Scientists Shade Corals
Emergency efforts to rescue corals and evaluate methods will help guide management and restoration
Emergency efforts to rescue corals and evaluate methods will help guide management and restoration
Florida corals are bleaching due to high water temperatures
As much of the world grapples with historic heat waves exacerbated by climate change and the ongoing El Nino event, ocean temperatures are also on the rise.
As much of the world grapples with historic heat waves exacerbated by climate change and the ongoing El Nino event, ocean temperatures are also on the rise.
New Research Reveals Alarming Future for California's Coastline
Meet the Coastal Science Navigator
Learn more about this new product to help you find useful USGS coastal data and tools
Learn more about this new product to help you find useful USGS coastal data and tools
A window of opportunity for coastal resilience
How coral restoration could help mitigate the effects of sea-level rise
How coral restoration could help mitigate the effects of sea-level rise
Learn how wetlands can naturally help with climate change impacts
Coral Reefs as National, Natural Infrastructure
USGS Research Geologist Curt Storlazzi explains how healthy coral reefs in places like the Caribbean and Pacific Islands serve as national, natural infrastructure
USGS Research Geologist Curt Storlazzi explains how healthy coral reefs in places like the Caribbean and Pacific Islands serve as national, natural infrastructure
Deep-Sea Expedition with USGS, NOAA, and BOEM Explores West Coast Wind Sites
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program scientists and staff study coastal and ocean resources and processes from shorelines and estuaries to the continental shelf and deep sea.
News
Perspective: California’s Coastal Challenges Amid Climate Change
Perspective: California’s Coastal Challenges Amid Climate Change
Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten Barrier Island Systems
Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten Barrier Island Systems
Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast
Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast
Publications
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 highly sensiti
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 that may be p
Post-glacial stratigraphy and late Holocene record of great Cascadia earthquakes in Ozette Lake, Washington, USA
Ozette Lake is an ~100-m-deep coastal lake located along the outer coast of the Olympic Peninsula (Washington, USA); it is situated above the locked portion of the northern Cascadia megathrust but also relatively isolated from active crustal faults and intraslab earthquakes. Here we present a suite of geophysical and geological evidence for earthquake-triggered mass transport deposits (MTDs) and r
Science
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...
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...
Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease – Investigating Possible Pathogens and Transmission Mechanisms
Coral disease was first documented on Florida reefs in the 1970s. Since then, outbreaks of diseases have increased, and disease is now one major reason why coral reefs worldwide are in decline. Although what causes most coral diseases is not known, the few with known causes have been linked to microorganisms, highlighting the need for studies of microbes associated with diseased corals.