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USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP)

Severe West Coast Erosion During 2015-16 El Niño

Do tsunamis pose a threat to the U.S. eastern and gulf coasts?

Long-lived boulder corals: an oceanic counterpart to tree rings.

New Technique Quickly Predicts Salt Marsh Vulnerability

New Mapping Technology

New technology allows amazingly accurate maps to be made from a collection of images taken with a digital camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle

Severe West Coast Erosion During 2015-16 El Niño

USGS scientists and colleagues document how the winter featured one of the most powerful El Niño climate events of the last 145 years.

Gas Hydrates and Climate

Gas Hydrate Breakdown Unlikely to Cause Massive Greenhouse Gas Release

Advances in Topobathymetric Mapping

Special Issue highlights recent research for understanding the dynamic coastal environment

Storms Batter Santa Cruz, California

A Silver Lining: Atmospheric river brought beneficial sand to beaches

Do tsunamis pose a threat to the U.S. eastern and gulf coasts?

Submarine landslide tsunamis likely constitute the most frequent and largest amplitude tsunami hazard to the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts.

Long-lived boulder corals: an oceanic counterpart to tree rings.

Corals help reconstruct historic ocean temperatures, forecast future trends

New Technique Quickly Predicts Salt Marsh Vulnerability

If coastal salt marshes are like savings accounts, with sediment as the principal, Atlantic and Pacific coast salt marshes studied are "in the red"

How does seagrass impact wave energy?

This paper describes field and model data used to quantify the effects of submerged aquatic vegetation on wave propagation in a back-barrier estuary.

About the Program

USGS coastal and marine geologic research supports understanding of coastal and marine environments, through technology, tools, data and mapping products. Read more

Recent News

USGS Scientists travel to Pacific Panama to study the impacts of climate on coral reefs
Feb. 15, 2017

USGS News Release: Severe West Coast Erosion During 2015-16 El Niño
Feb. 14, 2017

USGS scientist describes techniques for mapping coral reefs
Feb. 13, 2017

USGS Lidar Coordinator to attend International LiDAR Mapping Forum 2017
Feb. 1, 2017

USGS Lidar Coordinator to attend Coastal GeoTools 2017
Jan. 27, 2017

all News

Research Themes

houses on Fire Island damaged by Hurricane Sandy

Understanding Coastal Change

USGS performs studies that document, assess and model coastal change, risk, and vulnerability including historical shoreline change and the geologic structure and history of coastal regions, sediment supply and transport, sea-level rise, and how extreme storm events affect rates and impacts of coastal change. Read more

Devastation of the coastal city of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Geologic Hazards and Catastrophic Events

USGS studies the distribution and hazard potential of coastal and submarine hazard events including earthquakes and submarine landslides, as well as associated tsunami potential; coastal inundation associated with hurricanes, extreme storms, and sea-level rise; oil and gas spills; along with model development to help evaluate and forecast coastal hazard probability and occurrence. Read more

Ocean Resources for America's Needs

USGS conducts research studies focused on geologic mapping, sampling and understanding of mineral and energy resources and studies of the geologic setting and processes to inform renewable energy development offshore. Read more

Coastal and Marine Ecosystem Science

USGS brings together multidisciplinary expertise focused on developing tools and models to improve understanding of how healthy ecosystems function as well as how they respond to environmental changes and human impacts including regional ecosystem restoration. Research studies address coral reef, coastal wetland, benthic habitat and groundwater resources. Read more