U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Recognizes Coral Reefs as National Infrastructure, Paving the Way for Critical Funding
New Analysis: Climate Change Alters Sediment Dynamics in Cryosphere Rivers
How Waterfalls Shape Mountain Rivers
What We Do: Coastal and Marine Science at USGS Santa Cruz
USGS Researchers Return to Eastern Galapágos Spreading Center
PCMSC Scientists Among USGS Contributors to National Climate Assessment
Why we have better maps of Mars than of the seafloor—and what USGS is doing to change that
Shifting Practices of Dam Management and Dam Removal in a Changing World
USGS-Led Study Reassesses Earthquake Hazard Potential for Central California’s Hosgri Fault
Seafloor Mapping, Machine Learning Uncover Historical Ocean Dumping Grounds
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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IntroductionThe Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center is one of three U.S. Geological Survey science centers that serve the mission of the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, the primary Federal marine geology and physical science research program focused on the Nation’s coastal and marine landscape. Our portfolio of coastal and marine projects in the Pacific Ocean provides the s
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
High-resolution geophysical and geochronological analysis of a relict shoreface deposit offshore central California: Implications for slip rate along the Hosgri fault
The Cross-Hosgri slope is a bathymetric lineament that crosses the main strand of the Hosgri fault offshore Point Estero, central California. Recently collected chirp seismic reflection profiles and sediment cores provide the basis for a reassessment of Cross-Hosgri slope origin and the lateral slip rate of the Hosgri fault based on offset of the lower slope break of the Cross-Hosgri slope. The Cr
Science
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...
Klamath Dam Removal Studies
In January of 2024, the removal of four dams along the mainstem Klamath River will allow for volitional fish passage above the dams and will create more dynamic flow and sediment transport conditions below the dams. The release of reservoir sediment to downstream river reaches during and following dam removal may result in novel water quality, sediment transport, and geomorphic conditions. The...
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...