Coastal and Marine Landscapes

More than seventy National Park Service units include marine or lake shorelines. In thirty-nine units, special marine protected areas lie within the offshore boundaries of the parks. From tropical coral reefs to the mouths of Alaskan glaciers, USGS scientists are researching the dynamic environments of the park coastlines and nearshore habitats. Because coastal landscapes are constantly modified by the actions of water, wind and humans, their management requires the backing of sound science.

Pictured above: Cliffs and shoreline of Point Reyes National Seashore.

The USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program supports research and assessments to meet the science needs of coastal land management agencies including the National Park Service.

Pictured above: USGS oceanographer Emeritus, John Dingler, and environmental scientist Eleyne Phillips use a slide hammer to secure support for a water-level gauge in Tomales Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore, California.

Areas of study include the following:

• Mapping the floors of the seas and large lakes
• Monitoring shoreline change
• Assessing vulnerability to sea level rise and impacts of major storms
• Determining geologic controls for coastal and marine ecosystem interactions
• Determining the geology of coastal ground-water resources and how they relate to the location and isolation of hazardous waste