What We Do at the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Learn more about the science of the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center.
The Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center studies western U.S. coastal and offshore areas, including Alaska, Hawai‛i, and other Pacific islands. Our scientists conduct research, monitor processes, and deliver products to help managers make more informed resource management and policy decisions.
The Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center consists of about 120 staff, including geologists, geophysicists, oceanographers, and geographers stationed in Santa Cruz and Moffett Field, California.
Our research at USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center falls under these themes . . .
Hazards: Coastal and Offshore
USGS makes detailed seafloor maps of offshore geology to identify faults and underwater landslides. The results help coastal communities become more resilient to marine geologic hazards that include earthquakes and tsunamis. We also develop statistical and computer models of earthquake and tsunami recurrence to help manage risk.
Coastal Change
USGS research helps managers better understand and project the physical impacts of storms, climate change, and sea-level rise on coastal systems—from the permafrost coasts of Alaska, to the Puget Sound estuary, the California coast, and low-lying Pacific atolls. Coastlines are dynamic, with sediments accumulating or eroding from beaches and tidal marshes, storm waves eroding cliffs, and sea-level rise threatening low-lying coastal communities.
Coastal Habitats and Ecosystems
The USGS studies geologic and oceanographic processes that create and maintain habitats for coral, clams, crabs, salmon, and other ocean and estuary inhabitants. USGS studies of currents, suspended sediment, and groundwater chemistry, for example, help assess natural and human influences on the health of coral reefs. High-resolution seafloor mapping characterizes the seabed as rocky, sandy, or muddy; and bottom photos help identify the organisms that occupy those habitats.
Ocean Ecosystems
Maintaining healthy and sustainable coastal and marine ecosystems relies on scientific understanding of how these areas function across landscape scales. Ecosystem-scale science addresses understanding important linkages between watersheds, estuaries, wetlands and offshore ocean regions. Human activities can impact or degrade the health and productivity of these resources by fragmenting habitats, altering drainage or circulation patterns, and introducing contaminants. USGS brings together multidisciplinary expertise focused on developing tools and models to improve understanding of how healthy ecosystems function as well as how they respond to environmental changes and human impacts including regional ecosystem restoration. Research studies address coral reef, coastal wetland, benthic habitat and groundwater resources.
Capabilities
We maintain state-of-the-art lab facilities for rock, sediment, and geochemical analyses. Our Marine Facility provides vessel operation, equipment design and fabrication, and support for field sampling and mapping. Center personnel develop tools for processing, analyzing, distributing, and archiving large volumes of data.
Ocean Science: Energy and Mineral Resources
USGS scientists study seabed deposits, such as nodules, mineral crusts, and sulfide “chimneys” at deep ocean hot springs. Metals from such deposits could be vital to American energy and manufacturing needs, including emerging green-tech applications. This work is part of a broader effort to better understand the mineral and energy resources within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends from shore out 200 nautical miles.
