Coastal Ecosystems

Our coasts contain many types of ecosystems, including marshes, mangroves, permafrost bluffs, kelp forests, and sandy beaches. Each of these contain specific organisms that are affected by the processes and hazards of coastal change. USGS brings together expertise in biology, hydrology, ecology, landscape science, geospatial applications, and decision support for coastal habitats.

Image: USGS Coral Reef Researcher — USGS coral reef researcher finishes installing ocean chemistry monitoring equipment on Sombrero Reef, Florida Keys.

Coastal habitats include estuaries, wetlands and marshes, coral reefs, kelp forests, tidepools, and barrier islands provide essential ecosystem services. These habitats protect coastlines from storms and flooding impacts, support economically important fisheries, improve water quality by filtering out toxins, and provide habitat for diverse wildlife. The USGS provides scientific information and tools for coastal and wildlife managers to assess and forecast the health and resilience of protected and public lands, including national parks, estuarine research reserves, and wildlife refuges.

Coastal habitats serve as the interface between land and sea, and the health of our coastal ecosystems and the species that rely upon them are influenced by both terrestrial and marine conditions. USGS scientists apply their interdisciplinary expertise and collaborate to gain the most comprehensive understanding of our coastal ecosystems. We integrate hydrology, geology, chemistry, and computer modeling to study natural environments, the biology of at-risk species, and broader ecological and physiological processes. This work provides information to policymakers and aids managers in their stewardship of natural resources and in regulatory functions.

Threatened and Endangered Species

USGS science helps inform conservation strategies and recovery plans for at-risk, threatened and endangered species that use coastal habitats for all or part of their lives, such as migratory shorebirds, sea turtles, aquatic mammals, fishes, corals, and plants. Using spatial analysis and ecological modeling, USGS scientists examine and predict the effects of different management scenarios for threatened species like Gulf sturgeon, beach mice, piping plovers and other shorebirds. For example, tracking the migration of loggerhead sea turtles helps USGS scientists and managers better understand turtle movement patterns and habitat use, and assess how hurricanes, dredging operations and replenishing coastal sediments, and other nearshore activities influence their nesting and migratory behavior.

Piping Plovers — Our coasts support diverse wildlife in dynamic and productive ecosystems, ranging from marshes and mangroves to sandy beaches and kelp forests. Multidisciplinary USGS scientists study plants, animals, water quality, and habitats along the Nation’s coasts to address ecological questions about their management, sustainability, adaptation, and restoration.

Sand Lance — Our coasts support diverse wildlife in dynamic and productive ecosystems, ranging from marshes and mangroves to sandy beaches and kelp forests. Multidisciplinary USGS scientists study plants, animals, water quality, and habitats along the Nation’s coasts to address ecological questions about their management, sustainability, adaptation, and restoration.

Noxious Algal Bloom in an estuary along the Massachusetts coast — Noxious algal bloom in an estuary along the Massachusetts coast.

Coastal Ecosystem Threats and Responses to Change

The USGS uses innovative genetic and chemical techniques to monitor coastal ecosystem threats such as harmful algal blooms, pollution and contamination, climate change, and coral diseases. These threats are major causes of environmental degradation and wildlife mortality worldwide, so it is important to identify how they affect the health of our coastal ecosystems.

Additionally, the USGS investigates how coastal habitats are responding to changing environmental conditions, including sea-level rise, increased sea temperatures, and increased hurricane intensity and frequency, and what this might mean for the coastal communities that depend upon the services they provide. The USGS and partners are working to anticipate future changes and ensure resource managers and policy makers have the necessary information to make effective decisions related to the protection, restoration, and adaption of coastal habitats and species throughout the United States.