Images

Santa Cruz wharf post-storm survey - Depth-tinted hillshade of survey area. Following the partial collapse of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf during January 2025 storms, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center was requested to help map seafloor debris by NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Santa Cruz wharf post-storm survey - Zoomed in view of the Norbit-draped sidescan at the damaged end of the pier. Following the partial collapse of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf during January 2025 storms, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center was requested to help map seafloor debris by NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

R/V Parke Snavely conducting a bathymetric survey near the Santa Cruz waterfront. Following the partial collapse of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf during January 2025 storms, the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center was requested to help map seafloor debris by NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Composite image showing a sediment core collected at a hemipelagic site at Escanaba Trough.

Composite image showing a sediment core collected at a hydrothermal site at Escanaba Trough.

Image of a deep-sea sulfide mound at Escanaba Trough with the text "Characterizing organic carbon at Escanaba Trough".

Hope Ianiri processes a seafloor sediment core collected from a hydrothermal site.

Sample image from the Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, CoastCam. The camera and associated wave buoy were installed by USGS to research coastal change hazards and to develop real-time forecasts of coastal water levels and the probability of flooding. 

Examples of environmental contamination risk reduction due to decreased coastal flooding provided by coral reef restoration in Florida. Adapted from the study Coral reef restoration can reduce coastal contamination and pollution hazards.

Cover image for the video titled "Shoreline Seasonality of California's Beaches".

Gerry Hatcher discussing BOBSled technology to help inform the development of SEABOSS 3.0.

Scientists and technicians from the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts traveled to the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California to learn about their seafloor imaging and sampling instrument—the Benthic Observation camera Sled, or BOBSled.

Scientists and technologists from the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts traveled to the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California to learn about their seafloor imaging and sampling instrument—the Benthic Observation camera Sled, or BOBSled.

Scientists and technologists from the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts traveled to the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California to learn about their seafloor imaging and sampling instrument—the Benthic Observation camera Sled, or BOBSled.

Scientists and technologists from the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts traveled to the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California to learn about their seafloor imaging and sampling instrument—the Benthic Observation camera Sled, or BOBSled.

The inner workings of the BOBSled bottle. 

Ferromanganese nodules collected from the Clariton-Clipperton Zone during a USGS research expedition.

A map showing Global Marine Mineral Prospective Regions, including those that occur within the United States Exclusive Economic Zone.

A remotely operated vehicle collects a polymetallic sulfide sample from Escanaba Trough.

A seafloor massive sulfide at Escanaba Trough covered with sponges, shrimp, squat lobsters, and other deep-sea fauna.

Figure 1: (a) Location map of the study area, showing the 2021 Caldor Fire burn zone. Color scheme indicates soil burn severity. Box indicates area shown in (b).