USGS Pacific Coastal & Marine Science Center

We conduct multidisciplinary scientific research in the coastal and offshore areas of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, and other US Pacific Islands; and in other waterways of the United States.

News & Announcements

Pacific Northwest Seagrasses and Climate Change
USGS geochemist Renee Takesue, of the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, is one of the organizers of the workshop “The Future of Pacific Northwest Seagrasses in a Changing Climate”, to be held January 23-25, 2013, in Friday Harbor, Washington. The goal of the workshop—cosponsored by USGS, Washington Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Washington Sea Grant—is to determine impacts of climate change on Pacific Northwest seagrasses and implications for seagrass research and restoration. Seagrasses provide critical habitat for fish, birds, and invertebrates and serve as indicators of nearshore ecosystem health. Washington State had set a target of increasing seagrass habitat in Puget Sound by 20% by the year 2020. The workshop will be attended by scientists and resource managers from universities, the Northwest Indian College, and state and federal agencies. (Renee Takesue, Santa Cruz, CA, 831-460-7594)

Tsunami Source Working Group—Assessing Tsunami Hazards
Twelve members of the Tsunami Source Working Group gathered for the group's monthly meeting on January 8, 2013, at the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, CA. The meeting, open to all, was also videostreamed to a conference room in Menlo Park, CA. Bruce Richmond and Bruce Jaffe (PCMSC) presented information on California paleo-tsunami field studies, Guy Gelfenbaum (PCMSC) described Alaska paleo-tsunami field studies, Amy Draut (PCMSC) discussed subduction-zone and accretion processes, and group leader Walter Mooney (Earthquake Hazards) led a discussion on directions for future investigation and the use of tsunami-source information to assess tsunami hazards to U.S. coasts. (Guy Gelfenbaum, Santa Cruz, CA, 831-460-7417)

Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Welcomes Andy O'Neill
Oceanographer Andy O'Neill joined the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, in August 2012. She is assisting Patrick Barnard and Li Erikson with the development of the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) for assessing future climate-change impacts along the California coast.
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Olivia Cheriton Joins USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Olivia Cheriton has joined the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, as an oceanographer in support of several projects: Pacific Coral Reef Geology and Oceanography, National Seafloor Mapping and Benthic Habitat Studies, and Climate Change Impacts to the U.S. Pacific and Arctic Coasts.
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