USGS Coastal and Ocean Science

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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.

🏖️ Tracking Mississippi’s changing coastline A newly released USGS dataset compiles shoreline positions and shoreline ch...
10/22/2026

🏖️ Tracking Mississippi’s changing coastline

A newly released USGS dataset compiles shoreline positions and shoreline change rates for the Mississippi coast from the 1800s through the 2020s. Using historical maps, aerial photographs, lidar data, and other coastal surveys, researchers created a comprehensive record of how the shoreline has shifted over time.

📍Why it matters:
✅ Reveals long-term patterns of coastal erosion and shoreline growth.
✅ Identifies areas most vulnerable to future change.
✅ Supports coastal resilience and hazard planning.
✅ Provides actionable information for homeowners, communities, and resource managers.

The dataset was analyzed using the USGS Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS), helping turn decades of shoreline observations into valuable insights for decision-making along Mississippi's coast.

As coastal hazards continue to evolve, long-term shoreline records remain one of the most powerful tools for understanding where change is occurring and where it may happen next.

👉 Download the data: https://ow.ly/2RYl50ZXAxM

📸1: Mississippi coastline.
📸2: Map view showing coverage of shoreline change analysis for coastal Mississippi.

Credit: USGS

💡 From frozen methane to flowing energy Gas hydrates beneath Alaska's North Slope are thought to hold enormous amounts o...
10/20/2026

💡 From frozen methane to flowing energy

Gas hydrates beneath Alaska's North Slope are thought to hold enormous amounts of methane, potentially rivaling the area's conventional natural gas resources. A new study provides important clues about where this methane comes from and how these reservoirs behave during production.

Researchers found the hydrate reservoir was filled almost entirely with methane produced naturally by microbes over time, with only trace amounts originating from deeper oil and gas systems. The study also showed the gas-bearing reservoir remained largely isolated from the surrounding sediments during a 151-day production test, allowing gas to be recovered efficiently while limiting water inflow.

These findings help explain the surprisingly high gas-to-water production ratios observed during the test and improve our understanding of how gas hydrate reservoirs function beneath Arctic permafrost. This is a significant step forward in evaluating the potential of gas hydrates as an energy resource and in understanding the geology and microbiology that create and preserve these unique methane accumulations.

👉 Read the journal article to learn more: https://ow.ly/5zfC50ZXkSq

📸: A drill rig at the Mount Elbert test site in Alaska's North Slope, just west of Prudhoe Bay. Photo credit: Tim Collett, USGS.

✨ How “seal” sediments protect gas hydrate reservoirs in AlaskaUSGS researchers released new findings on the fine‑graine...
10/15/2026

✨ How “seal” sediments protect gas hydrate reservoirs in Alaska

USGS researchers released new findings on the fine‑grained “seal” sediments that sit above the B1 sand gas hydrate reservoir on Alaska’s North Slope. These sediments play a big role in safe and efficient methane production, helping to keep gas from escaping and limit water from flowing into the reservoir during depressurization.

Laboratory tests show these overlying sediments have very low permeability and respond to pressure changes in ways that strengthen their ability to act as an effective seal. Their stability helps ensure the reservoir can be depressurized efficiently for long‑term gas hydrate production testing.

👉 Read the journal article: https://ow.ly/bNfa50ZOkae

📸: USGS geotechnical engineer at the gas hydrate production test site on the North Slope of Alaska. Photo credit: USGS.

🪨 New study shows how well cements perform in Arctic gas hydrate wells 🪨USGS scientists have published new findings on t...
10/13/2026

🪨 New study shows how well cements perform in Arctic gas hydrate wells 🪨

USGS scientists have published new findings on the strength and stiffness of the specialized cements used to anchor fiber optic sensors in Alaska’s extended‑duration gas hydrate production test wells. These measurements help researchers understand how well the cements cured, bonded, and protected the sensors—critical for interpreting how the reservoir changes over time.

The study shows the cements reached stable strength months before testing began, and evaluation logs indicate generally good bonding throughout key reservoir intervals.

👉 Read the journal article: https://ow.ly/U1Qf50ZOjsA

📸: Gas hydrate production test site on the Alaska North Slope. Photo credit: Bill Waite, USGS.

🌊🌿 Marsh migration potential in the Northeastern U.S. Salt marshes are powerful coastal defenders—absorbing carbon, buff...
10/08/2026

🌊🌿 Marsh migration potential in the Northeastern U.S.

Salt marshes are powerful coastal defenders—absorbing carbon, buffering storms, and supporting ecosystems. As sea level rises, many marshes can migrate landward, but how much space do they have to move?

Our new data release provides the first regional estimates of marsh migration potential from Maine to Virginia, using NOAA marsh migration predictions and local sea-level rise scenarios. Each marsh unit is evaluated for its available migration area and its potential annual migration rate, helping coastal managers better anticipate where wetlands may adapt and where they may be at risk.

This work supports the USGS effort to expand coastal change hazard assessments to wetlands nationwide, giving resource managers the tools they need to understand vulnerability and protect ecosystem services vital to coastal communities.

📊 Explore the data: https://ow.ly/m2x450ZOgYS

📸: Marsh migration potential in response to sea level rise in New Jersey. Photo credit: USGS.

