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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: 1426

Land-based nutrient flux to a fringing reef: Insights from Ofu Island, American Samoa Land-based nutrient flux to a fringing reef: Insights from Ofu Island, American Samoa

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a critical driver of nutrient transport in coral reef ecosystems, shaping water quality, primary productivity, and overall reef health. This study quantifies SGD fluxes and associated nutrient dynamics in two reef flat pools within the Ofu Unit of the National Park of American Samoa: Papaloloa and Fatuana. A multi-method approach integrating...
Authors
Nancy G. Prouty, Ferdinand K.J. Oberle, Olivia M. Cheriton, Lauren T. Toth, Eric K. Brown, Curt D. Storlazzi

Contributions of erosion, deposition, and human activities to a change in sand storage in the bed of San Francisco Bay, California, 1980s to 2010s Contributions of erosion, deposition, and human activities to a change in sand storage in the bed of San Francisco Bay, California, 1980s to 2010s

This study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides estimates of the change in sand storage in bed sediments from the 1980s to 2010s in the San Francisco Bay area, California. The study is part of a larger project called “Research to Understand Impacts of Bay Sand Mining on Sand Transport in San Francisco Bay and the Outer Coast” that has the goal of providing information for the...
Authors
Theresa A. Fregoso, Bruce E. Jaffe, Amy C. Foxgrover, Donald L. Woodrow, Bethany Kharrazi, Kevin Orzech

Benchmarking shoreline prediction models over multi-decadal timescales Benchmarking shoreline prediction models over multi-decadal timescales

Robust predictions of shoreline change are critical for sustainable coastal management. Despite advancements in shoreline models, objective benchmarking remains limited. Here we present results from ShoreShop2.0, an international collaborative benchmarking workshop, where 34 groups submitted shoreline change predictions in a blind competition. Subsets of shoreline observations at an...
Authors
Yongjing Mao, Giovanni Coco, Sean Vitousek, Jose A. A. Antolinez, Georgios Azorakos, Masayuki Banno, Clément Bouvier, Karin R. Bryan, Laura Cagigal, Kit Calcraft, Bruno Castelle, Xinyu Chen, Maurizio D'Anna, Lucas de Freitas Pereira, Iñaki  de Santiago, Aditya N. Deshmukh, Bixuan Dong, Ahmed Elghandour, Amirmahdi Gohari, Eduardo Gomez-de la Peña, Mitchell D. Harley, Michael Ibrahim, Déborah Idier, Camilo Jaramillo Cardona, Changbin Lim, Ivana Mingo, Julian O'Grady, Daniel Pais, Oxana Repina, Arthur Robinet, Dano Roelvink, Joshua Simmons, Erdinc Sogut, Katie Wilson, Kristen Splinter

Seasonal rotation of California pocket beaches Seasonal rotation of California pocket beaches

Pocket beaches are short, headland-bound coastal landforms that may exhibit shoreline rotation in response to time-varying wave conditions. Here we examine the presence, location and style of pocket beach rotation along the 1700 km coast of California using a comprehensive 22-year satellite-derived shoreline dataset. These analyses identify 23 pocket beaches that exhibit annual cycles of...
Authors
Jonathan A. Warrick, Daniel D. Buscombe, Kilian Vos, Andrew C. Ritchie, Bob Battalio

Are equilibrium shoreline models just convolutions? Are equilibrium shoreline models just convolutions?

Yes. Equilibrium shoreline models, which simulate wave-driven cross-shore erosion and accretion, are mathematically equivalent to a discrete convolution (i.e., a weighted, moving average) of a time series of wave-forcing conditions with a parameterized memory-decay kernel function. The direct equivalence between equilibrium shoreline models and convolutions reveals key theoretical...
Authors
Sean Vitousek, Daniel D. Buscombe, Eduardo Gomez-de la Peña, Kit Calcraft, Mark A. Lundine, Kristen D. Splinter, Giovanni Coco, Patrick L. Barnard

Waterline responses to climate forcing along the North American West Coast Waterline responses to climate forcing along the North American West Coast

Understanding waterline variability at seasonal to interannual timescales is crucial for predicting coastal responses to climate forcing. However, relationships between large-scale climate variability and coastal morphodynamics remain underexplored beyond intensively monitored sites. This study leverages a newly developed 25-year (1997–2022) satellite-derived waterline dataset along the...
Authors
Marcan Graffin, Rafael Almar, Erwin W.J. Bergsma, Julien Boucharel, Sean Vitousek, Mohsen Taherkhani, Peter Ruggiero

Do Graviquakes exist? Do Graviquakes exist?

