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.
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.
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.
The role of satellite telemetry data in 21st century conservation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Human and ecosystem health in coastal systems
How much marsh restoration is enough to deliver wave attenuation coastal protection benefits?
Action plan for restoration of coral reef coastal protection services: Case study example and workbook
The impacts of mangrove range expansion on wetland ecosystem services in the southeastern United States: Current understanding, knowledge gaps, and emerging research needs
Subsurface swimming and stationary diving are metabolically cheap in adult Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
Diet-driven mercury contamination is associated with polar bear gut microbiota
New insights into dietary management of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and brown bears (U. arctos)
Evaluation of satellite imagery for monitoring Pacific walruses at a large coastal haulout
The distribution and structure of mangroves (Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle) near a rapidly changing range limit in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico
Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator
Translocations maintain genetic diversity and increase connectivity in sea otters, Enhydra lutris
Polar Bear Research
Walrus Research
Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research
Coral Reef Project
Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound
Climate impacts on Monterey Bay area beaches
Sediment transport between estuarine habitats in San Francisco Bay
Puget Sound Priority Ecosystems Science
Estuaries and large river deltas in the Pacific Northwest
USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project
Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems
Environmental Geochemistry
- Overview
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.
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. 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.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 16
The role of satellite telemetry data in 21st century conservation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
Satellite telemetry (ST) has played a critical role in the management and conservation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) over the last 50 years. ST data provide biological information relevant to subpopulation delineation, movements, habitat use, maternal denning, health, human-bear interactions, and accurate estimates of vital rates and abundance. Given that polar bears are distributed at low densAuthorsKristin L. Laidre, George M. Durner, Nicholas J Lunn, Eric V. Regehr, Todd C. Atwood, Karyn D. Rode, Jon Aars, Heli Routti, Øystein Wiig, Markus Dyck, Evan S. Richardson, Stephen D Atkinson, Stanislav Belikov, Ian StirlingHuman and ecosystem health in coastal systems
U.S. coastal economies and communities are facing an unprecedented and growing number of impacts to coastal ecosystems including beach and fishery closures, harmful algal blooms, loss of critical habitat, as well as shoreline damage. This paper synthesizes our present understanding of the dynamics of human and ecosystem health in coastal systems with a focus on the need to better understand nearshAuthorsNicole Elko, Diane Foster, Gregory Kleinheinz, Britt Raubenheimer, Suzanne Brander, Julie Kinzelman, Jacob P. Kritzer, Daphne Munroe, Curt Storlazzi, Marta Sutula, Annie Mercer, Scott Coffin, Carolyn Fraioli, Luke Ginger, Elise Morrison, Gabrielle Parent-Doliner, Cigdem Akan, Alberto Canestrelli, Michelle DiBenedetto, Jackelyn Lang, Jonathan SimmHow much marsh restoration is enough to deliver wave attenuation coastal protection benefits?
