Christopher Sherwood, PhD
Chris (he/him/his), is a coastal oceanographer with expertise in measuring and modeling sediment transport and coastal morphology changes.
Professional Experience
Research Oceanographer, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA and Woods Hole, MA, 1999 – present.
Affiliate Faculty, Ocean Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 2009 – present
Guest Investigator, Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 2011 – present
Senior Research Scientist, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Division of Marine Research, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 1996 - 1999
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Geological Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 1995
M.S. Geological Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 1982
A.B., Economics and Environmental Studies, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, 1976
Science and Products
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 details step-by-step instructions to create three-dimen
Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the Coastal Barrier
A survey of storm-induced seaward-transport features observed during the 2019 and 2020 hurricane seasons
Erosion and recovery: Sound-side inundation of Cape Lookout National Seashore during Hurricane Dorian
Using the Lomb-Scargle method for wave statistics from gappy time series
Wave-current interaction between Hurricane Matthew wave fields and the Gulf Stream
Morphodynamic modeling of the response of two barrier islands to Atlantic hurricane forcing
Tidal variation in cohesive sediment distribution in an idealized, partially-mixed estuary
Modeling the morphological response of a barrier island to Hurricane Matthew
Investigating bedload transport under asymmetrical waves using a coupled ocean-wave model
Sediment transport model including short-lived radioisotopes: Model description and idealized test cases
Unmanned aerial systems capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements
Mapping Land-Use, Hazard Vulnerability and Habitat Suitability Using Deep Neural Networks
Exploring the USGS Science Data Life Cycle in the Cloud
Community Model for Coastal Sediment Transport
Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2020-05-08 to 2020-05-09
U.S. Geological Survey simulations of hydrodynamics and morphodynamics at Matanzas, FL during Hurricane Matthew (2016) and at Fire Island, NY during Hurricane Sandy (2012)
Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2019-11-26
Topographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Head of the Meadow, Truro in February 2021, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2021-014-FA
Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2019-10-11
Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2019-09-08 to 2019-09-13, Post-Hurricane Dorian
Topographic and bathymetric data, sediment samples, structure from motion imagery, and reference mark data collected at Marconi Beach, Wellfleet in winter 2021, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2021-022-FA (ver. 2, December 2023)
Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2019-08-30 and 2019-09-02, Pre-Hurricane Dorian
Structure from motion products associated with UAS flights in Sandwich, Massachusetts between January 2016 - September 2017
Aerial Photogrammetry Data and Products of the North Carolina coast: 2018-10-06 to 2018-10-08, post-Hurricane Florence
Ground Control Point Data from the Outer Banks, North Carolina, post-Hurricane Dorian, September 2019
Topographic and bathymetric data, sediment samples, and imagery collected at Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro in March 2020, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2020-015-FA (ver. 2.0, December 2023)
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 66
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 details step-by-step instructions to create three-dimen
AuthorsJin-Si R. Over, Andrew C. Ritchie, Christine J. Kranenburg, Jenna A. Brown, Daniel D. Buscombe, Tom Noble, Christopher R. Sherwood, Jonathan A. Warrick, Phillipe A. WernetteByEcosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Southwest Biological Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Hurricane Florence, HurricanesImpacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the Coastal Barrier
AuthorsJennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Sara Zeigler, Davina Passeri, David R. Smith, Jill Bourque, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christopher G. Smith, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Kathryn Smith, Kristen Hart, David C. Kazyak, Alicia Berlin, Bianca Prohaska, Teresa Calleson, Kristi YanchisA 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 features, found in the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAuthorsJin-Si R. Over, Jenna A. Brown, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christie Hegermiller, Phillipe Alan Wernette, Andrew C. Ritchie, Jonathan WarrickErosion and recovery: Sound-side inundation of Cape Lookout National Seashore during Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Dorian tracked immediately offshore of Cape Lookout National Seashore (which includes the barrier islands of North and South Core Banks) and Ocracoke Island after devastating the Bahamas in early September, 2019. Dorian briefly made landfall at Cape Hatteras as a Category 1 hurricane on September 6 before moving northeast over the Atlantic Ocean. Winds on the Outer Banks, initially moreAuthorsChristopher R. SherwoodUsing the Lomb-Scargle method for wave statistics from gappy time series
Sandwich Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, MA, has experienced substantial erosion and has been the subject of efforts by the town and private landowners to limit the sand loss. Erosion has been particularly dramatic in the past five years with the loss of dwellings. Sandwich's nourishment efforts presented a unique opportunity for scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and MarineAuthorsMarinna A. Martini, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Christopher R. SherwoodWave-current interaction between Hurricane Matthew wave fields and the Gulf Stream