✨How consistent are your spectrometers? A new USGS study puts them to the test.USGS scientists and partners have publish...
10/05/2026

✨How consistent are your spectrometers? A new USGS study puts them to the test.

USGS scientists and partners have published a new study proposing a framework to evaluate how different spectrometers perform in both lab and field settings—critical for improving vegetation mapping with uncrewed aerial systems.

By testing instruments in controlled and real‑world environments, the team found that two commonly used devices provided consistent spectral measurements, helping ensure reliable ground data during uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operations when budgets or field conditions limit equipment choices.

Their approach helps scientists better understand when and why measurements differ and strengthens the calibration and validation of UAS multispectral imagery used to monitor ecosystems, wetlands, and landscape change.

Read the journal article 👉 https://ow.ly/N20l50ZO2b0

📸: Testing a spectrometer on a beach in Cape Cod, MA. Photo credit: USGS

🌊🌱 How restoring tides can help (and challenge) salt marsh recovery A new USGS‑supported study explores how restoring ti...
10/01/2026

🌊🌱 How restoring tides can help (and challenge) salt marsh recovery

A new USGS‑supported study explores how restoring tidal flow affects the future of the Herring River salt marsh in Cape Cod. After decades of restricted tides, the marsh faces major ecological and hydrologic changes that complicate restoration.

Using a combined hydrodynamic and marsh‑growth model, researchers tested how the marsh responds to restored tidal flow, rising sea levels, and potential management actions. They found that reintroducing tides boosts marsh health in the short term—but long‑term resilience requires targeted interventions like sediment placement and channel improvements. Without them, many areas could convert to open water by 2100.

This research provides coastal managers with actionable science to guide restoration strategies and strengthen marsh resilience.

Read the publication 👉 https://ow.ly/IrJo50ZO0pe

📸: Map of the Herring River estuary, MA. The coupled model boundary is shown in orange and includes the other outlined areas. The Lower Herring River, Pole D**e Creek, and Duck Harbor are shown in green, pink, and yellow, respectively. The blue line represents the location of the tidal boundary. Blue triangles show the location of freshwater inputs, red circles show the location of water level stations used for calibration and validation of the hydrodynamic model, and white squares show the location of culverts. The Chequessett Neck Road (CNR) d**e separates Wellfleet Harbor from the Herring River estuary, and High Toss Road separates the Lower Herring River from the upper parts of the estuary. Map imagery from ESRI.

🌱 Where are New Hampshire’s salt marshes most resilient and most vulnerable? USGS scientists mapped New Hampshire’s salt...
09/28/2026

🌱 Where are New Hampshire’s salt marshes most resilient and most vulnerable?

USGS scientists mapped New Hampshire’s salt marshes into smaller units and characterized how key factors vary across the landscape, including marsh elevation, tidal range, the ratio of unvegetated to vegetated marsh, and estimated marsh lifespan.

Together, these metrics reveal differences in marsh condition and resilience and can help managers identify areas that may be more vulnerable to coastal change and prioritize restoration efforts.

👉 Explore the data release: https://ow.ly/afEQ50ZNYsY

📸: Salt marsh with ponding. Photo credit: USGS.

🌊 Preparing for current and future coastal hazards Our coastlines are home to millions of people, important wildlife, an...
09/24/2026

🌊 Preparing for current and future coastal hazards

Our coastlines are home to millions of people, important wildlife, and beautiful scenery, but they face big challenges from impactful events like hurricanes to the steady changes caused by rising sea levels. Though natural hazards are unavoidable, their impact can be reduced with proper preparedness.

The USGS provides products, data, and tools that can help, including:

✅ Coastal Change Hazards Portal—an interactive map with downloadable datasets and layers that display extreme storms, shoreline changes, and sea level rise.

✅ Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS)—models future coastal flooding and shoreline change due to both sea level rise and storms.

✅ Total Water Level and Coastal Change Forecast Viewer—provides six-day, hourly forecasts of the magnitude, timing, and duration of total water level at the shoreline and likely coastal change impacts.

✅ Coral reefs as coastal protection models—measures the protection coral reefs provide to people, businesses, and infrastructure.

✅ Coastal Change Likelihood Assessment—evaluates the likelihood of coastal change along U.S. coastlines on a decadal scale.

👉 Learn more: https://ow.ly/qFvi50ZNXgs

📸: Two USGS scientists launching an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) into the ocean from a Long Island, New York beach. ADCPs are underwater sonar devices that measure the speed and direction of water currents across an entire vertical water column. Photo credit: USGS.

🌱🌊 New Chesapeake Bay dataset reveals where marshes are most at risk USGS scientists released a dataset estimating wave ...
09/22/2026

🌱🌊 New Chesapeake Bay dataset reveals where marshes are most at risk

USGS scientists released a dataset estimating wave power and related erosion and land loss along marsh shorelines in Chesapeake Bay. By combining long‑term wave conditions with shoreline mapping, this work highlights which marsh areas face the greatest pressure from waves and can help indicate where restoration or protection could make the biggest difference.

📊 Explore the data: https://doi.org/10.5066/P14HQC7K

📸: Mean wave power along Chesapeake Bay salt marsh shorelines measured in watts per meter. Photo credit: USGS.

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