Coastal Louisiana wetlands make up the seventh largest delta on Earth, contain about 37 percent of the estuarine herbaceous marshes in the conterminous United States, and support the largest commercial fishery in the lower 48 States.
Brady Couvillion
Brady Couvillion is a Geographer with the Coastal Restoration Assessment Branch of the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
His research topics commonly include wetland morphology, vegetation monitoring, applications of remote sensing to natural resource assessments, and landscape modeling/forecasting.
Science and Products
Nekton References and Targets: Assessing the Abundance and Density of Fish and Invertebrates Associated with Louisiana’s Marsh Habitat
Quantifying Changes in Wetland Area and Habitat Types in the Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Restoration Area 1985-Present with Remote Sensing
A Roadmap for Developing Resilient Coastal Shellfish Populations: Using Spatial and Process-Based Modelling for Restoration Under Current and Predicted Future Water Quality Conditions
Model Improvements for Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan
Identification of Hydrologic Controls on Coastal Spartina patens Marshes and Optimal Hydrological Conditions for Sustainable Mottled Duck Habitat
Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP)
Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment
Assessment of Wetland Area Change and Shoreline Erosion Due to Hurricane Sandy
Investigation of Causal Mechanisms of Coastal Wetland Change in Coastal Louisiana
Spatial Analysis of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act Projects
Gulf of Mexico Land Loss Change Assessment: A Cooperative Study with the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management
Hyper-Temporal Land Area Change Rates in Coastal Louisiana from 1973 to 2015
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015/2016, 2018, and 2021 land-water matrices, Central Louisiana
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2021 land-water classification data, Central Louisiana
Eastern oyster Dynamic Energy Budget model outputs under current (2014-2020) and projected (2041-2050) temperature and salinity conditions in Texas and Louisiana estuaries and along northern Gulf of Mexico coast
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2021 land-water classification data, Eastern Louisiana
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015/2016, 2018, and 2021 land-water matrices, Eastern Louisiana
Cone penetrometer and elevation measurement data of coastal wetland plant states for resilience quantification, Louisiana, USA (2019)
An Unvegetated to Vegetated Ratio (UVVR) for coastal wetlands of the Conterminous United States (2014-2018)
Riverine Sand Mining/Scofield Island Restoration (BA-40): 2014 habitat classification
Shell Island East Barrier Island Restoration (BA-0110): 2013 habitat pre-construction and post-construction (as-built) classification (ver. 1.1, July 2021)
Humble Canal Hydrologic Restoration (ME-11): 2015 Land-Water Classification
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015/2016 and 2018 land-water matrices
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2018 land-water classification data
Land area change in coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2016)
Delineation of marsh types from Corpus Christi Bay, Texas, to Perdido Bay, Alabama, in 2010
Land area change in coastal Louisiana from 1932 to 2010
Coastal Louisiana wetlands make up the seventh largest delta on Earth, contain about 37 percent of the estuarine herbaceous marshes in the conterminous United States, and support the largest commercial fishery in the lower 48 States.
