Christopher G. Smith, Ph.D.
As a coastal geologist, my research focuses on the transport, transformation, and deposition of particulate and dissolved constituents within the coastal realm and how system processes will respond to large-scale environmental forcings (e.g., climate change).
Coastal systems provide a dynamic interface between terrestrial and marine realms; anthropogenic activity and natural processes occurring within terrestrial ecosystems can have a significant impact to the coastal zone and adjacent marine system. Augmentation of coastal systems is inevitable from a human perspective as nearly half of the population of the United States reside within coastal counties. Understanding modern processes (sedimentologic, hydrologic, and geochemical) occurring along this terrestrial-marine continuum is critical in predicting the response associated with natural and anthropogenic perturbations.
My research interests generally fall into two categories: 1) fluid exchange (e.g., surface water – groundwater exchange, submarine and coastal groundwater discharge) and 2) fine-grained sediment dynamics, specifically in marsh and estuarine environments. Linking these two seemingly disparate research topics are naturally-occurring (e.g., U-Th series) and anthropogenically-introduced/spiked (e.g., 137Cs) radionuclides. Particle reactive radionuclides (e.g., 7Be, 234Th, 210Pb, 210Po, and 137Cs) provide excellent tracers to quantify sediment deposition and re-mobilization over time-scales of months to decades. Examining the final sedimentary product in the context of the temporal framework and associated transient changes also provide a breadth of knowledge to environmental conditions that persisted in recent past and the outcome that may be expected if similar conditions persist in the present or future. Alternatively, the more conservative behavior of radon and radium isotopes have proven these as excellent tracers to quantify groundwater discharge in both fresh and marine environments.
Over the last three decades, groundwater discharge to the coastal zone has received increasing recognition as a substantial material vector, influencing water quality and nutrient fluxes. Quantification of fresh and marine groundwater end-members and the processes that drive the exchange (e.g., seasonal recharge cycles, hurricanes and tropical cyclones) are critical to assess the overall importance of coastal groundwater and has been at the forefront of my research.
Professional Experience
2010-Present: Research Geologist, USGS, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
2008 - 2010: USGS Mendenhall Fellow, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Education and Certifications
PhD - Oceanography & Coastal Science (Geological conc) (2008) from Louisiana State University (Geaux Tigers!)
MS - Geology (2004) from East Carolina University
BS - Geology (2001) from East Carolina University (NC)
Science and Products
Benthic Foraminiferal Data from Surface Samples and Sedimentary Cores in the Grand Bay Estuary, Mississippi and Alabama
Effects of Late Holocene Climate and Coastal Change in Mobile Bay, Alabama: ADCIRC Model Input and Results
Sedimentary Data from Grand Bay, Alabama/Mississippi, 2014-2016
Sedimentary data from the lower Pascagoula River, Mississippi, USA
Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2018 from Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay Alabama/Mississippi
Radon-222 Time Series Data Related to Submarine Groundwater Discharge Along the Western Margin of Indian River Lagoon, Florida
Sedimentary data from the lower Pearl River, Louisiana, USA
Subbottom and Sidescan Sonar Data Acquired in 2015 From Grand Bay, Mississippi and Alabama
Continuous Resistivity Profiling, Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Hydrologic Data Collected in 2017 from Indian River Lagoon, Florida
Sedimentary Data Collected in April 2013 From Dauphin Island and Salt Marshes of Coastal Alabama
Foraminiferal Data for Chincoteague Bay and the Marsh Deposits of Assateague Island and the Adjacent Vicinity, Maryland and Virginia
A GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines Derived from Aerial Imagery for the Grand Bay Region of Mississippi and Alabama: 2010 and 2012
Distribution of modern salt-marsh Foraminifera from the eastern Mississippi Sound, U.S.A.
Recent outer-shelf foraminiferal assemblages on the Carnarvon Ramp and Northwestern Shelf of Western Australia
Assessing the impact of open-ocean and back-barrier shoreline change on Dauphin Island, Alabama, at multiple time scales over the last 75 years
The effects of tropical cyclone-generated deposition on the sustainability of the Pearl River marsh, Louisiana: The importance of the geologic framework
The foraminifera of Chincoteague Bay, Assateague Island, and the surrounding areas: A regional distribution study
Benthic foraminifera from the Carnarvon Ramp reveal variability in Leeuwin Current activity (Western Australia) since the Pliocene
Barrier-island and estuarine-wetland physical-change assessment after Hurricane Sandy
The sedimentological characteristics and geochronology of the marshes of Dauphin Island, Alabama
How could a freshwater swamp produce a chemical signature characteristic of a saltmarsh?
