Oregon - Field Center Projects by State/Region at the USGS Center for Coastal & Watershed Studies / St. Petersburg, Florida Field Center

Coastal Change Hazards: Hurricanes and Extreme Storms
One of the goals of the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program is a national assessment of coastal change hazards. One such hazard is extreme storms and hurricanes as they provide a powerful force that generates dangerous waves and currents capable of moving large amounts of sand, destroying buildings and infrastructure, and reshaping our nation's coastline. Our research focuses on understanding the magnitude and variability of the impacts of hurricanes and extreme storms on the sandy beaches of the United States. The overall objective is to improve the capability to predict coastal change that results from severe storms. Such a capability will facilitate locating buildings, infrastructure, and evacuation routes away from severe coastal change hazards.
National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards
The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards is a multi-year undertaking to identify and quantify the vulnerability of U.S. shorelines to coastal change hazards such as the effects of severe storms, sea-level rise, and shoreline erosion and retreat. It will continue to improve our understanding of processes that control these hazards, and will allow researchers to determine the probability of coastal change locally, regionally, and nationally. The National Assessment will deliver these data and assessment findings about coastal vulnerability to coastal managers, other researchers, and the general public.

Field Center Projects by State/Region - Oregon