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David C Walters

David is a biological science tech with the Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, MD

David is a wetland ecologist, researching how coastal wetlands respond to sea level rise. With a background in biological and physical sciences, his work focuses on the interaction between wetland plant species and their physical environment. 

Professional Experience

  • 2020-Present - U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Biologist, Coastal Wetlands Group

  • 2017-2020 - NSA Contractor with U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, Coastal Wetlands Group

  • 2013-2017 - Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Laboratory and Research Specialist

Education and Certifications

  • M.S., University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, Geology (2013)

  • B.S., Longwood Univerity, Biology, concentration in Ecology (2011) 

Science and Products

link
Canyon Mine Sampling

Minerals Science Team

The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are identified the science produced by this team can inform how to...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
link

Minerals Science Team

The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are identified the science produced by this team can inform how to...
Learn More
Two scientists look down at a tablet that is connected to a monitoring box in the middle of a forest at Money Stump marsh
link
Two sensors drilled into a tree with wires hanging out the back
link
A scientist drills into a pine tree with a cordless drill in a forest with another scientist helping her to install sap flow
link
Brendan Crossman takes a measurement with a salinity probe in a wetland adjacent to a forest.
link

Climate-driven tradeoffs between landscape connectivity and the maintenance of the coastal carbon sink

Ecosystem connectivity tends to increase the resilience and function of ecosystems responding to stressors. Coastal ecosystems sequester disproportionately large amounts of carbon, but rapid exchange of water, nutrients, and sediment makes them vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal erosion. Individual components of the coastal landscape (i.e., marsh, forest, bay) have contrasting responses to s
Authors
Kendall Valentine, Ellen R. Herbert, David C Walters, Yaping Chen, Alexander J. Smith, Matthew L. Kirwan
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

GPS data from 2019 and 2020 campaigns in the Chesapeake Bay region towards quantifying vertical land motions

The Chesapeake Bay is a region along the eastern coast of the United States where sea-level rise is confounded with poorly resolved rates of land subsidence, thus new constraints on vertical land motions (VLM) in the region are warranted. In this paper, we provide a description of two campaign-style Global Positioning System (GPS) datasets, explain the methods used in data collection and validatio
Authors
Gabrielle Troia, Sarah Stamps, R. Russell Lotspeich, James M. Duda, Kurt J. McCoy, William Moore, Philippe Hensel, Ryan Hippenstiel, Thomas McKenna, David C. Andreasen, Charles Geoghegan, Thomas P Ulizo, Madeline Kronebusch, Joel A. Carr, David Walters, Neil Winn
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

Experimental tree mortality does not induce marsh transgression in a Chesapeake Bay low-lying coastal forest

Transgression into adjacent uplands is an important global response of coastal wetlands to accelerated rates of sea level rise. “Ghost forests” mark a signature characteristic of marsh transgression on the landscape, as changes in tidal inundation and salinity cause bordering upland tree mortality, increase light availability, and the emergence of tidal marsh species due to reduced competition. To
Authors
David C Walters, Joel A. Carr, Alyssa Hockaday, Joshua A Jones, Eliza McFarland, Katya Kovalenko, Matthew L. Kirwan, Donald Cahoon, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Sea level driven marsh expansion in a coupled model of marsh erosion and migration

Coastal wetlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, where ecosystem services such as flood protection depend nonlinearly on wetland size and are threatened by sea level rise and coastal development. Here we propose a simple model of marsh migration into adjacent uplands and couple it with existing models of seaward edge erosion and vertical soil accretion to explore how ecosystem con
Authors
Matthew L. Kirwan, David C. Walters, William G. Reay, Joel A. Carr
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Lauzon, R., Murray, A. B., Moore, L. J., Walters, D. C., Kirwan, M. L., & Fagherazzi, S. (2018). Effects of marsh edge erosion in coupled barrier island-marsh systems and geometric constraints on marsh evolution. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123, 1218– 1234. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004530
Moore, L.J. et al. (2018). The Role of Ecomorphodynamic Feedbacks and Landscape Couplings in Influencing the Response of Barriers to Changing Climate. In: Moore, L., Murray, A. (eds) Barrier Dynamics and Response to Changing Climate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68086-6_10
Schieder, N.W., Walters, D.C. & Kirwan, M.L. Massive Upland to Wetland Conversion Compensated for Historical Marsh Loss in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 940–951 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0336-9
Walters, D.C. & M.L. Kirwan, Optimal hurricane overwash thickness for maximizing marsh resilience to sea level rise, Ecology and Evolution (2016). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.2024
Moore, L.J., Walters, D.C., et al., Ecomorphodynamic feedbacks and couplings between landscape units affect barrier island response to changing climate. In: Coastal Sediments, (2015). https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/9789814689977_0246
Walters, D., et al., Interactions between barrier islands and backbarrier marshes affect island system response to sea level rise: Insights from a coupled model, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, (2014). https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014JF003091