Accelerating elevation gain indicates land loss associated with erosion in Mississippi River Deltaic Plain tidal wetlands
2023 Coastal master plan: Landscape input data
2023 Coastal master plan: ICM-wetlands – Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) updates
Comparison of historic to future without action (FWOA) land change
The concept of land bridge marshes in the Mississippi River Delta and implications for coastal restoration
Characterization of vegetated and ponded wetlands with implications towards coastal wetland marsh collapse
Development and application of Landsat-based wetland vegetation cover and unvegetated-vegetated marsh ratio (UVVR) for the conterminous United States
Defining aquatic habitat zones across northern Gulf of Mexico estuarine gradients through submerged aquatic vegetation species assemblage and biomass data
Seasonal controls on sediment delivery and hydrodynamics in a vegetated tidally influenced interdistributary island
Imagery
Aboveground and belowground vegetation biomass and nutrients
Quantifying hydrologic controls on local- and landscape-scale indicators of coastal wetland loss
Science and Products
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Nekton References and Targets: Assessing the Abundance and Density of Fish and Invertebrates Associated with Louisiana’s Marsh Habitat
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leading a Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) activity with USGS collaborators to establish reference ranges and restoration targets, assess data gaps for focal nekton species and/or guilds associated with Louisiana’s estuarine and coastal habitats, implement the fixed-area sampling strategy to quantify fishes and invertebrates...Quantifying Changes in Wetland Area and Habitat Types in the Deepwater Horizon Louisiana Restoration Area 1985-Present with Remote Sensing
USGS researchers will quantify wetland change and wetland vegetation community type change through the analyses of aerial vegetation survey data and investigate potential relationships between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and marsh elevation change.A Roadmap for Developing Resilient Coastal Shellfish Populations: Using Spatial and Process-Based Modelling for Restoration Under Current and Predicted Future Water Quality Conditions
Estuaries support valuable recreation, fisheries, and aquaculture and are dependent on healthy and vibrant ecosystems. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico, estuaries sustain local economies through their high productivity. They also receive over 50% of the United States watershed discharge, and water quality within these estuaries is impacted by local management actions. Within these estuaries, easModel Improvements for Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan
The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s Coastal Master Plan is a blueprint for responding to environmental changes. As part of the agency’s continued engagement, USGS supports model developments and improvements for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan.Identification of Hydrologic Controls on Coastal Spartina patens Marshes and Optimal Hydrological Conditions for Sustainable Mottled Duck Habitat
Mottled ducks rely on the coastal marshes of the Texas Chenier Plain, which are considered among the most critically endangered habitats in the United States. USGS scientists are evaluating what might be contributing to the degradation of high-quality mottled duck habitat to better understand the causes of habitat loss and subsequently mitigate those losses.Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP)
In 2009, the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) was developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mobile District in conjunction with other Federal and State agencies, to help reduce future storm damage along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The Comprehensive Plan for MsCIP includes restoring the Mississippi barrier islands and over 3,000 acres of wetland and coastal forest...Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment
This project is a collaborative effort between the USGS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the State of Alabama funded by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to investigate viable, sustainable restoration options that protect and restore the natural resources of Dauphin Island, Alabama. The project is focused on restoration options that protect and restore habitat and living...Assessment of Wetland Area Change and Shoreline Erosion Due to Hurricane Sandy
Significant damage to coastal communities and surrounding wetlands of the north Atlantic states was caused by Hurricane Sandy in late October 2012, mostly tied to an associated storm surge of record extent and impact.Investigation of Causal Mechanisms of Coastal Wetland Change in Coastal Louisiana
This task will involve the compilation of all data sources and expert knowledge of causal mechanisms of specific areas of wetland loss throughout the coastal zone of Louisiana.Spatial Analysis of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act Projects
As the first federally mandated restoration program, Louisiana enacted the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) to address Louisiana’s land loss crisis.Gulf of Mexico Land Loss Change Assessment: A Cooperative Study with the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management
Eighty-five percent of the coastal wetland loss in the contiguous United States occurs in the Gulf of Mexico. Documenting and understanding the occurrence of this wetland loss will provide for effective planning, mitigation, and restoration activities.Hyper-Temporal Land Area Change Rates in Coastal Louisiana from 1973 to 2015
This study analyzes changes in the extent of land in coastal Louisiana by using an average of 81 datasets (multiple dates of satellite data from 1973 to 2014) for summarizing land and water areas. - Data
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Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015/2016, 2018, and 2021 land-water matrices, Central Louisiana
Wetland restoration efforts conducted by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in Louisiana rely on monitoring to determine the efficacy of these projects. The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) was developed to assist in a multiple-reference approach that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling for monitoring. ThCoastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2021 land-water classification data, Central Louisiana
