Geology ReportsSearch

SEARCH · Geology Reports

Results for “Continental Shelf Research”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Core descriptions, core photographs, physical property logs and surface textural data of sediment cores recovered from the continental shelf of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary during the research cruises M-1-95-MB, P-2-95-MB, and P-1-97-MB

In response to the 1992 creation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) initiated a multiyear investigation of the Sanctuary continental margin. As part of the investigative effort, this report summarizes the shipboard procedures, subsequent laboratory analyses, and data results from three seafloor sampling cruises conducted on the continental shelf between Monterey peninsula, CA and San Francisco, CA. The cruises were conducted in 1995 aboard the NOAA Ship McArthur (M-1-95-MB) and in 1995 and 1997 aboard the R/V Point Sur (P-2-95-MB and P-1-97-MB). Scientists and representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC), and the San Jose State University Moss Landing Marine Laboratory (SJSU-MLML) supported the research effort. In this report we present sediment descriptions, sediment textural data, physical property logs, station metadata, and photographs of subcores from a total of three hundred and eighty four sample stations. At these sites either a box corer, MultiCore™r, grab sampler or a combination of these sampling devices were used to collect the sea floor sediments. The report is presented in an interactive web-based format with each mapped core station linked to the corresponding description and photo, and to a spreadsheet of surface texture and other sampling data.

California

Cruise report; RV Coastal Surveyor Cruise C1-99; multibeam mapping of the Long Beach, California continental shelf; April 12 through May 19, 1999

The greater Los Angeles area of California is home to more than 10 million people. This large population puts increased pressure on the adjacent offshore continental shelf and margin with activities such as ocean disposal for dredged spoils, explosive disposal, waste-water outfall, and commercial fishing. The increased utilization of the shelf and margin in this area has generated accelerated multi-disciplinary research efforts in all aspects of the environment of the coastal zone. Prior to 1996 there were no highly accurate base maps of the continental shelf and slope upon which the research activities could be located and monitored. In 1996, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Seafloor Mapping Project began to address this problem by mapping the Santa Monica shelf and margin (Fig. 1) using a state-of-the-art, high-resolution multibeam sonar system (Gardner, et al., 1996; 1999). Additional seafloor mapping in 1998 provided coverage of the continental margin from south of Newport to the proximal San Pedro Basin northwest of Palos Verdes Peninsula (Gardner, et al., 1998) (Fig. 1). The mapping of the seafloor in the greater Los Angeles continental shelf and margin was completed with a 30-day mapping of the Long Beach shelf in April and May 1999, the subject of this report. The objective of Cruise C-1-99-SC was to completely map the broad continental shelf from the eastern end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the narrow shelf south of Newport Beach, from the break in slope at about 120-m isobath to the inner shelf at about the 10-m isobath. Mapping the Long Beach shelf was jointly funded by the U.S. Geological Survey and the County of Orange (CA) Sanitation District and was conducted under a Cooperative Agreement with the Ocean Mapping Group from the University of New Brunswick (OMG/UNB). The OMG/UNB contracted with C&C Technologies, Inc. of Lafayette, LA for use of the RV Coastal Surveyor and the latest evolution of high-resolution multibeam sonars, a dual Kongsberg Simrad EM3000D.

California

Mississippi/Alabama pinnacle trend ecosystem monitoring Final Synthesis Report

This Final Synthesis Report summarizes a four-year program to characterize and monitor carbonate mounds on the Mississippi/Alabama outer continental shelf (OCS). The study area is shown in Fig.ES.1. The study was conducted by Continental Shelf Associates, Inc. and the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG) of Texas A&M University (TAMU), for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Biological Resources Division.

