Coastal hazards such as hurricanes, sea-level rise, flooding, erosion, and extreme storms can threaten lives and health, property, and valuable habitats along our nation’s coasts. USGS science, products, and tools provide the Nation with robust and accessible scientific research to help partners anticipate, prepare for, adapt to, and mitigate coastal hazards.
While coastal change is natural, hazards arise when these changes threaten lives or put communities and habitats at risk. Some of these hazards can occur abruptly such as earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis; or within short periods of time such as hurricanes and extreme storms. Others happen gradually over time like sea-level rise, erosion, or saltwater intrusion into groundwater. The USGS is a leader in natural hazards research and addresses coastal hazards by conducting basic and applied research, developing tools to assess risk, and providing data and information to stakeholders and partners to enhance preparedness.
Tools and Technology for Coastal Resilience
The USGS collection of coastal tools provides information on coastal hazards at scales useful for local communities, regional managers, and decision makers. For example, the USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal allows users to explore the potential for storm-induced coastal erosion, forecasts of extreme water levels, historical shoreline change, and vulnerability to sea-level rise. These data and products are immensely valuable for assisting communities with efforts to bolster coastal resilience and reduce vulnerability to coastal hazards.
Hurricane Response
Hurricanes are an example of one type of hazard that can cause significant changes to the coast. When a storm is approaching, USGS activates the Coastal Storm Response team, which is comprised of scientists and technicians with multidisciplinary expertise to share information, forecast impacts, and help communities in the storm’s track prepare for and recover from powerful storms. Take a quiz to learn about the breadth of USGS science that goes into helping storm forecasters, emergency responders, communities, resource managers and other decision-makers prepare for, cope with, and recover from storms.
Water and Flooding
The USGS maintains a nationwide network of permanent water gages to measure and monitor surface water flow, groundwater levels and more. USGS also deploys rapid response water level gages and hurricane storm tide sensors when extreme storms or other hazardous conditions threaten our coast. Data from these sensors are displayed on the USGS Flood Event Viewer. In collaboration with stakeholders, USGS has constructed a national Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network that monitors and documents the height, extent, and timing of storm surge. These data are provided to scientists, stakeholders, and the public in real time through the National Water Dashboard.
Coastal Geologic Hazards
The nation's coastlines are also vulnerable to more abrupt, interrelated hazards posed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and land-based failures like landslides. USGS studies the processes and effects of earthquakes, landslides, and modern-day and prehistoric tsunamis using a variety of methods. These data are used to generate models, simulations, and probabilities of the likelihood of these hazards with the goal of providing relevant scientific information that can be used to help prevent loss of life, injuries, and property damage.
Other long-term hazardous processes studied by USGS include the seasonal freezing, thawing, and erosion of permafrost coasts that threaten coastal communities and infrastructure in Arctic Alaska.

Natural Barriers
While many hazards threaten our coasts, Earth has provided numerous natural structures to protect them such as barrier islands, wetlands, and reefs. For instance, coral reefs act as very effective buffers that break waves and limit flooding in tropical states and U.S. territories. USGS research has quantified the economic benefits of these natural ecosystems, as well as the predicted effects of restoration, which will help inform partners working to protect and conserve coral reefs around the world.
Invisible Hazards
Less visible hazards such as toxins, pathogens, saltwater intrusion, and wastewater discharge threaten coastal ecosystems and wildlife as well as the people who live, work, and play along our coasts. These contaminants can enter our coastal waterways through seepage, spills, runoff, or through groundwater discharge. These substances can also become entrained in sediments that can impact ecological health. The USGS monitors water quality, sediments, and living organisms in our coastal regions to track whether contamination has occurred in our waterways to help inform water managers when to treat, close, or otherwise mitigate these hazardous scenarios.
Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event
Global and regional sea level rise scenarios for the United States
Action plan for restoration of coral reef coastal protection services: Case study example and workbook
Drivers, dynamics and impacts of changing Arctic coasts
Digital Twin Earth - Coasts: Developing a fast and physics-informed surrogate model for coastal floods via neural operators
Seven decades of coastal change at Barter Island, Alaska: Exploring the importance of waves and temperature on erosion of coastal permafrost bluffs
Earthquake magnitude distributions on northern Caribbean faults from combinatorial optimization models
On-fault earthquake magnitude distributions are calculated for northern Caribbean faults using estimates of fault slip and regional seismicity parameters. Integer programming, a combinatorial optimization method, is used to determine the optimal spatial arrangement of earthquakes sampled from a truncated Gutenberg-Richter distribution that minimizes the global misfit in slip rates on a complex fau
Rigorously valuing the coastal hazard risks reduction provided by potential coral reef restoration in Florida and Puerto Rico
Watershed sediment yield following the 2018 Carr Fire, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, northern California
Hydrological control shift from river level to rainfall in the reactivated Guobu slope besides the Laxiwa hydropower station in China
Drivers of extreme water levels in a large, urban, high-energy coastal estuary – A case study of the San Francisco Bay
Multiple climate change-driven tipping points for coastal systems
Coastal Climate Impacts
Dynamic coastlines along the western U.S.
Role of Reefs in Coastal Protection
Low-lying areas of tropical Pacific islands
Landscape Response to Disturbance
Climate impacts to Arctic coasts
Climate impacts on Monterey Bay area beaches
State of Our Nation's Coast
Probabilistic Forecasting of Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Earthquake Effects in the Coastal Zone
U.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards
Estuaries and large river deltas in the Pacific Northwest
Coastal Change Hazards
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and suspended sediment concentrations in the San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Rain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2020 to 2021
Our Coast Our Future
Our Coast, Our Future is a partnership between Point Blue Conservation Science and USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, and was collaboratively developed with many local, state, and federal stakeholders. It is the platform for data visualization, synthesis, and download of all output products from the USGS Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS).
Future Coastal Flooding
Prediction of Flooding Now and Into the Future: a geonarrative on coastal storms
Coastal Change in Alaska
Alaska's north coast has been home to indigenous communities for centuries. Changing coastlines threaten important infrastructure and historic sites that support indigenous communities. Changing coastlines also can potentially reduce habitat for Arctic wildlife, such as polar bears, shorebirds, and walruses. Oil- and gas-related development sites and U.S. Department of Defense installations
The Role of U.S. Coral Reefs in Coastal Protection
U.S. Geological Survey scientists have shown that along with providing food, tourism, and biodiversity, coral reefs also protect dollars and lives. This interactive geonarrative introduces the USGS research to understand the role of US coral reefs in coastal protection.
National Shoreline Change
Exploring Shoreline Positions of the United States From the 1800s To The Present. This geonarrative explains how the USGS derives shorelines from various data sources, and how shoreline change rates are generated from these data. The Natural Hazards Mission Area programs of the USGS develop and apply hazard science to help protect the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation.
Real-Time Forecasts of Coastal Change
U.S. Geological Survey researchers develop tools to forecast coastal change hazards. This geonarrative features research and tools developed to forecast real-time coastal change.
Barrier Islands
U.S. Geological Survey Researchers Monitor Barrier Islands. This geonarrative features research used to monitor Barrier islands which are narrow stretches of sand deposited parallel to the shoreline, are inherently valuable ecosystems. They protect estuaries and lagoons that help reduce coastal erosion, purify the water, and provide habitat for fish and birds.
Our Coasts
USGS Coastal Change Hazards research provides scientific tools to protect lives, property, and the economic well being of the Nation. The mission of the USGS Coastal Change Hazards Program is to provide research and tools to protect lives, property, and the economic well-being of the Nation. This is a story map that introduces the value of our coasts and the threats they face with global change.
- Overview
While coastal change is natural, hazards arise when these changes threaten lives or put communities and habitats at risk. Some of these hazards can occur abruptly such as earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis; or within short periods of time such as hurricanes and extreme storms. Others happen gradually over time like sea-level rise, erosion, or saltwater intrusion into groundwater. The USGS is a leader in natural hazards research and addresses coastal hazards by conducting basic and applied research, developing tools to assess risk, and providing data and information to stakeholders and partners to enhance preparedness.
