Coastal Ecosystems
Coastal Ecosystems
The USGS studies geologic and oceanographic processes that create and maintain habitats for coral, clams, crabs, salmon, and other ocean and estuary inhabitants. USGS studies of currents, suspended sediment, and groundwater chemistry, for example, help assess natural and human influences on the health of coral reefs. High-resolution seafloor mapping characterizes the seabed as rocky, sandy, or mud
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Circulation and Sediment, Nutrient, Contaminant, and Larval Dynamics on Reefs
The overall objective of this research effort is to better understand how circulation and sediment processes impact coral reefs.
Estuarine Ecosystem Recovery in Puget Sound
A clean and abundant sediment supply is critical for building and maintaining viable estuarine and wetland habitats. However, in many coastal regions, dikes, levees, and dams have disconnected water and sediment supply to estuarine and wetland habitats, altering sedimentation patterns, water quality, and nutrient loads. Dike and dam removal have become important methods for restoring river and...
Ecosystem Restoration in San Francisco Bay and Delta
In many systems, particularly the relatively dry western United States, freshwater that historically flowed into estuaries has been diverted for drinking water, agriculture, and industry. The resulting changes to water flow profoundly altered estuarine ecosystems. CMHRP studies in this complex system inform resource managers tasked with balancing conflicting needs for water and restoration of...
Should Englebright Dam Be Removed?
Information about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's study from 2001-2004, on Englebright Dam and the science behind its removal.
Mud Damages Hawaiian Coral Reefs
Information about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's research from 2000-2004, on how mud damages hawaiian coral reefs.
Island-hopping Coral Larvae in Hawaii
Information about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center 's 2003 study on island-hopping coral larvae in Hawaii.