Single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi
A seasonal and spatial comparison of metals, and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, in Chincoteague Bay and the marsh deposits of Assateague Island and the adjacent vicinity, Maryland and Virginia
Distribution of foraminifera in Chincoteague Bay and the marshes of Assateague Island and the adjacent vicinity, Maryland and Virginia
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
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Filter Total Items: 35
Benthic Foraminiferal Data from Surface Samples and Sedimentary Cores in the Grand Bay Estuary, Mississippi and Alabama
Microfossil (benthic foraminifera) samples were obtained from surficial grab (denoted with 'G') and push core (denoted with 'M') sediments collected in Grand Bay estuary, Mississippi and Alabama, to aid in the paleoenvironmental understanding of Grand Bay estuary. The data presented here were collected as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments anEffects of Late Holocene Climate and Coastal Change in Mobile Bay, Alabama: ADCIRC Model Input and Results
Using the numerical model ADCIRC, astronomic tides were simulated at Mobile Bay, Alabama under scenarios of Holocene geomorphic configurations representing the period of 3500 to 2300 years before present including a breach in the Morgan Peninsula and a land bridge at Pass aux Herons (see Figure 1), as described in Smith and others, 2020. Model inputs in the form of topography and bathymetry and moSedimentary Data from Grand Bay, Alabama/Mississippi, 2014-2016
This data release is an archive of sedimentary field and laboratory analytical data collected in Grand Bay, Alabama/Mississippi from 2014-2016 by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC). This work, a component of the SPCMSC's Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, provides the necessarSedimentary data from the lower Pascagoula River, Mississippi, USA
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center investigated the sedimentary and geochemical properties of the lower reaches of the Pascagoula River along the Mississippi coast of the Gulf of Mexico by collecting estuarine, riverine and marsh sediments. This was done in order to increase understanding of the region's environmental history, describMultibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2018 from Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay Alabama/Mississippi
The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) conducted an ellipsoidally referenced survey using a multibeam echosounder within Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay, Alabama/Mississippi October 22-23, 2018. The survey is bridged between the former Sea level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines project (SSIEES), which focused on the iRadon-222 Time Series Data Related to Submarine Groundwater Discharge Along the Western Margin of Indian River Lagoon, Florida
Indian River Lagoon (IRL) is one of the most biologically diverse estuarine systems in the continental United States, stretching 200 kilometers (km) along the Atlantic coast of central Florida. The width of the lagoon varies between 0.5-9.0 km and is characterized by shallow, brackish waters with significant human development along both shores. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) StSedimentary data from the lower Pearl River, Louisiana, USA
Scientists from the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center investigated the sedimentary and geochemical properties of the lower reaches of the Pearl River in eastern Louisiana by collecting estuarine, riverine and marsh sediments. This was done in order to increase understanding of the region's environmental history, quantify the deposition associated withSubbottom and Sidescan Sonar Data Acquired in 2015 From Grand Bay, Mississippi and Alabama
Grand Bay Alabama and Mississippi were surveyed between May and June 2015, using an Edgetech chirp 424 subbottom profiler and a Klein 3900 sidescan sonar. The objective was to characterize the geologic framework of recent estuarine sediment accumulation in the bay. This data release includes the raw chirp subbottom Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG Y) data files, sidescan data files in eXtContinuous Resistivity Profiling, Electrical Resistivity Tomography and Hydrologic Data Collected in 2017 from Indian River Lagoon, Florida
Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) in collaboration with USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center (CFWSC) and St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) investigated spatial variability of bulk resistivity in the Surficial Aquifer located along the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, USA. Continuous resistivitySedimentary Data Collected in April 2013 From Dauphin Island and Salt Marshes of Coastal Alabama
From April 13 to 20, 2013, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC) collected push cores and vibracores on Dauphin Island, Alabama, along with push and auger cores in salt marshes at several locations in southwestern coastal Alabama. This work, a component of the SPCMSCs Barrier Island Evolution Research (BIER) project, was conductedForaminiferal Data for Chincoteague Bay and the Marsh Deposits of Assateague Island and the Adjacent Vicinity, Maryland and Virginia
Foraminiferal samples were collected from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, and Tom's Cove as well as the marshes on the back-barrier side of Assateague Island and the Delmarva (Delaware-Maryland-Virginia) mainland by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researchers from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in March, April (14CTB01), and October (14CTB02) 2014. Samples were also collected byA GIS Compilation of Vector Shorelines Derived from Aerial Imagery for the Grand Bay Region of Mississippi and Alabama: 2010 and 2012
This data release features two digitized historical shorelines for the Mississippi (MS) and Alabama (AL) coastline (Pascagoula, MS to Point aux Pins, AL) from 2010 and 2012. The shorelines were heads-up digitized using ArcMap 10.3.1 from 0.5-meter (m) resolution orthorectified aerial photos sourced from the City of Mobile, Alabama (http://maps.cityofmobile.org/gis/gisdata_order.aspx) and 1-m resol - Multimedia
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Filter Total Items: 57
Distribution of modern salt-marsh Foraminifera from the eastern Mississippi Sound, U.S.A.
