Images

Compressed high-intensity radar pulse (chirp) profile HFC-9 located south of the Cross-Hosgri slope (CHS). Profile crosses the midshelf region and images the extensive transgressive surface of erosion unconformity (blue) also seen below the CHS. The seafloor is delineated in red.

Shown here is a photograph taken on October 20, 2023, of a wild Elkhorn coral colony in Buck Island Reef National Monument, St. Croix, VI, showing the effects of heat stress caused by elevated ocean temperatures. The heat stress causes “coral bleaching,” or the loss of nutrient-giving microscopic algae that normally live within corals.

Cross-sections of the southern Cascadia margin, showing the subsurface structure of the outer arc high, from the study Diving deeper into seep distribution along the Cascadia Convergent Margin, USA.

Regional overview map of the Cascadia convergent margin with the locations of methane seeps, from the study Diving deeper into seep distribution along the Cascadia Convergent Margin, USA.

Close-up of a coral core collected aboard the Hawaiian Drowned Reefs Expedition in late 2023.

Aboard the Hawaiian Drowned Reefs Expedition, Nancy Prouty examines a coral core collected from a drowned reef terrace.

The USGS and partners prepare to deploy 11 buoys into the Gulf of Maine from a U.S. Navy aircraft in preparation for Hurricane Lee. These buoys measure waves, temperature, and physical ocean properties.

Section of a sediment core from Rush Lake, Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.

Science team of the Hawaiian Drowned Reefs Expedition in front of the MMA Valour.

Cover image for the video Natural Hazards We Might Face, in support of National Preparedness Month.

Shown here are three SCUBA divers installing shade structures over experimental Elkhorn corals (Acropora palmata) that have become "bleached," that is, lost all their algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The corals are attached to cement blocks as part of the U.S.

Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has succumbed to "bleaching," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.

Shown here is a small colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.

Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, in Dry Tortugas National Park that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave.

Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.

Shown here is a colony of the threatened Elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, that has become "bleached," that is, lost all its algal symbionts (also called zooxanthellae) because of the summer 2023 ocean-heat wave. The coral is attached to a cement block as part of the U.S.

Scientists aboard the R/V Sikuliaq collecting sediment cores on the Bering Land Bridge Expedition.

Coastal communities on the Great Lakes may experience coastal change, including dune erosion. The USGS and NOAA are developing the Total Water and Coastal Change Forecast at sites like this one in Ontanogan, Michigan to provide communities with real-time information for decision making.

A collage of coastal environments used in the Coastal Science Navigator banner. Learn more about the Navigator in the State of Our Nation's Coast project page. 

The USGS Coastal Science Navigator serves as a gateway to USGS Coastal Change Hazards resources and assists users in finding products and tools that will meet their specific needs.  

Photograph of Caitlin Reynolds and the sediment traps from the Gulf of Mexico aboard the R/V Weatherbird. Scientists collect and redeploy the mooring every 6-9 months.