A Model to Predict Sediment Bulk Density in the San Francisco Estuary
Oceanographic Instrumentation Detects Layers of Plankton Migration off Puerto Rico
Comparing Nearly 40 years of Satellite-derived Shorelines with Traditional Shoreline Measurements
Coastal Observing Cameras at America's Northernmost Point Decommissioned Due to Coastal Erosion
Impact of warming and suspended land-based sediment on Hawaiian reef corals
Hawaiʻi Abyssal Nodules and Associated Ecosystems Expedition
Defining the Anthropocene via the transport of invasive species
Sediment contaminants in Puget Sound: Implications for ecosystem health and remediation
Seasonal erosion and accretion in a San Francisco Bay marsh
New seafloor mapping offshore Kodiak Island, Alaska, reveals extensive submarine landslides
Land-based nutrient flux to a fringing reef: insights from Ofu Island, American Samoa
Frequency and Intensity of Storm Surges Underestimated Nationally, Study Finds
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
PCMSC is one of three centers serving the mission of the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program—the primary Federal marine geology and physical science research program responsible for the Nation’s entire coastal and marine landscape.
What We Do: Coastal and Marine Science at USGS Santa Cruz
What We Do: Coastal and Marine Science at USGS Santa Cruz
Get an overview of the coastal and marine research conducted by the USGS in Santa Cruz, California in our downloadable booklet.
Research Projects
Research Projects
Read about our science projects, find out where we are working, and discover the reasons why our research matters.
News
USGS Releases Global 3D Archive of Coral Reef Cores to Support Climate and Coastal Research
USGS Releases Global 3D Archive of Coral Reef Cores to Support Climate and Coastal Research
Linking climate variability to shoreline change in the Pacific Northwest
Linking climate variability to shoreline change in the Pacific Northwest
Ozette Lake: A natural seismograph along the northern Cascadia Subduction Zone (Video)
Ozette Lake: A natural seismograph along the northern Cascadia Subduction Zone (Video)
Publications
Evaluation of benthic habitat change within the national historic sites of Hawaiʻi’s Kona Coast Evaluation of benthic habitat change within the national historic sites of Hawaiʻi’s Kona Coast
Executive Summary Coral bleaching events have become increasingly common across the Hawaiian Archipelago since 1996 because of more frequent and intense marine heatwaves. The most significant bleaching event to date occurred from 2014 to 2015, which resulted in catastrophic state-wide coral loss. Bleaching events with less severe effects also occurred in 1996 and 2019. To understand the...
Erosion and transport of sediments in watersheds of southwest Puerto Rico determined from strontium isotopes and mixing models Erosion and transport of sediments in watersheds of southwest Puerto Rico determined from strontium isotopes and mixing models
Sediment outflow from streams to coastal regions can adversely affect water quality and the health of ecosystems including Puerto Rico's southwestern carbonate platform with shallow marine communities. Knowledge of sediment provenance and erosional areas would aid effective restoration to reduce excessive sedimentation. Strontium (Sr) isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr) can be used to...
Interplay between tectonics and submarine mass transport deposits in Cortes Basin: New high-resolution geophysics in the Outer California Borderland Interplay between tectonics and submarine mass transport deposits in Cortes Basin: New high-resolution geophysics in the Outer California Borderland
The Outer California Borderland (OCB) is an active transform plate boundary offshore Southern California, where the relationship between faulting and submarine mass transport deposits (MTDs) remains poorly understood. Onshore paleoseismic data provide high-resolution earthquake records, whereas marine geophysical data capture longer-term histories. Offshore fault systems pose hazards to
Science
Geologic Mapping for Landscape Resiliency in California, Oregon, and Washington
This project uses geologic and geomorphic mapping in the context of societally relevant problems in the Earth’s critical zone. Leveraging interdisciplinary research ties and interagency collaborations, it utilizes remote sensing data, corroborated with field observations, to determine i) the spatial distribution of geomorphic processes and ages of Quaternary deposits in the context of active...
By
Earthquake Hazards Program, Landslide Hazards Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Big Sur Landslides
American Samoa Mapping Project
USGS scientists are leading a sampling effort to the Samoan Basin, offshore of American Samoa. This work is part of an interagency supported three-month hydrograph survey project led by NOAA and in partnership with BOEM.
Where Land Meets Sea: USGS Science for Resilient Coastal Habitats
USGS coastal science plays a critical role in supporting the effective, science-based management of coastal ecosystems, where the biodiversity of land and sea meet. It provides managers with the information they need to make sound decisions. Through cutting-edge research, predictive modeling, and decision-support tools, USGS empowers resource managers to make informed, science-based choices. From...
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, California Water Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Western Fisheries Research Center, Western Geographic Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center