Publications
Scientific reports, journal articles, and information products produced by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists.
Filter Total Items: 1337
Geologic characterization of shelf areas using usSEABED for GIS mapping, modeling processes and assessing marine sand and gravel resources
Geologic maps depicting offshore sedimentary features serve many scientific and applied purposes. Such maps have been lacking, but recent computer technology and software offer promise in the capture and display of diverse marine data. Continental margins contain landforms which provide a variety of important functions and contain important sedimentary records. Some shelf areas also contain deposi
Authors
S.J. Williams, J. D. Bliss, M.A. Arsenault, C.J. Jenkins, J.A. Goff
Examining offshore sediment-hosted contaminant transport from Hurricane Katrina
A rapid-response expedition was organized after the passage of Hurricane Katrina to investigate potential offshore environmental impacts and storm-induced sediment-transport processes. Both water-column and sediment samples were collected on the Louisiana shelf for a full complement of organic, inorganic, and geochronological tracers. Based on excess lead-210 (210Pb) inventories in cores collected
Authors
Peter W. Swarzenski, Pamela L. Campbell, Richard Z. Poore, Lisa E. Osterman, Robert J. Rosenbauer
Preliminary analysis of the earthquake (MW 8.1) and tsunami of April 1, 2007, in the Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean
On April 1, 2007, a destructive earthquake (Mw 8.1) and tsunami struck the central Solomon Islands arc in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The earthquake had a thrust-fault focal mechanism and occurred at shallow depth (between 15 km and 25 km) beneath the island arc. The combined effects of the earthquake and tsunami caused dozens of fatalities and thousands remain without shelter. We present a pr
Authors
Michael A. Fisher, Eric L. Geist, Ray Sliter, Florence L. Wong, Carol Reiss, Dennis M. Mann
Beach morphology monitoring in the Elwha River Littoral Cell, 2004-2009
This report describes the methods used, data collected, and results of the Beach Morphology Monitoring Program in the Elwha River Littoral Cell, starting in 2004. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Washington State Department of Ecology collaborated in the data collection with the support of the local Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Beach monitoring efforts consisted of collecting topographic and bathy
Authors
Jonathon A. Warrick, Douglas A. George, Andrew W. Stevens, Jodi Eshleman, Guy Gelfenbaum, George M. Kaminsky, Andrew K. Schwartz, Matt Bierne
Measurements of slope current and environmental geochemistry near the western boundary of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
For nearly a decade, dredged material from San Francisco Bay has been deposited at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region IX designated disposal site on the continental slope west of the Farallon Islands. Over the past several years, annual disposal volumes have ranged from 136,170 m3 (61 barge loads) to 2,407,600 m3 (1,173 barge loads) (Ota, personal communication, 2000). The EPA h
Authors
Marlene A. Noble, Jingping Xu, Jon Kolak, Anne L. Gartner, Kurt J. Rosenberger
Sources, dispersal, and fate of fine sediment supplied to coastal California
We have investigated the sources, dispersal, and fate of fine sediment supplied to California coastal waters in a partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Sediment Management Workgroup (CSMW). The purpose of this study was to document the rates and characteristics of these processes so that the State can better manage its coastal resources, including sediment. In th
Authors
Katherine L. Farnsworth, Jonathan A. Warrick
Wave-driven spatial and temporal variability in sea-floor sediment mobility in the Monterey Bay, Cordell Bank, and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries
Wind and wave patterns affect many aspects of continental shelves and shorelines geomorphic evolution. Although our understanding of the processes controlling sediment suspension on continental shelves has improved over the past decade, our ability to predict sediment mobility over large spatial and temporal scales remains limited. The deployment of robust operational buoys along the U.S. West Coa
Authors
Curt D. Storlazzi, Jane A. Reid, Nadine E. Golden
Assessment of ground deformation due to soil liquefaction in the San Jose, California area by using geotechnical IT
No abstract available.
Authors
Robert E. Kayen, Keith L. Knudsen, Satoshi Nagata, Yasuo Tanaka
High-resolution boomer seismic-reflection profiles of the shelf off southern California from cruise A-1-00-SC: Santa Monica Bay to San Diego
High-resolution boomer data were collected in the California Continental Borderland as part of the southern California Earthquake Hazards Task of the Southern California Coastal and Marine Geology Regional Investigations Project. During the period from 1997 to 2002, five data-acquisition cruises collected seismic-reflection data using several different systems from offshore Santa Barbara, Californ
Authors
Christina E. Gutmacher, Stephanie L. Ross, Peter J. Triezenberg, Ray W. Sliter, William R. Normark, Brian D. Edwards
Land-based lidar mapping: a new surveying technique to shed light on rapid topographic change
The rate of natural change in such dynamic environments as rivers and coastlines can sometimes overwhelm the monitoring capacity of conventional surveying methods. In response to this limitation, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are pioneering new applications of light detection and ranging (lidar), a laser-based scanning technology that promises to greatly increase our ability to track ra
Authors
Brian D. Collins, Robert Kayen
Underwater Microscope for Measuring Spatial and Temporal Changes in Bed-Sediment Grain Size
For more than a century, studies of sedimentology and sediment transport have measured bed-sediment grain size by collecting samples and transporting them back to the lab for grain-size analysis. This process is slow and expensive. Moreover, most sampling systems are not selective enough to sample only the surficial grains that interact with the flow; samples typically include sediment from at lea
Authors
David M. Rubin, Henry Chezar, Jodi N. Harney, David J. Topping, Theodore S. Melis, Christopher R. Sherwood
In memory of • Fred Noel Spiess (1919–2006): A tribute
No abstract available.
Authors
William R. Normark, Bruce P. Luyendyk