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Illustration of the seafloor that shows depth, and where data was collected.
Trinidad submarine canyon bathymetry
Trinidad submarine canyon bathymetry
Trinidad submarine canyon bathymetry

Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry of Trinidad Submarine Canyon northwest of Humboldt Bay in northern California. Area is in the vicinity of a potential offshore renewable energy development. See larger map for location.

Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry of Trinidad Submarine Canyon northwest of Humboldt Bay in northern California. Area is in the vicinity of a potential offshore renewable energy development. See larger map for location.

Illustration of the seafloor off a coastal area, with lines and dots to show where data was collected.
Offshore central California bathymetry
Offshore central California bathymetry
Offshore central California bathymetry

Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry offshore central California. Data supported management of National Marine Sanctuaries and prospective renewable energy decisions. Black ovals are locations of AUV-based multibeam surveys. Close-up views of two AUV surveys are shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Colored, shaded-relief bathymetry offshore central California. Data supported management of National Marine Sanctuaries and prospective renewable energy decisions. Black ovals are locations of AUV-based multibeam surveys. Close-up views of two AUV surveys are shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Illustration of the seafloor showing depth and locations of surveys.
Figure 4 offshore Morro Bay seafloor detail
Figure 4 offshore Morro Bay seafloor detail
Figure 4 offshore Morro Bay seafloor detail

Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including submarine channels and pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI both prior to and as a part of EXPRESS.

Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including submarine channels and pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI both prior to and as a part of EXPRESS.

Illustration of the seafloor showing depth and locations of surveys.
Figure 5 offshore Morro Bay seafloor detail
Figure 5 offshore Morro Bay seafloor detail
Figure 5 offshore Morro Bay seafloor detail

Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI.

Colored shaded-relief bathymetry including pockmarks offshore Morro Bay, California. Map generated from AUV-based multibeam bathymetry data collected by MBARI.

A man stands on the bow of a small aluminum boat wearing bib waders, a personal floatation device, and a mask.
The new face of fieldwork
The new face of fieldwork
The new face of fieldwork

Marine technician Dan Powers, from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's Marine Facility (PCMSC MarFac), wears all the required personal protective equipment: bib waders, personal floatation device, and mask.

Marine technician Dan Powers, from the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center's Marine Facility (PCMSC MarFac), wears all the required personal protective equipment: bib waders, personal floatation device, and mask.

Aerial photograph showing a fiord and bay area, labeled with features like fan deltas from rivers.
Overview of Taan Fiord
Overview of Taan Fiord
Overview of Taan Fiord

Overview of Taan Fiord. Inset showing location of Taan Fiord, Alaska in Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Taan Fiord is about 100 km from the nearest town, Yakutat, AK. Landsat 8 image of Taan Fiord acquired in 2016. Vegetation loss is clear near the water line.

Overview of Taan Fiord. Inset showing location of Taan Fiord, Alaska in Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Taan Fiord is about 100 km from the nearest town, Yakutat, AK. Landsat 8 image of Taan Fiord acquired in 2016. Vegetation loss is clear near the water line.

A man navigates a personal watercraft slowly out of a harbor along a jetty.
Personal watercraft equipped with sonar and GPS
Personal watercraft equipped with sonar and GPS
Personal watercraft equipped with sonar and GPS

A USGS scientist navigates a personal watercraft (PWC) slowly through Elkhorn Slough. The PWC is equipped with an echosounder and GPS, to record accurate depth and location. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

A USGS scientist navigates a personal watercraft (PWC) slowly through Elkhorn Slough. The PWC is equipped with an echosounder and GPS, to record accurate depth and location. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

A person navigates a personal watercraft in the nearshore with coastal bluffs in the background.
Collecting nearshore bathymetry data off Rio del Mar
Collecting nearshore bathymetry data off Rio del Mar
Collecting nearshore bathymetry data off Rio del Mar

A USGS scientist navigates a personal watercraft equipped with sonar and GPS to collect depth information (bathymetry) of the nearshore. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

A USGS scientist navigates a personal watercraft equipped with sonar and GPS to collect depth information (bathymetry) of the nearshore. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

A young woman walks along the sand wearing a backpack with light equipment in it.
Collecting beach profile data with GPS
Collecting beach profile data with GPS
Collecting beach profile data with GPS

A USGS scientist walks along Santa Cruz Main Beach at the edge of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California, wearing a backpack with GPS equipment. She is collecting elevation data that will be used to create a topographic map of the beach. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

A USGS scientist walks along Santa Cruz Main Beach at the edge of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz, California, wearing a backpack with GPS equipment. She is collecting elevation data that will be used to create a topographic map of the beach. This mapping effort is part of recurring surveys in the Monterey Bay area.

A group of six photographs showing equipment used for collecting data in the field.
Field equipment for bathymetric and topographic surveys
Field equipment for bathymetric and topographic surveys
Field equipment for bathymetric and topographic surveys

Field equipment used by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists for bathymetric and topographic surveys in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California

Field equipment used by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists for bathymetric and topographic surveys in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California

A thermal image of people standing near the water's edge on a beach.
Thermal image of ocean and groundwater
Thermal image of ocean and groundwater
Thermal image of ocean and groundwater

Thermal infrared image of two USGS researchers standing on the coastline and looking out (up on the image) over a coastal groundwater plume that is non-visible to the naked eye but can be observed in this thermal image due to the temperature differences between the cooler (blue) groundwater and warmer (pink) ocean water over the coral reefs.

