St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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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.
Science
Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and why it matters.
Science ThemesPublications
Peer-reviewed research results and conclusions, authored by Center scientists.
Publications ListNews
Total Water Level and Coastal Change Forecast expands to include more than a thousand miles of new coverage
The Total Water Level and Coastal Change Forecasts have been extended across an additional 1,700 km of US coastline to provide coastal change hazards predictions to coastal communities.
Photo Roundup - Coastal Change Hazards
Multimedia documenting coastal change hazards research at the USGS
SPCMSC Scientists Investigating Coastal Geology in Pinellas County, Florida
SPCMSC geologists Daniel Ciarletta, Julie Bernier, and Nancy DeWitt are collecting ground-penetrating radar profiles and vibracores from Pinellas County, Florida barrier islands at Tierra Verde, Dunedin, and Tarpon Springs.
Publications
Underwater photographic reconnaissance and habitat data collection in the Florida Keys—A procedure for ground truthing remotely sensed bathymetric data
Bathymetric geoprocessing analyses of the Florida Reef Tract have provided insights into trends of seafloor accretion and seafloor erosion over time and following major storm events. However, bathymetric surveys sometimes capture manmade structures and vegetation, which do not represent the desired bare-earth data. Therefore, ground truthing is...
Fehr, Zachery W.; Yates, Kimberly K.
Reestablishing a stepping-stone population of the threatened elkhorn coral Acropora palmata to aid regional recovery
Recovery of the elkhorn coral Acropora palmata is critical to reversing coral reef ecosystem collapse in the western Atlantic, but the species is severely threatened. To gauge potential for the species’ restoration in Florida, USA, we conducted an assisted migration experiment where 50 coral fragments of 5 nursery-raised genetic strains...
Kuffner, Ilsa B.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Toth, Lauren T.; Bartlett, Lucy Development and application of an empirical dune growth model for evaluating barrier island recovery from storms
Coastal zone managers require models that predict barrier island change on decadal time scales to estimate coastal vulnerability, and plan habitat restoration and coastal protection projects. To meet these needs, methods must be available for predicting dune recovery as well as dune erosion. In the present study, an empirical dune growth model (...
Dalyander, Patricia (Soupy); Mickey, Rangley C.; Passeri, Davina L.; Plant, Nathaniel G.