Donald Cahoon, Ph.D.
Donald R. Cahoon, PhD, is a senior research ecologist with the U. S. Geological Survey at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland and an internationally recognized expert in tidal wetland elevation dynamics and wetland vulnerability to climate change effects (e.g., sea-level rise and storms).
He is a Fellow and Past President of the Society of Wetland Scientists. Trained as a botanist and plant ecologist, he has spent the past 30 years working as a physical geographer. In 1992 he developed a field method for measuring tidal wetland accretion and elevation dynamics (the surface elevation table – marker horizon (SET-MH) method) that is used by scientists in coastal wetlands throughout the United States and in 32 countries for evaluating the critical driving forces and subsurface processes controlling elevation, and the impact of current management and restoration practices on elevation dynamics and wetland stability. His research focuses on the processes and external drivers that control wetland elevation dynamics and wetland sustainability across the broad spectrum of coastal environmental settings.
Education/Training:
- BA, Drew University, 1972, Botany
- MS, University of Maryland, 1975, Plant Ecology
- PhD, University of Maryland, 1982, Plant Ecology
Awards:
- DOI, Distinguished Service Award, 2017
- Merit Award, Society of Wetland Scientists, 2011
- Fellow, Society of Wetland Scientists, 2011
- President, Society of Wetland Scientists, 1997-1998
- USGS, Global Change Research Program funding, 1991-present
- Star Award: 1998, 2001, 2006, 2009
Science and Products
Processes influencing marsh elevation change in low- and high-elevation zones of a temperate salt marsh
Hurricane Sandy effects on coastal marsh elevation change
A tropical cyclone-induced ecological regime shift: Mangrove forest conversion to mudflat in Everglades National Park (Florida, USA)
Applications and utility of the surface elevation table–marker horizon method for measuring wetland elevation and shallow soil subsidence-expansion: Discussion/reply to: Byrnes M., Britsch L., Berlinghoff J., Johnson R., and Khalil S. 2019. Recent subside
Increasing rates of carbon burial in southwest Florida coastal wetlands
The long-term effects of Hurricanes Wilma and Irma on soil elevation change in Everglades mangrove forests
Canals, backfilling and wetland loss in the Mississippi Delta
Hurricane Sandy impacts on coastal wetland resilience
Landscape evolution of a fluvial sediment-rich Avicennia marina mangrove forest: Insights from seasonal and inter-annual surface-elevation dynamics
Evaluating restored tidal freshwater wetlands
Coastal wetlands: A synthesis
Evaluating the relationship among wetland vertical development, elevation capital, sea-level rise and tidal marsh sustainability
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Filter Total Items: 98
Processes influencing marsh elevation change in low- and high-elevation zones of a temperate salt marsh
The movement of salt marshes into uplands and marsh submergence as sea level rises is well documented; however, predicting how coastal marshes will respond to rising sea levels is constrained by a lack of process-based understanding of how various marsh zones adjust to changes in sea level. To assess the way in which salt marsh zones differ in their elevation response to sea-level change, and to eAuthorsLinda K. Blum, Robert R. Christian, Donald Cahoon, Patricia L. WibergHurricane Sandy effects on coastal marsh elevation change
High-magnitude storm events such as Hurricane Sandy are powerful agents of geomorphic change in coastal marshes, potentially altering their surface elevation trajectories. But how do a storm’s impacts vary across a large region spanning a variety of wetland settings and storm exposures and intensities. We determined the short-term impacts of Hurricane Sandy at 223 surface elevation table–marker hoAuthorsAlice G. Yeates, James Grace, Jennifer H. Olker, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Donald Cahoon, Susan C. Adamowicz, Shimon C. Anisfeld, Nels Barrett, Alice Benzecry, Linda K. Blum, Rober T Christian, Joseph Grzyb, Ellen Kracauer Hartig, Kelly Hines Leo, Scott Lerberg, James C. Lynch, Nicole Maher, J Patrick Megonigal, William G. Reay, Drexel Siok, Adam Starke, Vincent Turner, Scott WarrenA tropical cyclone-induced ecological regime shift: Mangrove forest conversion to mudflat in Everglades National Park (Florida, USA)
The ecological effects of tropical cyclones on mangrove forests are diverse and highly location- and cyclone-dependent. Ecological resistance, resilience, and enhancement are terms that describe most mangrove forest responses to tropical cyclones. However, in the most extreme cases, tropical cyclones can trigger abrupt and irreversible ecological transformations (i.e., ecological regime shifts). HAuthorsMichael Osland, Laura Feher, Gordon Anderson, William Vervaeke, Ken Krauss, Kevin R.T. Whelan, Karen S. Balentine, G. Tiling-Range, Thomas J. Smith, Donald CahoonApplications and utility of the surface elevation table–marker horizon method for measuring wetland elevation and shallow soil subsidence-expansion: Discussion/reply to: Byrnes M., Britsch L., Berlinghoff J., Johnson R., and Khalil S. 2019. Recent subside
Byrnes et al. (Geo-Marine Letters 39:265–278, Byrnes et al. 2019) present subsidence data for Barataria Basin located south and west of New Orleans in coastal Louisiana to better inform wetland protection and restoration planning by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. They measured subsidence using geodetic GPS elevation surveys of rod benchmarks, similar to the rod benchmaAuthorsDonald Cahoon, Denise Reed, John W. Day, James C. Lynch, Andrew Swales, Robert R. LaneIncreasing rates of carbon burial in southwest Florida coastal wetlands
