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News from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Deep-Sea Studies

A map showing the ocean floor with shades of color to indicate changing depth, nd other demarkations to show various features

In 2022, the USGS and partners embarked on a research expedition to Escanaba Trough off the coast of northern California. The multidisciplinary crew collected samples with a remotely operated vehicle and tested new seafloor mapping techniques using an autonomous underwater vehicle.

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Sound Waves Newsletter

An animated GIF of a coral reef in American Samoa, showing colorful reef fish darting in and out of the coral

Read issues of the Sound Waves Newsletter, featuring “Coastal and Marine Research News from Across the USGS”

Sound Waves Newsletter
Filter Total Items: 745
USGS monitors California's coastal hazards ahead of the 2026-2027 El Niño event

USGS monitors California's coastal hazards ahead of the 2026-2027 El Niño event

To improve assessments of the beach erosion hazards of U.S. coastlines, the USGS conducts coastal monitoring of these vulnerable beach landforms. This...

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253-year coral record reveals Maui reef’s long history of land-use impacts

253-year coral record reveals Maui reef’s long history of land-use impacts

Study traces changes in sediment and nutrient delivery from Maui’s watershed to Olowalu reef, linking a mid-20th-century increase in terrestrial...

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Deep-sea sulfide minerals can spontaneously heat and combust when exposed to air

Deep-sea sulfide minerals can spontaneously heat and combust when exposed to air

Findings from Escanaba Trough, a seafloor spreading center offshore of the Oregon/California border, highlight a potential hazard that could merit...

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USGS Scientists Share Their Research at the 2026 Bay-Delta Science Conference

USGS Scientists Share Their Research at the 2026 Bay-Delta Science Conference

Since the year 2000, the Bay-Delta Science Conference, held every two years in Northern California, has been co-hosted by the Delta Stewardship...

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A Case Study for Radon as a Tracer of Seabed Minerals

A Case Study for Radon as a Tracer of Seabed Minerals

During the 2026 American Samoa ROV + Mapping Exploration expedition, the team collected water samples from just above the seafloor as well as sediment...

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A previously undocumented process of hydrothermal manganese mineralization

A previously undocumented process of hydrothermal manganese mineralization

A USGS-led study focusing on samples from American Samoa finds that manganese-rich deposits formed beneath the seafloor by warm fluids replacing...

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Mapping Rocky Reef Habitats Along the U.S. West Coast

Mapping Rocky Reef Habitats Along the U.S. West Coast

Updated mapping dataset reveals rocky reefs are widespread but patchier than previously known, providing a more detailed foundation for protecting...

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High-resolution bathymetry of Lake Chelan, Washington

High-resolution bathymetry of Lake Chelan, Washington

In 2023, the U.S. Geological Survey completed a 3-week field operation in Lake Chelan, Washington, the third deepest lake in the conterminous United...

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In SF Bay, even an exceptionally wet year can’t supply enough sediment to keep pace with rising seas, new study finds

In SF Bay, even an exceptionally wet year can’t supply enough sediment to keep pace with rising seas, new study finds

Extreme rainfall can send huge amounts of sediment rushing off hillsides and into streams. But a new USGS study finds that even an exceptionally wet...

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Beach nourishment morphodynamics at the Columbia River Mouth

Beach nourishment morphodynamics at the Columbia River Mouth

Beach nourishment projects are often judged by how long newly placed sand remains on the beach. But new research suggests that even when nourishment...

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Decades of satellite imagery show how groins reshape California beaches

Decades of satellite imagery show how groins reshape California beaches

Long-term satellite observations show how human-built coastal structures influence the movement and buildup of sand along three Southern California...

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