**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
    link
    Canyon Mine Sampling

    Minerals Science Team

    The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are identified the science produced by this team can inform how to...
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Environmental Health Program, Toxic Substances Hydrology
    link

    Minerals Science Team

    The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are identified the science produced by this team can inform how to...
    Learn More
  • Multimedia
    Two scientists look down at a tablet that is connected to a monitoring box in the middle of a forest at Money Stump marsh
    link
    Two sensors drilled into a tree with wires hanging out the back
    link
    A scientist drills into a pine tree with a cordless drill in a forest with another scientist helping her to install sap flow
    link
    Brendan Crossman takes a measurement with a salinity probe in a wetland adjacent to a forest.
    link
  • Publications

    Climate-driven tradeoffs between landscape connectivity and the maintenance of the coastal carbon sink

    Ecosystem connectivity tends to increase the resilience and function of ecosystems responding to stressors. Coastal ecosystems sequester disproportionately large amounts of carbon, but rapid exchange of water, nutrients, and sediment makes them vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal erosion. Individual components of the coastal landscape (i.e., marsh, forest, bay) have contrasting responses to s
    Authors
    Kendall Valentine, Ellen R. Herbert, David C Walters, Yaping Chen, Alexander J. Smith, Matthew L. Kirwan
    By
    Eastern Ecological Science Center

    GPS data from 2019 and 2020 campaigns in the Chesapeake Bay region towards quantifying vertical land motions

    The Chesapeake Bay is a region along the eastern coast of the United States where sea-level rise is confounded with poorly resolved rates of land subsidence, thus new constraints on vertical land motions (VLM) in the region are warranted. In this paper, we provide a description of two campaign-style Global Positioning System (GPS) datasets, explain the methods used in data collection and validatio
    Authors
    Gabrielle Troia, Sarah Stamps, R. Russell Lotspeich, James M. Duda, Kurt J. McCoy, William Moore, Philippe Hensel, Ryan Hippenstiel, Thomas McKenna, David C. Andreasen, Charles Geoghegan, Thomas P Ulizo, Madeline Kronebusch, Joel A. Carr, David Walters, Neil Winn
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center

    Experimental tree mortality does not induce marsh transgression in a Chesapeake Bay low-lying coastal forest

    Transgression into adjacent uplands is an important global response of coastal wetlands to accelerated rates of sea level rise. “Ghost forests” mark a signature characteristic of marsh transgression on the landscape, as changes in tidal inundation and salinity cause bordering upland tree mortality, increase light availability, and the emergence of tidal marsh species due to reduced competition. To
    Authors
    David C Walters, Joel A. Carr, Alyssa Hockaday, Joshua A Jones, Eliza McFarland, Katya Kovalenko, Matthew L. Kirwan, Donald Cahoon, Glenn R. Guntenspergen
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center

    Sea level driven marsh expansion in a coupled model of marsh erosion and migration

    Coastal wetlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, where ecosystem services such as flood protection depend nonlinearly on wetland size and are threatened by sea level rise and coastal development. Here we propose a simple model of marsh migration into adjacent uplands and couple it with existing models of seaward edge erosion and vertical soil accretion to explore how ecosystem con
    Authors
    Matthew L. Kirwan, David C. Walters, William G. Reay, Joel A. Carr
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

    Non-USGS Publications**

    Lauzon, R., Murray, A. B., Moore, L. J., Walters, D. C., Kirwan, M. L., & Fagherazzi, S. (2018). Effects of marsh edge erosion in coupled barrier island-marsh systems and geometric constraints on marsh evolution. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123, 1218– 1234. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004530
    Moore, L.J. et al. (2018). The Role of Ecomorphodynamic Feedbacks and Landscape Couplings in Influencing the Response of Barriers to Changing Climate. In: Moore, L., Murray, A. (eds) Barrier Dynamics and Response to Changing Climate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68086-6_10
    Schieder, N.W., Walters, D.C. & Kirwan, M.L. Massive Upland to Wetland Conversion Compensated for Historical Marsh Loss in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 940–951 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0336-9
    Walters, D.C. & M.L. Kirwan, Optimal hurricane overwash thickness for maximizing marsh resilience to sea level rise, Ecology and Evolution (2016). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.2024
    Moore, L.J., Walters, D.C., et al., Ecomorphodynamic feedbacks and couplings between landscape units affect barrier island response to changing climate. In: Coastal Sediments, (2015). https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/9789814689977_0246
    Walters, D., et al., Interactions between barrier islands and backbarrier marshes affect island system response to sea level rise: Insights from a coupled model, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, (2014). https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014JF003091

    **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.