USGS Coastal and Ocean Science

USGS Coastal and Ocean Science The USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program studies extreme events and processes that shape our coastal and marine environments.

Using this information, we identify hazards and provide critical information on our Nation’s resources.

🌱🌊 Coastal wetlands protect communities, support wildlife, improve water quality, and store carbon—but they're changing ...
07/23/2026

🌱🌊 Coastal wetlands protect communities, support wildlife, improve water quality, and store carbon—but they're changing rapidly.

A new USGS-led study examines how coastal wetlands across the United States transformed over the past 170 years and explores how they may change in the future. By synthesizing research from six wetland-rich regions, the study provides insights to help scientists, resource managers, and communities prepare for the challenges ahead.

👉 Read the study to learn more: https://ow.ly/oRso50ZmxK0

📸1: Salt marsh mortality, loss, and fragmentation in Chesapeake Bay. Credit: USFWS.
📸2: Mangrove forest mortality, loss, and fragmentation in the Everglades. Credit: USGS.

🌊 From the watershed to the seafloor, USGS science is helping partners better understand, manage, and protect Long Islan...
07/21/2026

🌊 From the watershed to the seafloor, USGS science is helping partners better understand, manage, and protect Long Island Sound.

At the 2026 Long Island Sound Research Conference, USGS scientists shared research on watershed health, coastal change, seafloor mapping, and more, demonstrating how integrated science supports informed decisions, resilient communities, and healthy coastal ecosystems.

👉 Learn more about our participation in this year’s conference and how USGS science is advancing our understanding of Long Island Sound: https://ow.ly/kqGY50ZnsX7

📸: USGS scientists Rachel Henderson and Gina Groseclose discussing USGS science with attendees at the 2026 Long Island Sound Research Conference. Credit: Chris Schubert, USGS.

07/09/2026

🌊 Image the seafloor like a boss!

USGS scientists successfully tested SEABOSS 3.0—an updated version of our seafloor imaging and sampling system designed for deeper-water work (up to 500 meters)—in a test well in Woods Hole, MA.

This new instrument will expand the reach of USGS research and improve our understanding of the seafloor.

👉 Read the article to learn more: https://ow.ly/NPh450ZirW7

📸: USGS scientists deploying SEABOSS 3.0 in the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s test well in Woods Hole, MA. Credit: USGS.

07/08/2026

🛩️Eyes in the Sky Track Coastal Change from Hurricanes🗺️

Following the back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton in October 2024, USGS collected thousands of overlapping aerial photographs to produce high-resolution orthomosaic images (map-like aerial views) and three-dimensional digital elevation models, enabling detailed measurement of landcover type and surface elevations. These data are used to map and measure hurricane impacts along affected coastal regions, including:

✅Documenting infrastructure damage
✅Identifying overwash and barrier island breaches
✅Mapping land cover changes
✅Calculating erosion and sand deposition
✅Updating coastal elevation metrics that indicate vulnerability

Explore the data: https://ow.ly/wuHh50Zjn5Y

📷: Animated GIF shows an aerial view of Milton Pass, Florida, before Hurricane Helene and after Hurricane Milton

A lot can happen in 100 years... 🫣🌊We published a new dataset documenting shoreline positions for the Alabama coast from...
07/06/2026

A lot can happen in 100 years... 🫣🌊

We published a new dataset documenting shoreline positions for the Alabama coast from the 1800s through the 2020s.

Understanding how shorelines change over time helps identify areas at risk from erosion or likely to gain shoreline through accretion.

This information helps coastal managers and communities make decisions that improve coastal resilience in the face of storms, sea-level rise, and other coastal change hazards.

👉 Download the data: https://ow.ly/P9W650ZhxAX

📸: Aerial photograph looking west along Dauphin Island, Alabama. Credit: USGS.

🌊✨ Sharpening our view of Cascadia’s offshore faults Scientists are using newly processed seismic data to get clearer im...
07/01/2026

🌊✨ Sharpening our view of Cascadia’s offshore faults

Scientists are using newly processed seismic data to get clearer images of the seafloor and the layers beneath it along the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

These sharper images help us trace offshore faults more accurately and build updated 3D models, helping scientists better understand earthquake hazards along the Pacific Northwest coast.

👉 Read the report to learn more: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20512959

📸: USGS scientists preparing a seismic streamer for deployment offshore northern Cascadia. This instrument is used to record sound waves that bounce back from beneath the seafloor to create detailed maps of subsurface geological structures.

06/26/2026

When you hear “modeling” you may think of magazine covers and runway shows, but we think of science! 😜🌊

Models help scientists understand the complexities of coastal landscape change by providing representations of natural systems. By simulating the forces that shape our shorelines, USGS modeling supports hazard forecasting, resiliency planning, ecosystem management, land‑use decisions, and emergency response preparations.

✨ A new geonarrative on coastal modeling explains what models are, why we use them, and how they help us understand coastal change.

Whether you're a coastal resident, student, decision maker, or simply curious about how USGS predicts coastal hazards, this resource offers a clear, engaging way to learn about the science behind our forecasts and long‑term coastal assessments.

👉 Start exploring: https://geonarrative.usgs.gov/cch-models/

📸: Atmospheric model for Hurricane Florence. The animation shows the changing atmospheric pressure and wind fields during the storm as simulated by the model. Arrows display wind direction, colors indicate atmospheric pressure ranging from 97,500 pascals (red) to 102,460 pascals (blue).

🏖️ How much has America's coastline changed over the last 188 years?We released a compilation of long-term shoreline cha...
06/24/2026

🏖️ How much has America's coastline changed over the last 188 years?

We released a compilation of long-term shoreline change rates for the contiguous United States, covering data from 1830 to 2018.

The USGS maintains nationwide shoreline positions using both historical and modern sources. The positions are analyzed with the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to estimate how coasts have eroded or accreted over time.

This work helps identify coastlines most vulnerable to future change and supports coastal planning and hazard mitigation.

🌊 Explore the full dataset: https://ow.ly/e6Lc50Z7gh6.

📸: Fire Island, New York showing back barrier, dunes, beach, and nearshore environments.

📊🏘️Science that supports safer, more resilient coastal communities in Long Island Sound.The U.S. Environmental Protectio...
06/23/2026

📊🏘️Science that supports safer, more resilient coastal communities in Long Island Sound.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency partnered with the USGS to expand and update the National Shoreline Change database and the Coastal Change Likelihood assessment for Long Island Sound.

These products give communities and coastal managers a clearer picture of how the shoreline has changed over time and where future change is most likely. That means better planning, stronger resilience, and more informed decisions to protect homes, infrastructure, and natural resources.

🌅Read the article to learn more: https://ow.ly/eOip50Z8WAA.

📸: Map showing long-term shoreline change rate variations for coastal Long Island Sound.

🌱🔎 Monitoring change at the Lower Darby Creek Area Superfund Site The USGS used small uncrewed aircraft systems to map p...
06/20/2026

🌱🔎 Monitoring change at the Lower Darby Creek Area Superfund Site

The USGS used small uncrewed aircraft systems to map parts of the Lower Darby Creek Area Superfund Site in southeastern Pennsylvania in March and August 2025. Using aerial photos, multispectral imagery, and lidar, we created high-resolution elevation models and image mosaics to help the EPA track site conditions through the seasons.

In March, clear elevation data was captured, while summer flights in August documented vegetation growth and landscape change. These datasets build on earlier collections and lay the groundwork for long-term monitoring of remediation progress and storm impacts.

✨View the data release: https://ow.ly/jkGt50Z7N7V.

📸: Preparing the small uncrewed aircraft system to collect lidar data.

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