Biological Science Report

Sediment movement along the U.S. east coast continental shelf-I. Estimates of bottom stress using the Grant-Madsen model and near-bottom wave and current measurements

Bottom stress is calculated for several long-term time-series observations, made on the U.S. east coast continental shelf during winter, using the wave-current interaction and moveable bed models of Grant and Madsen (1979, Journal of Geophysical Research, 84, 1797-1808; 1982, Journal of Geophysical Research, 87, 469-482). The wave and current measurements were obtained by means of a bottom tripod system which measured current using a Savonius rotor and vane and waves by means of a pressure sensor. The variables were burst sampled about 10% of the time. Wave energy was reasonably resolved, although aliased by wave groupiness, and wave period was accurate to 1-2 s during large storms. Errors in current speed and direction depend on the speed of the mean current relative to the wave current. In general, errors in bottom stress caused by uncertainties in measured current speed and wave characteristics were 10-20%. During storms, the bottom stress calculated using the Grant-Madsen models exceeded stress computed from conventional drag laws by a factor of about 1.5 on average and 3 or more during storm peaks. Thus, even in water as deep as 80 m, oscillatory near-bottom currents associated with surface gravity waves of period 12 s or longer will contribute substantially to bottom stress. Given that the Grant-Madsen model is correct, parameterizations of bottom stress that do not incorporate wave effects will substantially underestimate stress and sediment transport in this region of the continental shelf.

Georges Bank, Mid-Atlantic Bight

Coastal and marine science of the U.S. Geological Survey in Woods Hole, Massachusetts

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, is one of three centers serving the mission of the USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program (CMHRP). Since its authorization by Congress in 1962, the CMHRP has served as the primary Federal program for marine geology and physical science research and is responsible for the Nation’s entire coastal and marine landscape. The center’s staff of about 100 conducts scientific research in various locations throughout the United States to describe and understand the processes shaping coastal ecosystems, such as dunes, beaches, salt marshes, and lakes, and marine ecosystems, like the continental shelf and the deep sea. The center’s research products are used by other Federal agencies, State and local entities, private organizations, and the public to make informed decisions about the use, management, and protection of our coastal and marine resources.

Massachsetts

Field observations of bed shear stress and sediment resuspension on continental shelves, Alaska and California

Bed shear stress was estimated using wave and current measurements obtained with the GEOPROBE bottom-tripod system during resuspension events in Norton Sound, Alaska, and on the northern California shelf. The boundary-layer model of Grant and Madsen (1979, Journal of Geophysical Research, 84, 1797-1808) was used to compute the bed shear stress under combined wave-generated and quasi-steady currents. Resuspension events were identified by sudden, large increases in light scattering at 1.9 m above the sea floor. The shear-stress values were used to compute the Shields parameter (??). The results for Norton Sound are in excellent agreement with the Shields threshold criterion; the data for the California shelf plot somewhat above the Shields threshold curve, though generally within the scatter envelope. Although the surface sediments in each area contain substantial fine-grained fractions (mean diameters were 0.007 cm in Norton Sound and 0.002 cm on the California shelf), the results do not indicate significant cohesion, because the sediment was entrained at bed shear-stress values close to those predicted by the modified Shields curve for cohesionless fine-grained particles. We suspect that frequent wave stirring and observed plowing of the surface sediment by benthonic animals maintain a high water content and contribute to the ease with which these materials are resuspended.

Alaska, California

Morphologic evolution of the wilderness area breach at Fire Island, New York—2012–15

