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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program images.

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A photograph shows a boat sitting at a dock, with tall grasses in the foreground and the setting sun in the distance.
Preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay
Preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay
Preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay

Scientists from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in their vessel jewell, docked at Belden's Landing Water Access Facility on Montezuma Slough. They are preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay, where they study how sediment moves through sensitive coastal environments.

Scientists from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in their vessel jewell, docked at Belden's Landing Water Access Facility on Montezuma Slough. They are preparing for a day of sampling on Grizzly Bay, where they study how sediment moves through sensitive coastal environments.

People sit in a small boat floating the water, preparing a sampling device to collect sediment from the bottom of the water.
Preparing the GOMEX on Grizzly Bay
Preparing the GOMEX on Grizzly Bay
Preparing the GOMEX on Grizzly Bay

From left to right, USGS scientists Sam McGill, Lucas WinklerPrins, David Hart, Selina Davila Olivera, and Pete Dal Ferro work on Grizzly Bay on the vessel Jewell, to collect sediment samples using the GOMEX box corer.

From left to right, USGS scientists Sam McGill, Lucas WinklerPrins, David Hart, Selina Davila Olivera, and Pete Dal Ferro work on Grizzly Bay on the vessel Jewell, to collect sediment samples using the GOMEX box corer.

Five people on a small boat in calm water work on a sampling device being retrieved from the water.
Sediment collected in a GOMEX box corer
Sediment collected in a GOMEX box corer
Sediment collected in a GOMEX box corer

USGS science crew works to free the muddy sediment from a GOMEX box corer. They are on board the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's vessel Jewell on Grizzly Bay in the San Francisco Bay area.

USGS science crew works to free the muddy sediment from a GOMEX box corer. They are on board the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's vessel Jewell on Grizzly Bay in the San Francisco Bay area.

A structure made of wooden pilings with a platform around the top stands in water with fog and hills in the far background.
Grizzly Bay dolphin with weather station installed on top
Grizzly Bay dolphin with weather station installed on top
Grizzly Bay dolphin with weather station installed on top

A structure called a dolphin, permanently affixed in the sediment, stands in Grizzly Bay near San Francisco, CA, with a weather station installed on top. The USGS will use the data from the weather station in conjunction with other oceanographic data, in their studies of sediment movement in the bay.

A structure called a dolphin, permanently affixed in the sediment, stands in Grizzly Bay near San Francisco, CA, with a weather station installed on top. The USGS will use the data from the weather station in conjunction with other oceanographic data, in their studies of sediment movement in the bay.

Two people install instruments atop a permanent mooring called a dolphin, large wooden pilings affixed in shallow water.
Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay
Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay
Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Pete Dal Ferro and Andrew Stevens, both from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California, install a Vaisala WXT weather station in Grizzly Bay, east of San Pablo Bay and northeast of San Francisco.

Pete Dal Ferro and Andrew Stevens, both from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California, install a Vaisala WXT weather station in Grizzly Bay, east of San Pablo Bay and northeast of San Francisco.

A nondescript white instrument box sits up high atop piers in the water with cables and a small solar panel.
Weather station power supply and modem
Weather station power supply and modem
Weather station power supply and modem

A weather station, installed in the middle of Grizzly Bay east of San Pablo Bay (near San Francisco), gets its power from a small solar panel. Data collected from the station is transmitted via a wireless modem. Far in the background is the city of Benicia, and the plume rising into the sky is water vapor emitted from the Benicia oil refinery.

A weather station, installed in the middle of Grizzly Bay east of San Pablo Bay (near San Francisco), gets its power from a small solar panel. Data collected from the station is transmitted via a wireless modem. Far in the background is the city of Benicia, and the plume rising into the sky is water vapor emitted from the Benicia oil refinery.

A boat floats on calm waters with some people sitting in it.
Sampling on Grizzly Bay
Sampling on Grizzly Bay
Sampling on Grizzly Bay

On PCMSC vessel Jewell, a team of USGS scientists sit in Grizzly Bay, a baylet of San Francisco Bay in Solano County, California. USGS collects sediment samples to study how sediment moves through sensitive coastal environments like this.

On PCMSC vessel Jewell, a team of USGS scientists sit in Grizzly Bay, a baylet of San Francisco Bay in Solano County, California. USGS collects sediment samples to study how sediment moves through sensitive coastal environments like this.

Salem and Marblehead in the middle of the image and Rocky Neck in the upper middle.
Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts
Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts
Salem and Marblehead, Massachusetts

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows Salem and Marblehead in the middle of the image and Rocky Neck in the upper middle.

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows Salem and Marblehead in the middle of the image and Rocky Neck in the upper middle.

the three-dimensional perspective view of the Elizabeth Islands in the center of the image. Buzzards Bay is to the left (north)
Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the three-dimensional perspective view of the Elizabeth Islands in the center of the image. Buzzards Bay is to the left (north) of the Elizabeth Islands, and Vineyard Sound is to the right (south).

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the three-dimensional perspective view of the Elizabeth Islands in the center of the image. Buzzards Bay is to the left (north) of the Elizabeth Islands, and Vineyard Sound is to the right (south).