Tools and Technology for Coastal Resilience
The USGS collection of coastal tools provides information on coastal hazards at scales useful for local communities, regional managers, and decision makers. For example, the USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal allows users to explore the potential for storm-induced coastal erosion, forecasts of extreme water levels, historical shoreline change, and vulnerability to sea-level rise. These data and products are immensely valuable for assisting communities with efforts to bolster coastal resilience and reduce vulnerability to coastal hazards.
USGS uses a variety of coastal tools and technology to study coastal hazards. These data and tools are useful for coastal managers and planners who need to make well-informed, science-based decisions to enhance coastal resilience. View Media. This photograph of Hurricane Joaquin was taken by NOAA's GOES West satellite on 10/1/2015. Hurricane Response
Hurricanes are an example of one type of hazard that can cause significant changes to the coast. When a storm is approaching, USGS activates the Coastal Storm Response team, which is comprised of scientists and technicians with multidisciplinary expertise to share information, forecast impacts, and help communities in the storm’s track prepare for and recover from powerful storms. Take a quiz to learn about the breadth of USGS science that goes into helping storm forecasters, emergency responders, communities, resource managers and other decision-makers prepare for, cope with, and recover from storms.
The USGS National Water Dashboard shows the flooding effects associated with Hurricane Ian, on September 29, 2022, with black dots and pink circles showing river flood stage conditions, some of which correspond to all-time-high records for this day of the year. Visit the National Water Dashboard to learn more. Water and Flooding
The USGS maintains a nationwide network of permanent water gages to measure and monitor surface water flow, groundwater levels and more. USGS also deploys rapid response water level gages and hurricane storm tide sensors when extreme storms or other hazardous conditions threaten our coast. Data from these sensors are displayed on the USGS Flood Event Viewer. In collaboration with stakeholders, USGS has constructed a national Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network that monitors and documents the height, extent, and timing of storm surge. These data are provided to scientists, stakeholders, and the public in real time through the National Water Dashboard.
A home with severe damage caused by a massive, highly destructive tsunami. Coastal Geologic Hazards
The nation's coastlines are also vulnerable to more abrupt, interrelated hazards posed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and land-based failures like landslides. USGS studies the processes and effects of earthquakes, landslides, and modern-day and prehistoric tsunamis using a variety of methods. These data are used to generate models, simulations, and probabilities of the likelihood of these hazards with the goal of providing relevant scientific information that can be used to help prevent loss of life, injuries, and property damage.
Other long-term hazardous processes studied by USGS include the seasonal freezing, thawing, and erosion of permafrost coasts that threaten coastal communities and infrastructure in Arctic Alaska.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Waves crash against a beach in Isla de Mona, Puerto Rico. Natural Barriers
While many hazards threaten our coasts, Earth has provided numerous natural structures to protect them such as barrier islands, wetlands, and reefs. For instance, coral reefs act as very effective buffers that break waves and limit flooding in tropical states and U.S. territories. USGS research has quantified the economic benefits of these natural ecosystems, as well as the predicted effects of restoration, which will help inform partners working to protect and conserve coral reefs around the world.
