Policy-makers, individuals from government agencies, and natural resource managers are under increasing pressure to manage changing coastal areas to meet social, economic, and natural resource demands, particularly under a regime of sea-level rise. Scientific knowledge of coastal processes and habitat-use can support decision-makers as they balance these often-conflicting human and ecological needs. An interdisciplinary USGS team is conducting research and developing tools to identify suitable coastal habitats for species of concern, such as the piping plover (Charadrius melodus), under a variety of sea-level rise scenarios.
Beach-dependent Shorebirds Project Objectives
iPlover data collection: Understanding and managing dynamic coastal landscapes for beach-dependent species requires biological and geological data across the range of relevant environments and habitats. These data are often challenging to acquire and often have limited focus due to resource constraints, are collected by non-specialists, or lack observational uniformity. We developed an open-source smartphone application called iPlover that standardizes the collection of biogeomorphic information at piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest sites on coastal beaches and reduces other data acquisition challenges.
During the piping plover breeding seasons (April – July) of 2014, 2015 and 2016, iPlover was used to collect and record landcover characteristics at 2,099 nest locations and 1,952 random points on 97 beaches and barrier islands from Maine to North Carolina. This dataset was collected in partnership with federal and state agencies, universities, and private organizations.
Predicting piping plover habitat: Understanding patterns of habitat selection across a species’ geographic distribution can be critical for adequately managing populations and planning for habitat loss and related threats. The iPlover dataset was used to develop a model that predicts the probability that a combination of landcover characteristics at a given location will be associated with piping plover nesting habitat. Landcover characteristics considered include Geomorphic Setting, Substrate Type, Vegetation Type, Vegetation Density, Distance to Foraging, Distance to Ocean, Beach Width, and Elevation.
Using elevation datasets (e.g., lidar) and orthoimagery, these landcover characteristics are mapped for an entire area of interest, such as a barrier island. The Piping Plover Habitat model can then evaluate combinations of landcover characteristics to map the probability that each map cell supports piping plover nesting habitat. These maps are currently being created for 21 beaches and barrier islands, referred to as ‘Deep Dive Sites’, along the U.S. Atlantic coast.
Forecasting piping plover habitat under sea-level rise: Project researchers are conducting research needed to create tools for identifying suitable coastal habitats for species of concern or, conversely, areas of high hazard exposure for humans and infrastructure today and into the future. The most likely (a) shoreline change rate, (b) barrier island characteristics, and (c) piping plover habitat availability are forecasted under different SLR rates and storm regimes. This framework portrays results as probabilities, which can inform decision-making and highlight knowledge gaps and research avenues. This research is also generalizable to a variety of forecasting problems for coastal systems, including investigations of habitat availability for turtles, birds, and plants as well as the potential hazard exposure for human infrastructure along coastal environments throughout the United States. Piping plover habitat forecast maps are currently being created for 21 beaches and barrier islands, referred to as ‘Deep Dive Sites’, along the U.S. Atlantic coast.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Biogeomorphic classification and images of shorebird nesting sites on the U.S. Atlantic coast
Below are publications associated with this project.
Evaluating barrier island characteristics and piping plover (Charadrius melodus) habitat availability along the U.S. Atlantic Coast—Geospatial approaches and methodology
Using a Bayesian network to understand the importance of coastal storms and undeveloped landscapes for the creation and maintenance of early successional habitat
Smartphone technologies and Bayesian networks to assess shorebird habitat selection
Smartphone-based distributed data collection enables rapid assessment of shorebird habitat suitability
Using a Bayesian network to predict barrier island geomorphologic characteristics
Using a Bayesian Network to predict shore-line change vulnerability to sea-level rise for the coasts of the United States
A Bayesian network approach to predicting nest presence of thefederally-threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus) using barrier island features
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Policy-makers, individuals from government agencies, and natural resource managers are under increasing pressure to manage changing coastal areas to meet social, economic, and natural resource demands, particularly under a regime of sea-level rise. Scientific knowledge of coastal processes and habitat-use can support decision-makers as they balance these often-conflicting human and ecological needs. An interdisciplinary USGS team is conducting research and developing tools to identify suitable coastal habitats for species of concern, such as the piping plover (Charadrius melodus), under a variety of sea-level rise scenarios.
The beach-dependent shorebirds project at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center models current and future habitat availability for nesting shorebirds in an effort to map current and likely future habitat availability on a range of sites along the U.S. Atlantic coast. Sites include beaches with a high human-presence, such as the Gateway National Recreation Area shown here on the Rockaway Peninsula adjacent to New York City. Beach-dependent Shorebirds Project Objectives
iPlover data collection: Understanding and managing dynamic coastal landscapes for beach-dependent species requires biological and geological data across the range of relevant environments and habitats. These data are often challenging to acquire and often have limited focus due to resource constraints, are collected by non-specialists, or lack observational uniformity. We developed an open-source smartphone application called iPlover that standardizes the collection of biogeomorphic information at piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest sites on coastal beaches and reduces other data acquisition challenges.
USGS scientist Sara Zeigler records habitat characteristics in iPlover at an ‘exclosed’ nest. On some beaches, managers erect netting around nests to protect eggs/chicks and adults from predators, allowing movement of chicks and parents to and from the nest but excluding predators During the piping plover breeding seasons (April – July) of 2014, 2015 and 2016, iPlover was used to collect and record landcover characteristics at 2,099 nest locations and 1,952 random points on 97 beaches and barrier islands from Maine to North Carolina. This dataset was collected in partnership with federal and state agencies, universities, and private organizations.
Predicting piping plover habitat: Understanding patterns of habitat selection across a species’ geographic distribution can be critical for adequately managing populations and planning for habitat loss and related threats. The iPlover dataset was used to develop a model that predicts the probability that a combination of landcover characteristics at a given location will be associated with piping plover nesting habitat. Landcover characteristics considered include Geomorphic Setting, Substrate Type, Vegetation Type, Vegetation Density, Distance to Foraging, Distance to Ocean, Beach Width, and Elevation.
Using elevation datasets (e.g., lidar) and orthoimagery, these landcover characteristics are mapped for an entire area of interest, such as a barrier island. The Piping Plover Habitat model can then evaluate combinations of landcover characteristics to map the probability that each map cell supports piping plover nesting habitat. These maps are currently being created for 21 beaches and barrier islands, referred to as ‘Deep Dive Sites’, along the U.S. Atlantic coast.
Forecasting piping plover habitat under sea-level rise: Project researchers are conducting research needed to create tools for identifying suitable coastal habitats for species of concern or, conversely, areas of high hazard exposure for humans and infrastructure today and into the future. The most likely (a) shoreline change rate, (b) barrier island characteristics, and (c) piping plover habitat availability are forecasted under different SLR rates and storm regimes. This framework portrays results as probabilities, which can inform decision-making and highlight knowledge gaps and research avenues. This research is also generalizable to a variety of forecasting problems for coastal systems, including investigations of habitat availability for turtles, birds, and plants as well as the potential hazard exposure for human infrastructure along coastal environments throughout the United States. Piping plover habitat forecast maps are currently being created for 21 beaches and barrier islands, referred to as ‘Deep Dive Sites’, along the U.S. Atlantic coast.
