Publications
Explore scientific publications from the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.
Learn About SPCMSC
Learn About SPCMSC
Learn more about the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in this booklet.
Find Data
Find Data
Looking for data from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center? Check out our data page.
Publications Warehouse
Publications Warehouse
To do a deeper search of USGS publications, visit the Publications Warehouse
Filter Total Items: 935
Geologic framework and Holocene sand thickness offshore of Seven Mile Island, New Jersey
The U.S. Geological Survey assessed the Quaternary evolution of Seven Mile Island, New Jersey, to quantify coastal sediment availability, which is crucial for establishing sediment budgets, understanding sediment dispersal, and managing coastlines. This report presents preliminary interpretations of seismic profiles, maps of Holocene sand thickness from the shoreline to 2 kilometers...
Authors
Emily A. Wei, Jennifer L. Miselis, Noreen A. Buster, Arnell S. Forde
Investigating the influence of Diadematidae scuticociliatosis on host microbiome composition
Mass mortality of Diadematidae urchins, caused by the Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis Philaster clade (DScPc), affected the Caribbean in spring 2022 and subsequently spread to the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea, and western Indian Ocean. A key question around Diadematidae scuticociliatosis (DSc), the disease caused by the scuticociliate, is whether the urchin microbiome varies...
Authors
Brayan Vilanova-Cuevas, Christopher M. DeRito, Isabella T. Ritchie, Christina A. Kellogg, James S. Evans, Alizee Zimmermann, Stacey M. Williams, Marilyn E. Brandt, Moriah L.B. Sevier, Samuel Gittens Jr., Kayla A. Budd, Matthew Warham, William C. Sharp, Gabriel A. Delgado, Alwin Hylkema, Kimani A. Kitson-Walters, Jean-Pascal Quod, Mya Breitbart, Ian Hewson
Snapshots of mid-to-late Holocene sea-surface temperature variability from a subtropical western Atlantic coral reef
Large-scale Holocene climate reconstructions rely heavily on extratropical proxy records. Coral-based temperature reconstructions from the tropical and subtropical oceans therefore fill a critical spatial and temporal data gap, allowing for reconstruction of seasonally resolved temperature variability. We present five new, monthly-resolved sea-surface temperature (SST) reconstructions...
Authors
Jessica A. Jacobs, Julie N. Richey, Jennifer A. Flannery, Kaustubh Thriumalai, Lauren Toth
Detection of the Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis Philaster clade on sympatric metazoa, plankton, and abiotic surfaces and assessment for its potential reemergence
A ciliate belonging to the Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis (DaSc)-associated Philaster clade (DaScPc) caused catastrophic long-spined urchin mass mortality in spring and summer of 2022. The ciliate can be grown in culture in both the presence and absence of D. antillarum tissues, suggesting that it may persist outside its host by consuming microorganisms or dissolved organic...
Authors
Brayan Vilanova-Cuevas, Katherine Philipp, Ashley Altera, Amy Apprill, Cynthia C. Becker, Donald Behringer, Marilyn E. Brandt, Mya Breitbart, Kayla A. Budd, Christopher M. DeRito, Elizabeth Duermit-Moreau, James S. Evans, Maria Hopson-Fernandes, Julian Fleischer, Samuel Gittens Jr., Michael Henson, Alwin Hylkema, Christina A. Kellogg, Andrew Maritan, Julie L. Meyer, Zoe A. Pratte, Isabella T. Ritchie, Moriah L.B. Sevier, Matthew Souza, Frank J. Stewart, Sietske Van Der Wal, Sarah VonHoehne, Ian Hewson
Modeling the impacts of sand placement strategies on barrier island evolution in a semi-enclosed bay system
This study assesses the impacts of five proposed restoration actions at Little Dauphin Island, a low-lying relic spit in a semi-enclosed bay system on the Alabama coast. A Delft3D model is developed to simulate annual scale (five-year) sediment transport and resulting bed level changes. The model is validated with observed water level and wave data, as well as sediment tracers that were...
