Sabrina Levinson, a USGS intern on the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux Project (St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center), pilots a survey waverunner to the shallows of Wallops Island, Virginia.
Daniel Ciarletta, Ph.D.
Daniel Ciarletta is a Research Physical Scientist at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center. He investigates the evolution of coastal morphology to understand how beach, dune, and marsh landscapes are connected over different timescales. To accomplish this, he combines field approaches with numerical modeling to quantify geomorphological change through time.
Daniel's work includes efforts to understand how dune morphology can be used as a proxy to quantify rates of sediment input and loss in coastal barrier islands, as well as how lags in sediment transfer and rates of sand partitioning within barrier islands influence long-term landscape evolution. He has created and modified several reduced-complexity model frameworks to explore these dynamics.
More recently, his work includes efforts to (1) understand the resilience of coastal systems to variations in inlet-, storm-, and engineering-induced variations in sediment availability, and (2) explore couplings between different coastal landscapes over varying timescales.
Professional Experience
Research Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, 2023-present
Research Geologist (Mendenhall), U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, 2019-2023
Marine Scientist / Project Manager, Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey, Inc., 2008-2012
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Environmental Science and Management, Montclair State University, 2019
M.S. Geoscience, Montclair State University, 2014
B.S. Oceanography - Coastal Zone Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 2008
Science and Products
Implications for the resilience of modern coastal systems derived from mesoscale barrier dynamics at Fire Island, New York
Exploring centennial barrier-inlet evolution: Insights from undeveloped and developed phases at Barnegat Inlet, New Jersey
Incorporating wave climate complexity into modeling lower shoreface morphology and transport
Reconstructing the geomorphic evolution and sediment budget history of a dynamic barrier island: Anclote Key, Florida
Reconstructing the geomorphic evolution and sediment budget history of a dynamic barrier island: Anclote Key, Florida
Undeveloped and developed phases in the centennial evolution of a barrier-marsh-lagoon system: The case of Long Beach Island, New Jersey
Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Quantifying thresholds of barrier geomorphic change in a cross-shore sediment-partitioning model
Relative influence of antecedent topography and sea-level rise on barrier-island migration
Storm-Related Barrier Island Morphological Evolution
Barrier Island Sensitivity to Changes in Sediment Supply
Shoreface Morphology and Geology
Modeling Barrier Island Evolution, Shoreface Morphology, and Overwash
Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) Capabilities
Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF)
Chirp Sub-Bottom Profile Geophysical Data Collected in 2024 From Wallops Island and Assawoman Island, Virginia
Sediment Data from Vibracores Collected in 2021 From Central Florida Gulf Coast Barrier Islands
Ground Penetrating Radar and Global Positioning System Data collected in 2021 from Pinellas County Barrier Islands, Florida
Sediment Data From Vibracores and Sand Augers Collected in 2021 and 2022 From Fire Island, New York
Ground Penetrating Radar and Global Positioning System Data Collected in 2021 From Fire Island, New York

Sabrina Levinson, a USGS intern on the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux Project (St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center), pilots a survey waverunner to the shallows of Wallops Island, Virginia.

Dan Ciarletta Teaches Students About Sediment Cores at the 2023 St. Petersburg Science Festival
linkDan Ciarletta teaches some students about sediment cores at the 2023 St. Petersburg Science Festival. For more than 10 years, the St. Petersburg Science Festival has celebrated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) activities with elementary school children and the public over a two-day event.
Dan Ciarletta Teaches Students About Sediment Cores at the 2023 St. Petersburg Science Festival
linkDan Ciarletta teaches some students about sediment cores at the 2023 St. Petersburg Science Festival. For more than 10 years, the St. Petersburg Science Festival has celebrated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) activities with elementary school children and the public over a two-day event.
Photo taken at Sand Key, Florida, overlooking the Gulf of America coast. A high resolution digital video camera is installed atop Dan's Island Condo, one of the condos seen in the distance.
Photo taken at Sand Key, Florida, overlooking the Gulf of America coast. A high resolution digital video camera is installed atop Dan's Island Condo, one of the condos seen in the distance.
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.