As coastal communities grow more vulnerable to sea-level rise and increased storminess, communities have turned to nature-based solutions to bolster coastal resilience and protection. Marshes have significant wave attenuation properties and can play an important role in coastal protection for many communities. Many restoration projects seek to maximize this ecosystem service but how much marsh resAuthorsKatherine A. Castagno, Neil K. Ganju, Michael W. Beck, Alison Bowden, Steven B. ScyphersAction plan for restoration of coral reef coastal protection services: Case study example and workbook
This report was prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Office of Research and Development, as part of the Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) research program, with support from Tetra Tech, Inc., and in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, and The Nature Conservancy. The ACE research program provides scientific informaAuthorsCatherine A. Courtney, Jordon M. West, Curt Storlazzi, T. Shay Viehman, Richard Czaplinski, Erin Hague, Elizabeth C. ShaverThe impacts of mangrove range expansion on wetland ecosystem services in the southeastern United States: Current understanding, knowledge gaps, and emerging research needs
Climate change is transforming ecosystems and affecting ecosystem goods and services. Along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts of the southeastern United States, the frequency and intensity of extreme freeze events greatly influences whether coastal wetlands are dominated by freeze-sensitive woody plants (mangrove forests) or freeze-tolerant grass-like plants (salt marshes). In response to warAuthorsMichael Osland, A. Randall Hughes, Anna R. Armitage, Steven B. Scyphers, Just Cebrian, Savannah H. Swinea, Christine C. Shepard, Michael S. Allen, Laura Feher, James A. Nelson, Cherie L. O'Brien, Colt R. Sanspree, Delbert L. Smee, Caitlin M. Snyder, Andrew P. Stetter, Philip W. Stevens, Kathleen M. Swanson, Lauren H. Williams, Janell M. Brush, Joseph Marchionno, Remi BardouSubsurface swimming and stationary diving are metabolically cheap in adult Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
Walruses rely on sea-ice to efficiently forage and rest between diving bouts while maintaining proximity to prime foraging habitat. Recent declines in summer sea ice have resulted in walruses hauling out on land where they have to travel farther to access productive benthic habitat while potentially increasing energetic costs. Despite the need to better understand the impact of sea ice loss on eneAuthorsAlicia Borque-Espinosa, Karyn D. Rode, Diana Ferrero-Fernandex, Anabel Forte, Romana Capaccioni-Azzati, Andreas FahlmanDiet-driven mercury contamination is associated with polar bear gut microbiota
The gut microbiota may modulate the disposition and toxicity of environmental contaminants within a host but, conversely, contaminants may also impact gut bacteria. Such contaminant-gut microbial connections, which could lead to alteration of host health, remain poorly known and are rarely studied in free-ranging wildlife. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is a long-lived, wide-ranging apex predatoAuthorsSophie Watson, Melissa McKinney, Massimo Pindo, Matthew Bull, Todd C. Atwood, Heidi Hauffe, Sarah PerkinsNew insights into dietary management of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and brown bears (U. arctos)
Although polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and brown bears (U. arctos) have been exhibited in zoological gardens for centuries, little is known about their nutritional needs. Multiple recent studies on both wild and captive polar bears and brown bears have found that they voluntarily select dietary macronutrient proportions resulting in much lower dietary protein and higher fat or digestible carbohydrAuthorsCharles T. Robbins, Troy N Tollefson, Karyn D. Rode, Joy Erlenbach, Amanda J. ArdenteEvaluation of satellite imagery for monitoring Pacific walruses at a large coastal haulout
Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) are using coastal haulouts in the Chukchi Sea more often and in larger numbers to rest between foraging bouts in late summer and autumn in recent years, because climate warming has reduced availability of sea ice that historically had provided resting platforms near their preferred benthic feeding grounds. With greater numbers of walruses hauling outAuthorsAnthony S. Fischbach, David C. DouglasThe distribution and structure of mangroves (Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle) near a rapidly changing range limit in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico
In coastal wetlands, one of the most striking examples of climate change is the poleward range expansion of mangrove forests in response to warming winters. In North America, the Cedar Key region has often been considered the range limit for mangroves along the western coast of Florida (USA). However, within the past several decades, robust stands of Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle haveAuthorsCaitlin M. Snyder, Laura Feher, Michael Osland, Christopher J. Miller, A. Randall Hughes, Karen L CumminsDiffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator
BackgroundReintroducing predators is a promising conservation tool to help remedy human-caused ecosystem changes. However, the growth and spread of a reintroduced population is a spatiotemporal process that is driven by a suite of factors, such as habitat change, human activity, and prey availability. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are apex predators of nearshore marine ecosystems that had declined nAuthorsJoseph M. Eisaguirre, Perry J. Willliams, Xinyi Lu, Michelle L. Kissling, William S. Beatty, George G. Esslinger, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin HootenTranslocations maintain genetic diversity and increase connectivity in sea otters, Enhydra lutris
Sea otters, Enhydra lutris, were once abundant along the nearshore areas of the North Pacific. The international maritime fur trade that ended in 1911 left 13 small remnant populations with low genetic diversity. Subsequent translocations into previously occupied habitat resulted in several reintroduced populations along the coast of North America. We sampled sea otters between 2008 and 2011 throuAuthorsShawn E. Larson, Roderick B. Gagne, James L. Bodkin, Michael J. Murray, Katherine Ralls, Lizabeth Bowen, Raphael Leblois, Sylvain Piry, Maria Cecilia Penedo, M. Tim Tinker, Holly B. Ernest - Science
Filter Total Items: 13
Polar Bear Research
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are one of 4 marine mammal species managed by the U.S. Department of Interior. The USGS Alaska Science Center leads long–term research on polar bears to inform local, state, national and international policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat. Our studies, ongoing since 1985, are focused on population dynamics, health and energetics...Walrus Research
The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts long-term research on the Pacific walrus to provide scientific information to Department of Interior management agencies and Alaska Native co-management partners. In addition, the USGS Pacific walrus research program collaborates with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the State of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game and Alaska Native co...Nearshore Marine Ecosystem Research
Nearshore ecosystems include many resources that are of high ecological, recreational, subsistence, and economic value. They also are subject to influences from a wide variety of natural and human-caused perturbations, which can originate in terrestrial or oceanic environments. Our research is designed to evaluate sources of variation in the nearshore and how they influence resources of high...Coral Reef Project
Explore the fascinating undersea world of coral reefs. Learn how we map, monitor, and model coral reefs so we can better understand, protect, and preserve our Nation's reefs.Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound
A Pacific Northwest icon, Puget Sound is the second-largest estuary in the United States. Its unique geology, climate, and nutrient-rich waters produce and sustain biologically productive coastal habitats. These same natural characteristics also contribute to a high quality of life that has led to growth in human population and urbanization. This growth has played a role in degrading the Sound...Climate impacts on Monterey Bay area beaches
For beach towns around Monterey Bay, preserving the beaches by mitigating coastal erosion is vital. Surveys conducted now and regularly in the future will help scientists understand the short- and long-term impacts of climate change, El Niño years, and sea-level rise on a populated and vulnerable coastline.Sediment transport between estuarine habitats in San Francisco Bay
We investigate mechanisms of sediment transport, resuspension dynamics in shoals, wave evolution in the shallows, wave attenuation in marshes, and transport of sediment between mudflats and marshes. We produce data sets for calibration of and comparison with sediment transport models, including wave parameters, suspended sediment concentration, and sediment flux.Puget Sound Priority Ecosystems Science
Puget Sound Priority Ecosystem Science (PES) supports interdisciplinary ecological research in the Puget Sound, Washington, watershed and nearshore.Estuaries and large river deltas in the Pacific Northwest
Essential habitat for wild salmon and other wildlife borders river deltas and estuaries in the Pacific Northwest. These estuaries also support industry, agriculture, and a large human population that’s expected to double by the year 2060, but each could suffer from more severe river floods, higher sea level, and storm surges caused by climate change.USGS science supporting the Elwha River Restoration Project
The Elwha River Restoration Project has reconnected the water, salmon, and sediment of a pristine river and coast of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington.Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems
Estuarine processes, hazards, and ecosystems describes several interdisciplinary projects that aim to quantify and understand estuarine processes through observations and numerical modeling. Both the spatial and temporal scales of these mechanisms are important, and therefore require modern instrumentation and state-of-the-art hydrodynamic models. These projects are led from the U.S. Geological...Environmental Geochemistry
Coastal Environmental Geochemistry research at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center spans multiple ecosystems and topics, including coastal wetlands, aquifers, and estuaries, with the goal of providing data and guidance to federal, state, local, and private land owners and managers on these vital ecosystems. - Multimedia
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