Natural Hazards
National Seismic Hazard Model Project Steering Committee
The National Seismic Hazard Model Project (NSHMP) Steering Committee is a panel of nine subject matter experts that meets routinely with the NSHMP to discuss and review inputs to the National Seismic Hazard Models (NSHMs).
Earthquake Information Social Media and RSS Feeds
A list and description of all the earthquake-related social media accounts and RSS feeds.
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.
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...
COAWST: A Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport Modeling System
Understanding the processes responsible for coastal change is important for managing both our natural and economic coastal resources. Storms are one of the primary driving forces causing coastal change from a coupling of wave- and wind-driven flows. To better understand storm impacts and their effects on our coastlines, there is an international need to better predict storm paths and...
PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities
Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center field equipment
3-D Geologic and Seismic Velocity Models of the San Francisco Bay Region
The USGS 3-D Geologic and Seismic Velocity Models of the San Francisco Bay region provide a three-dimensional view of the geologic structure and physical properties of the region down to a depth of 45 km (28 miles). Construction of this 3D Bay Area model has been a joint effort of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and the...
2019 Geophysical surveys and instrumented tripod deployment in and around Astoria Canyon
Geophysical data collected and instrumented tripods deployed in and around Astoria Canyon offshore of the Washington/Oregon border in 2019, a USGS-University of Washington partnership
Remote Sensing Coastal Change
We use remote-sensing technologies—such as aerial photography, satellite imagery, structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry, and lidar (laser-based surveying)—to measure coastal change along U.S. shorelines.
2019 Regional geophysical surveys of northern and central Cascadia (offshore Washington and Oregon)
Geophysical data collected offshore of Washington and Oregon in 2019, a USGS-University of Washington partnership
2018 Regional geophysical surveys of southern Cascadia (offshore northern California and southern Oregon)
Regional geophysical surveys conducted offshore of northern California and southern Oregon in 2018, a USGS-Humboldt State University partnership
CoSMoS-Groundwater
The USGS Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) team has extensively studied overland flooding and coastal change due to rising seas and storms. Interactions with coastal stakeholders have elucidated another important question; will rising seas also intrude into coastal aquifers and raise groundwater...