Imhoff, M.L., and Gesch, D.B., 1990, The derivation of a sub canopy digital terrain model of a flooded forest using synthetic aperture radar: Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, v. 56, no. 8, p. 1155-1162.
Dean Gesch, Ph.D.
Dean Gesch is a Research Physical Scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Biography
Since 1992, Dean Gesch has worked at USGS/EROS on a variety of geographic science topics, with most related to research and development of topographic data, derivative products, and applications. Most of Gesch’s work has focused on large-area datasets and applications (global, national, regional, and local), and much of the work has been collaborative in nature, working with scientists from other USGS centers and other Federal agencies. He led the design and development of USGS baseline elevation datasets at the national scale (the National Elevation Dataset) and the global scale (GTOPO30 and GMTED2010). His research topics include large-area topographic change analysis and monitoring, hurricane storm surge mapping, elevation data accuracy assessment, and sea-level rise vulnerability assessment. He served as a guest editor for Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing for a special issue on: The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission – Data Validation and Applications, and was also a guest editor for Journal of Coastal Research for a special issue on: Advances in Topobathymetric Mapping, Models, and Applications. Gesch has served in leadership positions in several national and international forums, including the National Digital Elevation Program, the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Working Group on Global Digital Elevation Model (DEM) Interoperability, and the Group on Earth Observations Global DEM Task. Currently at EROS he is the Principal Investigator leading the Coastal Changes and Impacts focus area in the Integrated Science and Applications Branch.
EDUCATION
- Ph.D., 2006, Geospatial Science and Engineering, South Dakota State University, Dissertation: An inventory and assessment of significant topographic changes in the United States
- M.A., 1984, Geosciences, Murray State University, Thesis: An analysis of the utility of Landsat Thematic Mapper data and digital elevation model data for predicting soil erosion: East Fork Massac Creek watershed, Kentucky
- B.S. (magna cum laude), 1982, Geography, Carroll College
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- 2004 to present: Research Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center
- 1992 - 2004: Senior Scientist, Hughes STX / Raytheon / SAIC at USGS/Earth Resources Observation and Science Center
- 1989 - 1992: Programmer/Analyst, Hughes STX Corp., Lanham, MD
- 1986 - 1989: Member Technical Staff, Science Applications Research Corp. at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
- 1984 - 1986: Physical Scientist, Defense Mapping Agency, Bethesda, MD
External Links
Science and Products
Date published: December 5, 2019
Status: Active Webinar: A Coastal Hazard Assessment with High-Resolution Data: A Pacific Island Case Study
View this webinar to learn how Pacific Islands CASC supported researchers are using high resolution data to assess the Pacific Islands vulnerability to coastal hazards.
Contacts: Dean Gesch, Ph.D.
Date published: October 31, 2019
Status: Active Ranking Features Based on Magnitude of Change
Each of the polygons in the topographic change inventory has numerous attributes associated with it. These attributes allow a ranking of features based on the magnitude of change, as measured by polygon descriptors (area and volume) and changes in terrain parameters (elevation, relief, slope, aspect). The ability to do such a ranking points out one of the advantages of producing spatially...
Contacts: Dean Gesch, Ph.D.
Date published: December 13, 2018
Status: Active Significant Topographic Changes in the United States
The USGS has developed a national inventory of significant topographic changes based on seamless multitemporal elevation data and land cover data. The National Elevation Dataset (NED) and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data form a unique pair of seamless elevation datasets that can be used to detect and analyze 20th century topographic surface changes in the United States.
Contacts: Dean Gesch, Ph.D.
Date published: September 12, 2018
Status: Active Sea-Level Rise Vulnerability
The importance of sea-level rise in shaping coastal landscapes is well recognized within the earth science community, but as with many natural hazards, communicating the risks associated with sea-level rise remains a challenge.
Contacts: Dean Gesch, Ph.D.