Parameters considered in models for shoreline change, barrier island characteristics, and piping plover habitat availability. Together, these three models allow for forecasts of most likely future barrier island characteristics and piping plover habitat availability given sea-level rise. - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Biogeomorphic classification and images of shorebird nesting sites on the U.S. Atlantic coast
Atlantic coast piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest sites are typically found on low-lying beach and dune systems, which respond rapidly to coastal processes like sediment overwash, inlet formation, and island migration that are sensitive to climate-related changes in storminess and the rate of sea-level rise. Data were obtained to understand piping plover habitat distribution and use along the - Multimedia
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Evaluating barrier island characteristics and piping plover (Charadrius melodus) habitat availability along the U.S. Atlantic Coast—Geospatial approaches and methodology
Policy makers, individuals from government agencies, and natural resource managers face increasing demands to manage coastal areas in a way that meets economic, social, and ecological needs as sea levels rise. Scientific knowledge of how coastal processes drive beach and barrier island changes and how those changes affect habitat use can support decision makers as they balance sometimes conflictinAuthorsSara L. Zeigler, Emily J. Sturdivant, Benjamin T. GutierrezUsing a Bayesian network to understand the importance of coastal storms and undeveloped landscapes for the creation and maintenance of early successional habitat
Coastal storms have consequences for human lives and infrastructure but also create important early successional habitats for myriad species. For example, storm-induced overwash creates nesting habitat for shorebirds like piping plovers (Charadrius melodus). We examined how piping plover habitat extent and location changed on barrier islands in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia after Hurricane SaAuthorsSara L. Zeigler, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Emily J. Sturdivant, Daniel H. Catlin, James D. Fraser, A. Hecht, Sarah M. Karpanty, Nathaniel G. Plant, E. Robert ThielerSmartphone technologies and Bayesian networks to assess shorebird habitat selection
Understanding patterns of habitat selection across a species’ geographic distribution can be critical for adequately managing populations and planning for habitat loss and related threats. However, studies of habitat selection can be time consuming and expensive over broad spatial scales, and a lack of standardized monitoring targets or methods can impede the generalization of site-based studies.AuthorsSara L. Zeigler, E. Robert Thieler, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. Plant, Megan Hines, James D. Fraser, Daniel H. Catlin, Sarah M. KarpantySmartphone-based distributed data collection enables rapid assessment of shorebird habitat suitability
Understanding and managing dynamic coastal landscapes for beach-dependent species requires biological and geological data across the range of relevant environments and habitats. It is difficult to acquire such information; data often have limited focus due to resource constraints, are collected by non-specialists, or lack observational uniformity. We developed an open-source smartphone applicationAuthorsE. Robert Thieler, Sara L. Zeigler, Luke Winslow, Megan Hines, Jordan S. Read, Jordan I. WalkerUsing a Bayesian network to predict barrier island geomorphologic characteristics
Quantifying geomorphic variability of coastal environments is important for understanding and describing the vulnerability of coastal topography, infrastructure, and ecosystems to future storms and sea level rise. Here we use a Bayesian network (BN) to test the importance of multiple interactions between barrier island geomorphic variables. This approach models complex interactions and handles uncAuthorsBenjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. Plant, E. Robert Thieler, Aaron TurecekUsing a Bayesian Network to predict shore-line change vulnerability to sea-level rise for the coasts of the United States
Sea-level rise is an ongoing phenomenon that is expected to continue and is projected to have a wide range of effects on coastal environments and infrastructure during the 21st century and beyond. Consequently, there is a need to assemble relevant datasets and to develop modeling or other analytical approaches to evaluate the likelihood of particular sea-level rise impacts, such as coastal erosionAuthorsBenjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. Plant, Elizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert ThielerA Bayesian network approach to predicting nest presence of thefederally-threatened piping plover (Charadrius melodus) using barrier island features
Sea-level rise and human development pose significant threats to shorebirds, particularly for species that utilize barrier island habitat. The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a federally-listed shorebird that nests on barrier islands and rapidly responds to changes in its physical environment, making it an excellent species with which to model how shorebird species may respond to habitat chAuthorsKatherina D. Gieder, Sarah M. Karpanty, James D. Fraser, Daniel H. Catlin, Benjamin T. Gutierrez, Nathaniel G. Plant, Aaron M. Turecek, E. Robert Thieler - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.