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
Satellite-Derived Shoreline Change Along Western Long Island, New York
New USGS study tracks shoreline evolution from 1984 to 2022
New USGS study tracks shoreline evolution from 1984 to 2022
Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten Barrier Island Systems
New study models projected overland flooding, groundwater depth, shoreline change, and vertical land motion at Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina
New study models projected overland flooding, groundwater depth, shoreline change, and vertical land motion at Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina
Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast
New study highlights increased flooding, coastal erosion, subsidence, and rising groundwater hazards
New study highlights increased flooding, coastal erosion, subsidence, and rising groundwater hazards
Marine Mineral Formations in the Arctic Ocean Challenge Existing Geologic Theories
Haunted Seismic Data, Ghostbusted by Science
USGS-designed tools remove “ghost reflections” from seismic data
USGS-designed tools remove “ghost reflections” from seismic data
Pacific Coastal and 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.
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
News Briefs: February-March 2025
News Briefs: February-March 2025
Sound Waves Newsletter: February-March 2025
Sound Waves Newsletter: February-March 2025
Photo Roundup: February-March 2025
Photo Roundup: February-March 2025
Publications
Decadal-scale effects of a dam removal on channel geomorphology, sediment and large wood on the Elwha River, Washington, USA
The removal of Glines Canyon Dam on the Elwha River in western Washington, USA, from 2011 to 2014 introduced a 20-Mt pulse of stored sediment and logs into the downstream channel. We used terrestrial laser scanning, high-resolution orthoimages, and surveys of large wood (LW) and sediment grain-size distribution to quantify changes to the channel and LW in four different geomorphic...
Did the Aleutian Basin form by plate capture or backarc basin opening?
The origen of the Aleutian Basin is unresolved because its crust is deeply buried beneath sediments. It has been interpreted as forming in the Eocene when the Beringian convergent margin jumped seaward to south of the Aleutian arc, thereby capturing a large sector of Cretaceous Pacific crust. Alternatively, it may have formed by backarc spreading. We present new magnetic and seismic...
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.