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A scientist holds a GPS unit while standing near a tripod on a platform on a sandy coastline near the ocean
Surveying GPS Ground Control Point locations
Surveying GPS Ground Control Point locations
Surveying GPS Ground Control Point locations

A USGS scientist surveys GPS Ground Control Point locations on North Topsail Beach and within the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, North Carolina. These data are used to validate previously surveyed aerial imagery and aid in Structure from Motion (SFM) processing. Specifically, this scientist was collecting data to look at coastal change due to Hurricane Florence.

A USGS scientist surveys GPS Ground Control Point locations on North Topsail Beach and within the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base, North Carolina. These data are used to validate previously surveyed aerial imagery and aid in Structure from Motion (SFM) processing. Specifically, this scientist was collecting data to look at coastal change due to Hurricane Florence.

Photos before and after Hurricane Sandy opened a breach on Fire Island
Photos before and after Hurricane Sandy opened a breach on Fire Island
Photos before and after Hurricane Sandy opened a breach on Fire Island
Photos before and after Hurricane Sandy opened a breach on Fire Island

USGS researchers have been monitoring changes in a breach in the island that occurred during Hurricane Sandy (modified from  Hapke et al., 2017). 
 

USGS researchers have been monitoring changes in a breach in the island that occurred during Hurricane Sandy (modified from  Hapke et al., 2017). 
 

CMHRP scientific investigations help protect natural and cultural resources
CMHRP investigations help protect natural and cultural resources
CMHRP investigations help protect natural and cultural resources
CMHRP investigations help protect natural and cultural resources

The CMHRP has been conducting scientific investigations at Fire Island in order to protect natural and cultural resources.

A boat carrying lots of equipment motors out of a yacht harbor, waters are calm, engines churn up the water at the stern.
PCMSC research vessel Parke Snavely departs for deployment
PCMSC research vessel Parke Snavely departs for deployment
PCMSC research vessel Parke Snavely departs for deployment

The PCMSC research vessel R/V Parke Snavely heads out of the Vallejo Marina on June 11, 2019 to deploy instrument frames in Grizzly Bay for the ERO19 study.

The PCMSC research vessel R/V Parke Snavely heads out of the Vallejo Marina on June 11, 2019 to deploy instrument frames in Grizzly Bay for the ERO19 study.

A man wearing a straw hat checks the equipment mounted on a tripod frame.
Tripod preparation for ERO19
Tripod preparation for ERO19
Tripod preparation for ERO19

Lukas Winkler-Prins checks on the frame setup on June 10, 2019.  This tripod has an RBR CTD, an RBR bursting pressure sensor, an RBR optical backscatter sensor, a LISST-200X, an altimeter, and two Nortek ADVs + Seapoint optical backscatter sensors, which will reveal information about water temperature and salinity, wave height and period, total s

Lukas Winkler-Prins checks on the frame setup on June 10, 2019.  This tripod has an RBR CTD, an RBR bursting pressure sensor, an RBR optical backscatter sensor, a LISST-200X, an altimeter, and two Nortek ADVs + Seapoint optical backscatter sensors, which will reveal information about water temperature and salinity, wave height and period, total s

Two images that show an area of coastline, one is a photo and one shows heights of objects on land and in the water.
Intertidal Zone at Post Point in Bellingham Bay
Intertidal Zone at Post Point in Bellingham Bay
Intertidal Zone at Post Point in Bellingham Bay

Aerial imagery (top) and structure-from-motion data (bottom) from an unmanned aerial system survey of the intertidal zone at Post Point, Bellingham Bay, WA, June 6, 2019.

Aerial imagery (top) and structure-from-motion data (bottom) from an unmanned aerial system survey of the intertidal zone at Post Point, Bellingham Bay, WA, June 6, 2019.

a square cinderblock on the ocean floor with two small round plates with small corals on top. Diver in background
Coral Growth Experiment in Buck Island, St. Croix, USVI
Coral Growth Experiment in Buck Island, St. Croix, USVI
Coral Growth Experiment in Buck Island, St. Croix, USVI

USGS studies the growth rates of corals at a network of coral growth assessment stations throughout Buck Island National Monument in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. These data provide resource managers with information needed to understand how coral populations are doing in the park.

USGS studies the growth rates of corals at a network of coral growth assessment stations throughout Buck Island National Monument in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. These data provide resource managers with information needed to understand how coral populations are doing in the park.

