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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program images.

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Map of the seafloor showing its characteristics which include long, linear features that are earthquake fault zones.
Offshore of Point Estero
Offshore of Point Estero
Offshore of Point Estero

Seafloor offshore of Point Estero (PE) showing east (EH) and west (WH) strands of the Hosgri fault zone. Arrow points to a seafloor slope (a 12,000 year old shoreline) that has been offset by the east Hosgri strand, indicating a slip rate of about 2.6 millimeters per year.

Seafloor offshore of Point Estero (PE) showing east (EH) and west (WH) strands of the Hosgri fault zone. Arrow points to a seafloor slope (a 12,000 year old shoreline) that has been offset by the east Hosgri strand, indicating a slip rate of about 2.6 millimeters per year.

Map of offshore southern California showing the contours of the seafloor, with labels pointing to circles showing landslides.
Large submarine slides off southern California
Large submarine slides off southern California
Large submarine slides off southern California

Large submarine slides off southern California (outlined in small white dots). Low-resolution bathymetry shown in light grey (approximately 100 meters/pixel). High-resolution bathymetry shown in darker grey (less than 20 meters/pixel).

Large submarine slides off southern California (outlined in small white dots). Low-resolution bathymetry shown in light grey (approximately 100 meters/pixel). High-resolution bathymetry shown in darker grey (less than 20 meters/pixel).

4-photos of scientists doing field work on boats, and in or near the water
Scientists doing field work at Elwha River
Scientists doing field work at Elwha River
Scientists doing field work at Elwha River

Researchers survey Elwha River elevation and depths. Clockwise from upper left: setting up a traditional survey instrument above the river; measuring river depths from a kayak with sonar and GPS; walking the beach with GPS backpacks; and determining offshore depths using a personal watercraft with GPS and sonar.

Researchers survey Elwha River elevation and depths. Clockwise from upper left: setting up a traditional survey instrument above the river; measuring river depths from a kayak with sonar and GPS; walking the beach with GPS backpacks; and determining offshore depths using a personal watercraft with GPS and sonar.

Schematic showing how sediment on the seafloor moves in response to multiple forces
Schematic showing how sediment on the seafloor moves
Schematic showing how sediment on the seafloor moves
Screenshot of Total Water Level and Coastal-Change Forecast Viewer on June 4, 2016
Screenshot of Total Water Level and Coastal-Change Forecast Viewer
Screenshot of Total Water Level and Coastal-Change Forecast Viewer
Screenshot of Total Water Level and Coastal-Change Forecast Viewer

Screenshot of Total Water Level and Coastal-Change Forecast Viewer (<https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/hurricanes/research/twlviewer/>) on June 4, 2016, two days before Tropical Storm Colin was expected to hit Florida’s Gulf of America coast.

A brain coral spawns white larvae, which are taken away by an underwater current.
Brain coral spawning coral larvae
Brain coral spawning coral larvae
Brain coral spawning coral larvae

Brain coral spawning coral larvae. The larvae will settle on other surfaces and grow into new coral in a process called recruitment.

Brain coral spawning coral larvae. The larvae will settle on other surfaces and grow into new coral in a process called recruitment.

Map showing the surficial geology of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds with equivalent onshore geology
Surficial Geology of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds
Surficial Geology of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds
Surficial Geology of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds

Map showing the surficial geology of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds with equivalent onshore geology (adapted from Stone and DiGiacomo-Cohen, 2009). The areal extents over which offshore subsurface geologic units crop out at the sea floor were interpreted from seismic-reflection data.

Map showing the surficial geology of Vineyard and western Nantucket Sounds with equivalent onshore geology (adapted from Stone and DiGiacomo-Cohen, 2009). The areal extents over which offshore subsurface geologic units crop out at the sea floor were interpreted from seismic-reflection data.

Photograph of USGS personnel testing water in a marsh
Testing the Water!
Testing the Water!
Testing the Water!

Jen Suttles,Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, collects water samples from a salt marsh tidal creek (East Falmouth, MA) for laboratory analysis of total organic carbon. These samples will be compared to data recorded by instrumentation deployed in an adjacent tidal creek as part of research efforts to quantify carbon dynamics in coastal ecosystems

Jen Suttles,Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, collects water samples from a salt marsh tidal creek (East Falmouth, MA) for laboratory analysis of total organic carbon. These samples will be compared to data recorded by instrumentation deployed in an adjacent tidal creek as part of research efforts to quantify carbon dynamics in coastal ecosystems

Map of seabed geology and sun-illuminated topography, Stellwagen Bank
Map of seabed geology and sun-illuminated topography, Stellwagen Bank
Map of seabed geology and sun-illuminated topography, Stellwagen Bank
Gerry Hatcher poses with the camera system he helped create, with all kinds of gadgets and wires in a metal frame.
Gerry Hatcher and Camera System
Gerry Hatcher and Camera System
Gerry Hatcher and Camera System

USGS ocean engineer Gerry Hatcher with the camera system he helped create for recording the precise time and geographic location of each air photo it takes. The system is mounted in the cargo compartment of a Cessna 182R airplane and takes photos through a window cut into a removable cargo door (right).

USGS ocean engineer Gerry Hatcher with the camera system he helped create for recording the precise time and geographic location of each air photo it takes. The system is mounted in the cargo compartment of a Cessna 182R airplane and takes photos through a window cut into a removable cargo door (right).

Vertical steel pipe with a horizontal arm extending from the top and tripod legs anchored by cinder blocks at the bottom.
Beach-monitoring video camera atop hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida
Beach-monitoring video camera atop hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida
Beach-monitoring video camera atop hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida

USGS research oceanographers Jenna Brown and Joe Long installed this video camera atop the Shoreline Island Resort hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida. Starting in February 2017, the camera has recorded video for 17 minutes every hour during daylight hours.

USGS research oceanographers Jenna Brown and Joe Long installed this video camera atop the Shoreline Island Resort hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida. Starting in February 2017, the camera has recorded video for 17 minutes every hour during daylight hours.

A metal frame holding a camera is anchored by concrete blocks on top of a building overlooking a beach on a sunny day
View of a video camera atop a hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida
View of a video camera atop a hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida
View of a video camera atop a hotel in Madeira Beach, Florida

A high resolution digital video camera is installed atop a waterfront hotel at Madeira Beach, Florida, overlooking the Gulf of America coast.

Sunset at Sage Lot Pond Salt Marsh Observatory
Sunset at Sage Lot Pond Salt Marsh Observatory
Sunset at Sage Lot Pond Salt Marsh Observatory
Sunset at Sage Lot Pond Salt Marsh Observatory

Sunset at Sage Lot Pond Salt Marsh Observatory marks the end of 16 hour field effort. During this sampling, USGS researchers captured the exchange of materials between the marsh and estuary. This field site provides infrastructure to keep sensors deployed nearly year-round so changes across seasons and extreme events, such as large storms, are captured.

Sunset at Sage Lot Pond Salt Marsh Observatory marks the end of 16 hour field effort. During this sampling, USGS researchers captured the exchange of materials between the marsh and estuary. This field site provides infrastructure to keep sensors deployed nearly year-round so changes across seasons and extreme events, such as large storms, are captured.

two women stand near a poster under a tent talking to the public
Discussing corals as climate change recorders at an outreach event
Discussing corals as climate change recorders at an outreach event
Discussing corals as climate change recorders at an outreach event

USGS scientists Lauren Toth and Jen Flannery of the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center discuss how they study corals to better understand past climate change. The Center participates in the St. Petersburg Science Festival each year. 

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