Brett is an Ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
My research interests are in the vegetation and hydrological effects on bird use, particularly in estuarine wetland and barrier island habitats. I currently lead the USGS field data collection efforts for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS). I also lend support on numerous research projects including studies focused on wetland plant productivity, organic matter decomposition, carbon storage, ecohydrology, and restoration and climate change impacts on waterbird and shorebird species.
EDUCATION
M.S., Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University, 2016—Thesis: Living on the edge: An assessment of the Habitat Use of Waterbirds in Estuarine Wetlands of Barataria Basin, LA
B.S., Biology, William Carey University, 2007
Science and Products
Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP)
Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) - Adaptive Management and Monitoring Planning and Implementation
Wetland elevation and soil characteristics across Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2020-2021)
Developing bare-earth digital elevation models from structure-from-motion data on barrier islands, Dauphin Island, AL, 2018-2019
Barrier island vegetation and elevation survey, Dauphin Island, AL, 2018-19
Developing bare-earth digital elevation models from structure-from-motion data on barrier islands
Living on the edge: Multi-scale analyses of bird habitat use in coastal marshes of Barataria Basin, Louisiana, USA
Impacts of saltwater intrusion on wetland prey production and composition in a historically freshwater marsh
Inundation and salinity impacts to above- and belowground productivity in Spartina patens and Spartina alterniflora in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain: implications for using river diversions as restoration tools
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Science
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...Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) - Adaptive Management and Monitoring Planning and Implementation
The Mississippi barrier islands are dynamic coastal landforms that are the first line of defense between the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi mainland coast. These islands are experiencing changes in structure (land area and habitat) and geomorphic processes (erosion and accretion) due to frequent intense storms, relative rise in sea level, and changes in sediment supply. A long-term monitoring... - Data
Wetland elevation and soil characteristics across Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (2020-2021)
The recent completion of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) for New Orleans has effectively blocked surface water exchange between Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR) and the surrounding Lake(s) Pontchartrain and Borgne and the Gulf of Mexico to which it was once connected. Monitoring changes in hydrology, water quality, birdDeveloping bare-earth digital elevation models from structure-from-motion data on barrier islands, Dauphin Island, AL, 2018-2019
This U.S. Geological Survey data release includes bare-earth digital elevation models (DEMs) that were produced by removing elevation bias in vegetated areas from structure-from-motion (SfM) data products for two sites on Dauphin Island, Alabama. These data were collected in the late fall of 2018 and spring of 2019. In addition to the bare-earth DEMs, this data release also includes vegetation masBarrier island vegetation and elevation survey, Dauphin Island, AL, 2018-19
Vegetation and elevation survey data were collected in 4-square-meter quadrats via Real-Time Kinematic GPS from September 9, 2018 to April 17, 2019 on Dauphin Island, AL. Vegetation data included total percent herbaceous cover, percent cover by plant species, and mean height of vegetation within the quadrat. The percent cover by species was used to determine the dominant species for the plot. - Publications
Developing bare-earth digital elevation models from structure-from-motion data on barrier islands
Unoccupied aerial systems can collect aerial imagery that can be used to develop structure-from-motion products with a temporal resolution well-suited to monitoring dynamic barrier island environments. However, topographic data created using photogrammetric techniques such as structure-from-motion represent the surface elevation including the vegetation canopy. Additional processing is required foAuthorsNicholas Enwright, Christine J. Kranenburg, Brett Patton, P. Soupy Dalyander, Jenna A. Brown, Sarai Piazza, Wyatt C CheneyLiving on the edge: Multi-scale analyses of bird habitat use in coastal marshes of Barataria Basin, Louisiana, USA
Coastal marsh loss, combined with expected sea-level rise, will cause inundation and extensive shifts to vegetation and salinity regimes that may affect the bird species dependent on coastal ecosystems worldwide. Within coastal marsh habitats, birds provide key targets for coastal management goals. However, limited information on bird-habitat relationships within coastal marshes inhibits the develAuthorsBrett Patton, J. A. Nyman, Megan K. La PeyreImpacts of saltwater intrusion on wetland prey production and composition in a historically freshwater marsh
Sea level rise is a fundamental driver of ecosystem change and has the potential to shift the spatial distributions of habitats more rapidly than species can adapt. Rapid sea level rise and associated saltwater intrusion have negative impacts on coastal environments, including loss of habitat for species such as sea turtles and shorebirds. In Florida’s largest wetland, the Everglades, the availabiAuthorsStephanie Romanach, James M. Beerens, Brett Patton, Julia P. Chapman, Matt HansonInundation and salinity impacts to above- and belowground productivity in Spartina patens and Spartina alterniflora in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain: implications for using river diversions as restoration tools
Inundation and salinity directly affect plant productivity and processes that regulate vertical accretion in coastal wetlands, and are expected to increase as sea level continues to rise. In the Mississippi River deltaic plain, river diversions, which are being implemented as ecosystem restoration tools, can also strongly increase inundation in coastal wetlands. We used an in situ mesocosm approacAuthorsGregg A. Snedden, Kari Foster Cretini, Brett PattonNon-USGS Publications**
Patton, Brett Ashley, "Living on the Edge: An Assessment of the Habitat Use of Waterbirds in Estuarine Wetlands of Barataria Basin, LA" (2016). LSU Master's Theses. 1670. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/1670**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.