Sound Waves Newsletter - September-October 2013
Changing coral reef ecosystems along west Maui, California sea otter numbers continue slow climb, tsunami and earthquake research, California seafloor mapping, workshop on probabilistic flood hazard assessment, and more in this September-October 2013 issue of the Sound Waves newsletter.
California’s Sea Otter Numbers Continue Slow Climb
California sea otter numbers are up, according to the latest population survey led by Federal, State and university scientists. The reasons: more pups and the addition of San Nicolas Island sea otters to the population count.
Experts Team Up on Tsunami Resilience in California
Thanks to new tools being developed by Federal and State agencies, scientists can now offer more accurate insight into the likely impacts of such tsunamis.
Tsunami on the Delaware River? Study of Historical Quake and Early East Coast Seismicity
A newly published paper concludes that a modest (1 foot) tsunami-like event on the East Coast was generated in the early 19th century by a large offshore earthquake.
USGS and Hawai‘i Researchers Collaborate to Better Understand Changing Coral Reef Ecosystems Along West Maui, Hawai‘i
Sea otters promote recovery of seagrass beds
Recolonization of Elkhorn Slough by sea otters led to recovery and expansion of seagrass beds due to cascading effects on the food web, study finds.
USGS Hosts the 2013 Meeting of the Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples Group
The Curators of Marine and Lacustrine Geological Samples Group is a community formed out of the need to develop common preservation standards throughout sample storage facilities and to share ideas and collections-management strategies. This group provides a forum for sharing information through mailing lists, meetings, and a website hosted by the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC).
California Seafloor Mapping Reveals Hidden Treasures
Three new products in an ongoing series were released on August 9, 2013, by the USGS—a map set for the area offshore of Carpinteria (about 120 kilometers [75 miles] northwest of Los Angeles), a catalog of data layers for geographic information systems, and a collection of videos and photos of the seafloor in State waters along the entire California coast.
Assessing the Probabilities of Extreme Flood Hazards—Workshop Proceedings Released
Proceedings of the Workshop on Probabilistic Flood Hazard Assessment (PFHA) was released in September 2013 by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
Recent Publications - September-October 2013
List of recent USGS publications and data releases based on coastal and marine research.