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Blue Carbon Research Contributes to Largest Tidal Restoration in the Northeast

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Learn how wetlands can naturally help with climate change impacts

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Take a Deep Dive into USGS Ocean Science

USGS makes a splash with a series of new web pages

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Storms Help an Underwater Cave Breathe

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Coastal Change Likelihood Assessment

A synthesis of factors that determine future coastal change

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Sound Waves Newsletter

Read about coastal storm impacts on the west coast, gas hydrates in Alaska, a research cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, and more in this issue of the Sound Waves Newsletter

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Hydrologic Restoration in Coastal Wetlands Enhances Climate Change Mitigation

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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center is one of three centers serving the mission of the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program—the primary Federal marine geology and physical science research program responsible for the Nation’s entire coastal and marine landscape. 

Research

Photograph of USGS staff collecting data in a marsh

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

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News

August 2018 "Honorable Mention" category Sara Ernst

Recent news items for Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

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Highlights

News

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Blue Carbon Research Contributes to Largest Tidal Restoration in the Northeast

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Learn how wetlands can naturally help with climate change impacts

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USGS will present on ocean, coasts, and climate at the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Policy Analysis Seminar

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Publications

Incorporating wave climate complexity into modeling lower shoreface morphology and transport

The lower shoreface, a transitional subaqueous region extending from the seaward limit of the surf zone to beyond the closure depth, serves as a sediment reservoir and pathway in sandy beach environments over annual to millennial time scales. Despite the important role this region plays in shoreline dynamics, the morphodynamics of the lower shoreface remain poorly quantified and understood. To bet
Authors
Megan Gillen, Andrew D. Ashton, Jennifer L. Miselis, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Emily A. Wei, Christopher R. Sherwood
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

A numerical investigation of the mechanisms controlling salt intrusion in the Delaware Bay Estuary

Salinity intrusion in coastal systems is mainly controlled by freshwater inflows. However, extreme events like drought, low-pressure storms, and longer-term sea level rise can exacerbate the landward salt migration and threaten economic infrastructure and ecological health. Along the eastern seaboard of the United States, approximately 13 million people rely on the water resources of the Delaware
Authors
Salme Ellen Cook, John C. Warner, Kendra L. Russell
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Accuracy of shoreline forecasting using sparse data

Sandy beaches are important resources providing recreation, tourism, habitat, and coastal protection. They evolve over various time scales due to local winds, waves, storms, and changes in sea level. A common method used to monitor change in sandy beaches is to measure the movement of the shoreline over time. Typically, the rate of change is estimated by fitting a linear regression through a time
Authors
Amy S. Farris, Joseph W Long, Emily A. Himmelstoss
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Science

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Coastal Change Likelihood map of Chesapeake, VA

Coastal Change Likelihood

The U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with the National Park Service through the Natural Resource Preservation Program, developed the Coastal Change Likelihood (CCL) assessment to determine the future likelihood of coastal change along U.S. coastlines in the next decade. The Northeast United States, from Maine to Virginia, was selected for a proof-of-concept pilot study.
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Coastal Change Likelihood

The U.S. Geological Survey, in partnership with the National Park Service through the Natural Resource Preservation Program, developed the Coastal Change Likelihood (CCL) assessment to determine the future likelihood of coastal change along U.S. coastlines in the next decade. The Northeast United States, from Maine to Virginia, was selected for a proof-of-concept pilot study.
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Data visualization with scaled options applied

Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS)

Computer Software for Calculating Shoreline Change (or positional change of a boundary over time) The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) v5 software is an add-in to Esri ArcGIS desktop (10.4-10.7+) that enables a user to calculate rate-of-change statistics from multiple historical shoreline positions. It provides an automated method for establishing measurement locations, performs rate...
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Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS)

Computer Software for Calculating Shoreline Change (or positional change of a boundary over time) The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) v5 software is an add-in to Esri ArcGIS desktop (10.4-10.7+) that enables a user to calculate rate-of-change statistics from multiple historical shoreline positions. It provides an automated method for establishing measurement locations, performs rate...
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Image: USCGC Healy in Heavy Ice Passing CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent

Delineating the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf

The United States has an interest in knowing the full extent of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from shore (called the extended continental shelf, or ECS) so that it can better protect, manage and use the resources of the seabed and subsoil contained therein. The USGS contributes to the ECS effort through membership and leadership on the interagency U.S. ECS Task Force, a group...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Delineating the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf

The United States has an interest in knowing the full extent of its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from shore (called the extended continental shelf, or ECS) so that it can better protect, manage and use the resources of the seabed and subsoil contained therein. The USGS contributes to the ECS effort through membership and leadership on the interagency U.S. ECS Task Force, a group...
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