Capabilities
Capabilities
The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center conducts integrated mapping of the coastal and ocean environment to define hazards and sediment processes, to support habitat and resource management, and to monitor change. PCMSC is an innovator in mapping, laboratory analyses, and field techniques, whose expertise is sought by other governmental agencies, educational institutions, and private co
PCMSC Marine Facility
PCMSC Marine Facility
“MarFac” provides engineering, mechanical, and electronics expertise for our field operations.
Field Equipment
Field Equipment
Learn about the wide array of field equipment and capabilities at the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility.
Laboratories
Laboratories
Learn all about our state-of-the-art laboratories at the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California.
Filter Total Items: 51
MarFac Dive Team
The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, maintains a certified scientific dive team.
BOB Sled
Benthic OBservation camera Sled, or “BOB Sled,” is and underwater video camera system that can operate to depths of 700 meters.
Mini BOB Sled
Mini Benthic OBservation camera Sled, or “Mini BOB Sled,” is and underwater video tow fish that can operate to depths of 75 meters.
SWATHplus 234kHz
The ITER Systems SWATHplus 234 kHz is an interferometric bathymetric survey tool for surveys in water depths from 1 to 200 meters.
Smith-McIntyre grab sampler
The Smith-McIntyre grab sampler, nicknamed the Smith-Mac, scoops up sediment from any water depth.
Reson 7111 Multibeam Echosounder System
The Teledyne Reson 7111 is a multibeam echosounder system that produces bathymetry, or depth, data in deep water.
VibeCore DW
The VibeCore DW is a small, portable, 24v DC vibracorer
Rossfelder vibracorer
USGS uses the vibracorer is best in locations where the seafloor, lakebed, bay-floor, or river-bottom sediment is unconsolidated and waterlogged.
Chirp 512i
A sub-bottom profiler like the EdgeTech SB-512i Chirp emits acoustic pulses to produce an image of the layers of sediment below the seafloor.
Chirp 516
A sub-bottom profiler like the EdgeTech SB-516 Chirp emits acoustic pulses to produce an image of the layers of sediment below the seafloor.
Jumbo piston corer
Piston corers are generally used in areas with soft sediment, such as clay.
Coastal Change Hazards
Natural processes such as waves, tides, and weather, continually change coastal landscapes. The integrity of coastal homes, businesses, and infrastructure can be threatened by hazards associated with event-driven changes, such as extreme storms and their impacts on beach and dune erosion, or longer-term, cumulative changes associated with coastal and marine processes, such as sea-level rise...