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Publications

Explore scientific publications from the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.

Filter Total Items: 979

Flood-inundation maps for Río Grande de Arecibo in and near Utuado Municipio, Puerto Rico, 2026 Flood-inundation maps for Río Grande de Arecibo in and near Utuado Municipio, Puerto Rico, 2026

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created digital flood-inundation maps for a 3.4-mile reach of Río Grande de Arecibo in the municipality of Utuado Municipio, Puerto Rico. Water-surface profiles were computed for the stream reach by using a one-dimensional, steady-state, step-backwater model. This model was calibrated to the current (2026) stage-streamflow relation (rating curve number...
Authors
Chad J. Ostheimer, Legna M. Torres-Garcia, Julieta M. Gomez-Fragoso

Barrier island geomorphic complexity drives storm and post-storm response Barrier island geomorphic complexity drives storm and post-storm response

Barrier islands are at the forefront of climate-driven changes, with their resiliency threatened by rapid fluctuations in the physical drivers that shape them. Quantifying magnitudes and directions of storm-driven sediment fluxes and rates and modes of sediment recovery is essential for predicting barrier island trajectories. Yet scarce shoreface observations have limited such efforts...
Authors
Jennifer L. Miselis, Noreen A. Buster, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Julie Bernier, Emily Ann-Yi Wei, Rose Elizabeth Palermo

Shifting phenology in planktonic foraminifera in the Gulf of America (Mexico) with 21st century warming Shifting phenology in planktonic foraminifera in the Gulf of America (Mexico) with 21st century warming

We investigate trends in foraminiferal phenology using a 12-year (2008–2020), well-resolved (7 to 28-day resolution) time series of planktonic foraminiferal fluxes from a U.S. Geological Survey sediment trap in the northern Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico; 27.5°N, 90.3°W). The total foraminiferal flux declined over this time. We used Horn-Morisita dissimilarity analysis, principal...
Authors
Maoli N. Vizcaíno, Ellen Thomas, Pincelli M. Hull, Caitlin E. Reynolds, Raquel Bryant, Julie N. Richey

Effects of storm surge exceedance value on overwash and inundation forecasts Effects of storm surge exceedance value on overwash and inundation forecasts

Hurricane induced sediment transport and flooding can cause catastrophic damage to coastal communities. Forecasts test our understanding of the drivers of sediment transport and flooding, as well as quantify potential storm effects on coastlines. Real-time availability of forecasts allows emergency response and management decisions to be made with additional information. This study...
Authors
Margaret L. Palmsten, Kirsten J. Bendik, Kara S. Doran, Justin J. Birchler, Johnathan Lucas Woodruff

Synthesizing a twelve-year sediment trap time series of planktic foraminiferal flux in the Gulf of America (Mexico) Synthesizing a twelve-year sediment trap time series of planktic foraminiferal flux in the Gulf of America (Mexico)

Sediment trap time series provide powerful frameworks for testing hypotheses about planktic foraminiferal assemblage composition, seasonality, and geochemical responses to environmental variability, all of which are central to improving paleoceanographic reconstructions. We present high resolution foraminiferal assemblage data from a long-running sediment trap (2008–2020) in the northern...
Authors
Julie N. Richey, Caitlin E. Reynolds, Emily B. Osborne, Maoli N. Vizcaino, Eric J. Tappa

Repeated coral bleaching events have eroded reef accretion potential in the Florida Keys Repeated coral bleaching events have eroded reef accretion potential in the Florida Keys

Coral bleaching is now the primary driver of coral-reef degradation globally, threatening the persistence of coral-reef functions and the invaluable ecosystem services they support. The Florida Keys have been impacted by four severe, regional-scale coral-bleaching events, which occurred in 1997–1998, 2005, 2014–2015, and 2023. Our aim in this study was to quantify the effects of those...
Authors
Lauren T. Toth, Travis A Courtney

Precipitation intensity increased across the South Pacific Convergence Zone in the Industrial Age Precipitation intensity increased across the South Pacific Convergence Zone in the Industrial Age

The position, strength, and variability of precipitation in the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) remain challenging for coupled ocean-atmosphere climate models to represent, leaving future rainfall projections in this dynamically important region uncertain. Here, we present quantitative records of mean annual precipitation (MAP) spanning the past 1,000 years using sediment cores...
Authors
S. Nemiah Ladd, Ashley E. Maloney, Daniel B. Nelson, Mark D. Peaple, Julie N. Richey, Amanda Witt, Polly Sobeck, Matthew Prebble, David A. Sear, Peter G. Langdon, Nathalie Dubois, Julian P. Sachs

Loss and transformation of coastal wetlands due to global change in the conterminous United States: Past, present, and future Loss and transformation of coastal wetlands due to global change in the conterminous United States: Past, present, and future