USGS deployed this buoy platform with connected water quality equipment in Saugatuck Harbor, CT in May 2022. Invisible Hazards
Less visible hazards such as toxins, pathogens, saltwater intrusion, and wastewater discharge threaten coastal ecosystems and wildlife as well as the people who live, work, and play along our coasts. These contaminants can enter our coastal waterways through seepage, spills, runoff, or through groundwater discharge. These substances can also become entrained in sediments that can impact ecological health. The USGS monitors water quality, sediments, and living organisms in our coastal regions to track whether contamination has occurred in our waterways to help inform water managers when to treat, close, or otherwise mitigate these hazardous scenarios.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 25
Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event
Wildfire and post-fire rainfall have resounding effects on hillslope processes and sediment yields of mountainous landscapes. Yet, it remains unclear how fire–flood sequences influence downstream coastal littoral systems. It is timely to examine terrestrial–coastal connections because climate change is increasing the frequency, size, and intensity of wildfires, altering precipitation rates, and acAuthorsJonathan Warrick, Kilian Vos, Amy E. East, Sean VitousekGlobal and regional sea level rise scenarios for the United States
This report and accompanying datasets from the U.S. Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard Scenarios and Tools Interagency Task Force provide 1) sea level rise scenarios to 2150 by decade that include estimates of vertical land motion and 2) a set of extreme water level probabilities for various heights along the U.S. coastline. These data are available at 1-degree grids along the U.S. coastlineAuthorsWilliam Sweet, Ben Hamlington, Robert E. Kopp, Christopher Weaver, Patrick L. Barnard, David Bekaert, William Brooks, Michael Craghan, Gregory Dusek, Thomas Frederikse, Gregory Garner, Ayesha S. Genz, John P. Krasting, Eric Larour, Doug Marcy, John J. Marra, Jayantha Obeysekera, Mark Osler, Matthew Pendleton, Daniel Roman, Lauren Schmied, Will Veatch, Kathleen D. White, Casey ZuzakAction 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. ShaverDrivers, dynamics and impacts of changing Arctic coasts
Arctic coasts are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels and the loss of permafrost, sea ice and glaciers. Assessing the influence of anthropogenic warming on Arctic coastal dynamics, however, is challenged by the limited availability of observational, oceanographic and environmental data. Yet, with the majority of permafrost coasts being erosive, coupled with proAuthorsAnna M. Irrgang, Mette Bendixen, Louise M. Farquharson, Alisa V. Baranskaya, Li H. Erikson, Ann E. Gibbs, Stanislav A. Ogorodov, Pier Paul Overduin, Hugues Lantuit, Mikhail N. Grigoriev, Benjamin M. JonesDigital Twin Earth - Coasts: Developing a fast and physics-informed surrogate model for coastal floods via neural operators
Developing fast and accurate surrogates for physics-based coastal and ocean mod- els is an urgent need due to the coastal flood risk under accelerating sea level rise, and the computational expense of deterministic numerical models. For this purpose, we develop the first digital twin of Earth coastlines with new physics-informed machine learning techniques extending the state-of-art Neural OperatoAuthorsP. Jiang, N. Meinert, H. Jordão, C. Weisser, S. Holgate, A. Lavin, B. Lutjens, D. Newman, H. Wainright, C. Walker, Patrick L. BarnardSeven decades of coastal change at Barter Island, Alaska: Exploring the importance of waves and temperature on erosion of coastal permafrost bluffs
Observational data of coastal change over much of the Arctic are limited largely due to its immensity, remoteness, harsh environment, and restricted periods of sunlight and ice-free conditions. Barter Island, Alaska, is one of the few locations where an extensive, observational dataset exists, which enables a detailed assessment of the trends and patterns of coastal change over decadal to annual tAuthorsAnn E. Gibbs, Li H. Erikson, Benjamin M. Jones, Bruce M. Richmond, Anita C EngelstadEarthquake magnitude distributions on northern Caribbean faults from combinatorial optimization models
On-fault earthquake magnitude distributions are calculated for northern Caribbean faults using estimates of fault slip and regional seismicity parameters. Integer programming, a combinatorial optimization method, is used to determine the optimal spatial arrangement of earthquakes sampled from a truncated Gutenberg-Richter distribution that minimizes the global misfit in slip rates on a complex fau
AuthorsEric L. Geist, Uri S. ten BrinkRigorously valuing the coastal hazard risks reduction provided by potential coral reef restoration in Florida and Puerto Rico
The restoration of coastal habitats, particularly coral reefs, can reduce risks by decreasing the exposure of coastal communities to flooding hazards. In the United States, the protective services provided by coral reefs were recently assessed in social and economic terms, with the annual protection provided by U.S. coral reefs off the coasts of the State of Florida and the Commonwealth of PuertoAuthorsCurt D. Storlazzi, Borja G. Reguero, Kristen A. Cumming, Aaron Cole, James B. Shope, Camila Gaido L., T. Shay Viehman, Barry A. Nickel, Michael W. BeckWatershed sediment yield following the 2018 Carr Fire, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, northern California
