Recent Coastal and Marine Fieldwork - May 2017

By Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program May 31, 2017

USGS scientists visited more than 13 locations in the last month, studying methane seeps, mapping beaches with drones, collecting seafloor samples, and much more.

This article is part of the May 2017 issue of the Sound Waves newsletter.

Graphic map of US and Alaska, plus Pacific Islands and part of S. America. Land=green, water=blue: red dots=fieldwork locations — Approximate locations of some recent USGS coastal and offshore fieldwork in May, 2017. Dark blue areas outline the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone; purple areas show U.S. Great Lakes waters. Map base: https://coastalmap.marine.usgs.gov.

Offshore Virginia: Collected geologic and biological samples from Atlantic methane seeps; surveyed for methane plumes and acquired seafloor backscatter data, May 1–12, 2017. Details at
https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-001-FA
Jamaica Bay and Great South Bay, New York: Conducted reconnaissance trip for sites; measured wetlands sediment transport, May 9–11, 2017. Details at https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-031-FA
San Francisco, California: Monitored changes in Ocean Beach sand volume and distribution, May 11, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-640-FA
West Falmouth Harbor, Massachusetts: Deployed and retrieved two tide gauges to complement mapping, April 19–May 5 and May 9, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-018-FA https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-024-FA
Miami Beach, Florida: Collected coral-framework samples from dredging outcrop, May 8, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-325-FA
Florida Keys: Conducted carbonate-budget surveys and density measurements of eroded coral colonies on Hen and Chickens Reef, May 1–5, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-307-FA
Nantucket, Massachusetts: Collected ground-truth samples to help characterize the seafloor, May 2–4, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-022-FA
Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts: Conducted post-storm drone mapping and surveys at Sandwich Town Neck Beach, May 3–4, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-026-FA https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-029-FA
Lake Tulane, Florida: Collected water samples for chemical analysis, April 24, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-319-FA
Grand Bay, Mississippi: Deployed sediment tracers and sediment traps at erosion-monitoring sites in marshes, April 18–23, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-315-FA
Monterey Bay, California: Retrieved oceanographic equipment from Monterey Canyon, April 17–23, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-627-FA
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California: Determined the influence of aquatic vegetation on turbidity and sediment transport, March 31–April 20, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-616-FA
St. Teresa, Florida: Tested vibracoring from new Florida State University research vessel in Alligator Harbor, April 11–13, 2017. Details at: https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2017-317-FA