The “Graviquake” model, proposed in 2015 as an alternative to the elastic dislocation model, posits that normal faults are passive features dominated by coseismic gravitational collapse into a dilated crustal wedge, and that normal faulting is fundamentally distinct from strike‐slip and reverse faulting. Developed using finite‐element modeling before the 2016 central Apennines earthquake...
Authors
L. Malagnini, Dreger D.., Thomas E. Parsons, G. Valensise, A. Michelini, G. De Natale

Marsh sediment in translation: A review of sediment transport across a natural tidal salt marsh in northern San Francisco Bay Marsh sediment in translation: A review of sediment transport across a natural tidal salt marsh in northern San Francisco Bay

Deposition of inorganic sediment is essential for the sustainability of tidal salt marshes. Understanding variability in sediment sources and the processes of sediment delivery to salt marshes are high priorities for decision-makers responsible for managing sediment and conserving and restoring marshes. Research on sediment transport to marshes is published in technical journals, but...
Authors
Madeline R. Foster-Martinez, Matthew C. Ferner, John C. Callaway, Brenda Goeden, Jessica R. Lacy

Leisure boat harbours, hidden alien species, and pollution: A case study of Hinsholmskilen harbour (Gothenburg, Sweden) Leisure boat harbours, hidden alien species, and pollution: A case study of Hinsholmskilen harbour (Gothenburg, Sweden)

Small leisure boat harbours have important aesthetic and recreational values in any country with a coastline. In Sweden, there are about 860 000 leisure boats, which is one of the world's highest numbers in relation to the country's population. However, small boat harbours also present a wide range of environmental problems, including the introduction of alien species and high pollution...
Authors
Irina Polovodova Asteman, Emilie Jaffre, Agata Olejnik, Maria Holzmann, Mary McGann, Kjell Nordberg, Jean-Charles Pavard, Delia Rosel, Magali Schweizer

Kiloyear cycles of carbonate and Mg-silicate replacement at Von Damm hydrothermal vent field Kiloyear cycles of carbonate and Mg-silicate replacement at Von Damm hydrothermal vent field

The Von Damm vent field (VDVF) on the Mid-Cayman Rise in the Caribbean Sea is unique among modern hydrothermal systems in that the chimneys and mounds are almost entirely composed of talc. We analyzed samples collected in 2020 and report that in addition to disordered talc of variable crystallinity, carbonates are a major class of mineral at VDVF. The carbonate minerals include aragonite...
Authors
Amy Gartman, Terrence Blackburn, Kiana Frank, Susan Q. Lang, Jeffrey S. Seewald

Reconstructing late Pleistocene relative sea levels on transgressed shelves: An example from central California Reconstructing late Pleistocene relative sea levels on transgressed shelves: An example from central California

Although prevalent for the late Holocene, relative sea level (RSL) constraints during and immediately after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) are sparse. This scarcity of data is particularly pronounced along mid-latitude shelves such as central California, which lack post LGM RSL constraints older than 12 ka. In this study we collected 7 sediment cores and high-resolution seismic data from...
Authors
Elisa Medri, Alexander Simms, Jared W. Kluesner, Samuel Y. Johnson, Stuart Nishenko, H. Gary Greene, James E. Conrad, Devin Rand

Identification of representative earthquakes for probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis (PTHA) using earthquake rupture forecasts and machine learning Identification of representative earthquakes for probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis (PTHA) using earthquake rupture forecasts and machine learning

As probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis (PTHA) focuses more on assessments for localized, populous regions, techniques are needed to identify a subsample of representative earthquake ruptures to make the computational requirements for producing high-resolution hazard maps tractable. Moreover, the greatest epistemic uncertainty in seismic PTHA is related to source characterization, which...
Authors
Eric L. Geist, Thomas E. Parsons
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