December 2011
Sound Waves articles from Nov/Dec 2011 issue:
Elwha Dam Removal Begins—Long-Planned Project Will Restore Ecosystem, Salmon Runs
Also visit our web site "USGS Science to Support the Elwha River Restoration Project"
Bob Rosenbauer Is New Director of the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
From the USGS Newsroom...
USGS science at AGU
Tsunamis, climate change, Hawaiian volcanoes, planetary science, water, minerals, and more
Released: 12/2/2011 11:00:00 AM
SAN FRANCISCO — From nearly 900 abstracts by USGS presenters at this year's American Geophysical Union conference, we've selected some of the newest, most exciting topics that USGS scientists will explore at AGU. Tips are presented in topic areas, chronologically with room numbers, session numbers and a summary.
The AGU conference is held Dec. 5-9 at the Moscone (West and South) Convention Center in San Francisco.
Tsunamis
Monday, 12/5, 1:40 p.m., MS Halls A-C
Estimating the likelihood of extreme seismogenic tsunamis
USGS Scientist: Geist
NH13A-1369/Poster
Because the likelihood of tsunamis caused by earthquakes is directly linked to the size of the generating earthquakes, we can determine the likelihood of a tsunami occurring in a certain location by looking at earthquake data. Because of complicated wave evolution near shore, estimates for extreme tsunamis are site-specific.
Monday, 12/5, 3:10 p.m., MW 3010
Field observations of tsunami characteristics after 2011 Japanese tsunami
USGS Scientist: Richmond
NH13G-07 /Oral presentation
Characteristics of the Tohoku tsunami deposits reveal information on the geologic processes of the destructive waves as well as criteria to identify paleotsunami deposits in the geologic record. The international team observed height and direction of tsunami flow, mapped erosion features and assessed and sampled sediment deposition in shallow trenches.
Wednesday, 12/7, 11:50 a.m., MW 3010
Assessing tsunami hazard from the geologic record
USGS Scientist: Jaffe
NH32A-07/Oral presentation
Hazard assessments have begun to incorporate tsunami deposits into the few available historical records of tsunamis, a technique that is growing more accurate as scientists are able to distinguish storm deposits from tsunami deposits. However, studies of the 2011 Japan tsunami suggest that deposits may not be an accurate measurement of inundation distance, and that other proxies such as geochemical signatures and approaches such as sediment transport modeling are needed.
Mineral and Energy Resources
Monday, 12/5, 10:20 a.m., MW 2022-2024
Marine ferromanganese deposits as a source of rare metals for high- and green-tech applications: Comparison with land-based deposits
USGS Scientist: Hein
V12A-04/Oral presentation
Deep-ocean deposits of rare earth minerals may offer a potential solution to global demand.
Read the entire News Release
October 2011
Local article, from the Press-Banner: Scotts Valley, San Lorenzo Valley, Bonny Doon, & Pasatiempo
Ben Lomond resident plumbs the Pacific's deepest secrets
Sound Waves articles from October 2011 issue:
Final Beach-Erosion Survey of the Elwha River Delta Before Dam Removal
Publications Explain Elwha River Restoration to Scientists, General Public
August 2011
Sound Waves articles from August 2011 issue:
Three-Week Expedition Images Sediments Beneath the Gulf of Alaska
U.S. West Coast Erosion Spiked In Winter 2009-10, Previewing Likely Future As Climate Changes
July 2011
Sound Waves article from July 2011 issue:
Strengthening Coastal Research Partnerships at Coastal Sediments '11
Summer Intern Working with Underwater Video Data from the Hawaiian Islands
June 2011
Sound Waves article from June 2011 issue:
Plus...
May 2011
Sound Waves articles from April/May 2011 issue:
Connecting Marshes to the Sea—Sediment in the Shallows of San Francisco Bay
Impacts of Armoring on Sheltered Shorelines: Puget Sound, Washington
March 2011 Breaking News and other highlights
Notes From the Field—March 11, 2011 Tsunami
Web page features videos and photos taken in Santa Cruz the day the tsunami hit the California coast; and photos from Hawaii taken after the initial tsunami surge hit the Big Island
Preliminary simulation of the tsunami from the March 11, 2011 M=9.0 subduction zone earthquake offshore of Honshu, Japan
Pre-tsunami Sendai, Japan—photos from an international field trip to Japan in April, 2010
Japan Lashed by Powerful Earthquake, Devastating Tsunami
Long-Lived, Slow-Growing Corals in Deep Waters of the Gulf of Mexico
Message in a Saucer—USGS Drifter Lands on Vancouver Island, Canada, 40 Years After Release
South Bay Science Symposium: Research on the Restoration of Salt Ponds in South San Francisco Bay
January/February 2011
Sound Waves articles from January/February 2011 issue:
ARkStorm: California's Other “Big One”
USGS Geographer Is Opening Speaker at GIS Day 2010
Plus...
Predicting the Impact of Extreme Storms on the California Coast: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1073/