Images

Marine geology enthusiasts at the Council for Geoscience (CGS) conference.

Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) on the seafloor along the northeastern coast of Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, have died and collapsed into rubble. As coral reef structure degrades, habitat for marine life is lost and nearby coastlines become more susceptible to storms, waves, and erosion.

Healthy elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) on the seafloor along the southeastern coast of Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. Elkhorn coral is one of many important reef-building species that create 3D structure on the seafloor. Coral reef structure provides habitat for marine life and helps break up waves as they approach the coastline.

From left to right: Associate Director for Core Science Systems Kevin Gallagher, Research Oceanographer Rich Signel, and Chief, Office of Enterprise Information/Associate Chief Information Officer Tim Quinn.

Gas hydrate (white material) binding together coarse-grained sediments made up of pebble-sized rocks. This sample was recovered during a project to explore permafrost-associated gas hydrates in Canada’s Mackenzie Delta.

Eroding bluffs on Moss Landing State Beach, California, March 2016

Perspective views of multibeam bathymetry data acquired by the USGS aboard the R/V Medeia. Shallower depths in red. Arrows point to the distinct line in the seafloor associated with the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault.

Resurrection Bay on August 8, 2016. The water appeared calm in the shelter of the inner bay, but closer to the entrance, swells coming in from the Gulf of Alaska were breaking on a small beach where the three boaters had capsized.

USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center's Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) outreach office staff were on hand at the World Wetlands Day celebration hosted by the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum and South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center as local students learned about the different types of wetlands in Louisiana.

Left: Key features in and around the Gulf of Alaska. A black rectangle outlines our 2016 study area along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault. Red arrows indicate relative tectonic plate motions. Right: A shaded relief map of the 2016 study area. Rainbow colors show seafloor depths acquired by the USGS in 2015 and 2016. Red indicates shallower depths.

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of calcareous planispiral estuarine foraminifera Cribroelphidium poeyanum collected from Grand Bay estuary.

Overview of the 4 Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf

Browse graphic of the sediment textuer and geomorphology data of the sea floor from Fenwick Island, MD to FIsherman's Island, VA

Location map of HARS site

Graphic showing geophysical and sampling systems used to define the seafloor topography, surface sediments, and underlying geology.

Map interface of Cores, grabs, dredges, slides, and other samples, primarily of marine, estuarine, and lacustrine sediments, curated at the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center.

Map showing the location of the Delmarva Peninsula with a hillslope shaded relief map of the study area. 

Pilot Bob Van Wagenen and the Cessna 182R he flies when taking air photos for the USGS Remote Sensing Coastal Change Project.

Emily Sturdivant, with the help of her co-pilot, hits the landing target.

David Brankovits collecting water samples in Molnar Janos Cave in Budapest, Hungary.

Photo shows results of wave-driven flooding and overwash on Roi-Namur Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands.