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Coral Reef "Oases"

New study provides clues to locate resilient reef communities

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Lidar Derived Cross-Shore Profiles for U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Coasts

New paper describes the generation of this database, latest available profile elevations, and associated morphologic characteristics

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Can coral restoration reverse long-term declines in coral reef growth?

New USGS-led research shows restoration could bring reef growth back to historic levels

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Featured Video: Gulf of Mexico Groundwater Wells

A team heads out into the Gulf to check on a set of recently installed groundwater wells

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Check out the latest Sound Waves Newsletter

Check out this issue for a compilation of research activities across both Wetlands Month and Ocean Month 2022.

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USGS collaborates with local colleges, inspiring students to pursue marine science by taking them to sea

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Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Ocean

For ocean month, explore some fun facts you might not know about the ocean!

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Providing Data and Tools for Resilient Coastal Resources, Communities, and Economies

Department of the Interior Seminar

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Get to know the science of the USGS St. Petersburg

New booklet provides a glimpse into the research conducted at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

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Featured Video: Secrets of the Sediments

Uncover the mystery of sediments on barrier islands

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Sea-level rise may help shorebirds but could put communities at risk on Fire Island

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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Research programs have a primary focus of investigating processes related to coastal and marine environments and societal implications related to natural hazards, resource sustainability, and environmental change.

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Science

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Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and why it matters.

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Peer-reviewed research results and conclusions, authored by Center scientists.

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Coral Reef “Oases”: New Study Provides Clues to Locate Resilient Reef Communities

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Drs. Emily Wei and Jennifer Miselis published a manuscript describing the controls of geology, human modifications to the shoreline, and waves on shoreface morphology

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SPCMSC scientists publish a database of lidar derived topo-bathy cross-shore profiles and characteristics for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico sandy coastlines

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Publications

Documenting the multiple facets of a subsiding landscape from coastal cities and wetlands to the continental shelf

Land subsidence is a settling, sinking, or collapse of the land surface. In the southeastern United States, subsidence is frequently observed as sinkhole collapse in karst environments, wetland degradation and loss in coastal and other low-lying areas, and inundation of coastal urban communities. Human activities such as fluid extraction, mining, and overburden alteration can cause or exacerbate s
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Water Resources, Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center (CFWSC), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center

Barium enrichment in the non-spinose planktic foraminifer, Globorotalia truncatulinoides

Observations of elevated barium-to-calcium ratios (Ba/Ca) in Globorotalia truncatulinoides have been attributed to contaminant phases, deep calcification depth and diagenetic processes. Here we investigate intra- and inter-test Ba/Ca variability in the non-spinose planktic foraminifer, G. truncatulinoides, from a sediment trap time series in the northern Gulf of Mexico to gain insights into the en
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Geologic framework, anthropogenic impacts, and hydrodynamics contribute to variable sediment availability and shoreface morphology at the Rockaway Peninsula, NY

Recent field and modeling studies have shown that barrier island resiliency is sensitive to sediment fluxes from the shoreface, making it important to evaluate how shoreface sediment availability varies in coastal systems. To do this, we assessed shoreface geology and morphology along the Rockaway Peninsula, NY, USA. We find that spatial variability in shoreface volume is influenced by sediment ac
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Perspective view of the seafloor of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Puerto Rico Natural Hazards | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico

The island of Puerto Rico is subject to numerous threats from natural hazards, including hurricanes, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal and inland flooding, environmental contaminants, and freshwater scarcity, among others. USGS science can help citizens better prepare for, mitigate, and adapt to these hazards. This website compiles USGS resources available for Puerto Rico to provide...
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Puerto Rico Natural Hazards | Peligros naturales de Puerto Rico

The island of Puerto Rico is subject to numerous threats from natural hazards, including hurricanes, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal and inland flooding, environmental contaminants, and freshwater scarcity, among others. USGS science can help citizens better prepare for, mitigate, and adapt to these hazards. This website compiles USGS resources available for Puerto Rico to provide...
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Coral reef and Loggerhead Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

Understanding Ecosystem Response and Infrastructure Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise for Several National Parks and Preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region

USGS Researchers at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center and the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center will provide valuable information to natural resource managers on how important coastal ecosystems in the National Park Service South Atlantic-Gulf Region may change over time. This information could assist with future-focused land management and stewardship.
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
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Understanding Ecosystem Response and Infrastructure Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise for Several National Parks and Preserves in the South Atlantic-Gulf Region

USGS Researchers at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center and the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center will provide valuable information to natural resource managers on how important coastal ecosystems in the National Park Service South Atlantic-Gulf Region may change over time. This information could assist with future-focused land management and stewardship.
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Inlet into Pleasant bay, looking north to Nauset Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore, Chatham, MA

State of Our Nation's Coast

The USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP) established a Coastal Change Hazards (CCH) programmatic focus to support the optimization of resources, improve the visibility of USGS coastal hazards science, and prioritize science, products, and tools that meet stakeholder needs. Important work by CMHRP scientists and staff within CCH supports hazard mitigation along our nation’s...
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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State of Our Nation's Coast

The USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP) established a Coastal Change Hazards (CCH) programmatic focus to support the optimization of resources, improve the visibility of USGS coastal hazards science, and prioritize science, products, and tools that meet stakeholder needs. Important work by CMHRP scientists and staff within CCH supports hazard mitigation along our nation’s...
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