Authors
Davina Passeri, Rangley C. Mickey, David M. Thompson, Michael Itzkin, Elizabeth Godsey, Matthew V. Bilskie, Alexander C. Seymour, Autumn C. Poisson, Jin Ikeda, Scott C. Hagen
Validation of the U37K' paleotemperature proxy in the South Brazilian Bight from core-top sediments
The paleothermometer based on the alkenone unsaturation index (U37K′) is often used to reconstruct past sea surface temperatures (SST). In the SW Atlantic Ocean, however, a limited understanding of the seasonal and depth distribution of coccolithophores, which generates the U37K′ signal preserved in ocean sediments, hinders accurate estimates of past regional SSTs. We analyzed 45 core...
Authors
Felipe Stanchak, Julie N. Richey, Amanda Gerotto, Amelia Shevenell, Marcia C. Bicego, Felipe A. Toledo, Michel M. de Mahiques, Renata H. Nagai
Predictive regressive models of recent marsh sediment thickness improve the quantification of coastal marsh sediment budgets
Coastal marsh wetlands experience variations in vertical gains and losses through time, which have allowed them to infill relict topography and record variations in drivers. The stratigraphic unit associated with the development of the marsh also reflects the long-term importance of key ecosystem services supplied by the marsh environment, including carbon storage and storm mitigation...
Authors
Christopher G. Smith, Julie Bernier, Alisha M. Ellis, Kathryn Smith
Shifts in marsh erosion, migration, and wave exposure over nearly two centuries of sea-level rise in the Gulf of Mexico
Coastal wetlands are economically important ecosystems, but are at risk to erosion from waves, storms, and sea level rise. However, marshes can persist under rising sea level through vertical accretion and migration into adjacent higher-elevation habitats. We measured rates of marsh shoreline change and migration and compared the results for historical and modern periods in a largely...
Authors
Kathryn Smith, Joseph Terrano, Robert L. Jenkins, Jonathan L Pitchford, Davina Passeri, Christopher G. Smith
Participatory engagement to reduce communication gaps
Underserved communities, especially those in coastal areas in Puerto Rico, face significant threats from natural hazards such as hurricanes and rising sea levels. Limited funding hinders the investment in costly mitigation measures, increasing exposure to natural disasters. Providing coastal resources and data products through effective communication mechanisms is fundamental to...
Authors
Legna Torres-Garcia, Manuel Valdés Pizzini, Krystalliá Valdés-Calderón, Donya P. Frank-Gilchrist, Dawn Marie Kotowicz, Emmanuel Maldonado, Priscila Vargas-Babilonia
Deterministic, dynamic model forecasts of storm-driven coastal erosion
The U.S. Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts are vulnerable to storms, which can cause significant erosion of beaches and dunes that protect coastal communities. Real-time forecasts of storm-driven erosion are useful for decision support, but they are limited due to demands for computational resources and uncertainties in dynamic coastal systems and storm forcings. Current methods for...
Authors
Jessica Frances Gorski, Joel C. Dietrich, Davina Passeri, Rangley C. Mickey, Rick A. Luettich
Cross-shore hydrodynamics and morphodynamics modeling of an erosive event in the inner surf zone
The phase-averaged and depth-integrated coastal morphodynamic model, XBeach-Surfbeat, was investigated for its capability of predicting the cross-shore hydrodynamics and morphodynamics in the inner surf zone by simulating the storm-induced berm erosion, sediment transport, and subsequent sand bar formation. By utilizing a comprehensive hydrodynamic and morphodynamic dataset measured in a...
Authors
Jiaye Zhang, Benjamin Tsai, Yashar Rafati, Tian-Jian Hsu, Jack A. Puleo
Model sensitivity analysis for coastal morphodynamics: Investigating sediment parameters and bed composition in Delft3D
Numerical simulation of sediment transport and subsequent morphological evolution rely on accurate parameterizations of sediment characteristics. However, these data are often not available or are spatially and/or temporally limited. This study approaches the problem of limited sediment grain-size data with a series of simulations assessing model sensitivity to sediment parameters and...
Authors
Robert L. Jenkins, Christopher G. Smith, Davina Passeri, Alisha M. Ellis