View of Capitola, California, coastline
View of Capitola, California coastline
View of Capitola, California coastline
View of Capitola, California coastline

View of Capitola, California. Capitola is a city in Santa Cruz County, California on the coast of Monterey Bay.

Satellite view of a bay with islands, with markers plotted to show sample locations and instrument placement.
San Pablo Bay study area
San Pablo Bay study area
San Pablo Bay study area

The USGS Pacific and Coastal Marine Science Center collected data to investigate sediment dynamics in the shallows of San Pablo Bay in two deployments: February to March 2011 (ITX11) and May to June 2012 (ITX12). This data release includes time-series data and grain-size distributions from sediment grabs collected during the deployments.

The USGS Pacific and Coastal Marine Science Center collected data to investigate sediment dynamics in the shallows of San Pablo Bay in two deployments: February to March 2011 (ITX11) and May to June 2012 (ITX12). This data release includes time-series data and grain-size distributions from sediment grabs collected during the deployments.

Scuba diver on a coral reef in Dry Tortugas National Park
USGS scuba diver on coral reef in Dry Tortugas National Park, FL, USA
USGS scuba diver on coral reef in Dry Tortugas National Park, FL, USA
USGS scuba diver on coral reef in Dry Tortugas National Park, FL, USA

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting research to guide the recovery of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, in Dry Tortugas National Park and throughout the western Atlantic.

The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting research to guide the recovery of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, in Dry Tortugas National Park and throughout the western Atlantic.

Photo of a calm creek with a small sandbar in the middle, creek is surrounded by trees burned by a wildfire.
Whiskey Creek section of Whiskeytown Lake
Whiskey Creek section of Whiskeytown Lake
Whiskey Creek section of Whiskeytown Lake

In the aftermath of the 2018 Carr Fire, northern California, sediment has eroded from burned hillslopes and accumulated in some areas of Whiskeytown Lake. A recent sediment deposit is shown here in the Whiskey Creek section of the lake.

In the aftermath of the 2018 Carr Fire, northern California, sediment has eroded from burned hillslopes and accumulated in some areas of Whiskeytown Lake. A recent sediment deposit is shown here in the Whiskey Creek section of the lake.

Jessica Rodysill (Reston) and Hunter Wilcox (SPCMSC) deploying a corer in Lake Enriquillo.
Researchers deploying a corer in Lake Enriquillo.
Researchers deploying a corer in Lake Enriquillo.
Researchers deploying a corer in Lake Enriquillo.

Jessica Rodysill (Reston) and Hunter Wilcox (SPCMSC) deploying a corer in Lake Enriquillo. The scientists will use the cores to construct precipitation changes in Dominican Republic over the late Holocene (~5000 years ago to present) time period.

Jessica Rodysill (Reston) and Hunter Wilcox (SPCMSC) deploying a corer in Lake Enriquillo. The scientists will use the cores to construct precipitation changes in Dominican Republic over the late Holocene (~5000 years ago to present) time period.

Divers meet in the center of the image, looking at eroded coral
Researchers collect measurements of reef erosion
Researchers collect measurements of reef erosion
Researchers collect measurements of reef erosion

Lauren Toth (Research Physical Scientist, SPCMSC) and collaborator Mike Colella (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) collect measurements of reef erosion at Molasses reef off Key Largo, FL.

Lauren Toth (Research Physical Scientist, SPCMSC) and collaborator Mike Colella (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) collect measurements of reef erosion at Molasses reef off Key Largo, FL.

Photo taken as SPMSC scientist Lauren Toth conducts a photographic survey of Porter Patch reef off Key Largo
SPMSC scientist Lauren Toth conducts a photographic survey of the reef
SPMSC scientist Lauren Toth conducts a photographic survey of the reef
SPMSC scientist Lauren Toth conducts a photographic survey of the reef

SPMSC scientist Lauren Toth conducts a photographic survey of Porter Patch reef off Key Largo, one of the sites that has been surveyed as part of FWRI’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring project since 1996.

SPMSC scientist Lauren Toth conducts a photographic survey of Porter Patch reef off Key Largo, one of the sites that has been surveyed as part of FWRI’s Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring project since 1996.

A man wearing a baseball cap and badge around his neck is talking to other people about a piece of heavy machinery near him.
Giving a Tour of USGS Science Center
Giving a Tour of USGS Science Center
Giving a Tour of USGS Science Center

On March 25th, 2019, ocean engineer Rob Wyland of the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center gave a tour and demonstration to roughly a dozen students from the engineering class he teaches at Cabrillo College, a local community college.