This study documented surface distributions of live and dead foraminiferal assemblages in the low-gradient tidal marshes of the barrier island and estuarine complex of the eastern Mississippi Sound (Grand Bay, Pascagoula River, Fowl River, Dauphin Island). A total of 71,833 specimens representing 38 species were identified from a gradient of different elevation zones across the study area. We idenAuthorsChristian Haller, Christopher G. Smith, Pamela Hallock, Albert C. Hine, Lisa Osterman, Terrence McCloskeyRecent outer-shelf foraminiferal assemblages on the Carnarvon Ramp and Northwestern Shelf of Western Australia
The carbonate sediments of the Western Australian shelf in the Indian Ocean host diverse assemblages of benthic foraminifera. Environments of the shelf are dominated by the southward-flowing Leeuwin Current, which impacts near-surface circulation and influences biogeographic ranges of Indo-Pacific warm-water foraminifera. Analyses of outer ramp to upper slope sediments (127–264 m water depth) at fAuthorsChristian Haller, Pamela Hallock, Albert C. Hine, Christopher G. SmithAssessing the impact of open-ocean and back-barrier shoreline change on Dauphin Island, Alabama, at multiple time scales over the last 75 years
Dauphin Island and Little Dauphin Island, collectively, make up a geomorphically complex barrier island system located along Alabama’s southern coast, separating Mississippi Sound from the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay. The barrier island system provides numerous economical (tourism, fisheries) and natural (habitat for migratory birds, natural protection of inland and coastal areas from storms) beAuthorsChristopher G. Smith, Joseph W. Long, Rachel E. Henderson, Paul R. NelsonThe effects of tropical cyclone-generated deposition on the sustainability of the Pearl River marsh, Louisiana: The importance of the geologic framework
Shoreline retreat is a tremendously important issue along the coast of the northern Gulf of Mexico, especially in Louisiana. Although this marine transgression results from a variety of causes, the crucial factor is the difference between marsh surface elevation and rising sea levels. In most cases, the primary cause of a marsh's inability to keep up with sea level is the lack of input of inorganiAuthorsTerrence A. McCloskey, Christopher G. Smith, Kam-Biu Liu, Paul R. NelsonThe foraminifera of Chincoteague Bay, Assateague Island, and the surrounding areas: A regional distribution study
Foraminiferal census data from Chincoteague Bay, Newport Bay, the salt marshes of Assateague Island, adjacent mainland salt marshes, and the inner-shelf, were assessed to determine the current assemblages in Chincoteague Bay, and how the different environments surrounding the bay, and the gradients within the bay, influence the microfossil distribution. Determining the current background distributAuthorsAlisha M. Ellis, Jaimie E. Shaw, Lisa E. Osterman, Christopher G. SmithBenthic foraminifera from the Carnarvon Ramp reveal variability in Leeuwin Current activity (Western Australia) since the Pliocene
Benthic foraminiferal assemblages from a ~300 m deep core from an outer carbonate-ramp site off Western Australia (International Ocean Discovery Program Core U1460A) were examined to reconstruct the paleoceanographic evolution of the Carnarvon Ramp and the warm surficial Leeuwin Current (LC) for the last 3.54 Ma. Of the identified 179 benthic foraminiferal species, occurrences of the 15 most abundAuthorsChristian Haller, Pamela Hallock, Albert C. Hine, Christopher G. SmithBarrier-island and estuarine-wetland physical-change assessment after Hurricane Sandy
IntroductionThe Nation’s eastern coast is fringed by beaches, dunes, barrier islands, wetlands, and bluffs. These natural coastal barriers provide critical benefits and services, and can mitigate the impact of storms, erosion, and sea-level rise on our coastal communities. Waves and storm surge resulting from Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey coast on October 29, 2012, impaAuthorsNathaniel G. Plant, Kathryn Smith, Davina Passeri, Christopher G. Smith, Julie BernierThe sedimentological characteristics and geochronology of the marshes of Dauphin Island, Alabama
In August 2015, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center collected 11 push cores from the marshes of Dauphin Island and Little Dauphin Island, Alabama. Sample site environments included high marshes, low salt marshes, and salt flats, and varied in distance from the shoreline. The sampling efforts were part of a larger study to assess the feasibilAuthorsAlisha M. Ellis, Christopher G. Smith, Marci E. MarotHow could a freshwater swamp produce a chemical signature characteristic of a saltmarsh?
