Description of the Research Opportunity
Sea-level rise, storms, and other processes are inducing rapid ecosystem transformation across the ocean-estuary-land continuum. Coastal wetlands, and salt marshes in particular, are undergoing horizontal deterioration, vertical submergence, and landward migration under myriad internal and external forces. These forces include biomass production response to tidal range and mean water levels, biogeochemical cycling within wetland substrates, sediment transport, wave-induced erosion, sea level rise, and extreme climate events. Despite significant progress towards understanding these coupled processes in field, modeling, and laboratory settings, there is a limited understanding of how these processes interact to cause wetland loss or transformation, especially over broad geospatial scales. Furthermore, leading indicators of wetland transformation that account for coupled ecogeomorphic processes have yet to be identified. Models, based on geospatially robust data, can improve our currently limited understanding of how rapidly systems transform and where imminent changes may occur. This understanding will be directly relevant to USGS risk research and applications, including informing restoration and adaptation plans for land and resource managers.
We are seeking a Mendenhall Fellow to explore how geospatial data and process-based models can be used in tandem to detect how, when, and where coastal wetlands may cross ecogeomorphic thresholds. Approaches may include, but are not limited to, synthesis of satellite remote-sensing data products and application of coupled ecogeomorphic models. For example, CONUS-wide geospatial products have emerged recently, providing a unique opportunity to synthesize connections between biomass (Woltz et al., 2023), relative tidal elevation (Holmquist and Windham-Myers, 2022), and horizontal deterioration (Ganju et al., 2022). The relationships between these parameters may vary across environmental settings, and combinations of these parameters could perhaps identify imminent ecosystem transformation. These relationships could then be tested more generally using process-based (Kalra et al. 2021) or idealized models that account for physical forcing and biomass dynamics (Mariotti, 2017). Ultimately the application of these results across broad geospatial scales may represent a new advance in remote-sensing and geomorphic model synthesis.
This cross-Mission Area opportunity involves multiple USGS research programs and addresses ongoing efforts to understand land change in response to climate change, the role of wetlands in mitigating coastal hazards, and ecosystem transformation and associated habitat changes for critical species. This opportunity addresses multiple aspects of the USGS Risk Plan, by providing knowledge regarding coastal change hazards for resource managers and coastal planners.
Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the Research Advisor(s) early in the application process to discuss project ideas.
Proposed Duty Station(s)
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Areas of PhD
Ecology, geography, engineering, oceanography, geology, hydrology, environmental science or related fields (candidates holding a Ph.D. in other disciplines, but with extensive knowledge and skills relevant to the Research Opportunity may be considered).
Qualifications
Applicants must meet one of the following qualifications: Research Geographer, Research Biologist, Research Ecologist, Research Geologist, Research Hydrologist, Research Oceanographer, Research Physical Scientist
(This type of research is performed by those who have backgrounds for the occupations stated above. However, other titles may be applicable depending on the applicant's background, education, and research proposal. The final classification of the position will be made by the Human Resources specialist.)