On March 25th, 2019, ocean engineer Rob Wyland of the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center gave a tour and demonstration to roughly a dozen students from the engineering class he teaches at Cabrillo College, a local community college.

A shaded, colored illustration that shows how much movement occurred on a hillslope thorugh time.
Changes to Mud Creek digital surface models
Changes to Mud Creek digital surface models
Changes to Mud Creek digital surface models

Computer images showing the coastal cliff area of Mud Creek on the Big Sur coastline, central California, where on May 20, 2017 a catastrophic landslide destroyed over 400 meters of scenic California State Highway 1. These illustrations show the changes to the digital surface models of Mud Creek during the three primary phases of the landslide: (

Computer images showing the coastal cliff area of Mud Creek on the Big Sur coastline, central California, where on May 20, 2017 a catastrophic landslide destroyed over 400 meters of scenic California State Highway 1. These illustrations show the changes to the digital surface models of Mud Creek during the three primary phases of the landslide: (

An illustration shows how aerial photographs are taken around a landslide in order to use them in computer models.
Mud Creek landslide flight path example
Mud Creek landslide flight path example
Mud Creek landslide flight path example

USGS photographs taken from a contracted small airplane are used to build three-dimensional representations of the hillslopes of Big Sur, California, as shown here for the Mud Creek landslide site in 2017.  Blue symbols show the locations of individual photos obtained on the flight, and the gray area shows the hillslope landscape created from the photos using S

USGS photographs taken from a contracted small airplane are used to build three-dimensional representations of the hillslopes of Big Sur, California, as shown here for the Mud Creek landslide site in 2017.  Blue symbols show the locations of individual photos obtained on the flight, and the gray area shows the hillslope landscape created from the photos using S

USGS pilots landing a Unmanned Aerial Systems (uas) on  Dauphin Island, Alabama
USGS pilot landing an unmanned aerial system on Dauphin Island, AL
USGS pilot landing an unmanned aerial system on Dauphin Island, AL
USGS pilot landing an unmanned aerial system on Dauphin Island, AL

 USGS unmanned aerial system (drone) pilot collecting aerial imagery and ground control points for the Coastal Resource Evaulation for Management Applications (CREMA) project on Dauphin Island, Alabama

 USGS unmanned aerial system (drone) pilot collecting aerial imagery and ground control points for the Coastal Resource Evaulation for Management Applications (CREMA) project on Dauphin Island, Alabama

Map showing surficial geology of Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard
Surficial Geology Map of Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard, MA
Surficial Geology Map of Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard, MA
Surficial Geology Map of Nantucket and Marthas Vineyard, MA

Map showing the surficial geology from this study and Baldwin and others (2016) with equivalent onshore geology (adapted from Stone and DiGiacomo-Cohen, 2009). The areal extents over which offshore subsurface geologic units crop out at the sea floor were interpreted from seismic-reflection data.

Map showing the surficial geology from this study and Baldwin and others (2016) with equivalent onshore geology (adapted from Stone and DiGiacomo-Cohen, 2009). The areal extents over which offshore subsurface geologic units crop out at the sea floor were interpreted from seismic-reflection data.

A photo from the sky of a coastline showing areas of sediment and water as well as land features like roads.
Orthophotomosaic image, north coast of Barter Island, July 1, 2014
Orthophotomosaic image, north coast of Barter Island, July 1, 2014
Orthophotomosaic image, north coast of Barter Island, July 1, 2014

Aerial photographs were collected from a small, fixed-wing aircraft over the coast of Barter Island, Alaska on July 01 2014, September 07 2014. Precise aircraft position information and structure-from-motion photogrammetric methods were combined to derive a high-resolution orthophotomosaic.

Aerial photographs were collected from a small, fixed-wing aircraft over the coast of Barter Island, Alaska on July 01 2014, September 07 2014. Precise aircraft position information and structure-from-motion photogrammetric methods were combined to derive a high-resolution orthophotomosaic.

Dann Blackwood and Jon Borden prepare to drop a current meter overboard from the research boat Muddy Waters
Dann Blackwood and Jon Borden drop a current meter overboard
Dann Blackwood and Jon Borden drop a current meter overboard
Dann Blackwood and Jon Borden drop a current meter overboard

Dann Blackwood and Jon Borden prepare to drop a current meter overboard from the research boat Muddy Waters offshore of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. 

Dann Blackwood and Jon Borden prepare to drop a current meter overboard from the research boat Muddy Waters offshore of Wellfleet, Massachusetts.