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Scientific reports, journal articles, and information products produced by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists.
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Filter Total Items: 1417
Geomorphology, stability and mobility of the Currituck slide Geomorphology, stability and mobility of the Currituck slide
Over the last 100,000??years, the U.S. Atlantic continental margin has experienced various types of mass movements some of which are believed to have taken place at times of low sea level. At one of these times of low sea level a significant trigger caused a major submarine mass movement off the coast of Virginia: the Currituck slide which is believed to have taken place between 24 and...
Authors
J. Locat, H. Lee, Uri S. ten Brink, D. Twichell, E. Geist, M. Sansoucy
Monitoring and modeling shoreline response due to shoreface nourishment on a high-energy coast Monitoring and modeling shoreline response due to shoreface nourishment on a high-energy coast
Shoreface nourishment can be an efficient technique to feed sediment into the littoral zone without the order of magnitude cost increase incurred by directly nourishing the beach. An erosion hot spot at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, USA, threatens valuable public infrastructure as well as safe recreational use of the beach. In an effort to reduce the erosion at this location...
Authors
P. L. Barnard, Li H. Erikson, J. E. Hansen
Natural offshore oil seepage and related tarball accumulation on the California coastline — Santa Barbara Channel and the southern Santa Maria Basin; source identification and inventory Natural offshore oil seepage and related tarball accumulation on the California coastline — Santa Barbara Channel and the southern Santa Maria Basin; source identification and inventory
Oil spillage from natural sources is very common in the waters of southern California. Active oil extraction and shipping is occurring concurrently within the region and it is of great interest to resource managers to be able to distinguish between natural seepage and anthropogenic oil spillage. The major goal of this study was to establish the geologic setting, sources, and ultimate...
Authors
T.D. Lorenson, Frances D. Hostettler, Robert J. Rosenbauer, Kenneth E. Peters, Jennifer A. Dougherty, Keith A. Kvenvolden, Christina E. Gutmacher, Florence L. Wong, William R. Normark
Littoral transport rates in the Santa Barbara Littoral Cell: a process-based model analysis Littoral transport rates in the Santa Barbara Littoral Cell: a process-based model analysis
Identification of the sediment transport patterns and pathways is essential for sustainable coastal zone management of the heavily modified coastline of Santa Barbara and Ventura County (California, USA). A process-based model application, based on Delft3D Online Morphology, is used to investigate the littoral transport potential along the Santa Barbara Littoral Cell (between Point...
Authors
E. P. L. Elias, Patrick L. Barnard, John Brocatus
Chapter 3 - Phenomenology of tsunamis: Statistical properties from generation to runup Chapter 3 - Phenomenology of tsunamis: Statistical properties from generation to runup
Observations related to tsunami generation, propagation, and runup are reviewed and described in a phenomenological framework. In the three coastal regimes considered (near-field broadside, near-field oblique, and far field), the observed maximum wave amplitude is associated with different parts of the tsunami wavefield. The maximum amplitude in the near-field broadside regime is most...
Authors
Eric L. Geist
Linking human impacts within an estuary to ebb-tidal delta evolution Linking human impacts within an estuary to ebb-tidal delta evolution
San Francisco Bay, California, USA is among the most anthropogenically altered estuaries in the entire United States, but the impact on sediment transport to the coastal ocean has not been quantified. Analysis of four historic bathymetric surveys has revealed large changes to the morphology of the San Francisco Bar, an ebb-tidal delta at the mouth of the San Francisco Bay. From 1873 to...
Authors
Kate L. Dallas, Patrick L. Barnard
Submarine landslide as the source for the October 11, 1918 Mona Passage tsunami: Observations and modeling Submarine landslide as the source for the October 11, 1918 Mona Passage tsunami: Observations and modeling
The October 11, 1918 ML 7.5 earthquake in the Mona Passage between Hispaniola and Puerto Rico generated a local tsunami that claimed approximately 100 lives along the western coast of Puerto Rico. The area affected by this tsunami is now significantly more populated. Newly acquired high-resolution bathymetry and seismic reflection lines in the Mona Passage show a fresh submarine...
Authors
A.M. López-Venegas, Uri S. ten Brink, Eric L. Geist
Sediment deposition, erosion, and bathymetric change in central San Francisco Bay: 1855-1979 Sediment deposition, erosion, and bathymetric change in central San Francisco Bay: 1855-1979
Central San Francisco Bay is the hub of a dynamic estuarine system connecting the San Joaquin and Sacramento River Deltas, Suisun Bay, and San Pablo Bay to the Pacific Ocean and South San Francisco Bay. To understand the role that Central San Francisco Bay plays in sediment transport throughout the system, it is necessary to first determine historical changes in patterns of sediment...
Authors
Theresa A. Fregoso, Amy C. Foxgrover, Bruce E. Jaffe
Comments on potential geologic and seismic hazards affecting proposed liquefied natural gas site in Santa Monica Bay, California Comments on potential geologic and seismic hazards affecting proposed liquefied natural gas site in Santa Monica Bay, California
In a letter to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) dated March 25, 2008, Representative Jane Harman (California 36th district) requested advice on geologic hazards that should be considered in the review of a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility off the California coast in Santa Monica Bay. In 2004, the USGS responded to a similar request from Representative Lois Capps, regarding...
Authors
Stephanie L. Ross, Homa J. Lee, Tom E. Parsons, Larry A. Beyer, David M. Boore, James E. Conrad, Brian D. Edwards, Michael A. Fisher, Arthur D. Frankel, Eric L. Geist, Kenneth W. Hudnut, Susan E. Hough, Robert E. Kayen, T.D. Lorenson, Nicolas Luco, Patricia A. McCrory, Mary McGann, Manuel Nathenson, Michael Nolan, Mark D. Petersen, Daniel J. Ponti, Charles L. Powell, Holly F. Ryan, John C. Tinsley, Chris J. Wills, Florence L. Wong, Jingping Xu
The coral reef of South Moloka'i, Hawai'i— Portrait of a sediment-threatened fringing reef The coral reef of South Moloka'i, Hawai'i— Portrait of a sediment-threatened fringing reef
Moloka‘i, with the most extensive coral reef in the main Hawaiian Islands, is especially sacred to Hina, the Goddess of the Moon. As Hinaalo, she is the Mother of the Hawaiian people; as Hinapuku‘a, she is the Goddess of Fishermen; and in the form Hina‘opuhalako‘a, she is the Goddess who gave birth to coral, coral reefs, and all spiny marine organisms. Interdependence between the reef’s...
A global search for stress shadows A global search for stress shadows
[1] Debate continues regarding the relative proportion of earthquakes triggered by passing seismic waves versus static stress changes from a main shock. Static stress changes are expected to have long‐term effects on earthquake probabilities, whereas dynamic stress changes due to the passing of seismic waves should not. Both mechanisms are expected to raise seismicity rates in some areas...
Authors
Ellen P. Mallman, Tom Parsons
Coast salish and U.S. Geological Survey: Tribal journey water quality project Coast salish and U.S. Geological Survey: Tribal journey water quality project
The ancestral waters of the Coast Salish People, the Salish Sea, comprise a large inland sea contained within both United States (Puget Sound) and Canadian (Georgia Strait) territory. The Salish Sea is home to more than 220 species of fish, 29 species of marine mammals, more than 40 species of commercial and recreationally harvested invertebrates, and numerous resident and migratory bird...
Authors
Sarah K. Akin, Eric E. Grossman, Debra Lekanof, Charles J. O’Hara