Images

A view of a salt marsh pond on the left, and a tidal creek on the right at Plum Island, Massachusetts.

Tropical Storm Eta had effects on Florida's Gulf Coast beaches, including dune erosion and overwash. This image from the coast cam at Madeira Beach, Florida captured high water levels and resulting overwash of sand onto the patio of the Shoreline Resort.

Robert Scharping, a post-doctoral fellow jointly appointed by the USGS and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) measures water chemistry 40’ underwater and underground in Double Keyhole Cave near the coastline of Tampa Bay Florida.

An image of 24 June 2020 (B4) and prehistoric (P2) outlier rockfall boulders within the Mount Whitney Trailhead Campground. Boulder P2 is approximately 3 m tall. The blue dashed line indicates one of several tent sites affected by the 2020 rockfalls.

Established in 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coral Assessment Network (USGS-CAN) provides data on coral-growth (calcification) rates throughout the Florida Keys. Pictured here is one of 30 stations located in in Dry Tortugas National Park.

This screenshot was taken from a video created for the virtual 2020 St. Petersburg Science Festival that discussed Coastal Change Hazards research at the USGS. Justin Birchler is seen walking up the beach with GPS equipment to measure the elevation of the beach.

Waves are the motion of the water's surface, usually caused by the transfer of energy from wind. Wave energy causes the water to move in a circular motion. The height and length of these waves combined with the slope of the beach influence how high the water can reach up on the coast.

A USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory field team finishes the installation of the combined seismic/GPS station, YOCR, at Mount Hood, Oregon.

A Cascades Volcano Observatory field team completes the installation of the combined seismic/GPS station YOCR, at Mount Hood.

USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory Geophysicist Rebecca Kramer works on the installation of the GPS mast at new station LSON, at Mount Hood. The GPS measures subtle ground deformation that can occur in response to magma entering or leaving the magma reservoir several miles below the summit.

Combined seismic/GPS station LSON, on Mount Hood, installed at the end of September 2020. LSON is one of three new stations that enhance the existing monitoring network at this high-threat volcano.

View of the combined seismic/GPS station BRSP, on the north flank of Mount Hood, Oregon. Mount Hood is pictured in the distance.

A USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory field team waits on this remote north flank of Mount Hood, as a helicopter delivers supplies and equipment to station BRSP. The station was installed with minimal impact on the environment. A helicopter delivered equipment via external sling load and USGS personnel accessed the site by foot.

USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory Geophysicist Emily Montgomery-Brown uses a drill to create a small hole in volcanic rock that will support a GPS mast. The effort was part of a three-station installation project at Mount Hood in 2020. This station location is called BRSP.

Volcano Disaster Assistance Program Geophysicist Jeremy Pesicek digs a hole for a seismometer at station BRSP, on the north flank of Mount Hood. The seismometer, which detects earthquakes, is buried at a depth of at least 1 meter (3 feet).

USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory Geophysicist Wes Thelen, removes ropes from new station LSON, at Mount Hood (Mount Hood is pictured in the distance).

The USGS Coastal Change Hazards team collects data to monitor coastal change – including how storms and waves shape and reshape our beaches. It’s important to keep track of how beaches change over time because they provide habitat for many creatures including birds and sea turtles, and they are beautiful locations where people love to live and vacation.

This photo is the results of processing a time series of images, which are a combination of all image frames collected during a 10 to 17-minute video. These images are incredibly useful for studying coastal change remotely, but the usefulness of the image depends on how they are processed.

Justin Birchler, Physical Scientist with the USGS Coastal Change Hazards team conducts a beach profile survey at our field site on Madeira Beach. During these surveys, Justin wears a backpack with GPS equipment to collect elevation data that will be used to create a topographic map of the beach.

We conduct fieldwork in a variety of barrier island settings to understand the relative importance of these factors, including Fire Island, NY; Rockaway, NY; Seven Mile Island, NJ; and Cedar Island, VA.

Throughout the historically active 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season,USGS hydrologists have been working quickly to collect vital flood and streamflow information in impacted areas.