USGS Research Links Weather Extremes to Coastal Sediment Supply in California
Study focuses on San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz
Study focuses on San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz
Study: How Coral Reefs Shielded Hawaiian Coastlines Against 2018 Hurricanes
Forecasting Coastal Retreat Along U.S. South Atlantic Coast by Year 2100
Faults Beneath the Salton Sea: Assessing Past and Future Earthquake Behavior along Southern San Andreas Fault
What are Key Conditions for Marsh Survival Amid Rising Seas?
USGS Scientists Use 3D Modeling to Understand Sediment Dynamics in Coastal Marshes
USGS Scientists Use 3D Modeling to Understand Sediment Dynamics in Coastal Marshes
USGS assists in post-storm seafloor survey following partial collapse of Santa Cruz wharf
USGS CoSMoS web tool preferred by coastal practitioners in California Coastal Adaptation Needs Assessment
Characterizing Organic Carbon Cycling at a Seafloor Spreading Center
New USGS-led Study Finds Diversity of Shoreline Seasonality in California
Post-Wildfire Sediment Yield in a Sierra Nevada Watershed
The Value of Our Coral Reefs
Cost-benefit study confirms coral reef restoration could be a cost-effective way to save lives and money
Cost-benefit study confirms coral reef restoration could be a cost-effective way to save lives and money
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
PCMSC is one of three centers serving the mission of the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program—the primary Federal marine geology and physical science research program responsible for the Nation’s entire coastal and marine landscape.
What We Do: Coastal and Marine Science at USGS Santa Cruz
What We Do: Coastal and Marine Science at USGS Santa Cruz
Get an overview of the coastal and marine research conducted by the USGS in Santa Cruz, California in our downloadable booklet.
Research Projects
Research Projects
Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and discover the reasons why our research matters.
News
USGS Research Links Weather Extremes to Coastal Sediment Supply in California
USGS Research Links Weather Extremes to Coastal Sediment Supply in California
Even small lakes can tell big earthquake stories in the Yellowstone region
Even small lakes can tell big earthquake stories in the Yellowstone region
Study: How Coral Reefs Shielded Hawaiian Coastlines Against 2018 Hurricanes
Study: How Coral Reefs Shielded Hawaiian Coastlines Against 2018 Hurricanes
Publications
River floods under wetter antecedent conditions deliver coarser sediment to the coast
Increasing hydrologic volatility—more extreme rain, and larger variations between wet and dry years—has become apparent in some regions, but few data exist to determine how intensifying hydrologic extremes affect sedimentary systems. Using uniquely high-resolution records of fluvial suspended sediment and coastal morphology, we quantify sedimentary responses from a steep, 357-km2...
Benthic habitat map of Olowalu Reef, Maui, Hawaii—Geomorphological structure, biological cover, and geologic zonation determined with spectral, lidar, and acoustic data
The fringing coral reef off Olowalu, Maui, Hawaii, has been identified as a local conservation priority site. In 2007, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) produced a benthic habitat map of the Hawaiian Islands that was used as a foundation for this study. To support place-based management of the reef in the future, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) mapped the...
Historical coast snaps: Using centennial imagery to track shoreline change
Understanding long-term coastal evolution requires historical data, yet accessing reliable information becomes increasingly challenging for extended periods. While vertical aerial imagery has been extensively used in coastal studies since the mid-20th century, and satellite-derived shoreline measurements are now revolutionizing shoreline change studies, ground-based images, such as...
Science
Coastal Wetland Vulnerability to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Understanding Ecological Thresholds and Ecosystem Transformations
Eighteen USGS coastal scientists from all four coasts of the conterminous United States are working together to advance the understanding of climate change and sea-level rise impacts to coastal wetlands.
By
California Water Science Center, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Great Lakes Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Habitat Vulnerability to Climate Change: Identifying Climate Change Induced Mass Mortality Events Across Large Landscapes of the United States
USGS researchers will characterize extreme climatic events across U.S. following a review of case studies of mass mortality events associated with climate extremes including drought, precipitation, freeze, heat waves, and storm events.
Eyes on Earth Episode 120 – Mapping the California Coastline
Coastline erosion can change your favorite beach. But it can also affect highways and buildings. Landsat, along with high-resolution data, can be used to model the past and predict the future of changes caused by sea level rise and coastal erosion.