Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Images

Images intro.
Filter Total Items: 2135
Image of USGS personnel collecting salt marsh sediment cores
Salt Marsh Coring
Salt Marsh Coring
Salt Marsh Coring

NAGT summer intern, Kelly Sanks, prepares to collect salt marsh sediment cores with her advisor, Dr. Meagan Gonneea (Cape Cod, MA).

NAGT summer intern, Kelly Sanks, prepares to collect salt marsh sediment cores with her advisor, Dr. Meagan Gonneea (Cape Cod, MA).

Aerial image of Quissett Campus, Woods Hole, MA
Aerial image of Quissett Campus, Woods Hole, MA
Aerial image of Quissett Campus, Woods Hole, MA
Aerial image of Quissett Campus, Woods Hole, MA

Screenshot of a point cloud containing more than 50 million points from a photogrammetry project of the Quissett Campus.  This point cloud was created from 633 photographs taken from a unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in July 2018

Screenshot of a point cloud containing more than 50 million points from a photogrammetry project of the Quissett Campus.  This point cloud was created from 633 photographs taken from a unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts in July 2018

Collage of USGS staff in the field
Collage of USGS staff in the field
Collage of USGS staff in the field
Collage of USGS staff in the field

Upper Left:  Dann Blackwood operating the SEABOSS winch during a sampling cruise; Lower left: Bill Schwab, Laura Brothers and Emile Bergeron on the deck of a research vessel; Center Left: Tom O'Brien carrying equipment during a research cruise; Center: USGS staff deploying a seismic system from a research vessel; left: Chuck Worley ready to deploy a multibeam e

Upper Left:  Dann Blackwood operating the SEABOSS winch during a sampling cruise; Lower left: Bill Schwab, Laura Brothers and Emile Bergeron on the deck of a research vessel; Center Left: Tom O'Brien carrying equipment during a research cruise; Center: USGS staff deploying a seismic system from a research vessel; left: Chuck Worley ready to deploy a multibeam e

Parrotfish grazing on coral reef
Parrotfish grazing on coral in Buck Island Reef National Monument
Parrotfish grazing on coral in Buck Island Reef National Monument
Parrotfish grazing on coral in Buck Island Reef National Monument

Parrotfish grazing on coral within an Acropora palmata framework in Buck Island Reef National Monument

dynamic image of offshore flooding in the Cape Fear River Estuary
Compound Flooding in the Cape Fear River Estuary
Compound Flooding in the Cape Fear River Estuary
Compound Flooding in the Cape Fear River Estuary

Hurricane Florence (2018) modeling: The coupled model captures the stages of compound flooding in the Cape Fear River Estuary starting with swell from offshore, followed by storm surge from the ocean side, later transitioning to flooding from land side with the storm water runoff because of rain.

Hurricane Florence (2018) modeling: The coupled model captures the stages of compound flooding in the Cape Fear River Estuary starting with swell from offshore, followed by storm surge from the ocean side, later transitioning to flooding from land side with the storm water runoff because of rain.

Photograph of Erika Lentz in the field
Outstanding in the field
Outstanding in the field
Outstanding in the field

USGS Research Geologist Dr. Erika Lentz is conducting real-time kinematic GPS surveys on barrier island dunes, part of her research looking at how coastal landscapes respond to sea-level rise.

 

USGS Research Geologist Dr. Erika Lentz is conducting real-time kinematic GPS surveys on barrier island dunes, part of her research looking at how coastal landscapes respond to sea-level rise.

 

View along a beach with gentle waves, low dunes, and two sets of tire tracks in the sand, one set winding and one set straight.
Southern Monterey Bay beach studies
Southern Monterey Bay beach studies
Southern Monterey Bay beach studies

After USGS scientist Dan Hoover drove a couple of pass with his all-terrain vehicle (ATV), equipped with gear that collects elevations, on a mostly flat beach in southern Monterey Bay, California. Then he turned to take this photo of his tire tracks.

After USGS scientist Dan Hoover drove a couple of pass with his all-terrain vehicle (ATV), equipped with gear that collects elevations, on a mostly flat beach in southern Monterey Bay, California. Then he turned to take this photo of his tire tracks.

Map showing wind direction with arrows and wave height with different colors
COAWST Model Prediction
COAWST Model Prediction
COAWST Model Prediction

COAWST model prediction on September 13, 2018 at 17:00:00. Arrows are wind speed and direction and colors are wave heights in meters. 

COAWST model prediction on September 13, 2018 at 17:00:00. Arrows are wind speed and direction and colors are wave heights in meters. 

Two people on personal watercraft maneuver separately and spaced apart in a beach setting near a jetty.
Beach survey on personal watercraft
Beach survey on personal watercraft
Beach survey on personal watercraft

Two personal watercraft operators from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, navigate their personal watercraft (PWC) in the shallow nearshore region in Moss Landing near Elkhorn Slough. The PWCs are set up with precision GPS and echosounder systems in order to create detailed bathymetric maps (depth).

