Images

Dr. Ilsa Kuffner hangs out by a buoy in Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida) over a coral reef. Ilsa visits sites throughout the Florida Keys regularly to measure the growth and survival of nursery planted corals to determine where, and which genetic strains of corals will be most successful in large-scale coral reef restoration efforts.

Established in 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coral Assessment Network (USGS-CAN) provides data on coral-growth (calcification) rates throughout the Florida Keys. Pictured here is one of 30 stations located in in Dry Tortugas National Park.

Adrian Garcia setting the target vertical effective stress to prepare for measuring the sample’s permeability at its in situ conditions of effective stress and gas hydrate content to constrain how easily fluid will flow through the reservoir during production activities such as those being undertaken on the 

This screenshot was taken from a video created for the virtual 2020 St. Petersburg Science Festival that discussed Coastal Change Hazards research at the USGS. Justin Birchler is seen walking up the beach with GPS equipment to measure the elevation of the beach.

To help study the biodiversity present in the deep sea, scientists collect sediment cores. These cores are about a foot long and provide a vertical profile of deep-sea sediment, or mud.

Waves are the motion of the water's surface, usually caused by the transfer of energy from wind. Wave energy causes the water to move in a circular motion. The height and length of these waves combined with the slope of the beach influence how high the water can reach up on the coast.

Marine engineering technician Pete Dal Ferro sets up a newly acquired, portable, single-beam echo sounder on the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California. The new device, called CEESCOPE, collects bathymetric (depth) data and also records features of the subsurface.

The USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's new inflatable boat equipped with a portable, single beam, shallow-water echo sounder used for nearshore surveys. USGS scientists collect such data seasonally, to study sediment input and movement in and around Monterey Bay area beaches.

The USGS Coastal Change Hazards team collects data to monitor coastal change – including how storms and waves shape and reshape our beaches. It’s important to keep track of how beaches change over time because they provide habitat for many creatures including birds and sea turtles, and they are beautiful locations where people love to live and vacation.

This photo is the results of processing a time series of images, which are a combination of all image frames collected during a 10 to 17-minute video. These images are incredibly useful for studying coastal change remotely, but the usefulness of the image depends on how they are processed.

Justin Birchler, Physical Scientist with the USGS Coastal Change Hazards team conducts a beach profile survey at our field site on Madeira Beach. During these surveys, Justin wears a backpack with GPS equipment to collect elevation data that will be used to create a topographic map of the beach.

We conduct fieldwork in a variety of barrier island settings to understand the relative importance of these factors, including Fire Island, NY; Rockaway, NY; Seven Mile Island, NJ; and Cedar Island, VA.

As Hurricane Sally approached the US Gulf Coast, the USGS Coastal Change Hazards team produced a series of forecasts for impacts on the beach. Forecasts were updated daily based on wave and storm surge forecasts from NOAA.

As Hurricane Sally approached the US Gulf Coast, the USGS Coastal Change Hazards team produced a series of forecasts for impacts on the beach. Forecasts were updated daily based on wave and storm surge forecasts from NOAA.

The Total Water Level and Coastal Change Forecast has continually expanded since real-time forecasts began in 2015. In 2020, new regions of the Gulf and South Atlantic coasts were added to the forecast and officially approved for use in National Weather Service Forecasts.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team forecast was made at 4 AM CDT August 26, 2020 and shows forecast beach erosion at the base of the dunes (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) from Hurricane Laura.  The model accounts for sandy beaches and barrier islands and does not include marshes,

Bathymetric map of offshore northern California reveals seafloor features and submarine canyons.

Schematic cross-section of the accretionary wedge along the Cascadia subduction zone. Modified from Moore and others, 2007.

Index map of U.S. Cascadia margin showing where data have been collected since 2018 as part of the Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards Project. Details of each survey effort are provided on the Cascadia Subduction Zone Marine Geohazards project web site.

Bathymetric map of offshore Oregon with Stonewall, Heceta, and Siltcoos Banks labeled.

Bathymetric map of offshore Washington reveals seafloor features and submarine canyons.