Images

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.

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

Methane bubbles emerging from the seafloor at a seep site colonized by chemosynthetic mussels at ~1000 m water depth on the Virginia margin. Photograph taken by the Global Explorer operated by Oceaneering Inc.

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.

Ice-like gas hydrates under capping rock encrusted with mussels on the sea floor of the northern Gulf of America.

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

Map of Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, N.J., marsh shoreline change rates.

Cenote Bang, a component of the Ox Bel Ha cave network study site and model for coastal karst subterranean estuary

Location map of the Hudson Canyon survey area.

Basemap image of the survey locations south of Long Island Sound

USGS WHCMSC pilot, Emily Sturdivant at a public outreach event using a 3DR Solo Quadcopter and a Gopro camera.

Estimated and measured ocean depths (bathymetry) from Madeira Beach, Florida. Each panel shows same geographic area. m = meters. Left: Snapshot transformed from original oblique camera view to overhead “map” view. Middle: Bathymetry estimated by applying cBathy algorithm to July 2017 video imagery. Right: Bathymetry measured with sonar in February 2017.

Gerry Hatcher (left) and Shawn Harrison work on their video-camera station atop a hotel in Santa Cruz, California.

An interdisciplinary USGS team is conducting research and developing tools to identify suitable coastal habitats for species of concern, such as the piping plover (Charadrius melodus), under a variety of sea-level rise scenarios.

The 3DR Solo with GoPro Hero4 camera and gimbal. Coming to a survey area near you soon. Photo credit: Shawn Harrison, USGS. This photo was taken during USGS unmanned aerial systems (drone) pilot training. Two training sessions were held - one in February-March 2017 in Santa Cruz, California and the second in April 2017 in Gainesville, Florida.

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.

USGS ocean engineers Peter Dal Ferro and Gerry Hatcher, from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, deploying a multicorer to sample the seafloor near an Atlantic margin methane seep site.

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.

Authigenic carbonate supplies the foundation for deep-sea corals, including colonies of bubblegum corals (Paragorgia) seen here.