Date published: October 1, 2017
Status: Active Evaluation and testing of standardized forest vegetation metrics derived from lidar data
The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is managing the acquisition of lidar data across the Nation for high resolution mapping of the land surface, useful for multiple applications. Lidar data is initially collected as 3-dimensional “point clouds” that map the interaction of the airborne laser with earth surface features, including vegetation, buildings, and ground features. Generally the...
Attribution: Community for Data Integration (CDI)
Date published: January 1, 2017
Status: Active Characterizing Inundation Risk for Majuro Atoll
With an average elevation of just seven feet above sea level, the Republic of the Marshall Islands is acutely vulnerable to inundation from both episodic events such as storm surge and chronic conditions such as sea-level rise. Some projections estimate that future sea-level rise could exceed the average elevation of these islands by 2100. Already, residents are facing extreme high tides and...
Contacts: Dean Gesch, Ph.D., Jeffrey J Danielson
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: January 1, 2016
Status: Active Collecting Elevation Data to Understand Climate Change Effects in the Marshall Islands
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that low-lying atolls (ring-shaped islands or island chains made of coral) in the Pacific Ocean are extremely vulnerable to high tide events (“king tides”), storm surge, tsunamis, and sea-level rise. The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) spreads over 29 atolls and has a population of over 50,000 people with homes and communities that...
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: January 1, 2012
Status: Completed Evaluating Sea-level Rise Impacts in the Northeastern U.S.
In 2010, 39 percent of the U.S.population lived near the coast. This population is expected to increase by 8 percent from 2010 to 2020. Coastal regions are also home to species and habitats that provide critical services to humans, such as wetlands that buffer coasts from storms. Therefore, sea-level rise and the associated changes in coastlines challenge both human communities and ecosystems...
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: December 19, 2018
Topobathymetric model of Mobile Bay, Alabama
Topobathymetric Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are a merged rendering of both topography (land elevation) and bathymetry (water depth) that provides a seamless elevation product useful for inundation mapping, as well as for other earth science applications, such as the development of sediment-transport, sea-level rise, and storm-surge models.
Date published: August 21, 2018
Topographic Change Viewer
The USGS has developed a national inventory of significant topographic changes based on seamless multi-temporal elevation data and land cover data. The NED and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data form a unique pair of seamless elevation datasets that can be used to detect and analyze 20th century topographic surface changes in the United States.
Date published: February 8, 2018
Topobathymetric Model for the Central Coast of California, 1929 to 2017
To support the modeling of storm-induced flooding, the USGS Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project has created an integrated 1-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model (TBDEM) for the Central California Coast. High-resolution coastal elevation data is required to identify flood, hurricane, and sea-level rise inundation hazard zones and other earth science...
Date published: September 15, 2017
One Meter Topobathymetric Digital Elevation Model for Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1944-2016.
Located in the western Pacific Ocean, Majuro is a large coral atoll consisting of a large, central narrow land mass and remote islands that are part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The waters surrounding the Majuro Atoll land areas are relatively shallow with poorly mapped bathymetry. However, the Pacific Ocean on the exterior of the coral atoll and the lagoon within its interior...
Date published: April 30, 2017
Vertical Land Change, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Jackson, Monroe, Trempealeau, and Wood Counties, Wisconsin
The vertical land change activity focuses on the detection, analysis, and explanation of topographic change. These detection techniques include both quantitative methods, for example, using difference metrics derived from multi-temporal topographic digital elevation models (DEMs), such as, light detection and ranging (lidar), National Elevation Dataset (NED), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (...
Date published: April 30, 2017
Vertical Land Change, Itasca and St. Louis Counties, Minnesota
The vertical land change activity focuses on the detection, analysis, and explanation of topographic change. These detection techniques include both quantitative methods, for example, using difference metrics derived from multi-temporal topographic digital elevation models (DEMs), such as, light detection and ranging (lidar), National Elevation Dataset (NED), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (...
Date published: April 30, 2017
Vertical Land Change, Perry County, Kentucky
The vertical land change activity focuses on the detection, analysis, and explanation of topographic change. These detection techniques include both quantitative methods, for example, using difference metrics derived from multi-temporal topographic digital elevation models (DEMs), such as, light detection and ranging (lidar), National Elevation Dataset (NED), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (...
