Andy Ritchie
Science and Products
Exploring the USGS Science Data Life Cycle in the Cloud
Executive Summary Traditionally in the USGS, data is processed and analyzed on local researcher computers, then moved to centralized, remote computers for preservation and publishing (ScienceBase, Pubs Warehouse). This approach requires each researcher to have the necessary hardware and software for processing and analysis, and also to bring all external data required for the workflow over the...
Aerial Photogrammetry Data and Products of the North Carolina coast: 2018-10-06 to 2018-10-08, post-Hurricane Florence
This data release presents structure-from-motion products derived from imagery taken along the North Carolina coast in response to storm events and the recovery process. USGS researchers use the aerial photogrammetry data and products to assess future coastal vulnerability, nesting habitats for wildlife, and provide data for hurricane impact models.
Chirp sub-bottom data of USGS field activity K0211PS collected in Puget Sound, Washington in April of 2011
High-resolution chirp sub-bottom data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in April 2011 south of Bainbridge Island and west of Seattle in Puget Sound, Washington. Data were collected aboard R/V Karluk during field activity K0211PS using an Edgetech SB-512i sub-bottom profiler. Sub-bottom acoustic penetration spans several tens of meters and is variable by location.
Bathymetry, topography and orthomosaic imagery for Whiskeytown Lake, northern California
Approximately 93% of the area within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area was burned extensively during the Carr Fire, including all of the landscape surrounding and draining into Whiskeytown Lake. The lake, a federally managed reservoir, therefore acted as a sediment trap for material eroded from hillslopes and streambeds in the aftermath of the Carr Fire. USGS measured
SQUID-5 structure-from-motion point clouds, bathymetric maps, orthomosaics, and underwater photos of coral reefs in Florida, 2019
The new structure-from-motion (SfM) quantitative underwater imaging device with five cameras (SQUID-5) was tested in July 2019 at Crocker Reef in the Florida Keys. The SQUID-5 was developed to meet the unique challenges of collecting SfM underwater imagery, including multiple cameras with different perspectives, accurate geographic locations of images, accurate and precise scaling of derived...
Topographic point clouds for the Mud Creek landslide, Big Sur, California from structure-from-motion photogrammetry from aerial photographs
This data release contains structure-from-motion (SfM) point-cloud data from aerial surveys conducted over the Mud Creek landslide on Big Sur from 1967-2018. Data sources include scanned aerial photographs, digital images collected from fixed-wing aircraft, and digital images collected from multirotor UAS.
Data in support of 5-year sediment budget and morphodynamic analysis of Elwha River following dam removals
Dam removal changed the river's sediment budget and water flow, which affected the river's morphology. This data release presents digital elevation models, orthomosaic images, dam height measurements, sediment measurements, and river streamgage data that were collected to support studies on morphodynamic and sediment budget responses of the Elwha River to the removal of dams.
Ecological parameters in the Elwha River estuary before and during dam removal
The Elwha and Glines Canyon dams were removed from the Elwha River in Washington State from 2011 to 2014. We collected data for a variety of metrics in the estuary and on the river delta before (2006-2011) and during (2012-2014) dam removal to assess how increased sediment transport and deposition affected habitats, vegetation, invertebrates, and fish.
California State Waters Map Series Data Catalog--Offshore of Aptos
Each GIS data file for the Offshore of Aptos map area is listed with a brief description, a small image, and links to the metadata files and the downloadable data files. The data were compiled in ArcMap (version 10.2.2, ESRI, 2014). Raster data layers are registered TIFF images and are in the UTM Zone 10 coordinate system. Point, line, and polygon features are in shapefile format
California State Waters Map Series Data Catalog--Offshore of Santa Cruz
Each GIS data file for the Offshore of Santa Cruz map area is listed with a brief description, a small image, and links to the metadata files and the downloadable data files. The data were compiled in ArcMap (version 10.2.2, ESRI, 2014). Raster data layers are registered TIFF images and are in the UTM Zone 10 coordinate system. Point, line, and polygon features are in shapefile format
Processing coastal imagery with Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition, version 1.6—Structure from motion workflow documentation
IntroductionStructure from motion (SFM) has become an integral technique in coastal change assessment; the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) used Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition photogrammetry software to develop a workflow that processes coastline aerial imagery collected in response to storms since Hurricane Florence in 2018. This report...
