Publications

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The oceanographic and tectonic conditions of accretionary margins are well-suited for several potential processes governing methane generation, storage and release. To identify the relevant methane evolution pathways in the northern Cascadia accretionary margin, a four-site transect was drilled during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 311. The δ13C values of methane range from...

Methane gas hydrates, crystalline inclusion compounds formed from methane and water, are found in marine continental margin and permafrost sediments worldwide. This article reviews the current understanding of phenomena involved in gas hydrate formation and the physical properties of hydrate‐bearing sediments. Formation phenomena include pore‐scale habit, solubility, spatial variability...

The potential interactions between climate change and methane hydrate destabilization are among the most societally-relevant aspects of gas hydrates research. Massive dissociation of deep marine methane hydrates following rapid Earth warming is the most plausible explanation for carbon isotopic data that imply widespread release of microbial methane during the Late Paleocene Thermal...

Predictions of nearshore and surf zone processes are important for determining coastal circulation, impacts of storms, navigation, and recreational safety. Numerical modeling of these systems facilitates advancements in our understanding of coastal changes and can provide predictive capabilities for resource managers. There exists many nearshore coastal circulation models, however they...

Extending nearly 400 km from Sabine Pass on the Texas-Louisiana border east to the Chandeleur Islands, the Louisiana coastal zone (Fig. 11.1) along the north-central Gulf of Mexico is the southern terminus of the largest drainage basin in North America (>3.3 million km2), which includes the Mississippi River delta plain where approximately 6.2 million kilograms per year of sediment is...

This Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP), developed as part of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, examines potential effects of sea-level rise from climate change during the twenty-first century, with a focus on the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. Using scientific literature and policy-related documents, the SAP describes the physical environments; potential changes to...

We report estimates of mercury (Hg) flux to the sediments of Lake Tahoe, California–Nevada: 2 and 15–20 µg/m2/year in preindustrial and modern sediments, respectively. These values result in a modern to preindustrial flux ratio of 7.5–10, which is similar to flux ratios recently reported for other alpine lakes in California, and greater than the value of 3 typically seen worldwide. We...

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, conducted a 7-year, multidisciplinary study of coastal erosion in northeastern South Carolina. Shoreline behavior along the coast of Long Bay is dictated by waves, tidal currents, and sediment supply that act within the overall constraints of the regional geologic setting. Beaches are thin ribbons of...

Marine Realms Information Bank (MRIB) digital libraries provide access to free online scientific resources about oceans, coasts, and coastal watersheds. MRIB allows category, geographic, and keyword searching, alone or in combination. Instructions for searching the three MRIB libraries and for refining the searches are explained in detail.

The geologic framework of the Massachusetts inner continental shelf between Cape Ann and Salisbury Beach has been shaped by a complicated history of glaciation, deglaciation, and changes in relative sea level. New geophysical data (swath bathymetry, sidescan sonar and seismic-reflection profiling), sediment samples, and seafloor photography provide insight into the geomorphic and...

The Southern California Continental Borderland and the associated Western Transverse Ranges constitute one of the most distinctive environments on the west coast of North America. Current thinking indicates that the physiography of the region resulted from change in plate motion during the Miocene when a remnant of the Farallon Plate was captured by the Pacific Plate off Southern...