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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program images.

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Underwater photograph of a shallow, partially sandy reef environment with a 3-legged metal frame holding instruments.
Tripod with instruments on reef flat off Jurabi
Tripod with instruments on reef flat off Jurabi
Tripod with instruments on reef flat off Jurabi

Tripod deployed on the reef flat off Jurabi, Ningaloo World Heritage Site, Western Australia, with instrumentation designed to measure tides, waves, currents, and sediment being transported across the reef.

Tripod deployed on the reef flat off Jurabi, Ningaloo World Heritage Site, Western Australia, with instrumentation designed to measure tides, waves, currents, and sediment being transported across the reef.

Marinna Martini is deploying a weather buoy off the coast of Plymouth MA
Weather buoy deployment off Plymouth, MA
Weather buoy deployment off Plymouth, MA
Weather buoy deployment off Plymouth, MA

Marinna Martini is deploying a weather buoy off the coast of Plymouth Ma.

A specialized wave buoy was deployed at the site farthest from shore to measure the height, period, and direction of surface waves and telemeter the data to the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP)

Marinna Martini is deploying a weather buoy off the coast of Plymouth Ma.

A specialized wave buoy was deployed at the site farthest from shore to measure the height, period, and direction of surface waves and telemeter the data to the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP)

Coral head that looks like lettuce sits on sandy bottom in clear blue water and is surrounded by brightly colored fish.
Lettuce coral with cerulean and domino damselfish
Lettuce coral with cerulean and domino damselfish
Lettuce coral with cerulean and domino damselfish

Cerulean damselfish dart around lettuce coral off the Cape Range National Park along the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia. USGS researchers combined forces with Australian colleagues in this UNESCO World Heritage Site to conduct the most extensive study of how erosion of reefs contribute sand to the beaches—a coast’s natural armor.

Cerulean damselfish dart around lettuce coral off the Cape Range National Park along the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia. USGS researchers combined forces with Australian colleagues in this UNESCO World Heritage Site to conduct the most extensive study of how erosion of reefs contribute sand to the beaches—a coast’s natural armor.

Image of Piping Plover nest on a rocky beach
Piping Plover nest
Piping Plover nest
Piping Plover nest

USGS scientists are working to model shorebird habitat availability both today and in the future, given processes like sea-level rise, in an effort to support the efficient management of beaches for both people and nesting shorebirds.

USGS scientists are working to model shorebird habitat availability both today and in the future, given processes like sea-level rise, in an effort to support the efficient management of beaches for both people and nesting shorebirds.

Image of Piping Plover nest on a rocky beach
Piping Plover nest
Piping Plover nest
Piping Plover nest

USGS scientists are working to model shorebird habitat availability both today and in the future, given processes like sea-level rise, in an effort to support the efficient management of beaches for both people and nesting shorebirds.

USGS scientists are working to model shorebird habitat availability both today and in the future, given processes like sea-level rise, in an effort to support the efficient management of beaches for both people and nesting shorebirds.

Image of Piping Plover adult on a nest
Piping Plover adult on a nest
Piping Plover adult on a nest
Piping Plover adult on a nest

USGS scientists are working to model shorebird habitat availability both today and in the future, given processes like sea-level rise, in an effort to support the efficient management of beaches for both people and nesting shorebirds.

USGS scientists are working to model shorebird habitat availability both today and in the future, given processes like sea-level rise, in an effort to support the efficient management of beaches for both people and nesting shorebirds.

Hatteras Island (NC), shown here with a piping plover nest protected by a predator exclosure.
Piping Plover nest protected by a predator exclosure
Piping Plover nest protected by a predator exclosure
Piping Plover nest protected by a predator exclosure

The beach-dependent shorebirds project at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center models current and future habitat availability for nesting shorebirds in an effort to map current and likely future habitat availability on a range of sites along the U.S. Atlantic coast.

The beach-dependent shorebirds project at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center models current and future habitat availability for nesting shorebirds in an effort to map current and likely future habitat availability on a range of sites along the U.S. Atlantic coast.

 USGS collaborators from Marine Biological Laboratory preparing to measure greenhouse gas flux from a salt marsh study site
Measuring Greenhouse Gas Flux
Measuring Greenhouse Gas Flux
Measuring Greenhouse Gas Flux

USGS collaborators from Marine Biological Laboratory preparing to measure greenhouse gas flux from a salt marsh study site (Cape Cod, MA).

USGS collaborators from Marine Biological Laboratory preparing to measure greenhouse gas flux from a salt marsh study site (Cape Cod, MA).

