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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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Women Making History in Coastal and Marine Science

Meet some of our women staff and scientists across the Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program and how they are paving the way towards a brighter future

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Fire plus Flood equals Beach

A new study combines decades of coastal satellite imagery with hydrologic and oceanographic data to look at how changes on land affect coastlines in Big Sur, California

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Thermal Refugia in Reefs

Repeated heat stress can eventually kill off entire colonies of coral, turning once vibrant ecosystems into comparatively barren ones

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Seven Decades of Coastal Change at Barter Island, Alaska

Exploring the importance of waves and temperature on erosion of coastal permafrost bluffs

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Eelgrass Research in Puget Sound

Understanding the function of nearshore habitats, and developing approaches to restore their resiliency

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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

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

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California Deepwater Investigations and Groundtruthing

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Finding Evidence of Ancient Waves on Mars

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Coasts, Storms, and Sea Level Rise Geonarratives

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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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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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Fish on seafloor, Offshore Northern California

California Seafloor Mapping Program

The California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP) is a cooperative program to create a comprehensive coastal and marine geologic and habitat base map series for all of California's State waters.
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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California Seafloor Mapping Program

The California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP) is a cooperative program to create a comprehensive coastal and marine geologic and habitat base map series for all of California's State waters.
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