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At least 451 records · Page 25Linked to original sources
USGS1997

Modeling hurricane effects on mangrove ecosystems

Mangrove ecosystems are at their most northern limit along the coastline of Florida and in isolated areas of the gulf coast in Louisiana and Texas. Mangroves are marine-based forests that have adapted to colonize and persist in salty intertidal waters. Three species of mangrove trees are common to the United States, black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), and red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). Mangroves are highly productive ecosystems and provide valuable habitat for fisheries and shorebirds. They are susceptible to lightning and hurricane disturbance, both of which occur frequently in south Florida. Climate change studies predict that, while these storms may not become more frequent, they may become more intense with warming sea temperatures. Sea-level rise alone has the potential for increasing the severity of storm surge, particularly in areas where coastal habitats and barrier shorelines are rapidly deteriorating. Given this possibility, U.S. Geological Survey researchers modeled the impact of hurricanes on south Florida mangrove communities.

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USGS2004

Novel geophysical and geochemical techniques used to study submarine groundwater discharge in Biscayne Bay, Florida

Introduction Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a problem of major proportions on a world-wide scale. The ubiquitous nature of SGD along varied coastlines and its importance to coastal water and geochemical budgets have recently been thrust into the global spotlight . For example, the discharge of nutrient-enriched groundwater into coastal waters may cause nutrient imbalances that can lead to eutrophication or near-shore micro-organism blooms . Similarly, SGD can also directly affect threatened coastal freshwater resources and impact fragile coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs. Recently, much effort has been devoted to developing and adapting new tracer techniques and methods for the identification and quantification of SGD. As the discharge of coastal groundwater most often occurs as diffuse seepage rather than through a single vent feature, assessing SGD has remained difficult for both oceanographers and hydrologists alike. Burnett and colleagues have developed a systematic approach to investigate SGD by using a combination of both physical seepage measurements and a suite of naturally occurring isotopic tracers in the U/Th decay chain – 222 Rn and 223,224,226,228 Ra. Manheim et al. further extended SGD investigations by adapting geophysical resistivity techniques to examine fine-scale change in conductivity fields within coastal sediments. Such streaming resistivity profiling has been successfully applied to identify sites of SGD, as well as the dynamic position of the fresh water/saltwater interface.

Florida↗
USGS2004

Nutrient controls on biocomplexity of mangrove ecosystems

Mangrove forests are important coastal ecosystems that provide a variety of ecological and societal services. These intertidal, tree-dominated communities along tropical coastlines are often described as “simple systems,” compared to other tropical forests with larger numbers of plant species and multiple understory strata; however, mangrove ecosystems have complex trophic structures, and organisms exhibit unique physiological, morphological, and behavioral adaptations to environmental conditions characteristic of the land-sea interface. Biogeochemical functioning of mangrove forests is also controlled by interactions among the microbial, plant, and animal communities and feedback linkages mediated by hydrology and other forcing functions. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the National Wetlands Research Center are working to understand more fully the impact of nutrient variability on these delicate and important ecosystems.

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USGS2006

Land-based lidar mapping: a new surveying technique to shed light on rapid topographic change

The rate of natural change in such dynamic environments as rivers and coastlines can sometimes overwhelm the monitoring capacity of conventional surveying methods. In response to this limitation, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are pioneering new applications of light detection and ranging (lidar), a laser-based scanning technology that promises to greatly increase our ability to track rapid topographic changes and manage their impact on affected communities.

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USGS2008

Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center - Who We Are and What We Do

To understand our planet at local, regional, national, and global scales, people need information about Earth's land surfaces and how they are changing. Land remote sensing is the key to gathering this information. Satellites that capture detailed images of Earth's continents, islands, and coastlines are and have been EROS' primary source of remotely sensed data since the Center opened in 1973. EROS is probably best known as the USGS receiving station for Landsat satellite images. However, we acquire data and images from many other satellites, as well as from other kinds of remote sensing instruments. Roughly 1.5 terabytes* of information arrive at EROS every day to become part of the largest civilian archive of remotely sensed land data in the world. The archive represents a perfectly preserved 70-year record of Earth's land surfaces and serves as an invaluable resource for documenting how they have changed over time. *One terabyte = 1,000 gigabytes

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USGS2010

Impacts and predictions of coastal change during hurricanes

Beaches serve as a natural barrier between the ocean and inland communities, ecosystems, and resources. These dynamic environments move and change in response to winds, waves, and currents. During a powerful hurricane, changes to beaches can be large, and the results are sometimes catastrophic. Lives are lost, communities are destroyed, and millions of dollars are spent on rebuilding. There is a clear need to identify areas of our coastline that are likely to experience extreme and devastating erosion during a hurricane. It is also important to determine risk levels associated with development in areas where the land shifts and moves with each landfalling storm. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides scientific support for hurricane planning and response. Using observations of beach changes and models of waves and storm surge, we are predicting how the coast will respond to hurricanes and identifying areas vulnerable to extreme coastal changes.

