Images

By circulating water downward through a clear chamber (“capture cone”), bubbles of gas can be held, imaged and studied over time.  The left image shows bubbles of xenon in the process of developing coatings of gas hydrate.  The shiny bubble indicated near the top is hydrate-free, the white/opaque bubbles have coatings of xenon hydrate.  A few bubbles

USGS scientist cuts open core taken in the field to sample soils and vegetation for chemical analysis. 

Pre- and post-Hurricane Dorian aerial imagery showing extreme sediment transport, overwash and breaches along the barrier islands of the North Carolina coast.

The marshes of Plum Island Estuary are among those predicted by scientists to submerge during the next century under conservative projections of sea-level rise.

Geologist Alisha Ellis kneels in the marsh grass while collecting sediment samples in Mississippi.

Scientists from PCMSC deploying instruments to measure water level and suspended-sediment concentration in Whale's Tail South marsh in Eden Landing Ecological Reserve, Hayward, CA.

Grain density results obtained using a pycnometer inform other geotechnical testing, such as the consolidation results from the laboratory’s oedometers.

 The USGS Gas Hydrates Project develops and tests new tools to address the critical knowledge gaps identified as scientists analyze hydrate-bearing pressure cores recovered during field programs. HyPrCal Laboratory analysis using Pressure Core Characterization Tools.

Dune restoration efforts in Isabela, Puerto Rico, using wooden planks to promote sand accumulation.

Wooden boardwalk built to protect fragile dunes from pedestrians in Isabela, Puerto Rico.

Mangroves grow along the coast in La Parguera, Lajas, Puerto Rico. Mangroves help protect the coast during storms.

Coral reef in La Parguera, Lajas Puerto Rico shows various types and conditions of corals, including sea fan corals (Gorgonia) in the center.

Coral reef in La Parguera, Lajas Puerto Rico shows a sea fan coral (Gorgonia) in the center, surrounded other corals and fishes.

This image from a video camera pointed at the coast tracks the brightest pixels in the camera view over 10 minutes of video. The resulting image is useful for identifying features such as the position of maximum wave run-up on the beach, the position of all breaking waves, and sea-state.

Two video cameras are temporarily mounted on a dune at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The cameras are imaging the southern DUNEX experiment site and are designed to have a stereo view of the beach and potential overwash path until late October. Instruments from the U.S.

Sophie Kuhl, Simone Gibson, Meagan Eagle, and Lindsey Smith in a coastal wetland, Mashpee, Massachusetts. Photo credit Jen O'Keefe Suttles (USG

Time-lapse of USGS researchers raising a mechanical mast with a high-resolution camera mounted on top, which was deployed atop a dune in the U.S.

Two high-resolution, digital cameras were mounted on towers overlooking the beach, dunes, and instrument arrays in the Outer Banks of North Carolina on September 18, 2021, as part of the DUring Nea

Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location on Pea Island, North Carolina. The instruments next to Michael include lidars, pressure sensors, and sonars to measure morphologic change, hydrodynamics, and sediment transport.

Researchers from the USGS and North Carolina Universites set up their equipment on installed poles stretching from the dune to the surf zone.

To install instruments offshore professional divers were hired to work alongside USGS personnel. Here, long segments of pipe are jetted into the seafloor to which instruments will be attached to measure offshore oceanographic conditions.