Wetland restoration efforts conducted by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in Louisiana rely on monitoring efforts to determine the efficacy of these efforts. The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) was developed to assist in a multiple-reference approach that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling for monitorEastern oyster Dynamic Energy Budget model outputs under current (2014-2020) and projected (2041-2050) temperature and salinity conditions in Texas and Louisiana estuaries and along northern Gulf of Mexico coast
Compilation of all outputs from the modeling study presented in Lavaud et al. (2023; IP-156006). In this study a Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model for the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, was run under different scenarios of current (2014–2020) and future (2041–2050) temperature and salinity conditions across six key Texas and Louisiana estuaries to derive an aquaculture index, based on survCoastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2021 land-water classification data, Eastern Louisiana
Wetland restoration efforts conducted by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in Louisiana rely on monitoring efforts to determine the efficacy of these efforts. The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) was developed to assist in a multiple-reference approach that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling for monitorCoastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015/2016, 2018, and 2021 land-water matrices, Eastern Louisiana
Wetland restoration efforts conducted by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in Louisiana rely on monitoring to determine the efficacy of these projects. The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) was developed to assist in a multiple-reference approach that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling for monitoring. ThCone penetrometer and elevation measurement data of coastal wetland plant states for resilience quantification, Louisiana, USA (2019)
These datasets provide: 1) field-collected geotechnical data, and 2) Real-Time-Kinematic GPS elevation data for coastal salt marsh in the Port Sulphur area, Louisiana from 2019.An Unvegetated to Vegetated Ratio (UVVR) for coastal wetlands of the Conterminous United States (2014-2018)
This USGS Data Release represents geospatial data sets which were created to produce an Unvegetated to Vegetated Ratio (UVVR) for coastal wetlands of the conterminous United States (2014-2018). The following listed image products were generated 1) Annual spatial datasets (rasters) from 2014 to 2018 each containing 4 bands (Band 1: Unvegetated land fraction; Band 2: Vegetated land fraction; Band 3:Riverine Sand Mining/Scofield Island Restoration (BA-40): 2014 habitat classification
This data set includes mosaicked aerial photographs for the Riverine Sand Mining/Scofield Island Restoration (BA-40) project for 2014. This data is used as a basemap habitat classification. If repeated, it can also serve as a visual tool for project managers to help them identify any obvious problems or land loss within their project boundary. To better evaluate the effectiveness of restoration efShell Island East Barrier Island Restoration (BA-0110): 2013 habitat pre-construction and post-construction (as-built) classification (ver. 1.1, July 2021)
This data set includes mosaicked aerial photographs for the Shell Island East Barrier Island Restoration (BA-0110) project both pre and post-construction for 2013. This data is used as a basemap habitat classification. If repeated, it can also serve as a visual tool for project managers to help them identify any obvious problems or land loss within their project boundary. To better evaluate the efHumble Canal Hydrologic Restoration (ME-11): 2015 Land-Water Classification
The Louisiana State Legislature created the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in order to conserve, restore, create and enhance Louisiana's coastal wetlands. The wetland restoration plans developed pursuant to these acts specifically require an evaluation of the effectiveness of each coastal wetlands restoration project in achieving long-term solutions to arrestingCoastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015/2016 and 2018 land-water matrices
Wetland restoration efforts conducted by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in Louisiana rely on monitoring to determine the efficacy of these projects. The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) was developed to assist in a multiple-reference approach that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling for monitoring. ThCoastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) 2018 land-water classification data
Wetland restoration efforts conducted by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in Louisiana rely on monitoring efforts to determine the efficacy of these efforts. The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) was developed to assist in a multiple-reference approach that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling for monitor - Maps
Land area change in coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2016)
Coastal Louisiana wetlands are one of the most critically threatened environments in the United States. These wetlands are in peril because Louisiana currently experiences greater coastal wetland loss than all other States in the contiguous United States combined. The analyses of landscape change presented here have utilized historical surveys, aerial, and satellite data to quantify landscape chanDelineation of marsh types from Corpus Christi Bay, Texas, to Perdido Bay, Alabama, in 2010
Coastal zone managers and researchers often require detailed information regarding emergent marsh vegetation types (that is, fresh, intermediate, brackish, and saline) for modeling habitat capacities and needs of marsh dependent taxa (such as waterfowl and alligator). Detailed information on the extent and distribution of emergent marsh vegetation types throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico coastLand area change in coastal Louisiana from 1932 to 2010
Coastal Louisiana wetlands make up the seventh largest delta on Earth, contain about 37 percent of the estuarine herbaceous marshes in the conterminous United States, and support the largest commercial fishery in the lower 48 States. These wetlands are in peril because Louisiana currently undergoes about 90 percent of the total coastal wetland loss in the continental United States. Documenting and - Multimedia
Land Area Change in Coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2010)Land Area Change in Coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2010)Land Area Change in Coastal Louisiana (1932 to 2010)
Coastal Louisiana wetlands make up the seventh largest delta on Earth, contain about 37 percent of the estuarine herbaceous marshes in the conterminous United States, and support the largest commercial fishery in the lower 48 States.
