Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Sand dunes in Avon on Cape Hatteras, NC are the only separation between many beach house communities and the Atlantic Ocean. 

 Westco discrete nutrient analyzer measures low-levels of nutrients in water samples

Overwash processes caused by storms, like the one seen here following Hurricane Sandy on a barrier island in Virginia, push sand landward over dunes to create low-elevation, minimally vegetated sandy habitats used by a variety of species, like piping plovers.

The streamer is flaked out on the deck with a make shift workbench for tools.  The technical staff (Geological Survey of Canada) are sharing a lighter moment during trouble shooting and repair aboard CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent. Adequate space for repair of the 100-m long system is not available in heated interior spaces.  Being able to repair equipment outdoors in

Digital still photograph from Ipswich Bay near Salisbury, MA, showing a lobster, sponges, and brachiopods, on cobbles and ledge covered with bubblegum algae and red filamentous algae.  A thin veneer of coarse sand and gravelly sediment partially cover the rocks. Water depth at this location is approximately 24 meters.

Macroalgae, seagrass, and litter in West Falmouth Harbor, MA

 Sunrise with a recently deployed buoy measuring meteorological data off Fire Island, NY in 2012.  The data collected is part of a study of the coastal processes that mobilize and transport sediment in the region

Anti-fouling treatment is applied to a sensor on a platform about to be deployed off Fire Island, NY in 2012.  The data collected is part of a study of the coastal processes that mobilize and transport sediment in the region

Map of Fire Island, N.Y. study area

Map of Long Bay, S.C. study area

Worldwide distribution of observed and inferred gas hydrates in marine and permafrost-associated settings that have been the subject of drilling programs. The color coding refers to the primary sediment type in each location and therefore designates the likely type of gas hydrate reservoir at each site.