Introduction Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall on October 29, 2012, near Atlantic City, New Jersey, had a significant impact on the coastal system along the south shore of Long Island, New York. A record significant wave height of 9.6 meters (m) was measured at wave buoy 44025 , approximately 48 kilometers offshore of Fire Island, New York. Surge and runup during the storm resulted in extensive beach and dune erosion and breaching of the Fire Island barrier island system at two locations, including a breach that formed within the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness area on the eastern side of Fire Island. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a long history of conducting morphologic change and processes research at Fire Island. One of the primary objectives of the current research effort is to understand the morphologic evolution of the barrier system on a variety of time scales (from storm scale to decade(s) to century). A number of studies that support the project objectives have been published. Prior to Hurricane Sandy, however, little information was available on specific storm-driven change in this region. The USGS received Hurricane Sandy supplemental funding (project GS2–2B: Linking Coastal Processes and Vulnerability, Fire Island, New York, Regional Study) to enhance existing research efforts at Fire Island. The existing research was greatly expanded to include inner continental shelf mapping and investigations of processes of inner shelf sediment transport; beach and dune response and recovery; and observation, analysis, and modeling of the newly formed breach in the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness area, herein referred to as the wilderness breach. The breach formed at the site of Old Inlet, which was open from 1763 to 1825. The location of the initial island breaching does not directly correspond with topographic lows of the dunes, but instead the breach formed in the location of a cross-island boardwalk that was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy. From 2013 to November 2015, bathymetric data were collected by the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center during three surveys of the breach channel and tidal shoals, and shoreline positions on each side of the breach (also collected by the National Park Service). Additionally, pre-storm topography/bathymetry EAARL–B light detection and ranging (lidar) data were collected by the USGS the day prior to Hurricane Sandy’s landfall. These data serve as a baseline for change analyses during four subsequent periods: June 2013, June 2014, October 2014, and May 2015. The June 2013 single-beam bathymetry data were collected in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), using the Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo (LARC) vessel, and included the ebb shoal and breach channel. The USGS collected and processed the three additional bathymetric datasets using personal watercraft equipped with single-beam echo sounders and backpack Global Positioning System (GPS) over shallow flood shoals. Eastern and western breach shorelines were surveyed weekly to monthly beginning on November 6, 2012 (by the National Park Service [NPS], and USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center), with measurements made every few weeks for the first year and every few months after October 2013. The NPS and researchers from Stony Brook University monitored the breach by collecting field data of the breach channel bathymetry, conducting aerial photographic overflights, and performing water-quality analyses (see http://po.msrc.sunysb.edu/GSB/ ). The aerial photography collected and rectified by Stony Brook University is used extensively in our morphologic change description to examine changes to breach shorelines (supplementing shoreline data collected in the field), channel width, and orientation. Due to the uncertainties and the variation in survey methods, a rigorous quantitative analysis was not performed. However, average calculations of various breach metrics allow a qualitative analysis of breach development and evolution. This report presents an overview of the data collected and a summary discussion of the observed changes to the breach system and the seasonal wave climatology associated with the breach morphodynamic response.

New York

Pacific walrus population research

Introduction The Pacific walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) occupies shallow continental shelf waters in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. In the winter, walruses breed in the Bering Sea. Adult females, juveniles, and some adult males follow the retreating sea ice north through the Bering Strait in the spring and summer to occupy the Chukchi Sea. Most adult males remain in the Bering Sea in summer (Fay, 1982). Walruses feed on small, bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as clams and marine worms (Sheffield and Grebmeier, 2009). They rest on sea ice or land between periods of foraging. Pacific walruses are a vital subsistence resource for Alaska Native coastal communities. These communities also harvest Pacific walrus to continue important cultural traditions, such as ivory carving. Knowledge about the Pacific walrus population trend and size helps ensure that harvest remains sustainable, supports co-management decisions, and helps identify potential risks to walruses as the Arctic continues to change.

Alaska

Palynology and stratigraphy of Cretaceous strata in Long Island, New York, and Block Island, Rhode Island

Palynologic analysis of core samples from Fire Island well, S21,091T, in southern Long Island and of surface samples from Garvies Point in northern Long Island and from eastern Block Island indicates that the Cretaceous of this region includes Raritan, Magothy, Matawan, and Monmouth (as previously defined) strata, and ranges in age from Cenomanian to Maestrichtian, in agreement with recent studies in New Jersey. In this study, the oldest Cretaceous, which is equivalent to the Woodbridge day Member of the Raritan Formation of New Jersey, occurs just above sea level at Garvies Point, Glen Cove, and in the Port Washington sand pits in northwestern Long Island, whereas sediments from near the base of the Fire Island well arc correlated with the South Amboy Fire Clay Member. The Magothy and Matawan combined in Long Island are about 1,500 ft (457 m) thick, whereas in New Jersey both units rarely exceed a thickness of 500 ft (152 m). Outcropping Cretaceous sediments in Block Island are equivalent to the South Amboy Fire Clay Member rather than the Magothy, as indicated in prior studies. Palynologic zonation of the Late Cretaceous is tentatively extended to Magothy and younger strata on the basis of the appearance and proliferation of the more advanced, angiosperm pollen forms. This study also provides a basis for extending the zonation and hence the correlation to the sediments of the Continental Shelf.

