SPCMSC scientists to assess heat-stress impacts to corals in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, with the National Park Service
Sea urchin killer spreads to new species and new region
SPCMSC Updated Geologic Core and Sample Database now available
Sound Waves Newsletter: January-February 2024
Explore coastal and marine science from across the USGS
Explore coastal and marine science from across the USGS
Diadema antillarum Mass Mortality
How coral restoration could help mitigate the effects of sea-level rise
How coral restoration could help mitigate the effects of sea-level rise
USGS Participates in Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE)
Scientists Present Recommendations for Improving Diversity in the USGS Workforce
Scientists Present Recommendations for Improving Diversity in the USGS Workforce
USGS scientists shade corals in emergency rescue effort
Discover Coastal and Marine Science of the USGS St. Petersburg
A new interactive geonarrative will take you on a guided journey to explore the research, capabilities, and history of the center
A new interactive geonarrative will take you on a guided journey to explore the research, capabilities, and history of the center
Explore the history of the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Research programs have a primary focus of investigating processes related to coastal and marine environments and societal implications related to natural hazards, resource sustainability, and environmental change.
Science
Science
Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and why it matters.
Publications
Publications
Peer-reviewed research results and conclusions, authored by Center scientists.
News
New Products Added to the Coastal Science Navigator
New Products Added to the Coastal Science Navigator
SPCMSC researchers publish study investigating compounds effective against the causative agent of Diadema sea urchin mass mortality
SPCMSC researchers publish study investigating compounds effective against the causative agent of Diadema sea urchin mass mortality
Sea urchin killer spreads to new species and new region
Sea urchin killer spreads to new species and new region
Publications
Evaluation of in vitro treatments against the causative agent of Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis (DaSc)
ABSTRACT: In the 1980s, a mass die-off of the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum occurred on Florida and Caribbean coral reefs. D. antillarum populations largely did not recover, and in 2022, remaining populations experienced another mass mortality event. A ciliate most similar to Philaster apodigitiformis was identified as the causative agent of the 2022 event, which was named D. antillaru
Implications for the resilience of modern coastal systems derived from mesoscale barrier dynamics at Fire Island, New York
Understanding the response of coastal barriers to future changes in rates of sea level rise, sediment availability, and storm intensity/frequency is essential for coastal planning, including socioeconomic and ecological management. Identifying drivers of past changes in barrier morphology, as well as barrier sensitivity to these forces, is necessary to accomplish this. Using remote sensing, field,
20th century warming in the lower Florida Keys was dominated by increasing winter temperatures
Long-lived Atlantic coral species like Orbicella faveolata are important archives of oceanographic change in shallow, marine environments like the Florida Keys. Not only can coral-based records extend for multiple centuries beyond the limits of the instrumental record, but they can also provide a more accurate representation of in situ conditions than gridded interpolated sea-surface temperature (
Science
Diadema antillarum Mass Mortality
Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis (DaSc) is an emerging infectious disease affecting sea urchins of the genus Diadema . Caused by a ciliate most closely related to Philaster apodigitiformis , the infection caused mass mortalities of urchins in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas in 2022-2023.
Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities: Coral Propagation Technique (CPT) Development Project
Through a collaborative effort with other federal agencies and academic and research institutions, the USGS is working to inform and enhance the protection and management of coral communities in mesophotic and deep benthic areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
USGS CoastCams
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses a nationwide network of coastal observing cameras, or CoastCams, to monitor coastal conditions in near real-time and support research by the USGS and its partners into a variety of coastal processes and hazards. The most recent CoastCam images are made publicly available within minutes of data collection and can be accessed using the links below or by...