Thermal infrared image of two USGS researchers standing on the coastline and looking out (up on the image) over a coastal groundwater plume that is non-visible to the naked eye but can be observed in this thermal image due to the temperature differences between the cooler (blue) groundwater and warmer (pink) ocean water over the coral reefs.

Aerial image of Searsville Dam and Lake
Aerial image of Searsville Dam and Lake
Aerial image of Searsville Dam and Lake
Aerial image of Searsville Dam and Lake

Aerial image of Searsville Dam and Lake near Stanford, California, taken during coring operations in February 2020.

Aerial image of Searsville Dam and Lake near Stanford, California, taken during coring operations in February 2020.

Scientific equipment mounted on two yellow pontoons being towed behind a research vessel over clear blue tropical water
SQUID-5 - Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device
SQUID-5 - Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device
SQUID-5 - Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device

The SQUID-5, or a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras is a towed surface vehicle with an onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and 5 downward-looking cameras with overlapping views of the seafloor.

The SQUID-5, or a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras is a towed surface vehicle with an onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and 5 downward-looking cameras with overlapping views of the seafloor.

People at a table talking and writing on sticky notes
State of Our Nation’s Coast Stakeholder Engagement Workshop
State of Our Nation’s Coast Stakeholder Engagement Workshop
State of Our Nation’s Coast Stakeholder Engagement Workshop

A group of participants at the Coastal Change Hazards State of Our Nation’s Coast stakeholder engagement workshop at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Reserve in Falmouth, MA. Here participants are pictured writing the names of tools they use on sticky notes.

A group of participants at the Coastal Change Hazards State of Our Nation’s Coast stakeholder engagement workshop at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Reserve in Falmouth, MA. Here participants are pictured writing the names of tools they use on sticky notes.

Room full of people sitting in groups at different tables
State of Our Nation’s Coast Stakeholder Engagement Workshop
State of Our Nation’s Coast Stakeholder Engagement Workshop
State of Our Nation’s Coast Stakeholder Engagement Workshop

Participants of the Coastal Change Hazards State of Our Nation’s Coast stakeholder engagement workshop at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Reserve in Falmouth, MA. Participants are pictured here talking in small groups.

Participants of the Coastal Change Hazards State of Our Nation’s Coast stakeholder engagement workshop at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Reserve in Falmouth, MA. Participants are pictured here talking in small groups.

A man wearing safety gear stands on the fantail of a small boat preparing a box core for deployment.
GOMEX box corer
GOMEX box corer
GOMEX box corer

USGS marine engineering technician Dan Powers from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center retrieves the GOMEX box corer from Bellingham Bay, Washington.

USGS marine engineering technician Dan Powers from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center retrieves the GOMEX box corer from Bellingham Bay, Washington.

Underwater photograph of a shallow area with coral reef and sand.
Porites and Acropora corals in American Samoa
Porites and Acropora corals in American Samoa
Porites and Acropora corals in American Samoa

Porites and Acropora coral species in reef flat pools in the National Park of American Samoa on Ofu, Manuʻa Islands Group, American Samoa.

Porites and Acropora coral species in reef flat pools in the National Park of American Samoa on Ofu, Manuʻa Islands Group, American Samoa.

A stainless steel box coring device for sampling sediment sits on the deck of a boat.
GOMEX box corer
GOMEX box corer
GOMEX box corer

The GOMEX box corer is constructed of stainless steel and is used to sample soft sediments at the bottom of lakes, bays, and the ocean. The GOMEX box coring sampler is so-named because it is popular for sampling work in the Gulf oMexico.

The GOMEX box corer is constructed of stainless steel and is used to sample soft sediments at the bottom of lakes, bays, and the ocean. The GOMEX box coring sampler is so-named because it is popular for sampling work in the Gulf oMexico.

Two people maneuver a sediment collection device attached to a davit cable on he side of a boat.
Retrieving the GOMEX box corer
Retrieving the GOMEX box corer
Retrieving the GOMEX box corer

PCMSC MarFac field specialists retrieve the GOMEX box corer.

A man pushes a pole upright into its stabilization frame, surrounded by other equipment and palm trees.
Installing a thermal imaging system
Installing a thermal imaging system
Installing a thermal imaging system

USGS scientists install a thermal imaging system in the National Park of American Samoa off the south shore of Ofu, Manua. The system detects temperature variations, like a colder freshwater plume that emanates from the shore.

USGS scientists install a thermal imaging system in the National Park of American Samoa off the south shore of Ofu, Manua. The system detects temperature variations, like a colder freshwater plume that emanates from the shore.

Underwater photo of divers wearing oxygen tanks, placing instruments on coral reef.
Divers install monitoring instruments on coral reef
Divers install monitoring instruments on coral reef
Divers install monitoring instruments on coral reef

Dive operations with National Park Service and the National Park of American Samoa installing tide, wave, temperature, and salinity sensors on the fore reef in NPSA off the south shore of Ofu, Manuʻa.

Dive operations with National Park Service and the National Park of American Samoa installing tide, wave, temperature, and salinity sensors on the fore reef in NPSA off the south shore of Ofu, Manuʻa.