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Image of USGS staff on the fantail of a research vessel
Sound velocity casts on Cape Cod Bay
Sound velocity casts on Cape Cod Bay
Sound velocity casts on Cape Cod Bay

Sometimes the fog can be as thick as pea soup! The captains use radar and keen eyesight to navigate in such conditions. Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center staff,  Alex Nichols and Wayne Baldwin,  take a sound velocity cast off the back of the boat.
 

Sometimes the fog can be as thick as pea soup! The captains use radar and keen eyesight to navigate in such conditions. Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center staff,  Alex Nichols and Wayne Baldwin,  take a sound velocity cast off the back of the boat.
 

Image of USGS staff on the fantail of a research vessel preparing to deploy the subbottom profiler
Subbottom profiler deployment on Cape Cod Bay, 2019
Subbottom profiler deployment on Cape Cod Bay, 2019
Subbottom profiler deployment on Cape Cod Bay, 2019

 Before deploying the subbottom profiler for leg 2 of the seafloor mapping cruise, Wayne Baldwin, Alex Nichols, and Chuck Worley made sure the floats were sufficiently inflated. In the relatively shallow waters of Cape Cod Bay, they want the instrument towed at water's surface for the resolution of the sub seafloor geology.

 Before deploying the subbottom profiler for leg 2 of the seafloor mapping cruise, Wayne Baldwin, Alex Nichols, and Chuck Worley made sure the floats were sufficiently inflated. In the relatively shallow waters of Cape Cod Bay, they want the instrument towed at water's surface for the resolution of the sub seafloor geology.

Image of Boston, Massachusetts skyline taken from R/V Warren Jr.
Boston, MA cityscape
Boston, MA cityscape
Boston, MA cityscape

Heading back to Cape Cod Bay after a crew change in Boston, MA

Image of Seth Ackerman processing seafloor data
Let me process this
Let me process this
Let me process this

Seth Ackerman processing the seafloor mapping data as they are collected on the Cape Cod Bay 2019 research cruise.

Seth Ackerman processing the seafloor mapping data as they are collected on the Cape Cod Bay 2019 research cruise.

View of a tropical beach.
Tres Palmas video webcam snapshot
Tres Palmas video webcam snapshot
Tres Palmas video webcam snapshot

Four video cameras look westward over the coast and the coral reef at Tres Palmas in Rincón, on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Two cameras look out at the horizon and over the ocean for the mid-field view; one camera offers a zoomed-in, far-field view overlooking the reef and out to the island of Desecheo, a U.S.

Four video cameras look westward over the coast and the coral reef at Tres Palmas in Rincón, on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Two cameras look out at the horizon and over the ocean for the mid-field view; one camera offers a zoomed-in, far-field view overlooking the reef and out to the island of Desecheo, a U.S.

View looking out over the ocean water with an island in the distance.
Camera 1 Snapshot at Tres Palmas, Puerto Rico
Camera 1 Snapshot at Tres Palmas, Puerto Rico
Camera 1 Snapshot at Tres Palmas, Puerto Rico

Video camera snapshot at Tres Palmas in Rincón, on the west coast of Puerto Rico.

View looks to a beach from a grassy area with palm trees and a tall pole secured with guy wires, cameras are mounted at the top.
Web video cameras mounted on pole in Puerto Rico
Web video cameras mounted on pole in Puerto Rico
Web video cameras mounted on pole in Puerto Rico

Four video cameras look westward over the coast and the coral reef at Tres Palmas in Rincón, on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Two cameras look out at the horizon and over the ocean for the mid-field view; one camera offers a zoomed-in, far-field view overlooking the reef and out to the island of Desecheo, a U.S.

Four video cameras look westward over the coast and the coral reef at Tres Palmas in Rincón, on the west coast of Puerto Rico. Two cameras look out at the horizon and over the ocean for the mid-field view; one camera offers a zoomed-in, far-field view overlooking the reef and out to the island of Desecheo, a U.S.

View from the sky of a tropical coastline and a beach with ocean water so clear the coral reef can be seen.
Tres Palmas, Rincon, Puerto Rico
Tres Palmas, Rincon, Puerto Rico
Tres Palmas, Rincon, Puerto Rico

Photograph collected from a UAS flown over the beach at Tres Palmas in Rincón, Puerto Rico.

Photograph collected from a UAS flown over the beach at Tres Palmas in Rincón, Puerto Rico.

a colorful sunrise over a calm ocean
Sunrise in Melbourne, FL
Sunrise in Melbourne, FL
Sunrise in Melbourne, FL

A colorful sunrise appears over the horizon of a calm ocean offshore of Melbourne, Florida. USGS Scientist RC Mickey collects data for location and elevation of sea turtle crawls and associated beach profiles this stretch of coastline.

