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.
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Peer-reviewed research results and conclusions, authored by Center scientists.
Publications ListNews
SPCMSC Coastal Change Hazards researchers awarded FY21 Risk Research and Applications Funding to assess coastal vulnerabilities in Puerto Rico
Legna Torres-Garcia and Donya Frank-Gilchrist (CNSS) are co-PIs on a project entitled “Coastal Vulnerability Assessments in Puerto Rico: focused stakeholder engagement to foster equity and inclusion.” The aim is to connect resources and tools for assessing coastal change hazards to relevant stakeholders and coastal communities in Puerto Rico.
Regional Habitat Differences Identified for Threatened Piping Plovers on Atlantic Coast
Piping plovers, charismatic shorebirds that nest and feed on many Atlantic Coast beaches, rely on different kinds of coastal habitats in different regions along the Atlantic Coast, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sound Waves Newsletter - December 2020-March 2021
Read about the challenges of conducting research during a pandemic, how USGS scientists conducted a nationwide assessment of salt marsh vulnerability, and more, in this December 2020-March 2021 issue of Sound Waves.
Publications
Quantifying thresholds of barrier geomorphic change in a cross-shore sediment-partitioning model
Barrier coasts, including barrier islands, beach-ridge plains, and associated landforms, can assume a broad spectrum of morphologies over multi-decadal scales that reflect conditions of sediment availability, accommodation, and relative sea-level rise. However, the quantitative thresholds of these controls on barrier-system behavior remain largely...
Ciarletta, Daniel James; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Shawler, Justin L.; Hein, Christopher J. Gulf of Mexico blue hole harbors high levels of novel microbial lineages
Exploration of oxygen-depleted marine environments has consistently revealed novel microbial taxa and metabolic capabilities that expand our understanding of microbial evolution and ecology. Marine blue holes are shallow karst formations characterized by low oxygen and high organic matter content. They are logistically challenging to sample, and...
Patin, N.V.; Dietrich, Z.A.; Stancil, A.; Quinan, M.; Beckler, J.S.; Hall, E.R.; Culter, J; Smith, Christopher; Taillefert, Martial; Stewart, F.J.
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.