Images

Dr. Christopher G. Smith pumps water from a submarine groundwater well on the seafloor through tubing to the R/V Halimeda and uses an instrument called a YSI to measure salinity and ensure the wells are working properly and producing groundwater.

Dr. Christopher G. Smith pumps water from a submarine groundwater well on the seafloor through tubing to the R/V Halimeda and uses an instrument called a YSI to measure salinity and ensure the wells are working properly and producing groundwater.

Restored staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) at Looe Key reef in the lower Florida Keys outplanted by Mote Marine Laboratory's coral restoration program.

Our coasts, the most familiar part of the ocean are the gateway to the larger deeper ocean world. USGS studies processes and hazards in the coastal zone and how they affect people, wildlife, and ecosystems.

Photograph of the SPCMSC Core Laboratory’s storage stacks. The SPCMSC Core Laboratory is an archive that houses a collection of nearly 3,000 cores collected by the center and Federal, State, and university partners. These cores have been sampled from diverse study areas including coral reefs, wetlands, beaches, and marine environments from around the world.

The U.S.

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting research to guide the restoration and recovery of threatened corals in Dry Tortugas National Park and throughout the western Atlantic. Shown here is a colony of the threatened elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has grown over the sides of a cinderblock experimental platform.

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting research to guide the restoration and recovery of threatened corals in Dry Tortugas National Park and throughout the western Atlantic. Shown here are two colonies of the threatened elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, with a colony of staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, in the center.

A vibracore being deployed by USGS staff from the FSU R/V Apalachee for the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). The objective of this field effort was to establish a baseline environmental characterization for a test bed to predict mobility and burial of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in response to waves and currents. 

The USGS Processes Impacting Seafloor Change and Ecosystem Services (PISCES) project team meeting at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in May 2022 to coordinate Structure-from-motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras (SQUID-5) and diver-based SfM data acquisition and processing for field work.

Caitlin Reynolds retrieving one of the sediment traps used by USGS to study sediment flux in the Gulf of America on board the Research Vessel (R/V) Weatherbird II (Florida Institute of Oceanography).

Eckerd College students taking water samples from a CTD-rosette on board the R/V Weatherbird

Our coasts, the most familiar part of the ocean are the gateway to the larger deeper ocean world. USGS studies processes and hazards in the coastal zone and how they affect people, wildlife, and ecosystems.

An erosion model activity used by the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center to showcase how hurricane-force winds can cause damage to coastal environments.

The SQUID-5, or Structure-from-motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras test in Tampa Bay.

Dr. Legna Torres-García conducts an erosion model activity at the LCC Day School in St. Petersburg, FL, to showcase how hurricane-force winds can cause damage to coastal environments.

The SQUID-5, or Structure-from-motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras, being deployed by Mitch Lemon (SPCMSC, on the left) and Gerry Hatcher (PCMSC, on the right)  in Tampa Bay for testing.

Dr. Legna Torres-García conducts an erosion model activity at the LCC Day School in St. Petersburg, FL, to showcase how hurricane-force winds can cause damage to coastal environments.

The SQUID-5, or Structure-from-motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras, shown being staged for a test run at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center. In the background, Andy Farmer (SPCMSC) and Gerry Hatcher (PCMSC) prep the R/V Sallenger, the vessel being used to tow the device. 

The R/V Weatherbird II docked at the Florida Institute of Oceanography at University of South Florida (USF) College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, Florida. USGS scientists and partners at Eckerd College and USF load the vessel in preparation for a research cruise as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Scientists-at-Sea program.

A floating sled that enables sub‐bottom surveying in shallow water, nearshore, and shore‐face environments. The sled is equipped with an EdgeTech SB‐512i chirp system and single‐beam sonar. This equipment is used to collect seismic sub‐bottom profiles and single‐beam bathymetry.