Wildfire risk has increased in recent decades over many regions, due to warming climate and other factors. Increased sediment export from recently burned landscapes can jeopardize downstream infrastructure and water resources, but physical landscape response to fire has not been quantified for some at-risk areas, including much of northern California, USA. We measured sediment yield from three watAuthorsAmy E. East, Joshua B. Logan, Peter Dartnell, Oren Lieber-Kotz, David B. Cavagnaro, Scott W. McCoy, Donald N. LindsayHydrological control shift from river level to rainfall in the reactivated Guobu slope besides the Laxiwa hydropower station in China
Landslides are common geohazards associated with natural drivers such as precipitation, land degradation, toe erosion by rivers and wave attack, and ground shaking. On the other hand, human alterations such as inundation by water impoundment or rapid drawdown may also destabilize the surrounding slopes. The Guobu slope is an ancient rockslide on the banks of the Laxiwa hydropower station reservoirAuthorsXuguo Shi, Xie Hu, Nicholas Sitar, Robert Kayen, Shengwen Qi, Houjun Jiang, Xudong WangDrivers of extreme water levels in a large, urban, high-energy coastal estuary – A case study of the San Francisco Bay
Reliable and long-term hindcast data of water levels are essential in quantifying return period and values of extreme water levels. In order to inform design decisions on a local flood control district level, process-based numerical modeling has proven an essential tool to provide the needed temporal and spatial coverage for different extreme value analysis methods. To determine the importance ofAuthorsKees Nederhoff, Rohin Saleh, Babak Tehranirad, Liv M. Herdman, Li H. Erikson, Patrick L. Barnard, Mick Van der WegenMultiple climate change-driven tipping points for coastal systems
As the climate evolves over the next century, the interaction of accelerating sea level rise (SLR) and storms, combined with confining development and infrastructure, will place greater stresses on physical, ecological, and human systems along the ocean-land margin. Many of these valued coastal systems could reach “tipping points,” at which hazard exposure substantially increases and threatens theAuthorsPatrick L. Barnard, Jenifer Dugan, Henry M. Page, Nathan J. Wood, Juliette A. Finzi Hart, Daniel Cayan, Li H. Erikson, David A. Hubbard, Monique Myers, John M. Melack, Samuel F. Iacobellis - Science
Filter Total Items: 14
Coastal Climate Impacts
The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise around the Pacific and Arctic Oceans can vary tremendously. Thus far the vast majority of national and international impact assessments and models of coastal climate change have focused on low-relief coastlines that are not near seismically active zones. Furthermore, the degree to which extreme waves and wind will add further stress to coastal...Dynamic coastlines along the western U.S.
The west coast of the United States is extremely complex and changeable because of tectonic activity, mountain building, and land subsidence. These active environments pose a major challenge for accurately assessing climate change impacts, since models were historically developed for more passive sandy coasts.Role of Reefs in Coastal Protection
We are combining ocean, engineering, ecologic, social, and economic modeling to provide a high-resolution, rigorous, spatially-explicit valuation of the coastal flood protection benefits provided by coral reefs and the cost effectiveness of reef restoration for enhancing those benefits.Low-lying areas of tropical Pacific islands
Sea level is rising faster than projected in the western Pacific, so understanding how wave-driven coastal flooding will affect inhabited, low-lying islands—most notably, the familiar ring-shaped atolls—as well as the low-elevation areas of high islands in the Pacific Ocean, is critical for decision-makers in protecting infrastructure or relocating resources and people.Landscape Response to Disturbance
This project characterizes and measures sediment-related effects of landscape disturbances (such as major storms, drought, or wildfire) and river management. We focus primarily on the U.S. west coast, and our work relates to natural hazards and resource management.Climate impacts to Arctic coasts
The Arctic region is warming faster than anywhere else in the nation. Understanding the rates and causes of coastal change in Alaska is needed to identify and mitigate hazards that might affect people and animals that call Alaska home.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.State of Our Nation's Coast
Discover USGS products, tools, and data with the Coastal Science Navigator! The Coastal Science Navigator serves as a gateway to USGS Coastal Change Hazards resources and assists users in finding products and tools that will meet their specific needs.Probabilistic Forecasting of Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Earthquake Effects in the Coastal Zone