ByCoastal Louisiana wetlands make up the seventh largest delta on Earth, contain about 37 percent of the estuarine herbaceous marshes in the conterminous United States, and support the largest commercial fishery in the lower 48 States.
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Accelerating elevation gain indicates land loss associated with erosion in Mississippi River Deltaic Plain tidal wetlands
In recent years, the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain (MRDP) has experienced the highest rates of wetland loss in the USA. Although the process of vertical drowning has been heavily studied in coastal wetlands, less is known about the relationship between elevation change and land loss in wetlands that are experiencing lateral erosion and the contribution of erosion to land loss in the MRDP. We quaAuthorsCamille Stagg, Leigh Anne Sharp, Emily Fromenthal, Brady Couvillion, Victoria Woltz, Sarai Piazza2023 Coastal master plan: Landscape input data
Coastal Louisiana is a complex landscape. The composition of the landscape, as well as the processes which influence said landscape, vary in both space and time. The models used in the 2023 Coastal Master Plan must attempt to reflect that spatial and temporal variability. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the spatial data sets upon which the models are initialized are of the highest quAuthorsBrady Couvillion2023 Coastal master plan: ICM-wetlands – Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) updates
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) provides critical structural habitat for valuable nekton and wildlife species across coastal ecosystems and can buffer the negative effects of land loss. Landscape change and restoration efforts across coastal Louisiana can impact the occurrence, coverage, and species assemblages of SAV, and changes to these foundational species can have cascading impacts acrossAuthorsKristin DeMarco, Donald Schoolmaster, Brady CouvillionComparison of historic to future without action (FWOA) land change
One of the primary purposes of the 2023 Coastal Master Plan Integrated Compartment Model (ICM) is to forecast potential changes in coastal wetland area under varying environmental and restoration scenarios. To validate the model performance, historical analyses of observed wetland changes are needed for comparison to hindcast model runs. To generate these historical analyses, this effort has analyAuthorsBrady CouvillionThe concept of land bridge marshes in the Mississippi River Delta and implications for coastal restoration
Louisiana has high coastal wetland loss rates due to natural processes such as subsidence and anthropogenic activities such as construction of river levees and dams, pervasive alteration of surface hydrology by local industries such as oil and gas, and navigation. With the exception of the Atchafalaya River discharge area, most of Louisiana's marsh coastline is retreating and coastal marshes are dAuthorsJohn W. Day, Robert R. Twilley, Angelina Freeman, Brady Couvillion, Tracy Quirk, Navid H. Jafari, Giulio Mariotti, Rachael Hunter, Charles Norman, G. Paul Kemp, John R. White, Ehab MeselheCharacterization of vegetated and ponded wetlands with implications towards coastal wetland marsh collapse
Coastal wetlands provide numerous ecosystem services; yet these ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable to climate change stressors, especially excessive flooding from sea-level rise and storm events. This study highlights the important contribution of vegetation belowground biomass to marsh stability and identifies loss of vegetation as a critical driver of marsh collapse. We investigated the sheaAuthorsJack A. Cadigan, Navid H. Jafari, Camille Stagg, Claudia Laurenzano, Brian D. Harris, Amina E. Meselhe, Jason Dugas, Brady CouvillionDevelopment and application of Landsat-based wetland vegetation cover and unvegetated-vegetated marsh ratio (UVVR) for the conterminous United States