Coastal wetlands are being transformed by global change, impacting the ecological and societal benefits provided by these ecosystems. Synthesizing knowledge of historical and expected future transformations in coastal wetlands can help inform forward-looking planning and stewardship efforts. Here, we review anticipated future ecological transformations in coastal wetlands of the...
Authors
Michael J. Osland, Bogdan Chivoiu, Kevin J. Buffington, Kristin B. Byrd, Joel A. Carr, Judith Z. Drexler, Nicholas M. Enwright, Neil K. Ganju, James B. Grace, Eric E. Grossman, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Kurt P. Kowalski, Ken W. Krauss, Jessica R. Lacy, Gregory B. Noe, Davina L. Passeri, Stephanie Romanach, Christopher F. Smith, Camille L. Stagg, Karen M. Thorne, Janet R. Keough

A process-based model for forecasting wave runup along the coast of Georgia A process-based model for forecasting wave runup along the coast of Georgia

Wave runup is an important nearshore process that impacts total water level, sediment transport, and coastal design. Current methods for forecasting wave runup implement an empirical model that considers offshore wave height, wave period, and generalized beach slope. In this study, the authors generated wave runup forecasts from offshore wave conditions and a system of polynomial...
Authors
Robert A. Fiegelist, Matthew V. Bilskie, Davina L. Passeri, C. Brock Woodson, Aditya Gupta

Debunking the myth of the quintessential resource manager: Precision in actionable science Debunking the myth of the quintessential resource manager: Precision in actionable science

“Actionable science” is a widely held standard for identifying the merits of natural resources research. Yet, science is often framed as actionable to a vaguely identified quintessential “manager” without defining either the intended manager or use. Generic descriptions lack precision for identifying end users or their needs, limiting methodological rigor in research design and leading...
Authors
Amanda E. Cravens, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Aparna Bamzai-Dodson, Megan A. Moore, Richard Eugene Waggaman Berl, Nicholas W. Cole, Oronde Oliver Drakes, Diamond Victoria Ebanks, David C. Fulton, Megan Siobhan Jones, Dawn Marie Kotowicz, Michael C Mcinturff, James R. Meldrum, Kathryn Powlen, Aaron Daniel Russell, Stefan Gabriel Tangen, Emily J. Wilkins

Modeling the seasonality of wind-driven hydrocarbon waves in Titan’s polar lakes Modeling the seasonality of wind-driven hydrocarbon waves in Titan’s polar lakes

Titan, the only body in the solar system aside from Earth with standing liquids on its surface, has polar hydrocarbon lakes and seas. As Titan’s atmosphere generates light winds, there should be waves on the surface of these lakes and seas, yet, direct wave observations are scant. We introduce and use PlanetWaves, an open source 4D spectral wave model, to study Titan’s waves and create...
Authors
Charlene E. Detelich, Una G. Schneck, Alexander G. Hayes, Milan Curcic, Rose Elizabeth Palermo, Andrew D. Ashton, J. Taylor Perron, Juan M. Lora, Jordan Steckloff

CoralCache: A virtual coral core repository for transparent and reproducible annual growth rate analyses CoralCache: A virtual coral core repository for transparent and reproducible annual growth rate analyses

As science fields enter the Big Data revolution, open-access repositories are essential for addressing larger-scale questions than are possible for single researchers by making data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). Furthermore, transparent data and code are increasingly important for reproducible research, especially for data types that inherently require...
Authors
Thomas M. DeCarlo, Oliwia Jasnos, Avi Strange, Andreas Andersson, Angel T. Bautista VII, Sierra Kathleen Bloomer, Isaiah W. Bolden, Maartje Bosman, Thomas Brachert, Giulia B. Braz, Gabriel O. Cardoso, J. P. Carricart-Ganivet, Jessica E. Carilli, Karl D. Castillo, Leticia Cavole, Sylvia Chan, Xuefei Chen, Ben Chomitz, Thierry Correge, Travis A. Courtney, Mikayla Diegan, Juan Pablo D'Olivio, Rob Dunbar, Ian C. Enochs, Ludmilla Falsarella, Thomas Felis, Gabriela Gutierrez-Estrada, Brighton Hedger, Shijian Hu, Seamus Jameson, Stacy D. Jupiter, Paul Kench, Diego Kersting, Ke Lin, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Yi-Wei Liu, Carla A. Lorigados, Derek P. Manzello, Malcolm T. McCulloch, Miguel Mies, Rodrigo L. Moura, Ferdinand K.J. Oberle, Natan Pereira, Nancy G. Prouty, Riovie D. Ramos, Haojima Ren, Emma Ryan, Diane M. Thompson, Lauren T. Toth, Marina Vergotti, Jody M. Webster, Jens Zinke
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