Illustration of a bay and delta region with different colors to depict varying depths of water.
Bathymetric map of the northern portion of San Francisco Bay (MLLW)
Bathymetric map of the northern portion of San Francisco Bay (MLLW)
Bathymetric map of the northern portion of San Francisco Bay (MLLW)

Digital elevation model (DEM) of northern San Francisco Bay, California, created using bathymetry data collected between 1999 and 2016 (MLLW)

the entrance to the Buzzards Bay entrance to the Cape Cod Canal.
Buzzards Bay Entrance to the Cape Cod Canal
Buzzards Bay Entrance to the Cape Cod Canal
Buzzards Bay Entrance to the Cape Cod Canal

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the entrance to the Buzzards Bay entrance to the Cape Cod Canal.

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the entrance to the Buzzards Bay entrance to the Cape Cod Canal.

three-dimensional perspective view of Nantucket Island, MA looking from the Southeast to the Northwest.
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket, Massachusetts

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the three-dimensional perspective view of Nantucket Island, MA looking from the Southeast to the Northwest.

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the three-dimensional perspective view of Nantucket Island, MA looking from the Southeast to the Northwest.

Photo of a rugged coastline with bluffs, gentle waves, and rocks jutting out from the sand.
California coastline
California coastline
California coastline

The U.S. west coast is an area of complex coastal geography. This photograph depicts several examples of geological features along the California coastline that are shaped by varied coastal processes. The gently sloping beach, stark bluffs, and presence of smooth rocks suggests that the coastal processes shaping this coastline are complex.

The U.S. west coast is an area of complex coastal geography. This photograph depicts several examples of geological features along the California coastline that are shaped by varied coastal processes. The gently sloping beach, stark bluffs, and presence of smooth rocks suggests that the coastal processes shaping this coastline are complex.

A man points to a computer screen displaying a map with colored blocks along a coastline.
Coastal storm modeling system integrates economic impacts
Coastal storm modeling system integrates economic impacts
Coastal storm modeling system integrates economic impacts

Patrick Barnard explains how the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) integrates information from the Hazards Exposure Reporting and Analytics (HERA) mapper to understand the social and economic consequences of different flooding scenarios. 

Patrick Barnard explains how the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) integrates information from the Hazards Exposure Reporting and Analytics (HERA) mapper to understand the social and economic consequences of different flooding scenarios. 

Photo of a coastline where sections of bluff have eroded into a network of small gullies in a dendritic pattern.
California coastal erosion
California coastal erosion
California coastal erosion

This region of the California coastline is lined with coastal bluffs that have been shaped not only by runoff from rain, but also by wave- and wind-driven erosion. This photo from Pescadero State Beach displays an example of a bluff undergoing erosional processes. Water from the ocean, delivered in waves, can overtop some of these coastal bluffs.

This region of the California coastline is lined with coastal bluffs that have been shaped not only by runoff from rain, but also by wave- and wind-driven erosion. This photo from Pescadero State Beach displays an example of a bluff undergoing erosional processes. Water from the ocean, delivered in waves, can overtop some of these coastal bluffs.

Scientific equipment mounted on two yellow pontoons sitting on the deck of a research vessel
SQUID-5 - Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device
SQUID-5 - Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device
SQUID-5 - Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device

The SQUID-5, or a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras is a towed surface vehicle with an onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and 5 downward-looking cameras with overlapping views of the seafloor.

An underwater photo shows lumpy corals in the foreground with a wave breaking over them in the background at the top.
A wave breaks over a degraded reef crest at Buck Island in St. Croix
A wave breaks over a degraded reef crest at Buck Island in St. Croix
A wave breaks over a degraded reef crest at Buck Island in St. Croix

A wave breaking over a degraded reef crest at Buck Island National Monument in St. Croix. Wave-breaking in these habitats relies on reef framework built by the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, which is now a threatened species throughout the western Atlantic.

A wave breaking over a degraded reef crest at Buck Island National Monument in St. Croix. Wave-breaking in these habitats relies on reef framework built by the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, which is now a threatened species throughout the western Atlantic.

Provincetown, MA and the northern section of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
Provincetown, MA
Provincetown, MA
Provincetown, MA

This image was created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows Provincetown, MA and the northern section of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

This image was created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows Provincetown, MA and the northern section of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

mouth of the Merrimack River, Plum Island and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
Merrimack River, Plum Island, and Parker River Wildlife Refuge
Merrimack River, Plum Island, and Parker River Wildlife Refuge
Merrimack River, Plum Island, and Parker River Wildlife Refuge

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the mouth of the Merrimack River, Plum Island and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the mouth of the Merrimack River, Plum Island and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Drone pilots by creek
Drone Pilots on a mission at Nelson Island Creek, Rowley, MA
Drone Pilots on a mission at Nelson Island Creek, Rowley, MA
Drone Pilots on a mission at Nelson Island Creek, Rowley, MA

In collaboration with the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, the AIM group conducted UAS aerial surveys looking at vegetation classification/index surrounding a MBL gas flux tower located in Nelson Island Creek, Rowley, Massachusetts.

In collaboration with the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, the AIM group conducted UAS aerial surveys looking at vegetation classification/index surrounding a MBL gas flux tower located in Nelson Island Creek, Rowley, Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Islands, Vineyard Sound, and Martha’s Vineyard.
Elizabeth Islands, Vineyard Sound, and Martha’s Vineyard.
Elizabeth Islands, Vineyard Sound, and Martha’s Vineyard.
Elizabeth Islands, Vineyard Sound, and Martha’s Vineyard.

This image created using the Continuous Bathymetry and Elevation Models of the Massachusetts Coastal Zone and Continental Shelf, shows the Elizabeth Islands, Vineyard Sound, and Martha’s Vineyard.

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