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USGS2010

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Western Region: Coastal ecosystem responses to influences from land and sea, Coastal and Ocean Science

Sea otters and the nearshore ecosystems they inhabit-from highly urbanized California to relatively pristine Alaska-are the focus of a new multidisciplinary study by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and a suite of international, academic and government collaborators. The Coastal Ecosystem Responses to Influences from Land and Sea project will investigate the many interacting variables that influence the health of coastal ecosystems along the Northeast Pacific shore. These ecosystems face unprecedented challenges, with threats arising from the adjacent oceans and lands. From the ocean, challenges include acidification, sea level rise, and warming. From the land, challenges include elevated biological, geological and chemical pollutants associated with burgeoning human populations along coastlines. The implications of these challenges for biological systems are only beginning to be explored. Comparing sea otter population status indicators from around the northeastern Pacific Rim, will begin the process of defining factors of coastal ecosystem health in this broad region.

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USGS2011

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the West African Costal Province, West Africa

The West African Coastal Province along the west African coastline recently was assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids resources as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's USGS World Oil and Gas Assessment. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimated mean volumes of 3.2 billion barrels of oil, 23.63 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 721 million barrels of natural gas liquids.

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USGS2013

Coastal processes influencing water quality at Great Lakes beaches

In a series of studies along the Great Lakes, U.S. Geological Survey scientists are examining the physical processes that influence concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria and related pathogens at recreational beaches. These studies aim to estimate human health risk, improve management strategies, and understand the fate and transport of microbes in the nearshore area. It was determined that embayed beaches act as traps, accumulating Escherichia coli (E. coli) and other bacteria in the basin and even in beach sand. Further, shear stress and wave run-up could resuspend accumulated bacteria, leading to water-contamination events. These findings are being used to target beach design and circulation projects. In previous research, it was determined that E. coli followed a diurnal pattern, with concentrations decreasing throughout the day, largely owing to solar inactivation, but rebounding overnight. Studies at a Chicago beach identified the impact of wave-induced mass transport on this phenomenon, a finding that will extend our understanding of bacterial fate in the natural environment. In another series of studies, scientists examined the impact of river outfalls on bacteria concentrations, using mechanistic and empirical modeling. Through these studies, the models can indicate range and extent of impact, given E. coli concentration in the source water. These findings have been extended to extended lengths of coastlines and have been applied in beach management using empirical predictive modeling. Together, these studies are helping scientists identify and eliminate threats to human and coastal health.

Great Lakes Beaches↗
USGS2013

Assessing hazards along our Nation's coasts

Coastal areas are essential to the economic, cultural, and environmental health of the Nation, yet by nature coastal areas are constantly changing due to a variety of events and processes. Extreme storms can cause dramatic changes to our shorelines in a matter of hours, while sea-level rise can profoundly alter coastal environments over decades. These changes can have a devastating impact on coastal communities, such as the loss of homes built on retreating sea cliffs or protective dunes eroded by storm waves. Sometimes, however, the changes can be positive, such as new habitat created by storm deposits. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is meeting the need for scientific understanding of how our coasts respond to different hazards with continued assessments of current and future changes along U.S. coastlines. Through the National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards (NACCH), the USGS carries out the unique task of quantifying coastal change hazards along open-ocean coasts in the United States and its territories. Residents of coastal communities, emergency managers, and other stakeholders can use science-based data, tools, models, and other products to improve planning and enhance resilience.

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USGS2018

Landscapes from the waves—Marine terraces of California

Many coastlines around the world have stair-step landforms, known as marine terraces. Marine terraces make up a large part of coastal California’s landscape—from San Diego to Crescent City. Find out how these landscapes form, why marine terraces are of interest to scientists, and where you can explore these landscapes.

California↗
USGS2018

Biological and ecological science for Michigan—The Great Lakes State

Michigan is rich in lakes, rivers, dune and rocky shorelines, forests, fish and wildlife, and has the longest freshwater coastline in the United States, 3,224 miles. Many enterprises critical to Michigan’s economy and cultural heritage are based on natural resources including commercial and sport fishing, hunting, and other outdoor recreation. Overall, outdoor recreation is enjoyed by more than 63 percent of Michigan residents, and has been estimated to generate $18.7 billion in consumer spending, create 194,000 jobs, and raise $1.4 billion in State and local tax revenue annually.

Michigan↗
USGS2020

Maine and Landsat

Maine is a place of rocky coastlines, of rich maritime history symbolized by lighthouses dotting the ocean bluffs, and of wondrous nature areas like the granite and spruce islands of Acadia National Park. But Maine is a place of changes, too. Climate variability has brought the state heavier and more frequent rainstorms. Summers are hotter and drier. With sea levels rising, severe storms increasingly cause floods that damage property and infrastructure. In the coming decades, Landsat satellite systems can be valuable tools in monitoring those changes and their effects on the land and in the water.