Hurricanes interact with the Gulf Stream in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) through a wide variety of processes, which are crucial to understand for prediction of open-ocean and coastal hazards during storms. However, it remains unclear how waves are modified by large-scale ocean currents under storm conditions, when waves are aligned with the storm-driven circulation and tightly coupled to the oveAuthorsChristie Hegermiller, John C. Warner, Maitane Olabarrieta, Christopher R. SherwoodMorphodynamic modeling of the response of two barrier islands to Atlantic hurricane forcing
The accurate prediction of a barrier island response to storms is challenging because of the complex interaction between hydro- and morphodynamic processes that changes at different stages during an event. Assessment of the predictive skill is further complicated because of uncertainty in the hydraulic forcing, initial conditions, and the parameterization of processes. To evaluate these uncertaintAuthorsMarlies van der Lugt, Ellen Quataert, Ap van Dongeren, Maarten van Ormondt, Christopher R. SherwoodTidal variation in cohesive sediment distribution in an idealized, partially-mixed estuary
Particle settling velocity and erodibility are key factors that govern the transport of sediment through coastal environments including estuaries. These are difficult to parameterize in models that represent mud, whose properties can change in response to many factors, including tidally varying suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and shear stress. Using the COAWST (Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-WaveAuthorsD. Tarpley, Courtney K. Harris, Carl T. Friedrichs, Christopher R. SherwoodModeling the morphological response of a barrier island to Hurricane Matthew
Surge and wave forcing from Hurricane Matthew caused a breach south of Matanzas Inlet (FL, USA) on a complex barrier island, including sandy dunes, hard structures (residential buildings and a highway), wetlands, and the US Intracoastal Waterway. In this paper, the skill of the XBeach model to predict hurricane-induced barrier island overwash, dune erosion, and breaching is demonstrated. The locatAuthorsEllen Quataert, Marlies van der Lugt, Christopher R. Sherwood, Maarten van Oormondt, Ap van DongeranInvestigating bedload transport under asymmetrical waves using a coupled ocean-wave model
Transport by asymmetrical wave motions plays a key role in cross-shore movement of sand, which is important for bar migration, exchange through tidal inlets, and beach recovery after storms. We have implemented a modified version of the SANTOSS formulation in the three-dimensional open-source Coupled-Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST) modeling framework. The calculation of bedload tAuthorsTarandeep S. Kalra, Christopher R. Sherwood, John C. Warner, Yashar Rafati, Tian Jian HsuSediment transport model including short-lived radioisotopes: Model description and idealized test cases
Geochronologies derived from sediment cores in coastal locations are often used to infer event bed characteristics such as deposit thicknesses and accumulation rates. Such studies commonly use naturally occurring, short-lived radioisotopes, such as Beryllium-7 (7Be) and Thorium-234 (234Th), to study depositional and post-depositional processes. These radioisotope activities, however, are not generAuthorsJustin J. Birchler, Courtney K. Harris, Christopher R. Sherwood, Tara A KniskernUnmanned aerial systems capabilities of the U.S. Geological Survey Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology provides a rapid and low-cost solution for mapping coastal environments and assessing short- and long-term changes. The interdisciplinary nature of the data collected and the breadth of applications make UAS technology applicable to multiple scientific investigations. The Aerial Imaging and Mapping (AIM) group at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Woods HoleAuthorsSandra Brosnahan, Christopher R. Sherwood - Science
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Coastal Model Applications and Field Measurements
Numerical models are used by scientists, engineers, coastal managers, and the public to understand and predict processes in the coastal ocean. This project supports the development and application of open-source coastal models and has several objectives: 1) improve the code of numerical sediment-transport models by implementing new or improved algorithms; 2) obtain measurements of coastal ocean...Mapping Land-Use, Hazard Vulnerability and Habitat Suitability Using Deep Neural Networks
Deep learning is a computer analysis technique inspired by the human brain’s ability to learn. It involves several layers of artificial neural networks to learn and subsequently recognize patterns in data, forming the basis of many state-of-the-art applications from self-driving cars to drug discovery and cancer detection. Deep neural networks are capable of learning many levels of abstraction, anExploring 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 intCommunity Model for Coastal Sediment Transport
This project is complete and the website is archived and no longer updated. The U.S. Geological Survey and others are promoting the development of an open-source numerical model for sediment-transport in coastal regions. We are collaborating with other federal agencies, academic institutions, and private industry, with the goal of adopting and/or developing one or more models for use as scientific... - Data
Filter Total Items: 39
Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2020-05-08 to 2020-05-09
