Images

The AIM group sent three members to Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina to train new U.S. National Park Service uncrewed aircraft system pilots in structure from motion best practices. The group was able to map the Bodie Island Lighthouse (pictured here) and a section of the beach at Ocracoke Inlet.

Photo Contest Winner | September 2021 | People

Robert (Bo) Bales works on a Aquadopp for deployment

Pre- and post-Hurricane Dorian aerial imagery showing extreme sediment transport, overwash and breaches along the barrier islands of the North Carolina coast.

The marshes of Plum Island Estuary are among those predicted by scientists to submerge during the next century under conservative projections of sea-level rise.

Tidally restricted Typha wetland in the Herring River Estuary.  Learn more about  Continuous Water Level, Salinity, and Temperature Data from Monitoring Wells in Herring River Wetlands, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2020-2021 

Unrestricted Phragmites wetland in Sage Lot Pond, Cape Cod, MA. Learn more about Continuous Water Level, Salinity, and Temperature Data from Monitoring Wells in Wetlands on the South Shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2020

USGS scientist cuts open core taken in the field to sample soils and vegetation for chemical analysis. 

 Bathymetric map of Grand Traverse Bay, Lake Superior.  The 2018 data are shown in gray hillshade, with the combined 2021 data superimposed in color.  Index map at lower right shows the extent of each survey. 

Monitoring well in a restored marsh on Cape Cod, MA.  Learn more about Continuous Water Level, Salinity, and Temperature Data from Monitoring Wells in Herring River Wetlands, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 2020-2021

Grain density results obtained using a pycnometer inform other geotechnical testing, such as the consolidation results from the laboratory’s oedometers.

 The USGS Gas Hydrates Project develops and tests new tools to address the critical knowledge gaps identified as scientists analyze hydrate-bearing pressure cores recovered during field programs. HyPrCal Laboratory analysis using Pressure Core Characterization Tools.

The USGS, including scientists from the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, participated in the multiagency DUNEX (During Nearshore Event Experiment) project in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, September through October 2021. Maps of the beach were made at regular intervals.

Example from development of an atmospheric model for Hurricane Florence. The images display a comparison between the control case, WRF-ROMS-SWAN modeling system and the multi-sensor (radar and rain) precipitation observations during the calibration of the model.

Hurricane Florence numerical modeling: Cape Fear River basin boundaries, topography, river streams and measurement locations. USGS streamflow and rain gages, and Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) gages are shown. Stream order increases going from branches to the main channel indicating merging surface water flow.

Hurricane Florence numerical modeling: The Weather Research and Forecasting Model Hydrological modeling system (WRF-Hydro) is used to simulate surface and subsurface flows on land.

Example from development of an atmospheric model for Hurricane Florence. The animation shows the changing atmospheric pressure and wind fields during the storm as simulated by the model. Arrows display wind direction, colors indicate atmospheric pressure ranging from 97,500 pascals (red) to 102,460 pascals (blue).

Land surface elevation and modeled water level changes at Pamlico Sound during Hurricane Dorian. Small red box shows where the breaches to barrier islands were modeled.

Model animation showing land elevation, current speed and direction and the formation of breaches over the North Core Banks barrier islands.

Model animation showing land elevation, current speed and direction and the formation of breaches over the North Core Banks barrier islands.

Patrick Berube of WHCMSC prepares the SEABOSS for deployment in Lake Superior. 

Sample of mixed sediment shown under a microscope at 7.5x magnification.  Dark-colored, coarse-grained stamp sands are readily distinguishable from light-colored, finer-grained native sand.  Scale bar at bottom right for reference.