Images

Northern Cascadia composite bathymetry. See the data release: Composite multibeam bathymetry surface of the northern Cascadia Margin offshore Washington.

Figure shows (a) San Lorenzo River watershed, central California coast, which empties into Monterey Bay. Fluvial sediment sampling location is indicated just upstream of river mouth.

Satellite image of China Camp marsh, with model boundaries from the Delft3D model shown with white lines and the observation points marked with red dots; red lines mark where x and y are 0. (b) Overview of San Francisco Bay, with a star marking China Camp marsh.

An example of calibration and validation of CoSMoS-COAST using historical satellite-derived shoreline data. The figure shows the extent of the CoSMoS-COAST U.S. South Atlantic Coast model transects (panel A—in green) with a zoomed in section of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina (panel B), which shows a close-up of the 50 m transect spacing (green lines).

Figure from the study "Hurricane wave energy dissipation and wave-driven currents over a fringing reef" showing the study location, the reef-lined south coast of Moloka'i.

North-to-south (N2S) rupture simulations with oblique (−45°; panels a–d) and left-lateral (0°; panels e–h) normal fault (NF) pre-stress. In the left column (panels a, b, e, and f), the San Andreas (SSAF) ends at the intersection with the NF, while in the right column (panels c, d, g, and h), the San Andreas (SSAF-EXT) “extends” south of the SSAF-NF intersection.

The USGS Research Vessel Williams is owned and operated by the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center.

View looks down from a bridge as USGS research vessel R/V Parke Snavely passes beneath. Credit: Jenny McKee, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center.

Santa Cruz wharf post-storm survey - Backscatter and draped sidescan overlayed with partial transparency. 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 - 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 hydrothermal site at Escanaba Trough.

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

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

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

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. 

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

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.

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.