Date published: March 17, 2016
Delineation of Water Bodies in Emergent Wetlands in Coastal New Jersey
Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall on October 29, 2012, near Brigantine, New Jersey, had a significant impact on coastal New Jersey, including the large areas of emergent wetlands at Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and the Barnegat Bay region. In response to Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has undertaken several projects to assess the impacts of the storm and...
Attribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center
Year Published: 2020
Inundation exposure assessment for Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands using a high-accuracy digital elevation model
Majuro Atoll in the central Pacific has high coastal vulnerability due to low-lying islands, rising sea level, high wave events, eroding shorelines, a dense population center, and limited freshwater resources. Land elevation is the primary geophysical variable that determines exposure to inundation in coastal settings. Accordingly, coastal...
Gesch, Dean B.; Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Monica; Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Fletcher, Charles; Kottermair, Maria; Barbee, Matthew; Jalandoni, Andrea
Year Published: 2020
Inundation exposure assessment for Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands using a high-accuracy digital elevation model
Majuro Atoll in the central Pacific has high coastal vulnerability due to low-lying islands, rising sea level, high wave events, eroding shorelines, a dense population center, and limited freshwater resources. Land elevation is the primary geophysical variable that determines exposure to inundation in coastal settings. Accordingly, coastal...
Gesch, Dean B.; Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Monica; Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Fletcher, Charles; Kottermair, Maria; Barbee, Matthew; Jalandoni, Andrea
Year Published: 2018
Best practices for elevation-based assessments of sea-level rise and coastal flooding exposure
Elevation data are critical for assessments of sea-level rise (SLR) and coastal flooding exposure. Previous research has demonstrated that the quality of data used in elevation-based assessments must be well understood and applied to properly model potential impacts. The cumulative vertical uncertainty of the input elevation data substantially...
Gesch, Dean B.
Year Published: 2018
Best practices for elevation-based assessments of sea-level rise and coastal flooding exposure
Elevation data are critical for assessments of sea-level rise (SLR) and coastal flooding exposure. Previous research has demonstrated that the quality of data used in elevation-based assessments must be well understood and applied to properly model potential impacts. The cumulative vertical uncertainty of the input elevation data substantially...
Gesch, Dean B.
Year Published: 2018
The National Elevation Dataset
The National Elevation Dataset (NED) is a primary elevation data product that has been produced and distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Since its inception, the USGS has compiled and published topographic information in many forms, and the NED is a significant development in this long line of products that describe the land surface....
Gesch, Dean B.; Evans, Gayla A.; Oimoen, Michael J.; Arundel, SamanthaAttribution: Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center
View Citation
Gesch, D.B., Evans, G.A., Oimoen, M.J., and Arundel, S.T., 2018, The National Elevation Dataset, in Maune, D., and Nayegandhi, A., eds., Digital Elevation Model Technologies and Applications: The DEM Users Manual, 3rd Edition: Bethesda, Maryland, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, p. 83-110.
Year Published: 2018
The National Elevation Dataset
The National Elevation Dataset (NED) is a primary elevation data product that has been produced and distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Since its inception, the USGS has compiled and published topographic information in many forms, and the NED is a significant development in this long line of products that describe the land surface....
Gesch, Dean B.; Evans, Gayla A.; Oimoen, Michael J.; Arundel, SamanthaAttribution: Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center
View Citation
Gesch, D.B., Evans, G.A., Oimoen, M.J., and Arundel, S.T., 2018, The National Elevation Dataset, in Maune, D., and Nayegandhi, A., eds., Digital Elevation Model Technologies and Applications: The DEM Users Manual, 3rd Edition: Bethesda, Maryland, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, p. 83-110.
Year Published: 2018
Coastal National Elevation Database
The Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project develops enhanced topographic (land elevation) and bathymetric (water depth) datasets that serve as valuable resources for coastal hazards research (Danielson and others, 2016; Thatcher and others, 2016). These datasets are used widely for mapping inundation zones from riverine...
Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Poppenga, Sandra K.; Tyler, Dean J.; Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Monica; Gesch, Dean B.Attribution: Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, United States of America, Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project
View Citation
Danielson, J.J., Poppenga, S.K., Tyler, D.J., Palaseanu-Lovejoy, M., and Gesch, D.B., 2018, Coastal National Elevation Database: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2018–3037, 2 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/2018.
Year Published: 2018
Evaluating the potential for near-shore bathymetry on the Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, using Landsat 8 and WorldView-3 imagery
Satellite-derived near-shore bathymetry (SDB) is becoming an increasingly important method for assessing vulnerability to climate change and natural hazards in low-lying atolls of the northern tropical Pacific Ocean. Satellite imagery has become a cost-effective means for mapping near-shore bathymetry because ships cannot collect soundings safely...
Poppenga, Sandra K.; Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Monica; Gesch, Dean B.; Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Tyler, Dean J.Attribution: Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, United States of America, Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project
View Citation
Poppenga, S.K., Palaseanu-Lovejoy, M., Gesch, D.B., Danielson, J.J., and Tyler, D.J., 2018, Evaluating the potential for near-shore bathymetry on the Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, using Landsat 8 and WorldView-3 imagery: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5024, 14 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185024.
Year Published: 2018
One-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model for Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1944 to 2016
Atoll and island coastal communities are highly exposed to sea-level rise, tsunamis, storm surges, rogue waves, king tides, and the occasional combination of multiple factors, such as high regional sea levels, extreme high local tides, and unusually strong wave set-up. The elevation of most of these atolls averages just under 3 meters (m), with...
Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Monica; Poppenga, Sandra K.; Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Tyler, Dean J.; Gesch, Dean B.; Kottermair, Maria; Jalandoni, Andrea; Carlson, Edward; Thatcher, Cindy A.; Barbee, Matthew M.View Citation
Palaseanu-Lovejoy, M., Poppenga, S.K., Danielson, J.J., Tyler, D.J., Gesch, D.B., Kottermair, M., Jalandoni, A., Carlson, E., Thatcher, C.A., and Barbee, M.M., 2018, One-meter topobathymetric digital elevation model for Majuro Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1944 to 2016: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5047, 16 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185047.
Year Published: 2016
Introduction: Special issue on advances in topobathymetric mapping, models, and applications
Detailed knowledge of near-shore topography and bathymetry is required for many geospatial data applications in the coastal environment. New data sources and processing methods are facilitating development of seamless, regional-scale topobathymetric digital elevation models. These elevation models integrate disparate multi-sensor, multi-temporal...
Gesch, Dean B.; Brock, John C.; Parrish, Christopher E.; Rogers, Jeffrey N.; Wright, C. WayneAttribution: Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, United States of America, Coastal Changes and Impacts, Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project
View Citation
Gesch, D.B., Brock, J.C., Parrish, C.E., Rogers, J.N., and Wright, C.W., 2016, Introduction—Special issue on advances in topobathymetric mapping, models, and applications: Journal of Coastal Research, SI no. 76, p. 1–3, at http://dx.doi.org/10.2112/SI76-001.
Year Published: 2016
Topobathymetric elevation model development using a new methodology: Coastal National Elevation Database
During the coming decades, coastlines will respond to widely predicted sea-level rise, storm surge, and coastalinundation flooding from disastrous events. Because physical processes in coastal environments are controlled by the geomorphology of over-the-land topography and underwater bathymetry, many applications of geospatial data in coastal...
Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Poppenga, Sandra K.; Brock, John C.; Evans, Gayla A.; Tyler, Dean J.; Gesch, Dean B.; Thatcher, Cindy A.; Barras, JohnAttribution: Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, United States of America, Coastal Changes and Impacts, Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project
View Citation
Danielson, J.J., Poppenga, S.K., Brock, J.C., Evans, G.A., Tyler, D.J., Gesch, D.B., Thatcher, C.A., and Barras, J.A., 2016, Topobathymetric elevation model development using a new methodology—Coastal National Elevation Database: Journal of Coastal Research, SI no. 76, p. 75–89, at http://dx.doi.org/10.2112/SI76-008.