Rates of organic carbon (OC) burial in some coastal wetlands appear to be greater in recent years than they were in the past. Possible explanations include ongoing mineralization of older OC or the influence of an unaccounted‐for artefact of the methods used to measure burial rates. Alternatively, the trend may represent real acceleration in OC burial. We quantified OC burial rates of mangrove andAuthorsJoshua L. Breithaupt, Joseph M. Smoak, Thomas S. Bianchi, Derrick Vaughn, Christian Sanders, Kara Radabaugh, Michael J. Osland, Laura C. Feher, James C. Lynch, Donald R. Cahoon, Gordon H. Anderson, Kevin R. T. Whelan, Brad E. Rosenheim, Ryan P. Moyer, Lisa ChambersThe long-term effects of Hurricanes Wilma and Irma on soil elevation change in Everglades mangrove forests
Mangrove forests in the Florida Everglades (USA) are frequently affected by hurricanes that produce high-velocity winds, storm surge, and extreme rainfall, but also provide sediment subsidies that help mangroves adjust to sea-level rise. The long-term influence of hurricane sediment inputs on soil elevation dynamics in mangrove forests are not well understood. Here, we assessed the effects of sediAuthorsLaura Feher, Michael Osland, Gordon Anderson, William Vervaeke, Ken Krauss, Kevin R. T. Whelan, Karen M. Balentine, Ginger Tiling-Range, Thomas J. Smith, Donald CahoonCanals, backfilling and wetland loss in the Mississippi Delta
Canals and spoil banks have contributed significantly to high rates of wetland loss in the Mississippi delta. There has been relatively little research on management of canals and spoil banks and this needs to be a significant component of restoration of the delta. We analyze research on the role of backfilling canals in the context of delta restoration with special reference to Turner and McCleAuthorsJohn W. Day, Gary P. Shaffer, Donald Cahoon, Ronald D. DeLauneHurricane Sandy impacts on coastal wetland resilience
The goal of this research was to evaluate the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on surface elevation trends in estuarine marshes located across the northeast region of the United States from Virginia to Maine using data from an opportunistic (in other words, not strategic) and collaborative network (from here on, an opportunistic network) of surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) stations. FirstAuthorsDonald R. Cahoon, Jennifer H. Olker, Alice G. Yeates, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, James B. Grace, Susan C. Adamowicz, Shimon C. Anisfeld, Andrew H. Baldwin, Nels Barrett, Leah Beckett, Alice Benzecry, Linda K. Blum, David M. Burdick, William Crouch, Marci Cole Ekberg, Sarah Fernald, Kristin Wilson Grimes, Joseph Grzyb, Ellen Kracauer Hartig, Danielle A. Kreeger, Marit Larson, Scott Lerberg, James C. Lynch, Nicole Maher, Martha Maxwell-Doyle, Laura R. Mitchell, Jordan Mora, Victoria O'Neill, Angela Padeletti, Diann J. Prosser, Tracy Quirk, Kenneth B. Raposa, William G. Reay, Drexel Siok, Christopher Snow, Adam Starke, J. Court Stevenson, Lorie Staver, Vincent TurnerLandscape evolution of a fluvial sediment-rich Avicennia marina mangrove forest: Insights from seasonal and inter-annual surface-elevation dynamics
Mangrove forests are vulnerable to accelerated sea-level rise associated with climate warming because they occupy a relatively narrow zone on the mid-to-upper-intertidal flats. The fate of these ecosystems largely depends on their capacity to accrete sediment at a rate sufficient to maintain their elevation relative to sea level. We investigated the role of biophysical processes and feedbacks contAuthorsAndrew Swales, Glen Reeve, Donald R. Cahoon, Catherine LovelockEvaluating restored tidal freshwater wetlands
As restoration of tidal freshwater wetlands has progressed in North America and Eurasia, research findings have continued to emerge on the postrestoration success of these ecosystems. The most common approaches used to restore tidal freshwater wetlands involve excavation or placement of dredged sediment to restore tidal hydrology compatible with vegetation establishment and managed realignment orAuthorsAndrew H. Baldwin, Richard S. Hammerschlag, Donald R. CahoonCoastal wetlands: A synthesis
This book and this synthesis address the pressing need for better management of coastal wetlands worldwide because these wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate; in some countries the loss is 70%–80% in the last 50 years. Managing requires understanding. Although our understanding of the functioning of coastal wetland ecosystems has grown rapidly over the past decade, still much remains to bAuthorsCharles S. Hopkinson, Eric Wolanski, Donald R. Cahoon, Gerardo M. E. Perillo, Mark M. BrinsonEvaluating the relationship among wetland vertical development, elevation capital, sea-level rise and tidal marsh sustainability
Accelerating sea-level rise and human impacts to the coast (e.g., altered sediment supply and hydrology, nutrient loading) influence the accumulation of sediment and organic matter, and thereby impact the ability of coastal tidal wetlands to maintain an elevation consistently within the vegetation growth range. Critical components of marsh sustainability are the marsh elevation within the vegetatiAuthorsDonald R. Cahoon, James C. Lynch, Charles T. Roman, John Paul Schmit, Dennis E. Skidds