New York, Rhode Island

Sidescan-sonar data collected during May 1978 from the southern New England continental shelf

Sidescan-sonar data were collected aboard R/V WESTWARD (Cruise W-39-4) during May 1978 by the U.S. Geological Survey using an Ocean Research Equipment System. Navigation in the study area was by Loran C. The 368 kilometers of survey were conducted in Block Island Sound, in Rhode Island Sound, and over the mid-Continental Shelf south of Block Island and Martha's Vineyard. Although the records are generally of good quality, variable ship speeds were caused by changes of wind and sail. Thus, care must be used in dimensional and orientation analysis of the bed-form features observed on the records. On the midshelf, three bottom types were observed: 1) smooth, featureless sea floor, 2) elongated bodies of megaripples, and 3) ground-fishing trawler marks. The distribution of the .features seems to be related to current velocity, grain-size distribution, water depth, and fishing intensity. The midshelf survey results are discussed with cruise data of R/V CAPE HENLOPEN (also collected in the spring of 1978) \ by Twichell and others. The sonographs from Block Island and Rhode Island Sounds show a pattern indicative of a till cap atop a submerged part of the coastal end moraine, as well as the megarippled and smooth sea floor. The original records may be examined in the U.S. Geological Survey offices in Woods Hole, Mass. Copies of the records can be purchased only from the National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center, NOAA/EDIS/NGSDC, Code D621 , 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303 (303-497-6338).

Open-File Report

The future of nearshore processes research

The nearshore is the transition region between land and the continental shelf including (from onshore to offshore) coastal plains, wetlands, estuaries, coastal cliffs, dunes, beaches, surf zones (regions of wave breaking), and the inner shelf (Figure ES-1). Nearshore regions are vital to the national economy, security, commerce, and recreation. The nearshore is dynamically evolving, is often densely populated, and is under increasing threat from sea level rise, long-term erosion, extreme storms, and anthropogenic influences. Worldwide, almost one billion people live at elevations within 10 m of present sea level. Long-term erosion threatens communities, infrastructure, ecosystems, and habitat. Extreme storms can cause billions of dollars of damage. Degraded water quality impacts ecosystem and human health. Nearshore processes, the complex interactions between water, sediment, biota, and humans, must be understood and predicted to manage this often highly developed yet vulnerable nearshore environment. Over the past three decades, the understanding of nearshore processes has improved. However, societal needs are growing with increased coastal urbanization and threats of future climate change, and significant scientific challenges remain. To address these challenges, members of academia, industry, and federal agencies (USGS, USACE, NPS, NOAA, FEMA, ONR) met at the “The Past and Future of Nearshore Processes Research: Reflections on the Sallenger Years and a New Vision for the Future” workshop to develop a nearshore processes research vision where societal needs and science challenges intersect. The resulting vision is comprised of three broad research themes: Long-term coastal evolution due to natural and anthropogenic processes: As global climate change alters the rates of sea level rise and potentially storm patterns and coastal urbanization increases over the coming decades, an understanding of coastal evolution is critical. Improved knowledge of long-term morphological, ecological, and societal processes and their interactions will result in an improved ability to simulate coastal change. This will enable proactive solutions for resilient coasts and better guidance for reducing coastal vulnerability. Extreme Events: Flooding, erosion, and the subsequent recovery: Hurricane Sandy caused flooding and erosion along hundreds of miles of shoreline, flooded New York City, and impacted communities and infrastructure. Overall U.S. coastal extreme event related economic losses have increased substantially. Furthermore, climate change may cause an increase in coastal extreme events and rising sea levels could increase the occurrence of extreme events. Addressing this research theme will result in an improved understanding of the physical processes during extreme events, leading to improved models of flooding, erosion, and recovery. The resulting societal benefit will be more resilient coastal communities. The physical, biological and chemical processes impacting human and ecosystem health: Nearshore regions are used for recreation, tourism, and human habitation, and provide habitat and valuable ecosystem services. These areas must be sustained for future generations, however overall coastal water quality is declining due to microbial pathogens, fertilizers, pesticides, and heavy metal contamination, threatening ecosystem and human health. To ensure sustainable nearshore regions, predictive real-time water- and sediment-based based pollutant modeling capabilities must be developed, which requires expanding our knowledge of the physics, chemistry, and biology of the nearshore. The resulting societal benefits will include better beach safety, healthier ecosystems, and improved mitigation and regulatory policies. The scientists and engineers of the U.S. nearshore community are poised to make significant progress on these research themes, which have significant societal impact. The U.S. nearshore community, including academic, government, and industry colleagues, recommends multi-agency investment into a coordinated development of observational and modeling research infrastructure to address these themes, as discussed in the whitepaper. The observational infrastructure should include development of new sensors and methods, focused observational programs, and expanded nearshore observing systems. The modeling infrastructure should include improved process representation, better model coupling, incorporation of data assimilation techniques, and testing of real-time models. The observations will provide test beds to compare and improve models.

