Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Images

Images related to natural hazards.

Filter Total Items: 7275
Relative seagrass biomass in West Falmouth Harbor, MA
Relative seagrass biomass in West Falmouth Harbor, MA
Relative seagrass biomass in West Falmouth Harbor, MA
Relative seagrass biomass in West Falmouth Harbor, MA

Relative seagrass biomass in West Falmouth Harbor, MA, under current and potential future nitrogen loading scenarios. Seagrass biomass increases in western (seaward) portions of the harbor while eastern (landward) areas see new colonization by seagrass.

Relative seagrass biomass in West Falmouth Harbor, MA, under current and potential future nitrogen loading scenarios. Seagrass biomass increases in western (seaward) portions of the harbor while eastern (landward) areas see new colonization by seagrass.

Photograph of Laura Brothers in front of computer equipment.
Lights! Camera! Action!
Lights! Camera! Action!
Lights! Camera! Action!

Dr. Laura Brothers preparing to collect visual imagery aboard the RV Rafael as part of the launch of the MiniSEABOSS while doing work off of Nantucket. The MiniSEABOSS collects samples, photos and video of the seafloor.

Dr. Laura Brothers preparing to collect visual imagery aboard the RV Rafael as part of the launch of the MiniSEABOSS while doing work off of Nantucket. The MiniSEABOSS collects samples, photos and video of the seafloor.

Scientist sets up solar-powered research station amid Fire Island dunes
Setting up a science base in a barrier island wilderness
Setting up a science base in a barrier island wilderness
Setting up a science base in a barrier island wilderness

USGS scientist BJ Reynolds sets up a solar-powered, satellite-uplinked GPS base station in the Fire Island Wilderness Area to support detailed elevation surveys.

Photo of a coastal cliff with an apartment building right at the edge of the cliff.
Cliff erosion
Cliff erosion
Cliff erosion

Cliff erosion is a common storm-induced hazard along the West Coast. Two condemned apartment buildings along Esplanade Avenue in Pacifica, California are shown here before their demolition in 2016 and 2017.

Cliff erosion is a common storm-induced hazard along the West Coast. Two condemned apartment buildings along Esplanade Avenue in Pacifica, California are shown here before their demolition in 2016 and 2017.

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Topsail, North Carolina. 
Aerial photographs of Topsail, North Carolina
Aerial photographs of Topsail, North Carolina
Aerial photographs of Topsail, North Carolina

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Topsail, North Carolina. View looking northwest along the North Carolina shore. Elevated storm-induced water levels overtopped the low dunes here causing the dune to overwash. Sand was transported landward, burying the marsh (green arrow).

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Topsail, North Carolina. View looking northwest along the North Carolina shore. Elevated storm-induced water levels overtopped the low dunes here causing the dune to overwash. Sand was transported landward, burying the marsh (green arrow).

marsh, rocky coast, barrier beach, coastal bluff
Sea-level rise effects vary in geomorphology and ecology
Sea-level rise effects vary in geomorphology and ecology
Sea-level rise effects vary in geomorphology and ecology

The effects of sea-level rise will vary by differences in the geomorphology and ecology of the landscape.  Images show marsh (top left) rocky coast (top right), barrier beach (bottom left), and coastal bluff (bottom right)

The effects of sea-level rise will vary by differences in the geomorphology and ecology of the landscape.  Images show marsh (top left) rocky coast (top right), barrier beach (bottom left), and coastal bluff (bottom right)

Map showing extent and coverage of coastal response type predictions
Coastal Response Predictions
Coastal Response Predictions
Coastal Response Predictions

Map showing extent and coverage of coastal response type predictions; insets display different prediction types and geospatial variability through time. Predictions of coastal response likelihood for the four prediction time steps at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, VA.

Map showing extent and coverage of coastal response type predictions; insets display different prediction types and geospatial variability through time. Predictions of coastal response likelihood for the four prediction time steps at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, VA.

Newberry Volcano's Youngest Lava Flows...
Newberry Volcano's Youngest Lava Flows
Newberry Volcano's Youngest Lava Flows
Newberry Volcano's Youngest Lava Flows

Newberry Volcano's youngest lava flows. Source: Robinson, J.E., Donnelly-Nolan, J.M., and Jensen, R.A., 2015, Newberry Volcano’s Youngest Lava Flows: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3329, 1 sheet, https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3329.

Newberry Volcano's youngest lava flows. Source: Robinson, J.E., Donnelly-Nolan, J.M., and Jensen, R.A., 2015, Newberry Volcano’s Youngest Lava Flows: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3329, 1 sheet, https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3329.

Map illustration showing bathymetry, or depth, and a fault offshore of the Alaskan coastline.
Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault
Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault
Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault

Enlarged details of Survey Area 1 showing new multibeam bathymetry data (rainbow colors) acquired on R/V Solstice near Cross Sound and Glacier Bay National Park, southeastern Alaska. Arrows highlight the surface expression, or trace, of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault.

