Publications
Explore scientific publications from the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.
Filter Total Items: 954
Combining process-based and data-driven approaches to forecast beach and dune change Combining process-based and data-driven approaches to forecast beach and dune change
Producing accurate hindcasts and forecasts with coupled models is challenging due to complex parameterizations that are difficult to ground in observational data. We present a calibration workflow that utilizes a series of machine learning algorithms paired with Windsurf, a coupled beach-dune model (Aeolis, the Coastal Dune Model, and XBeach), to produce hindcasts and forecasts of...
Authors
Michael Itzkin, Laura Moore, Peter Ruggiero, Paige Hovenga, Sally Hacker
Scale dependence of coral reef oases and their environmental correlates Scale dependence of coral reef oases and their environmental correlates
Identifying relatively intact areas within ecosystems and determining the conditions favoring their existence is necessary for effective management in the context of widespread environmental degradation. In this study, we used 3766 surveys of randomly selected sites in the United States and U.S. Territories to identify the correlates of sites categorized as “oases” (defined as sites with...
Authors
Robin Elahi, Peter Edmunds, Ruth Gates, Ilsa Kuffner, Brian Barnes, Iliana Chollett, Travis Courtney, James Guest, Elizabeth Lenz, Lauren Toth, T. Viehman, Ivor D. Williams
On the potential for remote observations of coastal morphodynamics from surf-cameras On the potential for remote observations of coastal morphodynamics from surf-cameras
Recreational surf-cameras (surfcams) are ubiquitous along many coastlines, and yet are a largely untapped source of coastal morphodynamic observations. Surfcams offer broad spatial coverage and flexibility in data collection, but a method to remotely acquire ground control points (GCPs) and initial camera parameter approximations is necessary to better leverage this existing...
Authors
Matthew Conlin, Peter N. Adams, Margaret Palmsten
Predicted sea-level rise-driven biogeomorphological changes on Fire Island, New York: Implications for people and plovers Predicted sea-level rise-driven biogeomorphological changes on Fire Island, New York: Implications for people and plovers
Forecasting biogeomorphological conditions for barrier islands is critical for informing sea-level rise (SLR) planning, including management of coastal development and ecosystems. We combined five probabilistic models to predict SLR-driven changes and their implications on Fire Island, New York, by 2050. We predicted barrier island biogeomorphological conditions, dynamic landcover...
Authors
Sara Zeigler, Benjamin Gutierrez, Erika Lentz, Nathaniel Plant, Emily J. Sturdivant, Kara S. Doran
Spatially integrating microbiology and geochemistry to reveal complex environmental health issues: Anthrax in the contiguous United States Spatially integrating microbiology and geochemistry to reveal complex environmental health issues: Anthrax in the contiguous United States
Maxent models were run using the B. anthracis presence data and/or the animal outbreak presence data. Models run using the animal outbreak data alone utilized two scales: the Outbreak State scale which included only states reporting animal anthrax outbreaks from 2001 to 2013 and the National scale which included all states in the contiguous United States. Three iterations of the...
Authors
Erin Silvestri, Stephen Douglas, Vicky Luna, C.A.O. Jean-Babtiste, D. Harbin, Laura Hempel, Timothy Boe, Tonya Nichols, Dale Griffin
Chandeleur Islands to Breton Island bathymetric and topographic datasets and operational sediment budget development: Methodology and analysis report Chandeleur Islands to Breton Island bathymetric and topographic datasets and operational sediment budget development: Methodology and analysis report
This study is part of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program. The goal of the BICM program is to provide long-term data on the barrier islands of Louisiana for monitoring change and assisting in coastal management. The BICM program uses historical data and acquires new data to map and monitor shoreline...
Authors
James Flocks, Arnell Forde, Julie Bernier
Chenier Plain region bathymetric and topographic datasets: Methodology report Chenier Plain region bathymetric and topographic datasets: Methodology report
The goal of the Louisiana Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring (BICM) program is to provide long-term data on coastal Louisiana for monitoring change and assisting in coastal management. This study (carried out under Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority contract number 2000339324, BICM2—Chenier TopoBathy DEM) builds upon the previous BICM physical assessment of the Chenier...
Authors
James Flocks, Arnell Forde, Julie Bernier
Contrasting Common Era climate and hydrology sensitivities from paired lake sediment dinosterol hydrogen isotope records in the South Pacific Convergence Zone Contrasting Common Era climate and hydrology sensitivities from paired lake sediment dinosterol hydrogen isotope records in the South Pacific Convergence Zone
Hydroclimate on ‘Uvea (Wallis et Futuna) is controlled by rainfall associated with the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), the southern hemisphere's largest precipitation feature. To extend the short observational precipitation record, the hydrogen isotopic composition of the algal lipid biomarker dinosterol (δ2Hdinosterol) was measured in sediment cores from two volcanic crater lakes...
Authors
Ashley Maloney, Julie Richey, Daniel Nelson, Samantha Hing, David Sear, Jonathan Hassall, Peter Langdon, Ursula Sichrowsky, Robert Schabetsberger, Atoloto Malau, Jean-Yves Meyer, Ian Croudace, Julian Sachs
Elevations of mangrove forests of Pohnpei, Micronesia Elevations of mangrove forests of Pohnpei, Micronesia
Mangrove surface elevation is the crux of mangrove vulnerability to sea level rise. Local topography influences critical periods of tidal inundation that govern distributions of mangrove species and dictates future distributions. This study surveyed ground surface elevations of the extensive mangroves of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, integrating four survey technologies to...
Authors
Joanna C Ellison, Kevin Buffington, Karen M. Thorne, Dean Gesch, Jeffrey Irwin, Jeffrey Danielson
Atlantic circulation change still uncertain Atlantic circulation change still uncertain
Deep oceanic overturning circulation in the Atlantic (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)) is projected to decrease in the future in response to anthropogenic warming. Caesar et al.1 argue that an AMOC slowdown started in the nineteenth century and intensified during the mid-twentieth century. Although the argument and selected evidence proposed have some merits, we find...
Authors
K. Halimeda Kilbourne, Alan D. Wanamaker, Paola Moffa-Sanchez, David Reynolds, Daniel Amrhein, Paul Butler, Marlos Goes, Malte Jansen, Christopher Little, Madelyn Mette, Eduardo Moreno-Chamarro, Pablo Ortega, Bette L. Otto-Bliesner, Thomas Rossby, James Scourse, Nina Whitney
A statistical framework for integrating nonparametric proxy distributions into geological reconstructions of relative sea level A statistical framework for integrating nonparametric proxy distributions into geological reconstructions of relative sea level
Robust, proxy-based reconstructions of relative sea-level (RSL) change are critical to distinguishing the processes that drive spatial and temporal sea-level variability. The relationships between individual proxies and RSL can be complex and are often poorly represented by traditional methods that assume Gaussian likelihood distributions. We develop a new statistical framework to...
Authors
Erica Ashe, Nicole Khan, Lauren Toth, Andrea Dutton, Robert Kopp
Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics simulations of reef surf zone processes driven by plunging irregular waves Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics simulations of reef surf zone processes driven by plunging irregular waves
As waves interact with the slopes of coral reefs and other steep bathymetry profiles, plunging breaking usually occurs where the free surface overturns and violent water motion is triggered. Resolving these surf zone processes pose significant challenges for conventional mesh-based hydrodynamic models, due to the rapidly-deforming nature of the free surface and associated flows. Yet the...
Authors
Ryan Lowe, C. Altomare, Mark Buckley, Renan da Silva, Jeff Hansen, Dirk Rijnsdorp, J.M. Dominguez, A.J.C. Crespo