Over, Jin-Si R.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Kranenburg, Christine J.; Brown, Jenna A.; Buscombe, Daniel D.; Noble, Tom; Sherwood, Christopher R.; Warrick, Jonathan A.; Wernette, Phillipe A.
A survey of storm-induced seaward-transport features observed during the 2019 and 2020 hurricane seasons
Hurricanes are known to play a critical role in reshaping coastlines, but often only impacts on the open ocean coast are considered, ignoring seaward-directed forces and responses. The identification of subaerial evidence for storm-induced seaward transport is a critical step towards understanding its impact on coastal resiliency. The visual...
Over, Jin-Si R.; Brown, Jenna A.; Sherwood, Christopher R.; Hegermiller, Christie; Wernette, Phillipe Alan; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Warrick, Jonathan Accurate bathymetric maps from underwater digital imagery without ground control
Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry can be used with digital underwater photographs to generate high-resolution bathymetry and orthomosaics with millimeter-to-centimeter scale resolution at relatively low cost. Although these products are useful for assessing species diversity and health, they have additional utility for quantifying benthic...
Hatcher, Gerry; Warrick, Jonathan; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Dailey, Evan; Zawada, David G.; Kranenburg, Christine J.; Yates, Kimberly K. World’s largest dam removal reverses coastal erosion
Coastal erosion outpaces land generation along many of the world’s deltas and a significant percentage of shorelines, and human-caused alterations to coastal sediment budgets can be important drivers of this erosion. For sediment-starved and erosion-prone coasts, large-scale enhancement of sediment supply may be an important, but poorly understood...
Warrick, Jonathan; Stevens, Andrew W.; Miller, Ian M.; Harrison, Shawn R; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Gelfenbaum, Guy R. Characterizing the catastrophic 2017 Mud Creek Landslide, California, using repeat Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry
Along the rugged coast of Big Sur, California, the Mud Creek landslide failed catastrophically on May 20, 2017 and destroyed over 400 m of scenic California State Highway 1. We collected structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry data using airborne platforms that, when combined with existing airborne lidar data, revealed that the area exhibited...
Warrick, Jonathan; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Reid, Mark E.; Schmidt, Kevin; Logan, Joshua B. Morphodynamic evolution following sediment release from the world’s largest dam removal
Sediment pulses can cause widespread, complex changes to rivers and coastal regions. Quantifying landscape response to sediment-supply changes is a long-standing problem in geomorphology, but the unanticipated nature of most sediment pulses rarely allows for detailed measurement of associated landscape processes and evolution. The intentional...
Ritchie, Andrew C.; Warrick, Jonathan; East, Amy E.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Stevens, Andrew W.; Bountry, Jennifer A.; Randle, Timothy J.; Curran, Christopher A.; Hilldale, Robert C.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Miller, Ian M.; Pess, George R.; Eidam, Emily; Foley, Melissa M.; McCoy, Randall; Ogston, Andrea S. Geomorphic evolution of a gravel‐bed river under sediment‐starved vs. sediment‐rich conditions: River response to the world's largest dam removal
Understanding river response to sediment pulses is a fundamental problem in geomorphic process studies, with myriad implications for river management. However, because large sediment pulses are rare and usually unanticipated, they are seldom studied at field scale. We examine fluvial response to a massive (~20 Mt) sediment pulse released by...