Year Published: 2016
Creating a Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) for science and conservation applications
The U.S. Geological Survey is creating the Coastal National Elevation Database, an expanding set of topobathymetric elevation models that extend seamlessly across coastal regions of high societal or ecological significance in the United States that are undergoing rapid change or are threatened by inundation hazards. Topobathymetric elevation...
Thatcher, Cindy A.; Brock, John C.; Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Poppenga, Sandra K.; Gesch, Dean B.; Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Monica; Barras, John; Evans, Gayla A.; Gibbs, AnnAttribution: Eastern Geographic Science Center, , Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian, United States of America, Coastal Changes and Impacts, Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) Applications Project
View Citation
Thatcher, C., Brock, J.C., Danielson, J.J., Poppenga, S.K., Gesch, D.B., Palaseanu-Lovejoy, M., Barras, J.A., Evans, G.A., and Gibbs, A.E., 2016, Creating a Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) for science and conservation applications, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue 76: 64–74.
Pre-USGS Publications
Imhoff, M.L., and Gesch, D.B., 1988, The derivation of sub-canopy surface terrain models of coastal forests using synthetic aperture radar, in Proceedings, 1988 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, Edinburgh, Scotland, September 12-16, 1988, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., Piscataway, New Jersey, p. 613-617.
August 31, 2019
Surveying the Mangrove Forests of Pohnpei
Research Physical Scientist Dean Gesch shares an overview of USGS/EROS surveying efforts in the mangrove forests of Pohnpei.
October 31, 2018
EROS in Action - CoNED with Dean Gesch and Jeff Danielson
USGS/EROS Physical Scientist Dean Gesch and USGS/EROS CoNED Applications Project Chief Jeff Danielson discuss the Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED), its acquisition and its uses.
October 31, 2018
EROS in Action - The Majuro Atoll with Dean Gesch and Jeff Danielson
USGS/EROS Physical Scientist Dean Gesch and USGS/EROS CoNED Applications Project Chief Jeff Danielson discuss different remote sensing methods they used to create topobathemetric elevation models of the Majuro Atoll.
Date published: August 26, 2019
EROS Staff Provide Elevation Expertise to Mangrove Project on Pohnpei
In 1850, the island of Nahlapenlohd in Micronesia was sprawling enough to support a great battle among warring chiefdoms within its sizeable coconut forest. But that was then. Today, Nahlapenlohd and seven nearby islands in the western Pacific are no more, having been swallowed by the rising sea.
Date published: August 15, 2019
CoNED Measures Elevation, Helps Model Inundation Scenarios at Hawaiian Cultural Site
In the land of Kamehameha, south of Kona on the big island of Hawaii, a sacred landscape called Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau faces the uncertainty of the rising seas.
The bones of royal chiefs rest there. Stories of how ancient Hawaiian lawbreakers flocked to this place of refuge still resonate throughout the 180-acre national historic park that surrounds Hōnaunau Bay.
Date published: May 31, 2019
Coastal Storm Modeling System Relies on Elevation Data Provided by CoNED, EROS
With sea levels rising and storms increasingly threatening their shorelines and cliffs, officials in Southern California face some difficult decisions.
Date published: November 6, 2018
CoNED Digital Elevation Model Helps Majuro Prepare for Sea Level Rise
University of Hawaii Geology and Geophysics Professor Chip Fletcher spread his maps on the table as land planners from Majuro—a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Central Pacific’s Republic of the Marshall Islands—leaned in.
Date published: February 28, 2017
Advances in Topobathymetric Mapping
In coastal environments, elevation is perhaps the most fundamental variable determining vulnerability. Accurate high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) that show both land and submerged topography (bathymetry) are key in coastal wetlands mapping and monitoring, storm surge and sea-level-rise modeling, benthic habitat mapping, coral reef-ecosystem mapping, and a host of related...