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Publications

Scientific reports, journal articles, and information products produced by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists.

Filter Total Items: 1314

Deschutes Estuary feasibility study: Hydrodynamics and sediment transport modeling

Continual sediment accumulation in Capitol Lake since the damming of the Deschutes River in 1951 has altered the initial morphology of the basin. As part of the Deschutes River Estuary Feasibility Study (DEFS), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) was tasked to model how tidal and storm processes will influence the river, lake and lower Budd Inlet should estuary restoration occur. Understand
Authors
Douglas A. George, Guy Gelfenbaum, Giles Lesser, Andrew W. Stevens

Seaside, Oregon, Tsunami Pilot Study— Modernization of FEMA flood hazard maps: GIS data

Introduction: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Federal Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) guidelines do not currently exist for conducting and incorporating tsunami hazard assessments that reflect the substantial advances in tsunami research achieved in the last two decades; this conclusion is the result of two FEMA-sponsored workshops and the associated Tsunami Focused Study (Chowdhury and o
Authors
Florence L. Wong, Angie J. Venturato, Eric L. Geist

Hydratools manual version 1.0, documentation for a MATLAB®-based post-processing package for the Sontek Hydra

The Sediment Transport Instrumentation Group (STG) at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Science Center has a long-standing comitment to providing scientists with high quality oceanographic data. To meet this commitment, STG personnel are vigilant in checking data as well as hardware for signs of instrument malfunction. STG data sets are accompanied by processing histories to detail data
Authors
Marinna A. Martini, Chris Sherwood, Rachel Horwitz, Andree Ramsey, Fran Lightsom, Jessie Lacy, Jingping Xu

The application of acoustic Doppler current profilers to measure the timing and patterns of coral larval dispersal

An experiment was conducted along the reefs off west Maui, Hawaii, during the summer of 2003 to monitor the spawning of the reef-building coral Montipora capitata and to determine the role of ocean currents in dispersing the larvae from the natal reef. Instruments documented the environmental forcing during the coral spawning season; drifters were deployed on three successive nights following dire
Authors
Curt D. Storlazzi, E.K. Brown, Michael E. Field

Coastal landslide material loss rates associated with severe climatic events

Deep-seated landslides along the California coast deliver large amounts of material to the nearshore littoral environment. Landslide movement, a combined result of slope base undercutting by waves and ground saturation, is highly episodic. Movement occurs primarily during periods of high rainfall and large waves, such as those associated with El Nin??o events. This analysis applies remote-sensing
Authors
C.J. Hapke, K.R. Green

LIDAR & SASW technologies for geotechnical earthquake engineering

Geotechnical engineering methods are validated through comparison of field‐data of surface deformations and sub‐surface state properties. Recent advances in non‐invasive surface imaging and sub‐surface stiffness characterization allow us to rapidly and inexpensively map these spatial and physical properties in two and three dimensions. In this paper, we discuss new technologies used at the United
Authors
Robert Kayen, Brian D. Collins

Leg 197 synthesis: Southward motion and geochemical variability of the Hawaiian hotspot

The bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor volcanic chain is an often-cited example of a change in plate motion with respect to a stationary hotspot. Growing evidence, however, suggests that the bend might instead record variable drift of the Hawaiian hotspot within a convecting mantle. Paleomagnetic and radiometric age data from samples recovered during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 197 define an age-pr
Authors
Robert A. Duncan, John A. Tarduno, David W. Scholl

Triggering of tsunamigenic aftershocks from large strike‐slip earthquakes: Analysis of the November 2000 New Ireland earthquake sequence

[1] The November 2000 New Ireland earthquake sequence started with a Mw = 8.0 left‐lateral main shock on 16 November and was followed by a series of aftershocks with primarily thrust mechanisms. The earthquake sequence was associated with a locally damaging tsunami on the islands of New Ireland and nearby New Britain, Bougainville, and Buka. Results from numerical tsunami‐propagation models of the

Authors
Eric L. Geist, Tom Parsons

Coastal change rates and patterns: Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Hawai'i

A collaborative project between the U.S. Geological Survey's Coastal and Marine Geology Program and the National Park Service (NPS) has been developed to create an inventory of geologic resources for National Park Service lands on the Big Island of Hawai'i. The NPS Geologic Resources Inventories are recognized as essential for the effective management, interpretation, and understanding of vital pa
Authors
Cheryl J. Hapke, Rick Gmirkin, Bruce M. Richmond

Structure and mechanics of the San Andreas–San Gregorio fault junction, San Francisco, California

[1] The right‐lateral San Gregorio and San Andreas faults meet west of the Golden Gate near San Francisco. Coincident seismic reflection and refraction profiling across the San Gregorio and San Andreas faults south of their junction shows the crust between them to have formed shallow extensional basins that are dissected by parallel strike‐slip faults. We employ a regional finite element model to

Authors
Tom Parsons, Terry R. Bruns, Ray W. Sliter