Publications
Scientific reports, journal articles, and information products produced by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists.
Filter Total Items: 1336
Anthropogenic influences on shoreline and nearshore evolution in the San Francisco Bay coastal system
Analysis of four historical bathymetric surveys over a 132-year period has revealed significant changes to the morphology of the San Francisco Bar, an ebb-tidal delta at the mouth of San Francisco Bay estuary. From 1873 to 2005 the San Francisco Bar vertically-eroded an average of 80 cm over a 125 km2 area, which equates to a total volume loss of 100 ± 52 million m3 of fine- to coarse-grained sand
Authors
K.L. Dallas, P.L. Barnard
The elusive character of discontinuous deep-water channels: New insights from Lucia Chica channel system, offshore California
New high-resolution autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) seafloor images, with 1 m lateral resolution and 0.3 m vertical resolution, reveal unexpected seafloor rugosity and low-relief (<10 m), discontinuous conduits over ∼70 km2. Continuous channel thalwegs were interpreted originally from lower-resolution images, but newly acquired AUV data indicate that a single sinuous channel fed a series of di
Authors
K.L. Maier, A. Fildani, C. K. Paull, S.A. Graham, T.R. McHargue, D.W. Caress, Mary McGann
Reconnaissance of Macondo-1 well oil in sediment and tarballs from the northern Gulf of Mexico shoreline, Texas to Florida
Hydrocarbons were extracted and analyzed from sediment and tarballs collected from the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM) coast that is potentially impacted by Macondo-1 (M-1) well oil. The samples were analyzed for a suite of diagnostic geochemical biomarkers. Aided by multivariate statistical analysis, the M-1 well oil has been identified in sediment and tarballs collected from Louisiana, Alabama, M
Authors
Robert J. Rosenbauer, Pamela L. Campbell, Angela Lam, T.D. Lorenson, Frances D. Hostettler, Burt Thomas, Florence L. Wong
Vegetation and substrate on aeolian landscapes in the Colorado River corridor, Cataract Canyon, Utah
Vegetation and substrate data presented in this report characterize ground cover on aeolian landscapes of the Colorado River corridor through Cataract Canyon, Utah, in Canyonlands National Park. The 27-km-long Cataract Canyon reach has undergone less anthropogenic alteration than other reaches of the mainstem Colorado River. Characterizing ecosystem parameters there provides a basis against which
Authors
Amy E. Draut, Elizabeth R. Gillette
Identification of tsunami deposits in the geologic record; developing criteria using recent tsunami deposits
There is a need for a clear procedure to identify tsunami deposits in the geologic record. Data from published studies documenting recent tsunami deposits provide a means of developing identification criteria based on the sedimentary characteristics of unequivocal tsunami deposits. Recent tsunami deposits have many sedimentary characteristics in common. All had sharp or erosional basal contacts. S
Authors
Robert Peters, Bruce Jaffe
Seamounts and ferromanganese crusts within and near the U.S. EEZ off California - Data for RV Farnella cruise F7-87-SC
The purpose of this report is to present and briefly describe ship-board and laboratory data for a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) research cruise aboard the RV Farnella that took place December 3-21, 1987 (cruise F7-87-SC). The purpose of the cruise was to survey seamounts and ferromanganese crusts within and near the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off California. Eight seamounts were studied -
Authors
James R. Hein, Jane A. Reid, Tracey A. Conrad, Rachel E. Dunham, David A. Clague, Marjorie S. Schulz, Alice S. Davis
Coastal circulation and sediment dynamics in Maunalua Bay, Oahu, Hawaii: Measurements of waves, currents, temperature, salinity, and turbidity: November 2008-February 2009
High-resolution measurements of waves, currents, water levels, temperature, salinity and turbidity were made in Maunalua Bay, southern Oahu, Hawaii, during the 2008–2009 winter to better understand coastal circulation, water-column properties, and sediment dynamics during a range of conditions (trade winds, kona storms, relaxation of trade winds, and south swells). A series of bottom-mounted instr
Authors
Curt D. Storlazzi, M. Katherine Presto, Joshua B. Logan, Michael E. Field
Database of recent tsunami deposits
This report describes a database of sedimentary characteristics of tsunami deposits derived from published accounts of tsunami deposit investigations conducted shortly after the occurrence of a tsunami. The database contains 228 entries, each entry containing data from up to 71 categories. It includes data from 51 publications covering 15 tsunamis distributed between 16 countries. The database enc
Authors
Robert Peters, Bruce E. Jaffe
Coast Salish and U.S. Geological Survey 2009 Tribal Journey water quality project
The Salish Sea, contained within the United States and British Columbia, Canada, is the homeland of the Coast Salish Peoples and contains a diverse array of marine resources unique to this area that have sustained Coast Salish cultures and traditions for millennia. In July 2009, the Coast Salish People and U.S. Geological Survey conducted a second water quality study of the Salish Sea to examine s
Authors
Sarah K. Akin, Eric E. Grossman
Description of extreme-wave deposits on the northern coast of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles
To develop a better understanding of the origins of extreme-wave deposits and to help assess the potential risk of future overwash events, a field mapping survey was conducted in November 2006 on the northern coast of Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. Deposits were mapped and analyzed to help develop a systematic sedimentological approach to distinguish the type of extreme-wave event (tsunamis or sto
Authors
Steven G. Watt, Bruce E. Jaffe, Robert A. Morton, Bruce M. Richmond, Guy Gelfencaum
Surface-wave site characterization at 52 strong-motion recording stations affected by the Parkfield, California, M6.0 earthquake of 28 September 2004
We present one-dimensional shear-wave velocity (VS) profiles at 52 strong-motion sites that recorded the 28 September 2004 Magnitude 6.0 Parkfield, Calif., earthquake. We estimate the VS profiles with the Spectral Analysis of Surface-Waves (SASW) method. The SASW method is a noninvasive method that indirectly estimates the VS at depth from variations in the Rayleigh wave phase velocity at the surf
Authors
Eric M. Thompson, Robert E. Kayen, Brad Carkin, Hajime Tanaka
2009 weather and aeolian sand-transport data from the Colorado River corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona
This report presents measurements of weather parameters and aeolian sand transport made in 2009 near selected archeological sites in the Colorado River corridor through Grand Canyon, Ariz. The quantitative methods and data discussed here form a basis for monitoring ecosystem processes that affect archeological-site stability. Combined with forthcoming work to evaluate landscape evolution at nearby
Authors
Amy E. Draut, Hoda A. Sondossi, Timothy P. Dealy, Joseph E. Hazel, Helen C. Fairley, Christopher R. Brown