Images

Image of the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

Ground-Penetrating Radar instruments are towed across land. Data from this instrument show underlying sediment layers within the dune and barrier island, which may reveal patterns of growth and erosion.

A colony of the soft coral known as the "bent sea rod" stands bleached on a reef off of Islamorada, Florida. Hard and soft corals are presently bleaching- losing their symbiotic algae – all over the coral reefs of the Florida Keys due to unusually warm ocean temperatures this summer.

We collect terrestrial (barrier island) and marine (nearshore and estuarine) sediment cores to ground-truth geophysical observations. These cores are used to understand the history of barrier island formation and erosion.

The impacts of extreme storms can be striking. Here, winter nor’easters eroded sediments from an artificial dune at Fire Island, New York and moved them onto the beach and shoreface. Such erosion created a steep vertical face, or scarp. Erosion and overwash are expected to increase on Fire Island with rising sea levels. 

Though often less intense than hurricanes, extratropical storms (e.g., nor’easters) occur more frequently and their impacts can be striking. Here, several years after Hurricane Sandy, winter nor’easters eroded sediments from an artificial dune at Fire Island, NY and moved them onto the beach and shoreface. Such erosion created a steep vertical face, or scarp.

The Florida Keys reefs have been experiencing a severe disease outbreak from 2014 to present called Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD).

The USGS conducted UAS flights to map the Nauset Marsh and Coast Guard Beach areas of Cape Cod National Seashore on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. These are the first authorized UAS flights in the northeast region of the national park system, and were performed under a research permit according to FAA and DOI regulations. 

Physical scientist Jackson Currie steers a personal water craft (PWC) equipped with GPS and echo sounder through the waves of the nearshore area of Zmudowski State Beach in Moss Landing, California.

A tidal marsh at Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, WA.

Photograph showing the impact of a large wave at the south shore of Laysan Island, with endangered Laysan teal in the foreground.

Location: Laysan Islands (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands).

Seafloor image at a deepwater (~1400 m water depth) seep site on the New England margin. Seafloor conditions here are well inside the pressure-temperature stability field for methane hydrate. Gas being emitted below the rock overhang has formed gas hydrate (the white ice-like material). Distinct bubbles are visible in the foreground. The red laser scale is 10 cm.

Two researchers deploying a fishing trawl into Lake Superior while aboard the USGS GLSC's R/V Kiyi

Photograph of shallow-water coral bleaching at Sombrero de Pelo reef in Pacific Panama during the 2015-2016 El Nino event. Because of the influence of internal waves, corals growing at deeper locations at this site did not bleach.

Pacific Ocean temperature differences during this winter’s record-setting El Niño. Dark red areas are much warmer than average.

Preliminary map products derived from the UAS imagery collected near Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod National Seashore on 1 March 2016. Left: shaded relief color contoured digital elevation map on a 0.1-meter grid. Right: orthophotomosaic (0.05-meter resolution) overlaid on the shaded relief map.

Glacier Bay, Alaska, dive team.

Sea surface temperature differences on March 1, 2016. Dark red indicates much warmer water.

Kim Yates (left) and Nate Smiley of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center measure acidity, nutrient levels, and other characteristics of water sampled near the coral reef off Kahekili Beach Park, Maui, Hawai‘i, in March 2016.

A ship will tow this green cable, which contains underwater microphones that record sound reflected off layers beneath the seafloor. USGS scientists will use the data to pinpoint the location of faults.

USGS geologist Jamie Conrad uses a map of the seafloor off Southern California to plan high-resolution mapping southwest of Santa Catalina Island. Small inset shows seafloor data collected by the ship that reveals hills, gullies, and basins.