Images

USGS R/V Stephens operating within Lake Powell, UT-AZ.  A multibeam echosounder is deployed off the starboard side of the vessel and is used to collect depth information within the reservoir.

Aerial map of Sodus Bay, NY study sites. 

The R/V Muddy Waters lends itself to be a versatile survey launch and assistance vessel for the deployment and retrieval of inshore moorings and scientific sensor platforms. The boat can easily be towed to location by a full sized pickup truck and is easily launched and retrieved for fast mobilization after storm events or other rapid response surveys.

Photograph of moving-boat ADCP discharge measurements being made in Bayou Heron, Mississippi

Methane plume imaged by the 30 kHz multibeam system

CoSMoS’s approach to projecting flood hazards: global winds, waves, tides, and anomalous water levels are scaled down to the local scale for  projecting nearshore wave heights, flooding, and shoreline change, including beach erosion and cliff failures.

Learn more at usgs.gov/cosmos

Example of CoSMoS projection displayed in the Our Coast, Our Future (OCOF) online tool.

Example of CoSMoS projected flooding extents for a 1.5 meter sea level rise in combination with possible 100 year return period coastal storms.

Underwater photograph showing corals in Tāfeu Cove, National Park of American Samoa, north shore of Tutuila Island, American Samoa.

The CMHRP is testing the calcification rates of different genetic strains of threatened Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) to advise local and Federal agencies engaged in coral reef restoration.

Close-up views of the toe of the Mud Creek landslide created from air photos taken May 27 (top), June 13 (middle), and June 26 (bottom). Caltrans built roads on top of the slide for assessment and monitoring activities.

Topographic-change image produced by comparing 3D map derived from May 27 air photos with that derived from June 13 air photos. Note that material has eroded from the seaward edge of the toe (yellow and orange tones), and material has built up on beaches to either side of the slide (blue tones).

USGS scientific programmer Tarandeep Kalra talks to children about ocean modeling.

From left to right: Associate Director for Core Science Systems Kevin Gallagher, Physical Scientist Cassandra Ladino, and Chief, Office of Enterprise Information/Associate Chief Information Officer Tim Quinn.

Shawn Harrison uses his new skills to check out the surf at Santa Cruz, California.

Exposed bedrock on the beach, below the University of California, Santa Barbara

Multichannel seismic-reflection profile across the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault, acquired aboard the R/V Norseman in August 2016. Dashed red line in enlarged section at lower right is the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault. m, meter; km, kilometer; ms, millisecond.

A look into the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center’s Marine Minerals Laboratory Suite.

Examples of sediment dynamics offshore of barrier islands include the development and erosion of shoals, tidal deltas, and sand ridges.

“Variance” images derived from the same videos used in the studies. Left, Madeira Beach; right, Cowells Beach. In a variance image, the more variation in light intensity at a given pixel, the brighter the value assigned to that pixel. Bright areas indicate many changes in light intensity, caused by a lot of movement.

USGS pilot Sandy Brosnahan and Senate Pro Tempore Marc Pacheco discuss the use of Umanned Aerial Systems (UASs, also known as drones) to collect data in coastal environments.