Report

Sonobuoy refraction data near Kodiak, Alaska

A total of 88 unreversed sonobuoy refraction lines were shot over the continental shelf and slope near Kodiak, Alaska, in 1976 and 1977. Useful results were obtained from 59 of these attempts. The field measurements were carried out aboard the USGS research vessel SAMUEL P. LEE. The refraction lines were concentrated in three major areas: (1) the outer continental shelf from Portlock Bank to Chirikof Island; (2) Shelikof Strait; and (3) the continental slope between Kodiak Seamount and Portlock Bank. Sound sources used during the refraction survey included 1326 and 2501 cubic inch air gun arrays, and a 160 kilojoule arcer. Most of the sonobuoys employed were U. S. Navy SSQ-41A and SSQ-41B models; a few commercial buoys (Refraction Technology and Fairfield Industries) were also used. Line lengths ranged from 5 to 30 km, and maximum subbottom penegration was 5.1 km. The field data were recorded on magnetic tape as well as a conventional facsimile recorder. Data reduction was accomplished using the slope-intercept method with the assumption of plane layers. A computer program was used to calculate interval velocities, thicknesses, reflection times, and critical distances for each of the refracting layers; the program also generated a travel time plot showing refracted arrivals as well as wide angle reflections associated with each of the interfaces.

Alaska

Sea-floor texture and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Salisbury to Nahant, Massachusetts, including the Merrimack Embayment and Western Massachusetts Bay

A series of maps that describe the distribution and texture of sea-floor sediments and physiographic zones of Massachusetts State waters from Nahant to Salisbury, Massachusetts, including western Massachusetts Bay, have been produced by using high-resolution geophysical data (interferometric and multibeam swath bathymetry, lidar bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic reflection profiles), sediment samples, and bottom photographs. These interpretations are intended to aid statewide efforts to inventory and manage coastal and marine resources, link with existing data interpretations, and provide information for research focused on coastal evolution and environmental change. Marine geologic mapping of the inner continental shelf of Massachusetts is a statewide cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.

Massachusetts

Structure and development of the southern Moroccan continental shelf

The structure of the continental shelf off southern Morocco was studied by means of 2,100 km of seismic reflection profiles, magnetic and bathymetric surveys, and dredge samples. The research area lies off four geologic divisions adjacent to the coast: the Atlas Mountains; the Souss Trough; the Anti-Atlas Mountains; and the Aaiun Basin. The continental shelf, along with the western Atlas Mountains, the western Souss Trough, and the entire Aaiun Basin, has subsided along a normal fault-flexure system. This system runs along the shore at the Anti-Atlas Mountains, and cuts off this cratonic block from the shelf subsidence. The shelf is narrow and characterized by out-building off the Anti-Atlas range, whereas it is broader and characterized by upbuilding to the north and south. Deposition was essentially continuous at least from Early Cretaceous through Eocene time. Published work suggests that the last cycle of sedimentation began during Permian rifting. After Eocene time, most sediments carried to the shelf must have bypassed it and gone to construct the slope and rise or to the deep sea. Tertiary orogenies caused extensive folding of Mesozoic and early Tertiary deposits off the Atlas Mountains.

