Natural Disaster Preparedness Starts with Science
The USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program provides information needed to protect coastal communities
The USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program provides information needed to protect coastal communities
Helping Our Neighbors: USGS Surveys Primary Drinking Water Source for the Town of Falmouth
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Newsletter: June-July 2025
Sharing science stories, popular social media posts, recent publications, fieldwork activities, and more center happenings.
Sharing science stories, popular social media posts, recent publications, fieldwork activities, and more center happenings.
Sound Waves Newsletter
Explore coastal and marine science from across the USGS in Sound Waves.
Explore coastal and marine science from across the USGS in Sound Waves.
USGS Seafloor Mapping Provides the Scientific Foundation Needed to Address National Priorities
USGS Coastal Landscape Change Products Help the U.S. Department of Defense Safeguard Military Infrastructure Along the Coast
We Make Treasure Maps: USGS Charts the Seafloor to Help Locate Critical Minerals, Precious Metals, and Other Vital Resources
Valuable Data Collected on M7.0 Earthquake Offshore Cape Mendocino, California
Successful deployment and retrieval of Rapid Response Ocean Bottom Seismographs represents significant advancement in natural hazards research
Successful deployment and retrieval of Rapid Response Ocean Bottom Seismographs represents significant advancement in natural hazards research
Approaching Storms
Discover USGS tools that forecast storms and report coastal conditions for emergency management
Discover USGS tools that forecast storms and report coastal conditions for emergency management
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
We study extreme events and physical, biological, and chemical processes that shape our coastal and marine environments. Using this information, we identify hazards and provide critical information on our Nation’s resources. Our research and science-based products provide the strong scientific foundation needed by decisions makers, scientists, and state and federal agencies to address public safety, national security, and resource management across our Nation’s coastal and submerged lands.
Research
Research
Read about our science projects, find out where we are working and why it matters
Highlights
Highlights
- Sound Waves: Coastal and Marine Research News from Across the USGS
- Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Newsletter
- Annual Reports and General Information Product
- Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Field Activities
- Employment Opportunities
- Featured USGS Series Report
- Decadal Science Strategy
News
Coastal Change Likelihood Assessment—Predicting Coastal Landscape Change with Accuracy
Coastal Change Likelihood Assessment—Predicting Coastal Landscape Change with Accuracy
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Newsletter: August-November 2025
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Newsletter: August-November 2025
Photo Roundup: August-November 2025
Photo Roundup: August-November 2025
Publications
Comparisons of shoreline positions from satellite-derived and traditional field- and remote-sensing techniques Comparisons of shoreline positions from satellite-derived and traditional field- and remote-sensing techniques
Satellite-derived shorelines (SDS) have the potential to help researchers answer critical coastal science questions and support work to predict coastal change by filling in the spatial and temporal gaps present in current field-based and remote-sensing data collection methods. The U.S. Geological Survey conducted comparison analyses of traditionally sourced shorelines and SDS in diverse...
Proceedings of the Deepwater Hydrate Coring Expedition UT-GOM2-2 Proceedings of the Deepwater Hydrate Coring Expedition UT-GOM2-2
This report was the result of a scientific collaboration between the following institutions The University of Texas at Austin (UT), DOE, NETL, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), The Ohio State University, Columbia University, University of New Hampshire, Oregon State University, University of Washington, Tufts University, Colorado...
A simple predictive model for salt marsh internal deterioration under sea-level rise and sediment deficits: Application to Chesapeake Bay A simple predictive model for salt marsh internal deterioration under sea-level rise and sediment deficits: Application to Chesapeake Bay
Salt marshes are dynamic biogeomorphic systems reliant on autochthonous and allochthonous input to maintain their three-dimensional configuration. Sea-level rise, subsidence, and sediment deficits can lead to submergence, open-water expansion, and ultimately loss of the vegetated marsh plain and associated ecosystem services. Widely used management-focused models focus on vegetation...
Science
Prioritizing marsh restoration needs throughout Chesapeake Bay
A new USGS study estimates potential losses of Chesapeake Bay salt marshes that could occur in the next 80 years if no marsh restoration is undertaken. Using a suite of models, USGS researchers identified how future potential marsh changes can be used to prioritize present-day site-specific planning and restoration needs.
Seafloor Benthic Mapping and Characterization: Enhancing our Understanding of Aleutian Islands’ Hazards, Potential Seabed Minerals and Deep Corals
A USGS-led expedition in the Aleutian Arc off Alaska will provide critical information on energy resources, underwater earthquakes and other hazards, seafloor habitats, and biological resources, including key fisheries, as well as potential seabed minerals.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations
Eighteen USGS coastal scientists from all four coasts of the conterminous United States are working together to advance the understanding of climate change and sea-level rise impacts to coastal wetlands.
By
California Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center