Images

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.

From left to right: Associate Director for Core Science Systems Kevin Gallagher, Research Oceanographer Rich Signel, and Chief, Office of Enterprise Information/Associate Chief Information Officer Tim Quinn.

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

Installing large boulders as riprap to armor the shore against further erosion at Goleta Beach in Southern California. The tide is very low (negative).

Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) on the seafloor along the northeastern coast of Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, have died and collapsed into rubble. As coral reef structure degrades, habitat for marine life is lost and nearby coastlines become more susceptible to storms, waves, and erosion.

Healthy elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) on the seafloor along the southeastern coast of Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. Elkhorn coral is one of many important reef-building species that create 3D structure on the seafloor. Coral reef structure provides habitat for marine life and helps break up waves as they approach the coastline.

Gas hydrate (white material) binding together coarse-grained sediments made up of pebble-sized rocks. This sample was recovered during a project to explore permafrost-associated gas hydrates in Canada’s Mackenzie Delta.

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

The 3DR Solo with GoPro Hero4 camera and gimbal. Coming to a survey area near you soon.

USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center's Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) outreach office staff were on hand at the World Wetlands Day celebration hosted by the Bayou Terrebonne Waterlife Museum and South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center as local students learned about the different types of wetlands in Louisiana.

A special guest made an appearance at the 20th annual Louisiana Environmental Education Symposium where staff from the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center's Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) outreach office shared materials and information with teachers.

Shawn Harrison uses a GPS-equipped backpack to measure sand elevations during a post-storm survey of beaches in Santa Cruz, California. 

Perspective views of multibeam bathymetry data acquired by the USGS aboard the R/V Medeia. Shallower depths in red. Arrows point to the distinct line in the seafloor associated with the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault.

USGS scientist Zafer Defne measures water and sediment movement at Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey. Defne is co-author with Neil Ganju of a 2017 study on how to estimate coastal salt marshes’ potential longevity, based on their sediment budgets and the ratio of open water to vegetation.

 USGS scientists built a model that reproduces the waves, currents (shown in meters per second [m/s]), and sand movement at Fire Island during Hurricane Sandy’s passage (Warner and others, 2017).

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.

Photo collage of the shoreline, beaches, and dunes at Fire Island

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

Top of a ferromanganese crust sample collected from 1,896 meters water depth at Necker Ridge in the central north Pacific. The surface of this crust was in contact with ocean water and grew just 2 millimeters per million years.

During a USGS Open House in Santa Cruz, California, research geologist Amy East shows onlookers how to sift sand to determine its size.

Visitors watched closely as Alicia Balster-Gee (in green vest) presented our research on marine geohazards in Alaska.