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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program

Scientists and staff study coastal and ocean processes, from shorelines to the deep sea, to identify hazards and provide critical information on our nation's resources. This work supports preparedness, emergency response, and the protection of people and resources in coastal and ocean environments.

News

USGS-led Study: Shoreline Seasonality of California's Beaches

USGS-led Study: Shoreline Seasonality of California's Beaches

Coral Reef Restoration Can Help Prevent Flood-Driven Pollution Along Florida’s Coast

Coral Reef Restoration Can Help Prevent Flood-Driven Pollution Along Florida’s Coast

News Briefs: October 2024-January 2025

News Briefs: October 2024-January 2025

Publications

Vortex trapping of suspended sand grains over ripples

Coastal hydrodynamics and morphodynamics integrate the effects of small-scale fluid-sediment interactions; yet, these small-scale processes are not well understood. To investigate sediment trapping by turbulent coherent structures or vortices, the transport of coarse sand over ripples was analyzed in a small-oscillatory flow tunnel with phase-separated Particle Image and Tracking...
Authors
Donya P. Frank-Gilchrist, Allison M. Penko, Margaret L. Palmsten, Joseph Calantoni

Climate controls on longshore sediment transport and coastal morphology adjacent to engineered inlets

Coastal jetties are commonly used throughout the world to stabilize channels and improve navigation through inlets. These engineered structures form artificial boundaries to littoral cells by reducing wave-driven longshore sediment transport across inlet entrances. Consequently, beaches adjacent to engineered inlets are subject to large gradients in longshore transport rates and are...
Authors
Andrew W. Stevens, Peter R Ruggiero, Kai Alexander Parker, Sean Vitousek, Guy Gelfenbaum, George M Kaminsky

Shifting sands: The influence of coral reefs on shoreline erosion from short-term storm protection to long-term disequilibrium

Climate change is exacerbating shoreline erosion and flooding, posing significant risks to coastal communities. Although traditional coastal defenses such as seawalls, dykes, and breakwaters offer protection from these hazards, their high environmental and economic costs are driving interest in cost-competitive nature-based solutions. Coral reef restoration is a nature-based solution...
Authors
Stephan Bitterwolf, Borja Reguero, Curt Storlazzi, Michael W. Beck

Science

Marine Mineral Resources and USGS Studies

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides science and data on offshore mineral resources and ecosystems, as well as any potential hazards associated with extraction. Society relies on minerals for infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, and energy production; critical minerals are essential to the economic or national security of the United States and have a supply chain vulnerable to...
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Marine Mineral Resources and USGS Studies

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides science and data on offshore mineral resources and ecosystems, as well as any potential hazards associated with extraction. Society relies on minerals for infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, and energy production; critical minerals are essential to the economic or national security of the United States and have a supply chain vulnerable to...
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Cultural Heritage at Risk Tool (CHART) Project

Coastal erosion threatens the loss of Native American cultural heritage and archaeological sites located along our coastlines, reducing opportunities to increase knowledge of past communities and environments. This project leverages an advisory team of ancestral Tribes, coastal managers, and archaeologists to strengthen the effectiveness of coastal hazard data, focusing on assessing the...
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Cultural Heritage at Risk Tool (CHART) Project

Coastal erosion threatens the loss of Native American cultural heritage and archaeological sites located along our coastlines, reducing opportunities to increase knowledge of past communities and environments. This project leverages an advisory team of ancestral Tribes, coastal managers, and archaeologists to strengthen the effectiveness of coastal hazard data, focusing on assessing the...
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Antibiotic-Resistance Gene (ARG) Baselines

On Florida and Caribbean coral reefs, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has caused widespread destruction and loss of coral cover since its first appearance off the coast of Miami in 2014. So far, the only intervention found to be effective at halting progression of this disease and saving the lives of infected coral colonies is applying an amoxicillin paste, a type of antibiotic, to the...
link

Antibiotic-Resistance Gene (ARG) Baselines

On Florida and Caribbean coral reefs, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has caused widespread destruction and loss of coral cover since its first appearance off the coast of Miami in 2014. So far, the only intervention found to be effective at halting progression of this disease and saving the lives of infected coral colonies is applying an amoxicillin paste, a type of antibiotic, to the...
Learn More
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