Interior Highlights Critical Mineral Prospectivity on the Seafloor
USGS factsheet shows potential in the nation’s seabed, an area larger than U.S. lands
USGS factsheet shows potential in the nation’s seabed, an area larger than U.S. lands
Multibeam bathymetric data offer high-resolution imagery of the entire Cascadia Subduction Zone
Linking tidal-creek sediment fluxes to vertical sediment accretion in a restored salty marsh
USGS Coastal and Marine Field Operations
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
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
Connecting Communities to Ocean Exploration: Outreach from the Aleutian Arc Expedition
Connecting Communities to Ocean Exploration: Outreach from the Aleutian Arc Expedition
Ecological Thresholds, Abiotic Stress, and Climate Change: A Conceptual Framework
Ecological Thresholds, Abiotic Stress, and Climate Change: A Conceptual Framework
Photo Roundup: April-May 2025
Photo Roundup: April-May 2025
Publications
Are equilibrium shoreline models just convolutions? Are equilibrium shoreline models just convolutions?
Yes. Equilibrium shoreline models, which simulate wave-driven cross-shore erosion and accretion, are mathematically equivalent to a discrete convolution (i.e., a weighted, moving average) of a time series of wave-forcing conditions with a parameterized memory-decay kernel function. The direct equivalence between equilibrium shoreline models and convolutions reveals key theoretical...
Waterline responses to climate forcing along the North American West Coast Waterline responses to climate forcing along the North American West Coast
Understanding waterline variability at seasonal to interannual timescales is crucial for predicting coastal responses to climate forcing. However, relationships between large-scale climate variability and coastal morphodynamics remain underexplored beyond intensively monitored sites. This study leverages a newly developed 25-year (1997–2022) satellite-derived waterline dataset along the...
Marsh sediment in translation: A review of sediment transport across a natural tidal salt marsh in northern San Francisco Bay Marsh sediment in translation: A review of sediment transport across a natural tidal salt marsh in northern San Francisco Bay
Deposition of inorganic sediment is essential for the sustainability of tidal salt marshes. Understanding variability in sediment sources and the processes of sediment delivery to salt marshes are high priorities for decision-makers responsible for managing sediment and conserving and restoring marshes. Research on sediment transport to marshes is published in technical journals, but...
Science
Seafloor Benthic Mapping and Characterization: Enhancing our Understanding of Aleutian Islands’ Hazards, Potential Seabed Minerals and Deep Corals
A USGS-led expedition in the Aleutian Arc off Alaska will provide critical information on energy resources, underwater earthquakes and other hazards, seafloor habitats, and biological resources, including key fisheries, as well as potential seabed minerals.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Deep Sea Exploration, Mapping and Characterization
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.