Marine Geology

Shallow geology, sea-floor texture, and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from Aquinnah to Wasque Point, Martha’s Vineyard, and Eel Point to Great Point, Nantucket, Massachusetts

A series of interpretive maps that describe the shallow geology, distribution, and texture of sea-floor sediments, and physiographic zones of the sea floor along the south and west shores of Martha’s Vineyard and the north shore of Nantucket, Massachusetts, were produced by using high-resolution geophysical data (interferometric and multibeam swath bathymetry, light detection and ranging (lidar) bathymetry, backscatter intensity, and seismic-reflection profiles), sediment samples, and bottom photographs. These interpretations are intended to aid statewide efforts to inventory and manage coastal and marine resources, link with existing data interpretations, and provide information for research focused on coastal evolution and environmental change. Marine geologic mapping of the inner continental shelf of Massachusetts is a statewide cooperative effort of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.

Massachusetts

Heavy-mineral variability in the Baltimore Canyon trough area

Petrographic analyses of bottom sediments from 87 stations within a relatively large subarea (1700 square kilometers) define the local variability and the distributional processes of heavy minerals in the Baltimore Canyon Trough area (13500km 2 ). Of the 29 mineral groups that were identified, those most diagnostic of differences between stations were opaque minerals, garnet, hornblende, orthopyroxene, other amphiboles, and staurolite. Some of the common components cannot be used to define areal trends. The association of minerals by their specific gravities reflects the modern reworking and sorting of sediments in this area. The poor correlation between mineral abundance and the ridge-and trough topography suggests either that our analyses and samples did not resolve bathymetrically induced changes or that smaller bed forms (such as ripples) largely control the heavy-mineral distribution. Data from this study provide a baseline for evaluating manmade disturbances of the bottom sediments and show that relatively large changes in the heavy mineral composition can take place over small distances on this part of the Continental Shelf.

Baltimore Canyon Trough

Adding the ocean to the study of seabirds: A brief history of at-sea seabird research

We review the history of how research directed towards marine ornithology has led to an appreciation of seabirds as highly specialized marine organisms. Beginning with R. C. Murphy (Pacific), V. C. Wynne-Edwards (Atlantic), and associates in the early 1900s, the research approach grew from an emphasis on seabird single-species ecology to an appreciation of interacting species assemblages and finally to seabirds being considered as important components of marine food webs. After a slow, drawn-out beginning, the initial main impetus for developing the field was a need to map seabird abundance and distribution tied to understanding impacts of continental shelf resource exploitation. Coalescing during the 1970s to 1980s to facilitate this line of research were 6 factors: (1) ability to identify birds at sea; (2) standardization of techniques to quantify abundance; (3) resources and techniques for mapping; (4) appreciation of how scale affects seabird relationships to hydrographic features and patchy prey; (5) development of computing power and appropriate statistics; and (6) seabird biologists becoming embedded in, as well as organizing, multidisciplinary marine research projects. Future advances in understanding the role of seabirds in marine food webs will be made by seabird biologists participating in multidisciplinary projects using grid-like surveys relative to oceanographic features in combination with instrumentation that reveals the finer details of seabird foraging behaviors.

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Quaternary geophysical framework of the northeastern North Carolina coastal system

The northeastern North Carolina coastal system, from False Cape, Virginia, to Cape Lookout, North Carolina, has been studied by a cooperative research program that mapped the Quaternary geologic framework of the estuaries, barrier islands, and inner continental shelf. This information provides a basis to understand the linkage between geologic framework, physical processes, and coastal evolution at time scales from storm events to millennia. The study area attracts significant tourism to its parks and beaches, contains a number of coastal communities, and supports a local fishing industry, all of which are impacted by coastal change. Knowledge derived from this research program can be used to mitigate hazards and facilitate effective management of this dynamic coastal system.

North Carolina