East, Amy E.; Logan, Joshua B.; Mastin, Mark C.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Bountry, Jennifer A.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Sankey, Joel B. A regime shift in sediment export from a coastal watershed during a record wet winter, California: Implications for landscape response to hydroclimatic extremes
Small, steep watersheds are prolific sediment sources from which sediment flux is highly sensitive to climatic changes. Storm intensity and frequency are widely expected to increase during the 21st century, and so assessing the response of small, steep watersheds to extreme rainfall is essential to understanding landscape response to climate...
East, Amy E.; Stevens, Andrew W.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Barnard, Patrick L.; Campbell‐Swarzenski, Pamela L.; Collins, Brian D.; Conaway, Christopher H. Ecological parameters in the Elwha River estuary before and during dam removal
The Elwha and Glines Canyon dams were removed from the Elwha River in Washington State from 2011 to 2014. We collected data for a variety of metrics in the estuary and on the river delta before (2006-2011) and during (2012-2014) dam removal to assess how increased sediment transport and deposition affected habitats, vegetation, invertebrates, and...
Foley, Melissa M.; Shafroth, Patrick B.; Beirne, Matthew M.; Paradis, Rebecca; Ritchie, Andrew C.
California State Waters Map Series—Offshore of Pigeon Point, California
Introduction In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly...
Cochrane, Guy R.; Cochran, Susan A.; Cochrane, Guy R.; Watt, Janet T.; Dartnell, Peter; Greene, H. Gary; Erdey, Mercedes D.; Dieter, Bryan E.; Golden, Nadine E.; Johnson, Samuel Y.; Endris, Charles A.; Hartwell, Stephen R.; Kvitek, Rikk G.; Davenport, Clifton W.; Krigsman, Lisa M.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Sliter, Ray W.; Finlayson, David P.; Maier, Katherine L.
California State Waters map series—Offshore of Scott Creek, California
Introduction In 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly...
Cochrane, Guy R.; Cochran, Susan A.; Cochrane, Guy R.; Dartnell, Peter; Johnson, Samuel Y.; Greene, H. Gary; Erdey, Mercedes D.; Dieter, Bryan E.; Golden, Nadine E.; Endris, Charles A.; Hartwell, Stephen R.; Kvitek, Rikk G.; Davenport, Clifton W.; Watt, Janet T.; Krigsman, Lisa M.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Sliter, Ray W.; Finlayson, David P.; Maier, Katherine L.
Southern Salish Sea Habitat Map Series: Admiralty Inlet
In 2010 the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 initiated the Puget Sound Scientific Studies and Technical Investigations Assistance Program, designed to support research in support of implementing the Puget Sound Action Agenda. The Action Agenda was created in response to Puget Sound having been designated as one of 28 estuaries of...
Cochrane, Guy R.; Cochrane, Guy R.; Dethier, Megan N.; Hodson, Timothy O.; Kull, Kristine K.; Golden, Nadine E.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Moegling, Crescent; Pacunski, Robert E.
Moving Mountains: Elwha River Still Changing Five Years After World’s Largest Dam-Removal Project: More than 20 million tons of sediment flushed to the sea
Starting in 2011, the National Park Service removed two obsolete dams from the Elwha River in Olympic National Park, Washington. It was the world’s largest dam-removal project. Over the next five years, water carrying newly freed rocks, sand, silt and old tree trunks reshaped more than 13 miles of river and built a larger delta into the Pacific Ocean.
Time-lapse view of California Highway 1 reconstruction after 2017 landslide
USGS scientists produced an animated GIF in coordination with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) re-opening of State Highway 1 through Big Sur on July 18, 2018.
USGS Monitors Huge Landslides on California's Big Sur Coast, Shares Information with California Department of Transportation
On May 20, 2017, more than 2 million cubic meters of rock and dirt—enough to fill a line of dump trucks nearly a thousand miles long—collapsed down the steep slopes at Mud Creek on California’s Big Sur coast, about 140 miles south of San Francisco. A pile of rubble almost a third of a mile wide buried California State Highway 1 over 65 feet deep and added about 13 acres of new land to the...