New high-resolution geophysics in the Outer California Borderland
Data reveal repeated episodes of slope failure and earthquake activity over last 750,000 years
Data reveal repeated episodes of slope failure and earthquake activity over last 750,000 years
USGS Scientist Contributes to World Ocean Assessment
United Nations scientific report assesses state of the global ocean
United Nations scientific report assesses state of the global ocean
USGS leads deep-sea sampling expedition in the Samoan Basin
Interagency effort with NOAA, BOEM to map and characterize abyssal seafloor offshore American Samoa
Interagency effort with NOAA, BOEM to map and characterize abyssal seafloor offshore American Samoa
Tracking sediment erosion and transport in a reef-adjacent watershed
New research focuses on the Río Loco watershed and Bahía de Guánica, Puerto Rico
New research focuses on the Río Loco watershed and Bahía de Guánica, Puerto Rico
USGS Releases Global 3D Archive of Coral Reef Cores to Support Climate and Coastal Research
Linking climate variability to shoreline change in the Pacific Northwest
Ozette Lake: A natural seismograph along the northern Cascadia Subduction Zone (Video)
USGS Geophysicist among Federal Technical Experts at Seafloor Mapping Presentations in the Philippines
Satellite Imagery Shows Beach Widening in Southern California Driven by Human Activity
Florida's Fading Coral Reefs Could Sharply Increase Flood Risk
Biophysical controls on sediment erodibility in San Francisco Bay
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
PCMSC is one of three centers serving the mission of the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program—the primary Federal marine geology and physical science research program responsible for the Nation’s entire coastal and marine landscape.
What We Do: Coastal and Marine Science at USGS Santa Cruz
What We Do: Coastal and Marine Science at USGS Santa Cruz
Get an overview of the coastal and marine research conducted by the USGS in Santa Cruz, California in our downloadable booklet.
Research Projects
Research Projects
Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and discover the reasons why our research matters.
News
New high-resolution geophysics in the Outer California Borderland
New high-resolution geophysics in the Outer California Borderland
USGS Remote Sensing Data Tracks Coastal Change from Hurricanes Helene and Milton
USGS Remote Sensing Data Tracks Coastal Change from Hurricanes Helene and Milton
USGS Scientist Contributes to World Ocean Assessment
USGS Scientist Contributes to World Ocean Assessment
Publications
Waves, watersheds, and sediment in a coral reef embayment: Towards parsimonious models of accumulation and composition Waves, watersheds, and sediment in a coral reef embayment: Towards parsimonious models of accumulation and composition
High sedimentation rates can damage coral reef ecosystems. Sedimentation rates are controlled by both sediment loads from watersheds and resuspension by waves and associated circulation patterns, but the outcomes are system specific and difficult to predict. The percent terrigenous (non-organic and non-carbonaceous) material in sediment is also often used as an indicator of watershed...
Temporal and spatial changes in seismic attenuation associated with inferred fluid migration in the 2016 central Apennines earthquake sequence Temporal and spatial changes in seismic attenuation associated with inferred fluid migration in the 2016 central Apennines earthquake sequence
Prior work suggests that high‐frequency seismic attenuation acts as a highly sensitive proxy for crustal permeability and fluid mobility in fractured media. We test the hypothesis that the fault system responsible for the 2016–2017 Amatrice–Visso–Norcia–Capitignano sequence acted as an impermeable seal, compartmentalizing pressurized fluids until dynamic rupture triggered widespread...
Water scarcity and infrastructure risk of amplified seasonal sediment transport Water scarcity and infrastructure risk of amplified seasonal sediment transport
Climate warming and deglaciation are reshaping hydrological seasonality in cold–dry regions, threatening the long-term sustainability of agriculture, ecosystems and local communities. However, existing evidence is limited to runoff seasonality. Changing sediment-transport seasonality, a more sensitive component, is emerging as a substantial yet under-recognized threat to water...
Science
Typhoon Merbok Disaster Recovery Project: Accomplishments
Supported by Title VII of Division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, the Typhoon Merbok Disaster Emergency Recovery Efforts project addresses critical data and capacity gaps in coastal Alaska by generating high resolution environmental datasets, hazard analyses, and monitoring tools needed to quantify erosion, flooding, and permafrost-related risks at the community scale.
Geologic Mapping for Landscape Resiliency in California, Oregon, and Washington
This project uses geologic and geomorphic mapping in the context of societally relevant problems in the Earth’s critical zone. Leveraging interdisciplinary research ties and interagency collaborations, it utilizes remote sensing data, corroborated with field observations, to determine i) the spatial distribution of geomorphic processes and ages of Quaternary deposits in the context of active...
By
Earthquake Hazards Program, Landslide Hazards Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Big Sur Landslides
American Samoa Mapping Project
USGS scientists are leading a sampling effort to the Samoa Basin, offshore of American Samoa. This work is part of an interagency-supported three-month hydrograph survey project led by NOAA and in partnership with BOEM.