Enlarged details of Survey Area 1 showing new multibeam bathymetry data (rainbow colors) acquired on R/V Solstice near Cross Sound and Glacier Bay National Park, southeastern Alaska. Arrows highlight the surface expression, or trace, of the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault.

Computer application screen showing seafloor features, depth on left, a volcano-like cone sticking up in middle with plume.
Sidescan sonar record off so. Alaska
Sidescan sonar record off so. Alaska
Sidescan sonar record off so. Alaska

Profile of newly discovered volcano-like cone in sonar record collected off southern Alaska. The cone’s summit is at about 1,000 meters water depth. Note fluid plume (blue) rising more than 700 meters upward from the summit.

Profile of newly discovered volcano-like cone in sonar record collected off southern Alaska. The cone’s summit is at about 1,000 meters water depth. Note fluid plume (blue) rising more than 700 meters upward from the summit.

USGS scientists operating a small research vessel in water near a grassy shoreline.
USGS vessel used to collect single-beam bathymetry
USGS vessel used to collect single-beam bathymetry
USGS vessel used to collect single-beam bathymetry

This USGS vessel acquires single-beam bathymetry in shallow nearshore environments. We acquire repeat bathymetry surveys over multiple years and compute changes in bathymetry, thus allowing us to identify hotspots of erosion and deposition on short timescales.

This USGS vessel acquires single-beam bathymetry in shallow nearshore environments. We acquire repeat bathymetry surveys over multiple years and compute changes in bathymetry, thus allowing us to identify hotspots of erosion and deposition on short timescales.

 Scanning electron microscope image of gas hydrate crystals in a sediment sample.
Gas Hydrate Crystals
Gas Hydrate Crystals
Gas Hydrate Crystals

 Scanning electron microscope image of gas hydrate crystals in a sediment sample. The scale is 50 micrometers (µm) or approximately 0.002 inches

 Scanning electron microscope image of gas hydrate crystals in a sediment sample. The scale is 50 micrometers (µm) or approximately 0.002 inches

Chincoteague Bay, MD
Storm erosion at Chincoteague Bay, MD
Storm erosion at Chincoteague Bay, MD
Storm erosion at Chincoteague Bay, MD

Storm induced erosion of marsh shorelines can provide significant quantities of sediment to the bay altering the deposition patterns.

 

USGS staff diving in Chincoteague Bay, MD
Measuring seagrass!
Measuring seagrass!
flood tidal shoal
Flood tidal shoal
Flood tidal shoal
Flood tidal shoal

Flood tidal shoal at Barnegat Inlet, New Jersey (courtesy USGS EROS NAIP orthophotography)

USGS personnel collecting samples in Barnegat Bay, NJ
Collecting Samples in Barnegat Bay
Collecting Samples in Barnegat Bay
Collecting Samples in Barnegat Bay

Box-cores provide a relatively undistributed look into the recent past to help better understand the processes contributing to sediment deposition and erosion.

Box-cores provide a relatively undistributed look into the recent past to help better understand the processes contributing to sediment deposition and erosion.

First map shows aerial view of beach area, next with 50-centimeter sea-level rise, last with added annual storm.
Flood Map, Stinson Beach
Flood Map, Stinson Beach
Flood Map, Stinson Beach

Flood maps from Our Coast, Our Future showing Stinson Beach today (slide 1); with a 50-centimeter sea-level rise (slide 2); and when an annual storm strikes in addition to 50-centimeter sea-level rise (slide 3). Green patches are low-lying areas prone to flooding.

Flood maps from Our Coast, Our Future showing Stinson Beach today (slide 1); with a 50-centimeter sea-level rise (slide 2); and when an annual storm strikes in addition to 50-centimeter sea-level rise (slide 3). Green patches are low-lying areas prone to flooding.

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Rodanthe, North Carolina.
Aerial photographs of Rodanthe, North Carolina
Aerial photographs of Rodanthe, North Carolina
Aerial photographs of Rodanthe, North Carolina

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Rodanthe, North Carolina. View looking west along the North Carolina shore. High waves and storm surge from Hurricane Joaquin eroded the beach, exposing the pilings of the homes to wave attack (green and orange arrows).

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Rodanthe, North Carolina. View looking west along the North Carolina shore. High waves and storm surge from Hurricane Joaquin eroded the beach, exposing the pilings of the homes to wave attack (green and orange arrows).

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Salvo, North Carolina. 
Aerial photographs of Salvo, North Carolina
Aerial photographs of Salvo, North Carolina
Aerial photographs of Salvo, North Carolina

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Salvo, North Carolina. View looking west along the North Carolina shore. Waves and surge from Hurricane Joaquin eroded the beach, causing significant shoreline retreat and a narrower beach, leaving deposits of darker sand at the base of the dune (green arrow).

Near vertical (top, middle) and low angle oblique (bottom) aerial photographs of Salvo, North Carolina. View looking west along the North Carolina shore. Waves and surge from Hurricane Joaquin eroded the beach, causing significant shoreline retreat and a narrower beach, leaving deposits of darker sand at the base of the dune (green arrow).

Was this page helpful?