Animation displays modeled beach profile elevation as it has evolved at Fishing Point, Virginia. These data are based on historical charts and images and measure distance (in kilometers) of cross-shore accretion. QS is the flux of sand to the beach, and QD is the flux of sand from the beach to the active dune.
Animation displays modeled beach profile elevation as it has evolved at Fishing Point, Virginia. These data are based on historical charts and images and measure distance (in kilometers) of cross-shore accretion. QS is the flux of sand to the beach, and QD is the flux of sand from the beach to the active dune.
The remnants of an eroding marsh sit on a bayside beach behind Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Marsh loss and bayside erosion can be outcomes of both natural landscape evolution and human modification of coastal barrier systems.
The remnants of an eroding marsh sit on a bayside beach behind Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Marsh loss and bayside erosion can be outcomes of both natural landscape evolution and human modification of coastal barrier systems.
Python-based Subaerial Barrier Sediment Partitioning (pySBSP) model (ver. 1.0, February 2024)
Subaerial Barrier Sediment Partitioning (SBSP) Model Version 1.0
Science and Products
Implications for the resilience of modern coastal systems derived from mesoscale barrier dynamics at Fire Island, New York
Exploring centennial barrier-inlet evolution: Insights from undeveloped and developed phases at Barnegat Inlet, New Jersey
Incorporating wave climate complexity into modeling lower shoreface morphology and transport
Reconstructing the geomorphic evolution and sediment budget history of a dynamic barrier island: Anclote Key, Florida
Reconstructing the geomorphic evolution and sediment budget history of a dynamic barrier island: Anclote Key, Florida
Undeveloped and developed phases in the centennial evolution of a barrier-marsh-lagoon system: The case of Long Beach Island, New Jersey
Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Quantifying thresholds of barrier geomorphic change in a cross-shore sediment-partitioning model
Relative influence of antecedent topography and sea-level rise on barrier-island migration
Storm-Related Barrier Island Morphological Evolution
Barrier Island Sensitivity to Changes in Sediment Supply
Shoreface Morphology and Geology
Modeling Barrier Island Evolution, Shoreface Morphology, and Overwash
Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) Capabilities
Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF)
Chirp Sub-Bottom Profile Geophysical Data Collected in 2024 From Wallops Island and Assawoman Island, Virginia
Sediment Data from Vibracores Collected in 2021 From Central Florida Gulf Coast Barrier Islands
Ground Penetrating Radar and Global Positioning System Data collected in 2021 from Pinellas County Barrier Islands, Florida
Sediment Data From Vibracores and Sand Augers Collected in 2021 and 2022 From Fire Island, New York
Ground Penetrating Radar and Global Positioning System Data Collected in 2021 From Fire Island, New York

Sabrina Levinson, a USGS intern on the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux Project (St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center), pilots a survey waverunner to the shallows of Wallops Island, Virginia.
Sabrina Levinson, a USGS intern on the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux Project (St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center), pilots a survey waverunner to the shallows of Wallops Island, Virginia.

Dan Ciarletta Teaches Students About Sediment Cores at the 2023 St. Petersburg Science Festival
linkDan Ciarletta teaches some students about sediment cores at the 2023 St. Petersburg Science Festival. For more than 10 years, the St. Petersburg Science Festival has celebrated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) activities with elementary school children and the public over a two-day event.
Dan Ciarletta Teaches Students About Sediment Cores at the 2023 St. Petersburg Science Festival
linkDan Ciarletta teaches some students about sediment cores at the 2023 St. Petersburg Science Festival. For more than 10 years, the St. Petersburg Science Festival has celebrated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) activities with elementary school children and the public over a two-day event.
Photo taken at Sand Key, Florida, overlooking the Gulf of America coast. A high resolution digital video camera is installed atop Dan's Island Condo, one of the condos seen in the distance.
Photo taken at Sand Key, Florida, overlooking the Gulf of America coast. A high resolution digital video camera is installed atop Dan's Island Condo, one of the condos seen in the distance.
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.
Join the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center as they uncover the secrets of the sediment on barrier islands in Pinellas County, Florida. This video was originally created for use at the 2021 virtual St. Petersburg Science Festival.

Animation displays modeled beach profile elevation as it has evolved at Fishing Point, Virginia. These data are based on historical charts and images and measure distance (in kilometers) of cross-shore accretion. QS is the flux of sand to the beach, and QD is the flux of sand from the beach to the active dune.
Animation displays modeled beach profile elevation as it has evolved at Fishing Point, Virginia. These data are based on historical charts and images and measure distance (in kilometers) of cross-shore accretion. QS is the flux of sand to the beach, and QD is the flux of sand from the beach to the active dune.
The remnants of an eroding marsh sit on a bayside beach behind Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Marsh loss and bayside erosion can be outcomes of both natural landscape evolution and human modification of coastal barrier systems.
The remnants of an eroding marsh sit on a bayside beach behind Long Beach Island, New Jersey. Marsh loss and bayside erosion can be outcomes of both natural landscape evolution and human modification of coastal barrier systems.