A colorful sunrise appears over the horizon of a calm ocean offshore of Melbourne, Florida. USGS Scientist RC Mickey collects data for location and elevation of sea turtle crawls and associated beach profiles this stretch of coastline.

 Research scientist Meagan Gonneea and USGS intern Angela Trejo survey the Jones River in Kingston, MA
Elevation survey in the Jones River, Kingston, MA
Elevation survey in the Jones River, Kingston, MA
Elevation survey in the Jones River, Kingston, MA

 Research scientist Meagan Gonneea and USGS intern Angela Trejo survey the Jones River in Kingston, MA. Removal of a dam across the Jones River began July 15, 2019, as a first step to restore river habitat, which is particularly critical for herring passage from the sea to inland lakes for spawning.

 Research scientist Meagan Gonneea and USGS intern Angela Trejo survey the Jones River in Kingston, MA. Removal of a dam across the Jones River began July 15, 2019, as a first step to restore river habitat, which is particularly critical for herring passage from the sea to inland lakes for spawning.

Aerial photo of estuary
Aerial photo of estuary
Aerial photo of estuary
Aerial photo of estuary

Aerial view of a gas flux tower in Great Barnstable Marsh in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

Aerial view of a gas flux tower in Great Barnstable Marsh in Barnstable, Massachusetts.

Scientific equipment mounted on two yellow pontoons floating on the surface of green water under a blue sky
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.

Forecasted Gulf Coast beach erosion due to Hurricane Barry
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

Baches forecast to be affected by Hurricane Barry
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

Landfalling Barry's likely effects on Gulf beaches
Barry forecast to affect beaches in four Gulf states
Barry forecast to affect beaches in four Gulf states
Barry forecast to affect beaches in four Gulf states

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Thursday, July 11, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Thursday, July 11, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

Gulf beaches forecast to feel Barry's effects
These Gulf beaches are forecast to be affected by Barry
These Gulf beaches are forecast to be affected by Barry
These Gulf beaches are forecast to be affected by Barry

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Thursday, July 11, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Thursday, July 11, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana.

Equipment attached to a metal frame floats in the water on two buoys while dolphins frolic nearby.
SQUID-5 in the water
SQUID-5 in the water
SQUID-5 in the water

The SQUID-5 is an acronym for a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.

The SQUID-5 is an acronym for a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.

Image shows two sea urchins with the ocean in the background
Red Sea Urchins
Red Sea Urchins
Red Sea Urchins

Two red sea urchins (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) sit on the deck of the R/V Falkor. These sea urchins were collected during the #HuntingBubbles research cruise led by the USGS and Schmidt Ocean Institute, which focused on exploring and understanding methane seeps and the communities that depend on them along the Cascadia Margin.

Two red sea urchins (Mesocentrotus franciscanus) sit on the deck of the R/V Falkor. These sea urchins were collected during the #HuntingBubbles research cruise led by the USGS and Schmidt Ocean Institute, which focused on exploring and understanding methane seeps and the communities that depend on them along the Cascadia Margin.

A woman kneels in a grassy area while taking a mud sample from the ground and placing it in a bag.
Wildfire history in the mud
Wildfire history in the mud
Wildfire history in the mud

Marine geochemist Renee Takesue collects a sample of exposed mud in a marsh near Sonoma Creek, California. She will look here and in nearby San Pablo Bay for chemicals from the 2017 Nuns Wildfire that can harm wildlife. The stormy winter of 2018 may have transported these contaminants from the Sonoma Creek watershed into San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Marine geochemist Renee Takesue collects a sample of exposed mud in a marsh near Sonoma Creek, California. She will look here and in nearby San Pablo Bay for chemicals from the 2017 Nuns Wildfire that can harm wildlife. The stormy winter of 2018 may have transported these contaminants from the Sonoma Creek watershed into San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

A woman wearing a life vest holds a small coral sample on a boat near a tropical island
Ilsa Kuffner studying brain coral in USVI
Ilsa Kuffner studying brain coral in USVI
Ilsa Kuffner studying brain coral in USVI

USGS Research Marine Biologist Dr. Ilsa Kuffner holds a brain coral on board a research vessel while research on coral growth in Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, VI.

USGS Research Marine Biologist Dr. Ilsa Kuffner holds a brain coral on board a research vessel while research on coral growth in Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, VI.