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USGS Leads Research Expedition to Deep-sea Escanaba Trough

BOEM, NOAA, and others join the USGS on a three-week journey to study this hydrothermal seafloor system

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Deep Dive: Hydrothermal Systems in Escanaba Trough

Learn about the deep-sea region being studied by the USGS and collaborators

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Deep Dive: Marine Geology in Escanaba Trough

Learn about the segment of the seafloor spreading center where the USGS and partners are leading submersible dives

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USGS Drifter Found on a Scotland Beach

. . . nearly 40 years after its release in the Arctic Ocean!

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California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing

BOEM, USGS, and State of CA consider the implications and potential impacts of wind energy development miles offshore of Morro Bay

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Finding Evidence of Ancient Waves on Mars

Scientists found evidence that ripples seen on lakebed deposits in Gale Crater were likely caused by waves at the lake surface

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Climate Science Champions

USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists featured in video series

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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

We conduct multidisciplinary scientific research in the coastal and offshore areas of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, and other US Pacific Islands; and in other waterways of the United States.

Research Projects

Five people, spread out along a beach with rocky and sandy areas, walk parallel to the water's edge carrying gear.

Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and discover the reasons why our research matters.

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Sound Waves Newsletter

View looks along an Arctic coastal bluff with permafrost and gentle waves and a drainage that has spilled out onto the beach.

Read issues of the Sound Waves Newsletter, featuring "Coastal and Marine Research News from Across the USGS"

Sound Waves Newsletter

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News

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USGS Leads Research Expedition to Deep-sea Escanaba Trough

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Deep Dive: Marine Geology in Escanaba Trough

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Deep Dive: Hydrothermal Systems in Escanaba Trough

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Publications

California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing (Cal DIG) I, volume 3 — Benthic habitat characterization offshore Morro Bay, California

Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) geoform, substrate, and biotic component geographic information system (GIS) products were developed for the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) of south-central California in the region of Santa Lucia Bank motivated by interest in development of offshore wind-energy capacity and infrastructure. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Ancient winds, waves, and atmosphere in Gale Crater, Mars, inferred from sedimentary structures and wave modeling

Wave modeling and analysis of sedimentary structures were used to evaluate whether four examples of symmetrical, reversing, or straight-crested bedforms in Gale crater sandstones are preserved wave ripples; deposition by waves would demonstrate that the lake was not covered by ice at that time. Wave modeling indicates that regardless of atmospheric density, winds that exceeded the threshold of aeo
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Astrogeology Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event

Wildfire and post-fire rainfall have resounding effects on hillslope processes and sediment yields of mountainous landscapes. Yet, it remains unclear how fire–flood sequences influence downstream coastal littoral systems. It is timely to examine terrestrial–coastal connections because climate change is increasing the frequency, size, and intensity of wildfires, altering precipitation rates, and ac
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Science

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View from the sky of a large estuary with large and small waterways surrounded by villages and agriculture, hills in background.

Coastal watershed and estuary restoration in the Monterey Bay area

Objectives: Support further work by the USGS and collaborating federal, state, and local agencies and academic partners in analyzing the effectiveness of restoration work in coastal watersheds and estuaries in the Monterey Bay area. The USGS will play a supporting role in field efforts led by NOAA and California State University - Monterey Bay to measure physical and ecological changes in the...
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Coastal watershed and estuary restoration in the Monterey Bay area

Objectives: Support further work by the USGS and collaborating federal, state, and local agencies and academic partners in analyzing the effectiveness of restoration work in coastal watersheds and estuaries in the Monterey Bay area. The USGS will play a supporting role in field efforts led by NOAA and California State University - Monterey Bay to measure physical and ecological changes in the...
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Two adjacent poles holding video cameras near top, one control box near bottom, one man holding small tool near control box.

Using Video Imagery to Study Coastal Change: Santa Cruz Beaches

Two video cameras atop the Dream Inn hotel in Santa Cruz, California, overlook the coast in northern Monterey Bay. One camera looks eastward over Santa Cruz Main Beach and boardwalk, while the other looks southward over Cowells Beach.
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Using Video Imagery to Study Coastal Change: Santa Cruz Beaches

Two video cameras atop the Dream Inn hotel in Santa Cruz, California, overlook the coast in northern Monterey Bay. One camera looks eastward over Santa Cruz Main Beach and boardwalk, while the other looks southward over Cowells Beach.
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Colored shaded-relief bathymetry map of Monterey Canyon and Vicinity, California

Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats

Seafloor resource managers and modelers need seafloor maps that can be combined in GIS, modeling, and statistical analysis environments and related successfully to biologic and oceanographic data. The Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats Project encompasses mapping activities and the development of new mapping systems and methodologies. The emphasis is on the role of geologic processes in...
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats

Seafloor resource managers and modelers need seafloor maps that can be combined in GIS, modeling, and statistical analysis environments and related successfully to biologic and oceanographic data. The Marine Geomorphology, Evolution, and Habitats Project encompasses mapping activities and the development of new mapping systems and methodologies. The emphasis is on the role of geologic processes in...
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