Publications
Scientific reports, journal articles, and information products produced by USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center scientists.
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Filter Total Items: 1331
The observed relationship between wave conditions and beach response, Ocean Beach, San Francisco, CA
Understanding how sandy beaches respond to storms is critical for effective sediment management and developing successful erosion mitigation efforts. However, only limited progress has been made in relating observed beach changes to wave conditions, with one of the major limiting factors being the lack of temporally dense beach topography and nearshore wave data in most studies. This study uses te
Authors
J.E. Hansen, P.L. Barnard
Monitoring and modeling shoreline response due to shoreface nourishment on a high-energy coast
Shoreface nourishment can be an efficient technique to feed sediment into the littoral zone without the order of magnitude cost increase incurred by directly nourishing the beach. An erosion hot spot at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California, USA, threatens valuable public infrastructure as well as safe recreational use of the beach. In an effort to reduce the erosion at this location, a new ben
Authors
P. L. Barnard, Li H. Erikson, J. E. Hansen
Multiple origins of linear dunes on Earth and Titan
Dunes with relatively long and parallel crests are classified as linear dunes. On Earth, they form in at least two environmental settings: where winds of bimodal direction blow across loose sand, and also where single-direction winds blow over sediment that is locally stabilized, be it through vegetation, sediment cohesion or topographic shelter from the winds. Linear dunes have also been identifi
Authors
David M. Rubin, Patrick A. Hesp
Natural offshore oil seepage and related tarball accumulation on the California coastline — Santa Barbara Channel and the southern Santa Maria Basin; source identification and inventory
Oil spillage from natural sources is very common in the waters of southern California. Active oil extraction and shipping is occurring concurrently within the region and it is of great interest to resource managers to be able to distinguish between natural seepage and anthropogenic oil spillage.The major goal of this study was to establish the geologic setting, sources, and ultimate dispersal of n
Authors
T.D. Lorenson, Frances D. Hostettler, Robert J. Rosenbauer, Kenneth E. Peters, Jennifer A. Dougherty, Keith A. Kvenvolden, Christina E. Gutmacher, Florence L. Wong, William R. Normark
Submarine landslide as the source for the October 11, 1918 Mona Passage tsunami: Observations and modeling
The October 11, 1918 ML 7.5 earthquake in the Mona Passage between Hispaniola
and Puerto Rico generated a local tsunami that claimed approximately 100 lives
along the western coast of Puerto Rico. The area affected by this tsunami is
now significantly more populated. Newly acquired high-resolution bathymetry
and seismic reflection lines in the Mona Passage show a fresh submarine landslide
15
Authors
A.M. López-Venegas, Uri S. ten Brink, Eric L. Geist
Sediment deposition, erosion, and bathymetric change in central San Francisco Bay: 1855-1979
Central San Francisco Bay is the hub of a dynamic estuarine system connecting the San Joaquin and Sacramento River Deltas, Suisun Bay, and San Pablo Bay to the Pacific Ocean and South San Francisco Bay. To understand the role that Central San Francisco Bay plays in sediment transport throughout the system, it is necessary to first determine historical changes in patterns of sediment deposition and
Authors
Theresa A. Fregoso, Amy C. Foxgrover, Bruce E. Jaffe
The coral reef of South Moloka'i, Hawai'i— Portrait of a sediment-threatened fringing reef
Moloka‘i, with the most extensive coral reef in the main Hawaiian Islands, is especially sacred to Hina, the Goddess of the Moon. As Hinaalo, she is the Mother of the Hawaiian people; as Hinapuku‘a, she is the Goddess of Fishermen; and in the form Hina‘opuhalako‘a, she is the Goddess who gave birth to coral, coral reefs, and all spiny marine organisms. Interdependence between the reef’s living res
Comments on potential geologic and seismic hazards affecting proposed liquefied natural gas site in Santa Monica Bay, California
In a letter to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) dated March 25, 2008, Representative Jane Harman (California 36th district) requested advice on geologic hazards that should be considered in the review of a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility off the California coast in Santa Monica Bay. In 2004, the USGS responded to a similar request from Representative Lois Capps, regarding two propos
Authors
Stephanie L. Ross, Homa J. Lee, Tom E. Parsons, Larry A. Beyer, David M. Boore, James E. Conrad, Brian D. Edwards, Michael A. Fisher, Arthur D. Frankel, Eric L. Geist, Kenneth W. Hudnut, Susan E. Hough, Robert E. Kayen, T.D. Lorenson, Nicolas Luco, Patricia A. McCrory, Mary McGann, Manuel Nathenson, Michael Nolan, Mark D. Petersen, Daniel J. Ponti, Charles L. Powell, Holly F. Ryan, John C. Tinsley, Chris J. Wills, Florence L. Wong, Jingping Xu
A global search for stress shadows
[1] Debate continues regarding the relative proportion of earthquakes triggered by passing seismic waves versus static stress changes from a main shock. Static stress changes are expected to have long‐term effects on earthquake probabilities, whereas dynamic stress changes due to the passing of seismic waves should not. Both mechanisms are expected to raise seismicity rates in some areas, but only
Authors
Ellen P. Mallman, Tom Parsons
Coast salish and U.S. Geological Survey: Tribal journey water quality project
The ancestral waters of the Coast Salish People, the Salish Sea, comprise a large inland sea contained within both United States (Puget Sound) and Canadian (Georgia Strait) territory. The Salish Sea is home to more than 220 species of fish, 29 species of marine mammals, more than 40 species of commercial and recreationally harvested invertebrates, and numerous resident and migratory bird species (
Authors
Sarah K. Akin, Eric E. Grossman, Debra Lekanof, Charles J. O'Hara
Incorporation of Fine-Grained Sediment Erodibility Measurements into Sediment Transport Modeling, Capitol Lake, Washington
Capitol Lake was created in 1951 with the construction of a concrete dam and control gate that prevented salt-water intrusion into the newly formed lake and regulated flow of the Deschutes River into southern Puget Sound. Physical processes associated with the former tidally dominated estuary were altered, and the dam structure itself likely caused an increase in retention of sediment flowing into
Authors
Andrew W. Stevens, Guy Gelfenbaum, Edwin Elias, Craig Jones
Coastal circulation and sediment dynamics in Hanalei Bay, Kaua'i. Part IV: Measurements of waves, currents, temperature, salinity, and turbidity: June-September 2006
High-resolution measurements of waves, currents, water levels, temperature, salinity and turbidity were made in Hanalei Bay, northern Kaua'i, Hawai'i, during the summer of 2006 to better understand coastal circulation, sediment dynamics, and the potential impact of a river flood in a coral reef-lined embayment during quiescent summer conditions. A series of bottommounted instrument packages were d
Authors
Curt D. Storlazzi, M. Katherine Presto, Joshua B. Logan, Michael E. Field