Effective management and restoration of salt marshes and other vegetated intertidal habitats require objective and spatially integrated metrics of geomorphic status and vulnerability. The unvegetated-vegetated marsh ratio (UVVR), a recently developed metric, can be used to establish present-day vegetative cover, identify stability thresholds, and quantify vulnerability to open-water conversion oveAuthorsNeil K. Ganju, Brady Couvillion, Zafer Defne, Kate AckermanDefining aquatic habitat zones across northern Gulf of Mexico estuarine gradients through submerged aquatic vegetation species assemblage and biomass data
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) creates highly productive habitats in coastal areas, providing support for many important species of fish and wildlife. Despite the importance and documented loss of SAV across fresh to marine habitats globally, we lack consistent baseline data on estuarine SAV resources, particularly in the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) estuaries. To understand SAV distributionAuthorsK. E. DeMarco, E. R. Hillmann, J. A. Nyman, Brady Couvillion, Megan K. La PeyreSeasonal controls on sediment delivery and hydrodynamics in a vegetated tidally influenced interdistributary island
River deltas are maintained by a continuous supply of terrestrial sediments that provide critical land building material to help sustain and protect vulnerable ecological communities and serve as natural storm protection barriers. Local hydrodynamics are important in determining the degree to which fluvial sediments are removed from the water column and retained on the delta complex. During 2014,AuthorsRichard Styles, Gregg Snedden, S. Jarrell Smith, Duncan B. Bryant, Brandon M. Boyd, Joseph Z. Gailani, Brady Couvillion, Edward RaceImagery
As part of CRMS, Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQs) for the coastal region of Louisiana are created for years when coastwide land-water classifications are required. A DOQQ is a raster image in which displacement in the image caused by sensor orientation and terrain relief has been corrected. These images combine the image characteristics of a photo with the geometric qualities of a maAuthorsTodd M. Folse, Thomas E. McGinnis, Leigh A. Sharp, Jonathan L. West, Melissa K. Hymel, John P. Troutman, Dona Weifenbach, William M. Boshart, Laurie B. Rodrigue, Danielle C. Richardi, W. Bernard Wood, C. Mike Miller, Elizabeth M. Robinson, Angelina M. Freeman, Camille Stagg, Brady Couvillion, Holly BeckAboveground and belowground vegetation biomass and nutrients
Wetland biomass production, decomposition, and storage of organic matter govern estuarine energy transfer, in addition to determining the physical sustainability of marshes exposed to sea-level rise and subsidence. Peak standing biomass represents an indicator of wetland production or productivity but does not account for turnover (production and decomposition) of different pools of biomass with tAuthorsTodd M. Folse, Thomas E. McGinnis, Leigh A. Sharp, Jonathan L. West, Melissa K. Hymel, John P. Troutman, Dona Weifenbach, William M. Boshart, Laurie B. Rodrigue, Danielle C. Richardi, W. Bernard Wood, C. Mike Miller, Elizabeth M. Robinson, Angelina M. Freeman, Camille Stagg, Brady Couvillion, Holly BeckQuantifying hydrologic controls on local- and landscape-scale indicators of coastal wetland loss
Background and AimsCoastal wetlands have evolved to withstand stressful abiotic conditions through the maintenance of hydrologic feedbacks among vegetation production and flooding. However, disruption of these feedbacks can lead to ecosystem collapse, or a regime shift from vegetated wetland to open water. To prevent the loss of critical coastal wetland habitat, we must improve understanding of thAuthorsCamille Stagg, Michael Osland, Jena A. Moon, Courtney Hall, Laura Feher, William R. Jones, Brady Couvillion, Stephen B. Hartley, William Vervaeke - News