Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Images

Images intro.
Filter Total Items: 2135
Map showing rates of shoreline change on the north coast of Alaska
Map showing rates of shoreline change on the north coast of Alaska
Map showing rates of shoreline change on the north coast of Alaska
Map showing rates of shoreline change on the north coast of Alaska

Map showing rates of shoreline change on the north coast of Alaska. Rates range from -15 meters per year to +11 meters per year.

Dr. Barnard
Dr. Barnard
Dr. Barnard
Dr. Barnard

As one of four panelists at a briefing held by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Coastal States Organization, Dr.

As one of four panelists at a briefing held by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Coastal States Organization, Dr.

Scientific equipment on the deck of a ship in the ocean
On board the IODP vessel JOIDES Resolution
On board the IODP vessel JOIDES Resolution
On board the IODP vessel JOIDES Resolution

Several instruments visible on board the research vessel JOIDES Resolution. Photo taken from the ship bridge roof. USGS logo visible on one of the pieces of equipment. Research cruises taken on the JOIDES Resolution are often interdisciplinary and collaborative across many universities, scientific agencies, and other research institutions.

Several instruments visible on board the research vessel JOIDES Resolution. Photo taken from the ship bridge roof. USGS logo visible on one of the pieces of equipment. Research cruises taken on the JOIDES Resolution are often interdisciplinary and collaborative across many universities, scientific agencies, and other research institutions.

A man and a woman holding a coral sample
USGS and National Park Service partner on coral growth study
USGS and National Park Service partner on coral growth study
USGS and National Park Service partner on coral growth study

Glenn Simpson (left), Park Manager of the Dry Tortugas National Park, National Park Service and Ilsa Kuffner (right), USGS Research Marine Biologist, with an elkhorn coral from Pulaski Shoal being weighed and measured.

Glenn Simpson (left), Park Manager of the Dry Tortugas National Park, National Park Service and Ilsa Kuffner (right), USGS Research Marine Biologist, with an elkhorn coral from Pulaski Shoal being weighed and measured.

Researcher wearing safety clothing and lifejacket, holding clipboard while standing in waist-high marsh grass
Joseph Terrano in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh
Joseph Terrano in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh
A man kneels in a grassy marsh shoreline with a boat in the water behind him.
Measuring tidal inundation in a marsh shoreline
Measuring tidal inundation in a marsh shoreline
Measuring tidal inundation in a marsh shoreline

Joseph Terrano of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center prepares water level loggers to install near the marsh shoreline in Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.

Joseph Terrano of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center prepares water level loggers to install near the marsh shoreline in Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi.

Sand that overwashed a coastal road is piled high on both sides of a road after preliminary clearing.
Overwashed sand, piled high on both sides of the road after the storm
Overwashed sand, piled high on both sides of the road after the storm
Overwashed sand, piled high on both sides of the road after the storm

Mounds of sand cleared from the roadway stand high on both sides of a road near the beach in Pensacola Beach, Florida, in October 2004 after Hurricane Ivan.

Mounds of sand cleared from the roadway stand high on both sides of a road near the beach in Pensacola Beach, Florida, in October 2004 after Hurricane Ivan.

A man stands beside a garage with a damaged door that is more than halfway filled with sand
A garage in Alabama filled with sand after Hurricane Ivan in 2004
A garage in Alabama filled with sand after Hurricane Ivan in 2004
A garage in Alabama filled with sand after Hurricane Ivan in 2004

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researcher Dave Thompson stands next to a garage in Gulf Shores, Alabama, that filled with sand after Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researcher Dave Thompson stands next to a garage in Gulf Shores, Alabama, that filled with sand after Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Photo of colorful corals growing on the ocean floor.
Coral garden
Coral garden
Coral garden

This coral garden was discovered in the Stetson-Miami Deepwater HAPC during the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration in an area that may mark the eastern extent of the Million Mounds region.

This coral garden was discovered in the Stetson-Miami Deepwater HAPC during the 2019 Southeastern U.S. Deep-sea Exploration in an area that may mark the eastern extent of the Million Mounds region.

Elkhorn coral on a cinderblock with a label on a coral reef
Elkhorn coral at a calcification assessment station at Crocker Reef
Elkhorn coral at a calcification assessment station at Crocker Reef
Elkhorn coral at a calcification assessment station at Crocker Reef

Established in 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coral Assessment Network (USGS-CAN) provides data on coral-growth (calcification) rates throughout the Florida Keys. Pictured here is a coral at Crocker Reef in the upper Florida Keys.

Established in 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coral Assessment Network (USGS-CAN) provides data on coral-growth (calcification) rates throughout the Florida Keys. Pictured here is a coral at Crocker Reef in the upper Florida Keys.

Corals on a USGS calcification-assessment station in Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Corals on a USGS calcification assessment station in Buck Island Reef National Monument
Corals on a USGS calcification assessment station in Buck Island Reef National Monument
Corals on a USGS calcification assessment station in Buck Island Reef National Monument

Established in 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coral Assessment Network (USGS-CAN) provides data on coral-growth (calcification) rates throughout the Florida Keys and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Pictured here is one of 30 stations located in Buck Island Reef National Monument.

Established in 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coral Assessment Network (USGS-CAN) provides data on coral-growth (calcification) rates throughout the Florida Keys and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Pictured here is one of 30 stations located in Buck Island Reef National Monument.