Underwater photograph showing a metal frame resting on 3 feet on a rocky and sandy bottom, frame has instruments strapped to it.
Tripod with instruments on shallow seafloor
Tripod with instruments on shallow seafloor
Tripod with instruments on shallow seafloor

Tripod holding instruments and cameras used to measure and study aspects of sediment movement in and around the reef.

photo shows an area on Long Beach Island, NJ where high quality shorebird habitat has been closed off to beach recreation.
Area closed
Area closed
Area closed

USGS scientists are working to model shorebird habitat availability both today and in the future, given processes like sea-level rise, in an effort to support the efficient management of beaches for both people and nesting shorebirds. This photo shows an area on Long Beach Island, NJ where high quality shorebird habitat has been closed off to beach recreation.

USGS scientists are working to model shorebird habitat availability both today and in the future, given processes like sea-level rise, in an effort to support the efficient management of beaches for both people and nesting shorebirds. This photo shows an area on Long Beach Island, NJ where high quality shorebird habitat has been closed off to beach recreation.

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center Staff on a Field Activity on the R/V Rafael
Field Activity 2016-005-FA North of Nantucket, MA
Field Activity 2016-005-FA North of Nantucket, MA
Field Activity 2016-005-FA North of Nantucket, MA

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists aboard the RV Rafael prepare to launch the Mini SEABOSS just off of Nantucket!  The Mini SEABOSS collects samples, photos and video of the seafloor. 

Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists aboard the RV Rafael prepare to launch the Mini SEABOSS just off of Nantucket!  The Mini SEABOSS collects samples, photos and video of the seafloor. 

Map of the United States and territories with red dots at the locations where field work will be conducted.
Locations of planned USGS field work June-July 2016
Locations of planned USGS field work June-July 2016
Locations of planned USGS field work June-July 2016

A map of the United States and its territories shows red dots at the locations where field work is planned for the months of June-July 2016.

Map of Long Beach, colored where flooding could occur during an intense El Niño storm.
Flooding risk of Long Beach during an intense El Niño storm
Flooding risk of Long Beach during an intense El Niño storm
Flooding risk of Long Beach during an intense El Niño storm

According to CoSMoS forecasts, large parts of Long Beach, California, could flood during an intense El Niño storm (light blue areas).

Conceptual drawing of bottom trawling from a fishing boat, showing a net and metal plate being dragged behind a boat.
Conceptual drawing of ocean trawling
Conceptual drawing of ocean trawling
Conceptual drawing of ocean trawling

Conceptual drawing of bottom trawling from a fishing boat, showing a net and metal plate being dragged along the seafloor behind a boat on the surface.

Conceptual drawing of bottom trawling from a fishing boat, showing a net and metal plate being dragged along the seafloor behind a boat on the surface.

Image shows a screenshot of the Fire Island, New York, Offshore part of the Oceanographic Time-Series Data Collection webpage
Fire Island, New York, Offshore experiment details page
Fire Island, New York, Offshore experiment details page
Fire Island, New York, Offshore experiment details page

The Fire Island, New York, Offshore experiment details page shows the layout elements uniformly used on all experiment details pages.

In the dark, a field work team uses headlamps to sample seawater on a beach.
Field work team samples seawater at dusk
Field work team samples seawater at dusk
Field work team samples seawater at dusk

Sampling seawater every 4 hours for a period of 72 hours required the team to work during the early hours of the day. Left to right: Chris Gallagher (Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center), Kim Yates (St.

Sampling seawater every 4 hours for a period of 72 hours required the team to work during the early hours of the day. Left to right: Chris Gallagher (Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center), Kim Yates (St.

Map of La Jolla coastline shows colored bands where cliffs could erode in different scenarios.
La Jolla cliff erosion models
La Jolla cliff erosion models
La Jolla cliff erosion models

The colored bands on this map of La Jolla, California, illustrate how far cliffs could erode in different sea level rise scenarios, according to CoSMoS forecasts.

The colored bands on this map of La Jolla, California, illustrate how far cliffs could erode in different sea level rise scenarios, according to CoSMoS forecasts.

Image shows 35 year old seismic and sampling data being flattened out on a tabletop.
35 year old seismic and sampling data from the Gulf of Maine
35 year old seismic and sampling data from the Gulf of Maine
35 year old seismic and sampling data from the Gulf of Maine

Thirty-five years after the data were originally collected as part of a study of glacial geology of the western Gulf of Maine, USGS seismic and sampling data are being used to assist coastal communities in locating offshore sand resources for mitigating coastal erosion.

Thirty-five years after the data were originally collected as part of a study of glacial geology of the western Gulf of Maine, USGS seismic and sampling data are being used to assist coastal communities in locating offshore sand resources for mitigating coastal erosion.

Side-on photograph of the research vessel (R/V) Meteor taken from a distance.
Oceanographic research vessel (R/V) Meteor
Oceanographic research vessel (R/V) Meteor
Oceanographic research vessel (R/V) Meteor

Side view of the oceanographic research vessel (R/V) Meteor floating on the ocean, taken from a distance.

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