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Publications

Scientific literature and information products produced by Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center staff

Filter Total Items: 1737

Distribution and tsunamigenic potential of submarine landslides in the Gulf of Mexico Distribution and tsunamigenic potential of submarine landslides in the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is a geologically diverse ocean basin that includes three distinct geologic provinces: a carbonate province, a salt province, and canyon to deep-sea fan province, all of which contain evidence of submarine mass movements. The threat of submarine landslides in the GOM as a generator of near-field damaging tsunamis has not been widely addressed. Submarine...
Authors
Jason D. Chaytor, David C. Twichell, Patrick Lynett, Eric L. Geist

Tsunami simulations of the 1867 Virgin Island earthquake: Constraints on epicenter location and fault parameters Tsunami simulations of the 1867 Virgin Island earthquake: Constraints on epicenter location and fault parameters

The 18 November 1867 Virgin Island earthquake and the tsunami that closely followed caused considerable loss of life and damage in several places in the northeast Caribbean region. The earthquake was likely a manifestation of the complex tectonic deformation of the Anegada Passage, which cuts across the Antilles island arc between the Virgin Islands and the Lesser Antilles. In this...
Authors
Roy Barkan, Uri S. ten Brink

Automated feature extraction and spatial organization of seafloor pockmarks, Belfast Bay, Maine, USA Automated feature extraction and spatial organization of seafloor pockmarks, Belfast Bay, Maine, USA

Seafloor pockmarks occur worldwide and may represent millions of m3 of continental shelf erosion, but few numerical analyses of their morphology and spatial distribution of pockmarks exist. We introduce a quantitative definition of pockmark morphology and, based on this definition, propose a three-step geomorphometric method to identify and extract pockmarks from high-resolution swath...
Authors
Brian D. Andrews, Laura L. Brothers, Walter A. Barnhardt

The release of dissolved nutrients and metals from coastal sediments due to resuspension The release of dissolved nutrients and metals from coastal sediments due to resuspension

Coastal sediments in many regions are impacted by high levels of contaminants. Due to a combination of shallow water depths, waves, and currents, these sediments are subject to regular episodes of sediment resuspension. However, the influence of such disturbances on sediment chemistry and the release of solutes is poorly understood. The aim of this study is to quantify the release of...
Authors
Linda H. Kalnejais, William R. Martin, Michael H. Bothner

The national assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts The national assessment of shoreline change: A GIS compilation of vector shorelines and associated shoreline change data for the New England and Mid-Atlantic Coasts

Sandy ocean beaches are a popular recreational destination, often surrounded by communities containing valuable real estate. Development is on the rise despite the fact that coastal infrastructure is subjected to flooding and erosion. As a result, there is an increased demand for accurate information regarding past and present shoreline changes. The U.S. Geological Survey's National...
Authors
Emily A. Himmelstoss, Meredith G. Kratzmann, Cheryl Hapke, E. Robert Thieler, Jeffrey List

Regional seismic stratigraphy and controls on the Quaternary evolution of the Cape Hatteras region of the Atlantic passive margin, USA Regional seismic stratigraphy and controls on the Quaternary evolution of the Cape Hatteras region of the Atlantic passive margin, USA

Seismic and core data, combined with amino acid racemization and strontium-isotope age data, enable the definition of the Quaternary stratigraphic framework and recognition of geologic controls on the development of the modern coastal system of North Carolina, U.S.A. Seven regionally continuous high amplitude reflections are defined which bound six seismic stratigraphic units consisting...
Authors
D. J. Mallinson, S.J. Culver, S.R. Riggs, E.R. Thieler, D. Foster, J. Wehmiller, K.M. Farrell, J. Pierson

The tail of the Storegga Slide: Insights from the geochemistry and sedimentology of the Norwegian Basin deposits The tail of the Storegga Slide: Insights from the geochemistry and sedimentology of the Norwegian Basin deposits

Deposits within the floor of the Norwegian Basin were sampled to characterize the deposition from the Storegga Slide, the largest known Holocene-aged continental margin slope failure complex. A 29 to 67 cm thick veneer of variable-coloured, finely layered Holocene sediment caps a homogeneous, extremely well-sorted, poorly consolidated, very fine-grained, grey-coloured sediment section...
Authors
C. K. Paull, W. Ussler, W.S. Holbrook, T.M. Hill, H. Haflidason, W. Winters, T. Lorenson, I. Aiello, J.E. Johnson, E. Lundsten

Serving ocean model data on the cloud Serving ocean model data on the cloud

The NOAA-led Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and the NSF-funded Ocean Observatories Initiative Cyberinfrastructure Project (OOI-CI) are collaborating on a prototype data delivery system for numerical model output and other gridded data using cloud computing. The strategy is to take an existing distributed system for delivering gridded data and redeploy on the cloud, making...
Authors
Michael Meisinger, Claudiu Farcas, Emilia Farcas, Charles Alexander, Matthew Arrott, Jeff de La Beaujardiere, Paul Hubbard, Roy Mendelssohn, Richard P. Signell

Standard-target calibration of an acoustic backscatter system Standard-target calibration of an acoustic backscatter system

The standard-target method used to calibrate scientific echo sounders and other scientific sonars by a single, solid elastic sphere is being adapted to acoustic backscatter (ABS) systems. Its first application, to the AQUAscat 1000, is described. The on-axis sensitivity and directional properties of transducer beams at three operating frequencies, nominally 1, 2.5, and 4 MHz, have been...
Authors
Kenneth G. Foote, Marinna A. Martini

The three scales of submarine groundwater flow and discharge across passive continental margins The three scales of submarine groundwater flow and discharge across passive continental margins

Increased study of submarine groundwater systems in recent years has provided a wealth of new data and techniques, but some ambiguity has been introduced by insufficient distinguishing of the relevant spatial scales of the phenomena studied. Submarine groundwater flow and discharge on passive continental margins can be most productively studied and discussed by distinct consideration of...
Authors
John F. Bratton

Parametric study of the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sand, silt, and clay sediments: 1. Electromagnetic properties Parametric study of the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sand, silt, and clay sediments: 1. Electromagnetic properties

The marked decrease in bulk electrical conductivity of sediments in the presence of gas hydrates has been used to interpret borehole electrical resistivity logs and, to a lesser extent, the results of controlled source electromagnetic surveys to constrain the spatial distribution and predicted concentration of gas hydrate in natural settings. Until now, an exhaustive laboratory data set...
Authors
J.Y. Lee, J.C. Santamarina, C. Ruppel
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