Reduction–oxidation (redox) reaction conditions, which are of great importance for the soil chemistry of coastal marshes, can be temporally dynamic. We present a transect of cores from northwest Florida wherein radical postdepositional changes in the redox regime has created atypical geochemical profiles at the bottom of the sedimentary column. The stratigraphy is consistent along the transect, coAuthorsTerrence A. McCloskey, Christopher G. Smith, Kam-biu Liu, Marci E. Marot, Christian HallerSingle-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi
As part of the Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a single-beam bathymetry survey within the estuarine, open-bay, and tidal creek environments of Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi, from May to June 2015. The goal of the SSIEES project is to aAuthorsNancy T. DeWitt, Chelsea A. Stalk, Christopher G. Smith, Stanley D. Locker, Jake J. Fredericks, Terrence A. McCloskey, Cathryn J. WheatonA seasonal and spatial comparison of metals, and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, in Chincoteague Bay and the marsh deposits of Assateague Island and the adjacent vicinity, Maryland and Virginia
After Hurricane Sandy, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a seasonal collection of estuarine, marsh, and sandy overwash surface sediments from Chincoteague Bay, Tom’s Cove, and the surrounding Assateague Island and Delmarva Peninsula in March–April and October 2014. Surplus surface sediment was analyzed for metals, percent carbonAuthorsAlisha M. Ellis, Christopher G. SmithDistribution of foraminifera in Chincoteague Bay and the marshes of Assateague Island and the adjacent vicinity, Maryland and Virginia
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a seasonal collection of estuarine, marsh, and sandy washover surface sediments from Chincoteague Bay, Tom’s Cove, and the surrounding Assateague Island and Delmarva Peninsula in March–April and October 2014, after Hurricane Sandy. Micropaleontology samples were collected as part of a compAuthorsAlisha M. Ellis, Jaimie Shaw, Lisa E. Osterman, Christopher G. SmithNon-USGS Publications**
Cable, J.E., Smith, C.G., Blanford, W.J. 2009. Dispersivity and distribution coefficients in marine sediments using Tritium and Radium-226. Radioprotection, 44:185-190.Smith, C.G., Cable, J.E., Martin, J.B., and Roy, M. 2008. Evaluating the source and seasonality of submarine groundwater discharge using a Radon-222 pore water transport model, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 273:312-322.Culver, S.J., Grand Pre, C., Mallinson, D., Riggs, S., Corbett, D.R., Foley, J., Hale, M., Ricardo, J., Rosenberger, J., Smith, C.G., Smith, C.W., Snyder, S., Twamley, D., Farrell, K., Horton, B. 2007. Late Holocene barrier island collapse: Outer Banks, North Carolina, U.S.A. The Sedimentary Record 5:4-8.Smith, C.G., Cable, J.E., Martin, J.B. 2008. Episodic high intensity mixing events in a subterranean estuary: Effects of tropical cyclones, Limnology and Oceanography 53:666-674.Smith, C.G., Culver, S.J., Riggs, S.R., Ames, D., Corbett, D.R., Mallinson, D.J. 2008. Geospatial analysis of barrier island width of two segments of the Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA: anthropogenic curtailment of natural self-sustaining processes. Journal of Coastal Research 24:70-83.Martin, J.B., Cable, J., Smith, C.G., Roy, M. and Cherrier, J. 2007. Magnitudes of submarine groundwater discharge from marine and terrestrial sources: Indian River Lagoon, Florida. Water Resources Research 43: doi:10.1029/2006WR005266.Smith, C.G., Cable, J.E., Martin, J.B., Cherrier, J., and Roy, M. 2006. Mixing in the subterranean estuary: a comparison of Radon-222 pore water models. p. 355-368, In V. P. Singh and Y. J. Xu [eds.], Annual American Institute of Hydrology Meeting & International Conference: Challenges in Coastal Hydrology and Water Quality. Water Resources Publications, LLC, 534 pp.Martin, J.B., Cable, J.E., Jaeger, J., Hartl, K.M., and Smith, C.G. 2006. Thermal and chemical evidence for rapid water exchange across the sediment-water interface by bioirrigation in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida. Limnology and Oceanography 51:1332-1341.Culver, S.J., Ames, D.V., Corbett, D.R., Malllinson, D., Riggs, S.R., Smith, C.G., and Vance, D. 2005. Foraminiferal and sedimentary record of late Holocene barrier island evolution, Pea Island, North Carolina. Journal of Coastal Research 21:406-416.**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.
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