An instrument rests on the deck of a ship, its cables suspended above it, while a scientist looks on.
Chirp rests on the deck of R/V Bold Horizon
Chirp rests on the deck of R/V Bold Horizon
Chirp rests on the deck of R/V Bold Horizon

This instrument, the Edgetech SB-516 or "chirp", emits acoustic signals that penetrate the sediment on the seafloor. The reflected sound is recorded and is used to create a cross-section image, or profile, of the sub-bottom.

This instrument, the Edgetech SB-516 or "chirp", emits acoustic signals that penetrate the sediment on the seafloor. The reflected sound is recorded and is used to create a cross-section image, or profile, of the sub-bottom.

View from up high on a coastal cliff looking down along a beach where a river meets the ocean.
Klamath River mouth
Klamath River mouth
Klamath River mouth

A view of the mouth of the Klamath River where it meets the Pacific Ocean in northern California. The river runs from Oregon to California. Four dams along the Klamath are pending removal. USGS is studying coastal watershed response to dam removal, including long-term before-after/control-impact (BACI) studies.

A view of the mouth of the Klamath River where it meets the Pacific Ocean in northern California. The river runs from Oregon to California. Four dams along the Klamath are pending removal. USGS is studying coastal watershed response to dam removal, including long-term before-after/control-impact (BACI) studies.

People standing on the stern of a boat out in open, calm water, sun low in the sky behind clouds.
Retrieving gear from off the coast
Retrieving gear from off the coast
Retrieving gear from off the coast

A science crew on M/V (marine vessel) Bold Horizon retrieve gear from offshore San Francisco.

A science crew on M/V (marine vessel) Bold Horizon retrieve gear from offshore San Francisco.

Two scientists use a cylinder to collect mud in a grassy marsh
USGS geologists study sediment exchange in estuary and marshes
USGS geologists study sediment exchange in estuary and marshes
USGS geologists study sediment exchange in estuary and marshes

Sediments in estuarine and marsh environments contain organic peat, or material derived from life, that plays an important role in ecosystem health. Here, USGS geologist Chris Smith of the St.

Sediments in estuarine and marsh environments contain organic peat, or material derived from life, that plays an important role in ecosystem health. Here, USGS geologist Chris Smith of the St.

A group of people stand, smiling for the camera, on the deck of a ship at sea with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background
Science crew on research cruise
Science crew on research cruise
Science crew on research cruise

USGS scientists on the back deck of M/V Bold Horizon in San Francisco Bay: (back row, standing: left to right) Brandon Nasr, Danny Brothers, Travis Alonghi (USGS student contractor), Gerry Hatcher, Jenna Hill, Pete Dal Ferro, and Jenny McKee; (front row, kneeling: left to right) USGS scientists Janet Watt and Nora Nieminski.

USGS scientists on the back deck of M/V Bold Horizon in San Francisco Bay: (back row, standing: left to right) Brandon Nasr, Danny Brothers, Travis Alonghi (USGS student contractor), Gerry Hatcher, Jenna Hill, Pete Dal Ferro, and Jenny McKee; (front row, kneeling: left to right) USGS scientists Janet Watt and Nora Nieminski.

People stand on the deck of a ship while guiding a large seafloor coring device off the stern, mountains in background.
Rossfelder P-5 Vibracorer
Rossfelder P-5 Vibracorer
Rossfelder P-5 Vibracorer

USGS science crew from Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center work together to get the vibracorer coring device in position to collect sediment core samples off San Francisco, California.

USGS science crew from Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center work together to get the vibracorer coring device in position to collect sediment core samples off San Francisco, California.

Photo of the stern of a ship on the water with equipment tied down to the deck and coastal cliffs in the background.
Vibracorer on deck
Vibracorer on deck
Vibracorer on deck

The Rossfelder P-5 vibracorer, with its polybuterate liner visible, is secured on the deck of the research vessel Bold Horizon, awaiting deployment off the coast of California just north of San Francisco. More liners are stored in a cage off to the side.

The Rossfelder P-5 vibracorer, with its polybuterate liner visible, is secured on the deck of the research vessel Bold Horizon, awaiting deployment off the coast of California just north of San Francisco. More liners are stored in a cage off to the side.

View from the stern of a ship with a large A-frame boom with pullies and ropes attached to a coring device sitting on deck.
Vibracorer on deck in San Francisco
Vibracorer on deck in San Francisco
Vibracorer on deck in San Francisco

The USGS uses the Rossfelder P-5 vibracorer to collect deep-water sediment samples from the seafloor. Here, they are heading out offshore of San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

The USGS uses the Rossfelder P-5 vibracorer to collect deep-water sediment samples from the seafloor. Here, they are heading out offshore of San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

Four people stand around a coring device on the deck of a ship.
Removal of sediment-filled core liner
Removal of sediment-filled core liner
Removal of sediment-filled core liner

USGS scientists Brandon Nasr, Jenna Hill, Nora Nieminski, and Jenny McKee removing a sediment-filled core liner from the jumbo piston core barrel with the picturesque northern California coastline in the background.

USGS scientists Brandon Nasr, Jenna Hill, Nora Nieminski, and Jenny McKee removing a sediment-filled core liner from the jumbo piston core barrel with the picturesque northern California coastline in the background.