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USGS Western Coastal & Marine Geology Team: 2004

Menlo Park & Santa Cruz, California

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The Western Coastal and Marine Geology (WCMG) Team of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies the Pacific Coast of the Western United States, adjoining ocean waters, and other waterways. Team scientists conduct marine research, monitor ocean processes, and provide information about geologic hazards, environmental conditions, habitats, and energy and mineral resources. USGS activities help managers at all levels of government and in the private sector make informed decisions about the use and protection of national coastal and marine resources. 

Locations and Personnel

The WCMG Team consists of about 120 people located in Menlo Park and Santa Cruz, California. Our Marine Facility is located in Santa Cruz. Work and staff are integrated with the other USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP) centers in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Examples of Current Research

Read about the hottest research news and information in the CMGP monthly newsletter Sound Waves.

Tsunami Hazards: USGS researchers are working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other organizations to develop probabilistic inundation-hazard maps for use by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). They are also seeking evidence of ancient tsunamis in southern California that may be associated with the huge landslide deposits identified in offshore bathymetric and seismic-reflection data. [ see also Coastal and Marine Catastrophic Hazards Project ]

 

Benthic Habitats:

U.S. Geological Survey scientists about to deploy a video sled
to study benthic habitats in Glacier Bay, Alaska

Seafloor characteristics affect the distribution, abundance, and behavior of bottom-dwelling fish and shellfish of commercial and recreational value. USGS scientists are mapping benthic (seafloor) habitats offshore California and Alaska to better understand seabed dynamics and to support State and national management efforts.

 

Landslides: Team scientists are using ground-penetrating radar and other remote-sensing tools to study landslides and ground failures in coastal environments of central California, Puget Sound (Washington), and Alaska. A project with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is investigating recent and historical landslides along the Big Sur coast to assess the hazard for California Highway 1 and to determine impacts on the coastal environment.

 

Coral Reefs: USGS scientists are mapping the distribution and condition of coral reefs as part of a national effort to understand and protect these fragile environments. Projects are underway in Hawaii in cooperation with the National Park Service, the University of Hawaii, and others.

 

Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound Project: USGS scientists are investigating present-day water-circulation and sediment-transport patterns in nearshore environments of Puget Sound, Washington, to document the characteristics, evolution, and geologic processes of estuarine and marine habitats. This work contributes to the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project, a cooperative effort involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and many State and local agencies.

 

Southern California Sediment:

Overall perspective view of the Los Angeles Margin and Basin looking east. The distance across the bottom of the image is about 100 km with a vertical exaggeration of 6x. The margin is bisected by a series of large underwater canyons, channels, and gullies. Underwater landslides occur along the steep slope off the Palos Verdes Peninsula depositing large blocks into the deeper basin.

Team scientists are studying the distribution of sediment and pollutants offshore heavily populated southern California. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local sanitation districts help support this work, which includes investigating and modeling processes that transport sediment and pollutants through coastal waters. [ see Southern California Contaminant Processes; Studies of Polluted Sediment Offshore Los Angeles; and The California Urban Ocean Project ]

 

Earthquake Hazards:

Photo showing damage done to structures
during the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.

The USGS is mapping and documenting the locations, geometry, slip rates, and earthquake-recurrence intervals of active faults offshore California and the Pacific Northwest-information essential for seismic-hazard assessment and mitigation. [ see Cascadia Earthquakes and Tsunami Hazard Studies; Coastal and Marine Catastrophic Hazards Project; Central California/San Francisco Bay Earthquake Hazards Project; other earthquake information links ]

 

Extreme-Event Response:

El Niño storm conditions at Its Beach, Santa Cruz, February 8, 1998

After wildfires ravaged southern California in fall 2003, USGS researchers deployed instruments off the Santa Clara River, which drains one of the largest coastal watersheds in the region. These instruments recorded the transport of a large volume of sediment washed to the ocean by erosion of the denuded slopes. A followup coring study was conducted to determine the amount and chemical composition of this sediment and its effects on the marine environment. [ see USGS El Niño Information ]

 

Beyond Pacific Shores:

Oblique view of Crater Lake caldera looking southeast from Devils Backbone. The colored region is shaded-relief bathymetry of the lake floor and the gray region is shaded-relief topography of the surrounding caldera walls and Wizard Island. The distance across the bottom of the image is approximately 6 kilometers (3.7 miles).

USGS scientists are conducting geologic mapping in southeastern Lake Michigan and are using lidar (an airborne laser mapping system) to map geology of lake-trout habitat in northern Lake Michigan. Program scientists are making high-resolution maps of deep-water reefs on the Gulf Coast and of western lakes such as Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake, and lakes behind dams on the Columbia River. Marine research technology is also being applied in studies of river sand critical to habitats in the Grand Canyon.

For More Information, contact:

Dr. Samuel Y. Johnson, Chief Scientist
USGS Pacific Science Center
400 Natural Bridges Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 427-4746
sjohnson@usgs.gov

Also, see the official USGS publication of this information:
U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2004-3075; 2004
"USGS Western Coastal and Marine Geology Team, 2004" online at:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3075/