The nation's coastlines are vulnerable to the interrelated hazards posed by earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis. In the marine environment these events often occur in concert, and distant triggers can cause severe local effects, making the issue global in scope. As the population continues to migrate toward the coastlines, the social impacts of these hazards are expected to grow.U.S. West Coast and Alaska Marine Geohazards
Marine geohazards are sudden and extreme events beneath the ocean that threaten coastal populations. Such underwater hazards include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and tsunamis.ByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, 3-D CT Core Imaging Laboratory, Core Preparation and Analysis Laboratory and Sample Repositories, Big Sur Landslides, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization, Subduction Zone ScienceEstuaries 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.Coastal Change Hazards
Natural processes such as waves, tides, and weather, continually change coastal landscapes. The integrity of coastal homes, businesses, and infrastructure can be threatened by hazards associated with event-driven changes, such as extreme storms and their impacts on beach and dune erosion, or longer-term, cumulative changes associated with coastal and marine processes, such as sea-level rise... - Data and More
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and suspended sediment concentrations in the San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz, California, USA
Water from the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California, was sampled to analyze for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) during the rainy seasons from 2008 to 2019 following drought conditions. The samples were collected using a US D-95 depth-integrated water sampler deployed from a bridge-box platform beneath a pedestrian bridge For each suspendeRain measurements in and near the CZU Lightning Complex Fire area, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 2020 to 2021
The CZU Lightning Complex Fire (hereafter, "CZU Fire") ignited in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, on August 16, 2020. By the time of full containment on September 22, 2020, the fire had burned 350 km2 (86,510 acres) in Santa Cruz and San Mateo Counties. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) installed four rain gages in and near the CZU Fire burn area to measure rainfall during the post-fire wetOur Coast Our Future
Our Coast, Our Future is a partnership between Point Blue Conservation Science and USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, and was collaboratively developed with many local, state, and federal stakeholders. It is the platform for data visualization, synthesis, and download of all output products from the USGS Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS).
Future Coastal Flooding
Prediction of Flooding Now and Into the Future: a geonarrative on coastal storms
Coastal Change in Alaska
Alaska's north coast has been home to indigenous communities for centuries. Changing coastlines threaten important infrastructure and historic sites that support indigenous communities. Changing coastlines also can potentially reduce habitat for Arctic wildlife, such as polar bears, shorebirds, and walruses. Oil- and gas-related development sites and U.S. Department of Defense installations
The Role of U.S. Coral Reefs in Coastal Protection
U.S. Geological Survey scientists have shown that along with providing food, tourism, and biodiversity, coral reefs also protect dollars and lives. This interactive geonarrative introduces the USGS research to understand the role of US coral reefs in coastal protection.
National Shoreline Change
Exploring Shoreline Positions of the United States From the 1800s To The Present. This geonarrative explains how the USGS derives shorelines from various data sources, and how shoreline change rates are generated from these data. The Natural Hazards Mission Area programs of the USGS develop and apply hazard science to help protect the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation.
Real-Time Forecasts of Coastal Change
U.S. Geological Survey researchers develop tools to forecast coastal change hazards. This geonarrative features research and tools developed to forecast real-time coastal change.
Barrier Islands
U.S. Geological Survey Researchers Monitor Barrier Islands. This geonarrative features research used to monitor Barrier islands which are narrow stretches of sand deposited parallel to the shoreline, are inherently valuable ecosystems. They protect estuaries and lagoons that help reduce coastal erosion, purify the water, and provide habitat for fish and birds.
Our Coasts
USGS Coastal Change Hazards research provides scientific tools to protect lives, property, and the economic well being of the Nation. The mission of the USGS Coastal Change Hazards Program is to provide research and tools to protect lives, property, and the economic well-being of the Nation. This is a story map that introduces the value of our coasts and the threats they face with global change.
- Multimedia
Filter Total Items: 36
- News