
Coral reefs are an important source of sediment for reef-lined coasts by helping to maintain beaches while also providing protection in the form of wave energy dissipation. Understanding the mechanisms by which sediment is delivered to the coast as well as better constraining the total volumes generated are critical for projecting future coastal...
Rosenberger, Kurt J.; Storlazzi, Curt D.; Cheriton, Olivia; Pomeroy, Andrew; Hansen, Jeff E.; Lowe, Ryan; Buckley, Mark Littoral sediment from rivers: Patterns, rates and processes of river mouth morphodynamics
Rivers provide important sediment inputs to many littoral cells, thereby replenishing sand and gravel of beaches around the world. However, there is limited information about the patterns and processes of littoral-grade sediment transfer from rivers into coastal systems. Here I address these information gaps by examining topographic and...
Warrick, Jonathan Sediment export and impacts associated with river delta channelization compound estuary vulnerability to sea-level rise, Skagit River Delta, Washington, USA
Improved understanding of the budget and retention of sediment in river deltas is becoming increasingly important to mitigate and plan for impacts expected with sea level rise. In this study, analyses of historical bathymetric change, sediment core stratigraphy, and modeling are used to evaluate the sediment budget and environmental response of...
Grossman, Eric; Stevens, Andrew W.; Dartnell, Peter; George, Doug A; Finlayson, David