Photo Roundup: November-December 2023

By Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program January 2, 2024

A selection of coastal and ocean videos and photographs from across the USGS.

Animated GIF of a ship using multibeam sonar to map the seafloor, adapted from video provided by NOAA Ocean Exploration.

Mapping the Seafloor with Sound

The ocean covers 71% of Earth’s surface. We know only a small fraction of what the land beneath the waves looks like.

Tubeworms Found at the Eastern Galapágos Spreading Center

A research team including USGS scientists returned to the Eastern Galapágos Spreading Center to investigate its deep-sea hydrothermal vents, where formations of massive sulfide deposits may contain critical marine minerals.

NCA5 contributors from PCMSC pose in front of the PCMSC office — NCA5 contributors from PCMSC (from left to right: Eric Grossman, Li Erikson, Patrick Barnard, Amy East, and Curt Storlazzi) pose in front of the PCMSC office.

USGS Scientists Contribute to the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5)

chart showing the number of plants each year from 2001 to 2020 accompanied by photo of seabeach amaranth — Time-series of number of seabeach amaranth observed in end-of-season surveys by NPS biologists. Shaded regions specify years where drought conditions persisted through the amaranth growing season. Vertical lines denote strong storms that occurred during the observation period. Inset photo shows a seabeach amaranth plant photographed at Assateague Island (photo source: NPS staff). Link: Developing a habitat model to support management of threatened seabeach amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) at Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland and Virginia (usgs.gov)

Seabeach Amaranth on Assateague Island Over the Past Two Decades

The USGS evaluated the habitat preferences of seabeach amaranth to better understand factors contributing to the species’ significant decline at Assateague Island National Seashore. The National Park Service can use this information to make management decisions that can help increase seabeach amaranth population size.

Four people smiling, drone flying overhead — Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) pilots from the US Forest Service and the USGS in the Kootenai National Forest in Montana.

Collecting Pre-Restoration LiDAR and Thermal Survey Data

In July and October, Jen Cramer and Jin-Si Over assisted USGS Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) pilots from the USGS National Uncrewed Systems Office (NUSO) and the Fort Collins Science Center to collect pre-restoration LiDAR and thermal survey data for the Vermillion River in the Kootenai National Forest in Montana before construction begins to improve Bull Trout habitat. This project was a joint effort between the USGS Fort Collins Science Center, the USGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, and the US Forest Service.

Learn more about UAS work