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El aumento de riesgos por inundaciones a lo largo de nuestras costas está causado por el cambio climático, el desarrollo urbano y la pérdida de hábitat.

Coral reefs are important for supporting biodiversity, fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection, but are in decline worldwide, primarily due to extreme heat waves and subsequent coral bleaching, in addition to other stressors.

The complex, three-dimensional reefs built by corals over hundreds to thousands of years provide invaluable ecosystem services to society—contributing billions of dollars per year to the global economy through shoreline protection, tourism, and habitat for biodiversity and fisheries.

Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone volcano in this monthly update for July 1, 2022. 

Keeping Tabs on the Volcanoes of the Last Frontier

An Update from the Alaska Volcano Observatory

By Michelle Coombs, USGS Research Geologist 

Scientist-in-Charge, Alaska Volcano Observatory 

A team from the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center heads out into the Gulf of Mexico to check on a set of recently installed groundwater wells. These types of wells allow scientists to monitor submarine groundwater through time and quantify the flux of groundwater from Florida’s aquifer into the coastal waters of the west Florida Shelf.

This video acts as a “visual abstract” for a recent publication analyzing the stormwater management practices in Clarksburg, MD. The video features interviews with the team of USGS scientists as well as a water specialist from Montgomery County.

50 years of teamwork. 50 years of innovation. 50 years of resilience. In 1966, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall announced his vision to create a program aimed at gathering facts about the natural resources of the Earth from Earth orbiting satellites. It was a bold proclamation. It was also an idea that worked and continues to work 50 years on.

The lava lake in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea, remains active. On Wednesday, June 15, a small collapse of a portion of the lake rim created a dusty plume and lake agitation, including waves that traveled across the lake surface. 

Over the last few weeks, Woods Hole scientists have been mapping the seafloor of Nantucket Sound as part of a long-term partnership with the State of Massachusetts.

This timelapse sequence shows the evolution of the lava lake and rise of the crater floor in Halema‘uma‘u, at the summit of Kīlauea Volcano, since the eruption start in September 2021. Much of the the crater floor rise is driven by lava supplied beneath the surface crust. The camera is located on the west rim of the summit caldera, looking east.

Between January 14-15, 2022, volcanic eruptions destroyed much of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, an uninhabited island in the Tonga archipelago in the southern Pacific Ocean. A plume of ash rising 36 miles into the atmosphere blanketed the neighboring Tongan islands.

Seafloor features such as sulfide mounds and chimneys are prominent evidence of hydrothermal activity. These features, whether active or dormant, are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak; much of the “plumbing” of hydrothermal systems exists beneath the seafloor surface.