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Remote Sensing Coastal Change (RSCC) project collects aerial imagery along coastal swaths, in response to storm events, with optimized endlap/sidelap and precise position information to create high-resolution orthomosaics, three-dimensional (3D) point clouds, and digital elevation/surface models (DEMs/DSMs) using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods.U.S. Geological Survey simulations of hydrodynamics and morphodynamics at Matanzas, FL during Hurricane Matthew (2016) and at Fire Island, NY during Hurricane Sandy (2012)
The Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport (COAWST Warner and others, 2019; Warner and others, 2010) model was used to simulate ocean circulation, waves, and sediment transport to study barrier island breaches that occurred during Hurricane Matthew (2016) near Matazas FL, and Hurricane Sandy (2012) at Fire Island, NY. Hurricane Sandy was a Saffir-Simpson Category 2 hurricane that transAerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2019-11-26
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Remote Sensing Coastal Change (RSCC) project collects aerial imagery along coastal swaths, in response to storm events, with optimized endlap/sidelap and precise position information to create high-resolution orthomosaics, three-dimensional (3D) point clouds, and digital elevation/surface models (DEMs/DSMs) using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods.Topographic and bathymetric data, structure from motion imagery, and ground control data collected at Head of the Meadow, Truro in February 2021, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2021-014-FA
These data map the beach and nearshore environment at Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro, MA, providing updated regional context for the 2019 CoastCam installation. CoastCam CACO-01 are two video cameras aimed at the beach that view the coast shared by beachgoers, shorebirds, seals, and sharks. These data were collected as part of field activity 2021-014-FA and a collaboration with the National ParAerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2019-10-11
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Remote Sensing Coastal Change (RSCC) project collects aerial imagery along coastal swaths, in response to storm events, with optimized endlap/sidelap and precise position information to create high-resolution orthomosaics, three-dimensional (3D) point clouds, and digital elevation/surface models (DEMs/DSMs) using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods.Aerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2019-09-08 to 2019-09-13, Post-Hurricane Dorian
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Remote Sensing Coastal Change (RSCC) project collects aerial imagery along coastal swaths, in response to storm events, with optimized endlap/sidelap and precise position information to create high-resolution orthomosaics, three dimensional (3D) point clouds, and digital elevation/surface models (DEMs/DSMs) using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods.Topographic and bathymetric data, sediment samples, structure from motion imagery, and reference mark data collected at Marconi Beach, Wellfleet in winter 2021, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2021-022-FA (ver. 2, December 2023)
The data in this publication map the beach and nearshore environment at Marconi Beach in Wellfleet, MA and provide regional context for the 2021 CoastCam installation that looks out at the coast shared by beachgoers, shorebirds, seals, and sharks. These data were collected as part of field activity 2021-022-FA and a collaboration with the National Park Service at Cape Cod National Seashore to moniAerial Imagery of the North Carolina Coast: 2019-08-30 and 2019-09-02, Pre-Hurricane Dorian
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Remote Sensing Coastal Change (RSCC) project collects aerial imagery along coastal swaths, in response to storm events, with optimized endlap/sidelap and precise position information to create high-resolution orthomosaics, three dimensional (3D) point clouds, and digital elevation/surface models (DEMs/DSMs) using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry methods.Structure from motion products associated with UAS flights in Sandwich, Massachusetts between January 2016 - September 2017
Low-altitude (80-100 meters above ground level) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) imagery of Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, Massachusetts, were used in a structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry workflow to create high-resolution topographic datasets. Imagery was collected at close to low tide on twelve days to observe changes in beach and dune morphology. Ground control points (GCPs), which are temAerial 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. This research is part of the Remote Sensing CoasGround Control Point Data from the Outer Banks, North Carolina, post-Hurricane Dorian, September 2019
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Remote Sensing Coastal Change (RSCC) project surveyed 34 features visible from the air to be used as ground control points (GCP) on the Outer Banks, North Carolina, on September 24 and 25, 2019, after the passing of Hurricane Dorian (U.S. landfall on September 6, 2019). Data were collected in support of aerial imagery surveys documenting the storm impacts and subsTopographic and bathymetric data, sediment samples, and imagery collected at Head of the Meadow Beach, Truro in March 2020, U.S Geological Survey Field Activity 2020-015-FA (ver. 2.0, December 2023)
The data in this release map the beach and nearshore environment at Head of the Meadow Beach in Truro, MA and provide environmental context for the camera calibration information for the 2019 CoastCam installation that looks out at the coast shared by beachgoers, shorebirds, seals, and sharks. This is related to the field activity 2020-015-FA and a collaboration with the National Park Service at C - Multimedia
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