Two personal watercraft operators from the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, navigate their personal watercraft (PWC) in the shallow nearshore region in Moss Landing near Elkhorn Slough. The PWCs are set up with precision GPS and echosounder systems in order to create detailed bathymetric maps (depth).

An all-terrain vehicle equipped with GPS and other devices sits on the beach and a personal watercraft is in background.
PWC and ATV for beach surveys
PWC and ATV for beach surveys
PWC and ATV for beach surveys

For typical beach surveys, USGS scientists drive an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) like the one shown here, equpped with precision GPS that collects location and elevation data. Driving along features such as high-water marks, and driving a grid pattern spaced by about 30 meters, enable the collection of a complete 3D representation of the beach surface.

For typical beach surveys, USGS scientists drive an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) like the one shown here, equpped with precision GPS that collects location and elevation data. Driving along features such as high-water marks, and driving a grid pattern spaced by about 30 meters, enable the collection of a complete 3D representation of the beach surface.

A man wearing a hard hat and waders sits on an all-terrain vehicle equipped with instruments that collect data.
Equipped and ready to collect data
Equipped and ready to collect data
Equipped and ready to collect data

USGS oceanographer Andrew Stevens, of the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, sits on an all-terrain vehicle equipped with a precision GPS and other instruments. The GPS collects position data continuously, about 2 points per second, while an operator like Andrew drives the ATV over a beach.

USGS oceanographer Andrew Stevens, of the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, California, sits on an all-terrain vehicle equipped with a precision GPS and other instruments. The GPS collects position data continuously, about 2 points per second, while an operator like Andrew drives the ATV over a beach.

A group stands on the stern of a ship preparing an instrument attached to a cabling system.
The chirp 512i on R/V Rainier
The chirp 512i on R/V Rainier
The chirp 512i on R/V Rainier

Science and ship crew on board NOAA research vessel Rainier prepare the Chirp 512i off south-central California.

Science and ship crew on board NOAA research vessel Rainier prepare the Chirp 512i off south-central California.

US Atlantic coast map 3 levels of forecast beach effects Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Florence will erode or overwash beaches
Hurricane Florence will erode or overwash beaches
Hurricane Florence will erode or overwash beaches

The USGS Coastal Change Hazards Storm Team has forecast coast-wide levels of beach erosion, inundation and overwash due to Hurricane Florence's expected path and landgfall.

The USGS Coastal Change Hazards Storm Team has forecast coast-wide levels of beach erosion, inundation and overwash due to Hurricane Florence's expected path and landgfall.

Chart shows high water at Duck, NC through Sept. 17
Sea water levels to go up, stay up as Florence affects coast
Sea water levels to go up, stay up as Florence affects coast
Sea water levels to go up, stay up as Florence affects coast

The Coastal Change Hazards Storm Team has forecast changing water levels at specific locations over time.

A silhouette of a person on a high bluff overlooking the calm ocean at sunset.
Peace at dusk
Peace at dusk
Peace at dusk

USGS oceanographer Shawn Harrison stands on the coastal bluff of Barter Island, Alaska at sunset. Shawn and his fellow researchers are studying how the highly erosive bluff changes under the varied conditions experienced by this stretch of coastline.

USGS oceanographer Shawn Harrison stands on the coastal bluff of Barter Island, Alaska at sunset. Shawn and his fellow researchers are studying how the highly erosive bluff changes under the varied conditions experienced by this stretch of coastline.

View from above at an angle of a deep pit with some smoke deep inside, ground is barren, sides of pit are collapsing.
Kīlauea summit September 6, 2018
Kīlauea summit September 6, 2018
Kīlauea summit September 6, 2018

Kīlauea summit photo taken on September 6, 2018.

Dead branching corals underwater on a reef
Dead elkhorn coral at Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Dead elkhorn coral at Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Dead elkhorn coral at Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Photo shows a dead, relict reef framework built by the elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata in Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Dark sand surrounding the entrance to a harbor; a caution sign is featured in the foreground
Photograph of the entrance to Grand Traverse Bay Harbor
Photograph of the entrance to Grand Traverse Bay Harbor
Photograph of the entrance to Grand Traverse Bay Harbor

Photograph of the entrance to Grand Traverse Bay Harbor, located 8 kilometers downdrift of the spoils pile. Migration of the dark-colored stamp sands (moving from left to right) has buried the original beach, overtopped the wall, and partially blocked the channel.

Photograph of the entrance to Grand Traverse Bay Harbor, located 8 kilometers downdrift of the spoils pile. Migration of the dark-colored stamp sands (moving from left to right) has buried the original beach, overtopped the wall, and partially blocked the channel.

Photograph of the R/V Rafael alongside dock near the survey site on Lake Superior at sunrise
Photograph of the R/V Rafael alongside dock near the survey site
Photograph of the R/V Rafael alongside dock near the survey site
Photograph of the R/V Rafael alongside dock near the survey site

Photograph of the R/V Rafael alongside dock near the survey site on Lake Superior.