Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources

Geophysical data collected and instrumented tripods deployed in and around Astoria Canyon offshore of the Washington/Oregon border in 2019, a USGS-University of Washington partnership

Geophysical data collected offshore of Washington and Oregon in 2019, a USGS-University of Washington partnership

Regional geophysical surveys conducted offshore of northern California and southern Oregon in 2018, a USGS-Humboldt State University partnership

Multibeam bathymetric surveys conducted offshore of Oregon and northern California in 2018, a USGS-NOAA partnership

Here you will find general information on the science behind tsunami generation, computer animations of tsunamis, and summaries of past field studies.

The goal of the Estuarine and MaRsh Geology (EMRG) Research Project is to study how and where short- and long-term marsh and estuarine coastal processes interact, how they influence coastal accretion or erosion, and how they pre-condition a marsh’s resiliency to storms, sea-level change, and human alterations along the northern Gulf of Mexico (Grand Bay and Point aux Chenes, Mississippi and St...

Sediments are the foundation of coastal systems, including barrier islands. Their behavior is driven by not only sediment availability, but also sediment exchanges between barrier island environments. We collect geophysical, remote sensing, and sediment data to estimate these parameters, which are integrated with models to improve prediction of coastal response to extreme storms and sea-level rise...

Shortly after the Great San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906, a sea level disturbance (tsunami) was recorded at the Presidio tide gauge station in San Francisco (the station is now located nearby at Ft. Point). What type of mechanism (earthquake rupture, landslide, other) generated the tsunami recorded at the Presidio tide gauge station?

From May of 2018 through November of 2019, USGS scientists collected imagery from video cameras overlooking the coast along a beach on Whidbey Island, Island County at the northern boundary of Puget Sound in western Washington.

Our tsunami scientists work on international teams to study the aftermath of tsunamis around the world, to gain a better understanding the impact of potential tsunamis on coastal communities of the United States. Their work helps inform local, state, and federal coastal planning, protection, and resiliency.

CoSMoS v3.1 for central California shows projections for future climate scenarios (sea-level rise and storms)

Information focused on geologic aspects of the April 2007 disaster.