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Samantha McGill

Oceanographer with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Science and Products

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View from the sky looking at mouth of river with lots of sediment deposited at a beach.

Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Our research goals are to provide the scientific information, knowledge, and tools required to ensure that decisions about land and resource use, management practices, and future development in the coastal zone and adjacent watersheds can be evaluated with a complete understanding of the probable effects on coastal ecosystems and communities, and a full assessment of their vulnerability to natural...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Sediment Lab Suite and Carbon Analysis Laboratory, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary
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Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Our research goals are to provide the scientific information, knowledge, and tools required to ensure that decisions about land and resource use, management practices, and future development in the coastal zone and adjacent watersheds can be evaluated with a complete understanding of the probable effects on coastal ecosystems and communities, and a full assessment of their vulnerability to natural...
Learn More

Properties of sediment collected from channels in northern San Francisco Bay, California, 2024

Bed sediment samples were collected from the channels of 4 sites within northern San Francisco Bay, California, USA. The channels sampled were located in Corte Madera Bay, San Pablo Bay, Grizzly Bay and Suisun Bay. Sediment samples were collected with push cores, by subsampling a Gomex box corer. Cores, which ranged in length from 2 to 6 centimeters (cm), were sectioned by depth. The top...
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Grain size, bulk density, and carbon content of sediment collected from Whale's Tail South marsh and adjacent bay floor, South San Francisco Bay, California, 2021-2022 (ver. 2.0, March 2025)

Sediment samples were collected on and adjacent to the Whale's Tail South marsh. Short push-cores of bed sediment were collected in South San Francisco Bay adjacent to Whale's Tail South marsh on five days from June through August 2021 and 3 days from November 2021 to January 2022. Additional samples were taken from ceramic tiles placed on the marsh to measure sediment deposition and...
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hydrodynamic and sediment transport data from Whale's Tail marsh and adjacent waters in South San Francisco Bay, California 2021-2022

The U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center collected hydrodynamic and sediment-transport data at shallow water sites in South San Francisco Bay and in the Whale's Tail South marsh in Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Alameda County, CA in 2021 and 2022. This data release includes hydrodynamic and sediment transport time-series data spanning from June 2021 to...
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and sediment flocculation data from south San Francisco Bay, California, summer 2020

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center collected hydrodynamic and suspended sediment flocculation data at channel and shallow water sites in south San Francisco Bay in July 2020. The data were used to determine water column stratification, turbulence profiles, and floc size evolution. The goal of this project was to bound the controls on floc size and...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Hydrodynamic and sediment transport data from San Pablo Bay and Grizzly Bay, California, 2020

The U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center collected hydrodynamic and sediment-transport data at shallow water sites in San Pablo Bay and Grizzly Bay, in northern San Francisco Bay between January and September 2020. The data were collected to determine hydrodynamic forcing, bed roughness, suspended-sediment concentration, and physical properties of the sediment...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Hydrodynamic and sediment transport data from San Pablo Bay and Grizzly Bay, California, 2019

The U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center collected hydrodynamic and sediment-transport data at shallow water sites in San Pablo Bay and Grizzly Bay, in northern San Francisco Bay between June and November 2019. The data were collected to determine hydrodynamic forcing, bed roughness, suspended-sediment concentration, and physical properties of the sediment bed...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)
Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay
Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Two people install instruments atop a permanent mooring called a dolphin, large wooden pilings affixed in shallow water.
Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay
Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay
Two people install instruments atop a permanent mooring called a dolphin, large wooden pilings affixed in shallow water.

Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Pete Dal Ferro and Andrew Stevens, both from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California, install a Vaisala WXT weather station in Grizzly Bay, east of San Pablo Bay and northeast of San Francisco.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Two people install instruments atop a permanent mooring called a dolphin, large wooden pilings affixed in shallow water.

Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Pete Dal Ferro and Andrew Stevens, both from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California, install a Vaisala WXT weather station in Grizzly Bay, east of San Pablo Bay and northeast of San Francisco.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Observations of flocs in an estuary and implications for computation of settling velocity

The settling velocity (ws) in estuarine environments can impact whether a region is eroding or accreting sediment on the bed, yet determining this rate can be an indirect process requiring a number of assumptions. Accurate determination of ws is especially needed for numerical models to reproduce observed sediment concentrations at the appropriate timescale. We collected information on...
Authors
Rachel Allen, Daniel Livsey, Samantha C. McGill
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Science and Products

link
View from the sky looking at mouth of river with lots of sediment deposited at a beach.

Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Our research goals are to provide the scientific information, knowledge, and tools required to ensure that decisions about land and resource use, management practices, and future development in the coastal zone and adjacent watersheds can be evaluated with a complete understanding of the probable effects on coastal ecosystems and communities, and a full assessment of their vulnerability to natural...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Sediment Lab Suite and Carbon Analysis Laboratory, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary
link

Sediment Transport in Coastal Environments

Our research goals are to provide the scientific information, knowledge, and tools required to ensure that decisions about land and resource use, management practices, and future development in the coastal zone and adjacent watersheds can be evaluated with a complete understanding of the probable effects on coastal ecosystems and communities, and a full assessment of their vulnerability to natural...
Learn More

Properties of sediment collected from channels in northern San Francisco Bay, California, 2024

Bed sediment samples were collected from the channels of 4 sites within northern San Francisco Bay, California, USA. The channels sampled were located in Corte Madera Bay, San Pablo Bay, Grizzly Bay and Suisun Bay. Sediment samples were collected with push cores, by subsampling a Gomex box corer. Cores, which ranged in length from 2 to 6 centimeters (cm), were sectioned by depth. The top...
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Grain size, bulk density, and carbon content of sediment collected from Whale's Tail South marsh and adjacent bay floor, South San Francisco Bay, California, 2021-2022 (ver. 2.0, March 2025)

Sediment samples were collected on and adjacent to the Whale's Tail South marsh. Short push-cores of bed sediment were collected in South San Francisco Bay adjacent to Whale's Tail South marsh on five days from June through August 2021 and 3 days from November 2021 to January 2022. Additional samples were taken from ceramic tiles placed on the marsh to measure sediment deposition and...
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hydrodynamic and sediment transport data from Whale's Tail marsh and adjacent waters in South San Francisco Bay, California 2021-2022

The U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center collected hydrodynamic and sediment-transport data at shallow water sites in South San Francisco Bay and in the Whale's Tail South marsh in Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Alameda County, CA in 2021 and 2022. This data release includes hydrodynamic and sediment transport time-series data spanning from June 2021 to...
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and sediment flocculation data from south San Francisco Bay, California, summer 2020

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center collected hydrodynamic and suspended sediment flocculation data at channel and shallow water sites in south San Francisco Bay in July 2020. The data were used to determine water column stratification, turbulence profiles, and floc size evolution. The goal of this project was to bound the controls on floc size and...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Hydrodynamic and sediment transport data from San Pablo Bay and Grizzly Bay, California, 2020

The U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center collected hydrodynamic and sediment-transport data at shallow water sites in San Pablo Bay and Grizzly Bay, in northern San Francisco Bay between January and September 2020. The data were collected to determine hydrodynamic forcing, bed roughness, suspended-sediment concentration, and physical properties of the sediment...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary

Hydrodynamic and sediment transport data from San Pablo Bay and Grizzly Bay, California, 2019

The U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center collected hydrodynamic and sediment-transport data at shallow water sites in San Pablo Bay and Grizzly Bay, in northern San Francisco Bay between June and November 2019. The data were collected to determine hydrodynamic forcing, bed roughness, suspended-sediment concentration, and physical properties of the sediment bed...
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)
Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay (AD)

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay
Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Image of early morning Sediment Transport Fieldwork in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay

Sediment Transport in San Francisco Bay

The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers deliver half the amount of sediment they did 50 years ago to San Francisco Bay. Just as sea-level rise is accelerating, the demand for sediment is growing.

By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Two people install instruments atop a permanent mooring called a dolphin, large wooden pilings affixed in shallow water.
Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay
Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay
Two people install instruments atop a permanent mooring called a dolphin, large wooden pilings affixed in shallow water.

Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Pete Dal Ferro and Andrew Stevens, both from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California, install a Vaisala WXT weather station in Grizzly Bay, east of San Pablo Bay and northeast of San Francisco.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Two people install instruments atop a permanent mooring called a dolphin, large wooden pilings affixed in shallow water.

Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Installing weather station in Grizzly Bay

Pete Dal Ferro and Andrew Stevens, both from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California, install a Vaisala WXT weather station in Grizzly Bay, east of San Pablo Bay and northeast of San Francisco.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Observations of flocs in an estuary and implications for computation of settling velocity

The settling velocity (ws) in estuarine environments can impact whether a region is eroding or accreting sediment on the bed, yet determining this rate can be an indirect process requiring a number of assumptions. Accurate determination of ws is especially needed for numerical models to reproduce observed sediment concentrations at the appropriate timescale. We collected information on...
Authors
Rachel Allen, Daniel Livsey, Samantha C. McGill
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
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