Maine↗
USGS2021

Texas and Landsat

The State of Texas has the largest land area of any in the contiguous United States, and its sprawling landscapes show rich geographic diversity. The Lone Star State has cactus flats in the high plains of its far western panhandle, rolling hills in its western Trans-Pecos region, farms and ranchlands stretching across central Texas, thick forests and swamplands spread through the east, and 3,359 miles of Gulf of America coastline. The consistent, reliable, and historically unique Landsat data archive provides an important tool for Texans to track landscape changes and enhance their economy and environment.

Texas↗
USGS2021

Oregon and Landsat

Oregon’s landscape is as complex and diverse as it is beautiful. Mountain peaks in the Cascade Range soar higher than 10,000 feet. Crater Lake sinks to a depth of 1,943 feet, making it the deepest lake in the United States. Oregon’s lands feature forests, farm fields, grasslands, ocean coastline, rivers, a semidesert, and mountain ranges that stretch across the State. A wide range of birds, animals, and fish—including 16 federally endangered species—share this space with more than 4 million people. With Oregon’s economy tied to these natural resources, industries like agriculture, timber, and fishing interlace with the well-being of wildlife and residents. Landsat data and imagery are one of many U.S. Geological Survey tools used by State resource managers and scientists to help achieve a natural balance and provide information about forests, habitats, and much more to Oregon decision makers. This will become even more important as research indicates climate change will make extreme weather more likely, leading to the likely increase in droughts, infestation, wildfires, and other natural hazards.

Oregon↗
USGS2021

Michigan and Landsat

Water means a lot to Michigan, often called the Great Lakes State. The name “Michigan” comes from an Ojibwe word meaning large, or great, water or lake. As the only State touching four of the five Great Lakes—Michigan, Superior, Huron, and Erie—it claims the longest freshwater coastline in the United States. Yet Michigan is not just about water—forests, agriculture, mines, cities, and even sand dunes stretch across the State’s landscape. Much of what happens on the land does connect in some way with Michigan’s inland and coastal waters. Michigan relies on a healthy environment to support its residents, abundant tourists, and diverse species of wildlife that call the State and its surrounding waters home. From hundreds of miles above, Landsat satellites provide a clearer picture of the connections among land, water, and the people and wildlife that inhabit the State.

Michigan↗
USGS2022

Washington and Landsat

Washington is a State of untamed wonders, from its ruggedly beautiful coastline to the volcanic peaks of the Cascades. “The Evergreen State” is also a State of contrasts, home to rainforests west of the Cascades and deserts to the east. Half of Washington is forested, and its orchards grow more than one-half of the apples sold in the United States. Rivers are important to the State, particularly the Columbia River, the largest North American river that flows into the Pacific Ocean. Dozens of dams have been constructed in the river basin, including the largest hydroelectric producer in the Nation, the Grand Coulee Dam. Washington’s diverse landscapes also change in various ways over time. Some are relatively steady, like urban expansion in the populous Puget Sound region. Others can be sudden, like the Mount Saint Helens eruption in 1980—one of the largest volcanic eruptions that caused the largest landslide in U.S. history. Although landscape change may be hard to detect at any one time, the Landsat program provides an objective view of it over decades. Landsat not only allows one to see what Mount Saint Helens looked like before and after the eruption, but also how the area has evolved since. Here are a few examples of how Landsat benefits Washington.

Washington↗
USGS2022

Georgia and Landsat

Georgia’s nickname is “The Peach State” for its fruitful production, but it also could be called “The State of Abundance.” Georgia ranks in the top 10 States for population, at more than 10 million residents, and 6 million residents are in the greater Atlanta area. Georgia also ranks in the top 10 States for forest areas with 24 million acres, or about two-thirds of the State. Its trees vary from deciduous hardwoods and pines to cypress and magnolias. Georgia has diverse ecosystems, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northeast to the hilly, populous Piedmont region in the middle to the vast Coastal Plains that cover the southern half of the State with farms, forests, and wetlands. The State’s 14 major river basins, including the Chattahoochee and the Savannah, ultimately drain to the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of America. Millions of acres of wetlands include floodplain wetlands, freshwater swamps such as the Okefenokee Swamp, and coastal marshes. More than a dozen barrier islands lie off Georgia’s coastline. Wildlife in these myriad habitats include black bears, alligators, armadillos, manatees, sea turtles, and more than 40 species of snakes. The Landsat satellite imagery scale and its 50-year record of Earth observations make Landsat ideal for monitoring changes in these diverse environments and supporting decision-making by government officials and land managers.

Georgia↗