Images

Rockaway Beach, New York is heavily developed, has seawalls and groins and is regularly nourished. It hasn’t changed much over 20 years. The shoreface is steep and sediment cover doesn’t extend far from shore—likely the result of being fixed in place for decades. USGS scientists collect geologic and morphologic data from this island’s shoreface.

Animation displays modeled beach profile elevation as it has evolved at Parramore Island, Virginia. These data are based on geomorphic investigation and measure distance (in kilometers) of cross-shore accretion. Q_S is the flux of sand to the beach, and Q_D is the flux of sand from the beach to the active dune.

Animation displays modeled beach profile elevation as it has evolved at Fishing Point, Virginia. These data are based on historical charts and images and measure distance (in kilometers) of cross-shore accretion. Q_S is the flux of sand to the beach, and Q_D is the flux of sand from the beach to the active dune.

Rows of scientific journal articles housed within the library at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center. 

Key used in an educational lesson plan for identifying the composition and condition of corals and coralline algae in a core. (a) Two examples of Pocillopora in good taphonomic condition (<50% erosion or encrustation of the skeleton).

Davina Passeri of the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center presents a poster about coastal change research in Dauphin Island, Alabama at the USGS Southeast Regional Meeting in February 2020.

Ilsa Kuffner speaks to a group at the USGS Southeast Regional Meeting in February 2020 about coral research conducted by the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

The USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center strives to provide timely, robust science using modern methods and state-of-the-art technologies. This involves keeping our facilities and equipment updated.

The USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted outreach at the Localtopia Event held in February 2020. Staff demonstrated a simulation of how storms can impact sandy coastlines through processes such as erosion.

Map and graphs illustrating (A) the extent of the shoreline and dune-base forecast locations (red). The year of (B) the first available and (C) most recent shoreline (red) and dune-base (blue) positions are provided for each transect. (D) Total number of shoreline and dune-base positions used in the analysis are also shown. #, number.

The St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center hosted a mini panel discussion of scientists for local children to learn about USGS research, capabilities, and techniques for studying changes in climate across Earth’s history.

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.

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.

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.

Here, Caitlin Reynolds sits on the R/V Pelican next to a sediment trap that collects samples in the Gulf of Mexico.

A CTD-rosette is a commonly used instrument that measures conductivity (that can inform scientists about salinity), temperature, and depth (CTD). As the instrument is lowered into the water--sometimes down to great depths--the cylinders around will open at various depths to collect water samples at discrete locations throughout the water column.

A CTD-rosette is a commonly used instrument that measures conductivity (that can inform scientists about salinity), temperature, and depth (CTD). As the instrument is lowered into the water--sometimes down to great depths--the cylinders around will open at various depths to collect water samples at discrete locations throughout the water column.

A large winch on the stern of R/V Pelican is used to retrieve two sediment traps from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.

Caitlin Reynolds of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center secures a sediment trap, retrieved from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico on board the R/V Pelican.

A beautiful sun set over the Gulf of Mexico from the stern of the R/V Pelican.

The USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center has grown from a core group of geologists and oceanographers to over 100 staff members including biologists, oceanographers, modelers, remote sensing specialists, biogeochemists, microbiologists, coral reef experts, support staff, marine operations crew, data management specialists, and more.