Elizabeth A Pendleton
I am a geologist at the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center. I am most interested in exploring the complexities, compounding, dependencies, and uncertainties that exist among climate and coastal hazards and landscape change. I rely on spatial analysis, mapping, and machine learning techniques to synthesize coastal datasets into decision support science and products
Research
- Development and Application of a Coastal Change Likelihood Assessment for the N…
- Coastal Change Likelihood in the U.S. Northeast Region: Maine to Virginia
- Shallow Geology, Sea-Floor Texture, and Physiographic Zones of the Inner Contin…
- Optimizing an inner-continental shelf geologic framework investigation through …
- Sand ridge morphology and bedform migration patterns derived from bathymetry an…
- Sea-floor texture and physiographic zones of the inner continental shelf from S…
I am a project coordinator for the Future Landscape Adaptation and Coastal Change project, which provides user-focused, decision-support information through the integration of data and knowledge in multidisciplinary probabilistic frameworks and assessments. The Coastal Change Likelihood assessment is an effort that I lead within this project space that will supersede the popular but outdated Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI). This update incorporates technological updates and improvements in coastal data source quality, resolution, data processing, stakeholder engagement, and product usability.
I am also a USGS peer support worker (PSW). The training and learning opportunities that the PSW program provides has helped me, professionally and personally, from learning more inclusive language skills to recognizing the value of nuerodiversity and self-care.
Professional Experience
Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, 2002 - Present.
Education and Certifications
M.A. Earth Science, Boston University, 2002.
B.S. Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University, 1999.
Science and Products
Shallow geology, seafloor texture, and physiographic zones of the Inner Continental Shelf from Nahant to northern Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts
Geologic controls on regional and local erosion rates of three northern Gulf of Mexico barrier-island systems
Economic vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast
Evidence for mid-Holocene shift in depositional style in Mobile Bay, Alabama
Archive of single beam and swath bathymetry data collected nearshore of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi, from West Ship Island, Mississippi, to Dauphin Island, Alabama: Methods and data report for USGS Cruises 08CCT01 and 08CCT02, July 200
The shallow stratigraphy and sand resources offshore of the Mississippi Barrier Islands
Geologic controls on sediment distribution and transport pathways around the Chandeleur Islands, LA., USA
High-resolution geophysical data from the sea floor surrounding the Western Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
Geophysical data from offshore of the Chandeleur Islands, eastern Mississippi Delta
Coastal change-potential assessment of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Indiana Dunes, and Apostle Islands National Lakeshores to lake-level changes
Coastal vulnerability assessment of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park to sea-level rise
Relative coastal change-potential assessment of Kenai Fjords National Park
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 41
Shallow geology, seafloor texture, and physiographic zones of the Inner Continental Shelf from Nahant to northern Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts
The Massachusetts inner continental shelf between Nahant and northern Cape Cod Bay has been profoundly affected by the occupation and retreat of glacial ice sheets and relative sea-level change during the Quaternary. Marine geologic mapping of this area is a component of a statewide cooperative effort involving the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. IntAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, Wayne E. Baldwin, Walter A. Barnhardt, Seth D. Ackerman, David S. Foster, Brian D. Andrews, William C. SchwabGeologic controls on regional and local erosion rates of three northern Gulf of Mexico barrier-island systems
The stratigraphy of sections of three barrier island systems in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (Apalachicola, Mississippi, and Chandeleur) have been mapped using geophysical and coring techniques to assess the influence of geologic variations in barrier lithosomes and adjoining inner shelf deposits on long-term rates of shoreline change at regional and local scales. Regional scale was addressed bAuthorsDavid C. Twitchell, James G. Flocks, Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Wayne E. BaldwinEconomic vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast
The northern Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States has been identified as highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, based on a combination of physical and societal factors. Vulnerability of human populations and infrastructure to projected increases in sea level is a critical area of uncertainty for communities in the extremely low-lying and flat northern gulf coastal zone. A rapidly growing populaAuthorsCindy A. Thatcher, John Brock, Elizabeth A. PendletonEvidence for mid-Holocene shift in depositional style in Mobile Bay, Alabama
The Holocene stratigraphy of Mobile Bay, Alabama, was mapped using a combination of high-resolution seismic data and sediment cores to refine changes in the bay's evolution during this time. The base of the Holocene-era stratigraphy is an erosional surface formed during the last glacial maximum. Overlying Holocene deposits are primarily estuarine mud that has a finely laminated weak acoustic signaAuthorsDavid Twichell, Kyle Kelso, Elizabeth A. PendletonArchive of single beam and swath bathymetry data collected nearshore of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi, from West Ship Island, Mississippi, to Dauphin Island, Alabama: Methods and data report for USGS Cruises 08CCT01 and 08CCT02, July 200
During the summers of 2008 and 2009 the USGS conducted bathymetric surveys from West Ship Island, Miss., to Dauphin Island, Ala., as part of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility project. The survey area extended from the shoreline out to approximately 2 kilometers and included the adjacent passes (fig. 1). The bathymetry was primarily used to create a topAuthorsNancy T. DeWitt, James G. Flocks, Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Mark E. Hansen, B.J. Reynolds, Kyle W. Kelso, Dana S. Wiese, Charles R. WorleyThe shallow stratigraphy and sand resources offshore of the Mississippi Barrier Islands
Coastal Mississippi is protected by a series of barrier islands ranging in length from 10-25 kilometers that are less than 2 kilometers wide. The majority of these islands comprise the Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS), an ecologically diverse shoreline that provides habitat for wildlife including migratory birds and endangered animals. The majority of GUIS is submerged, and aquatic environmenAuthorsDavid Twichell, Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Wayne Baldwin, David Foster, James Flocks, Kyle Kelso, Nancy DeWitt, William Pfeiffer, Arnell Forde, Jason Krick, John BaehrGeologic controls on sediment distribution and transport pathways around the Chandeleur Islands, LA., USA
Geophysical surveys around the Chandeleur Islands provide the necessary data to map the thickness and distribution of the Holocene deposit associated with this barrier island system. This system rests uncomformably on St. Bernard Delta deposits of the Mississippi Delta plain and is thinnest under the central part of the island chain and thickest at the northern and southern ends. The zone of diverAuthorsDavid Twichell, Elizabeth A. Pendleton, Wayne Baldwin, James Flocks, Michael Miner, Mark KulpHigh-resolution geophysical data from the sea floor surrounding the Western Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts
Geophysical and geospatial data were collected in the nearshore area surrounding the western Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts on the U.S. Geological Survey research vessel Rafael during September 2010 in a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Massachusetts, Office of Coastal Zone Management. This report describes the results of the short-term goals of this collaborativeAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, David C. Twichell, David S. Foster, Charles R. Worley, Barry J. Irwin, William W. DanforthGeophysical data from offshore of the Chandeleur Islands, eastern Mississippi Delta
This report contains the geophysical and geospatial data that were collected during two cruises on the R/V Acadiana along the eastern, offshore side of the Chandeleur Islands in 2006 and 2007. Data were acquired with the following equipment: a Systems Engineering and Assessment, Ltd., SwathPlus interferometric sonar; a Klein 3000 dual-frequency sidescan sonar; and an EdgeTech 512i chirp sub-bottomAuthorsWayne E. Baldwin, Elizabeth A. Pendleton, David C. TwichellCoastal change-potential assessment of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Indiana Dunes, and Apostle Islands National Lakeshores to lake-level changes
A change-potential index (CPI) was used to map the susceptibility of the shoreline to future lake-level change within Apostle Islands, Indiana Dunes, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshores (NL) along Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The CPI in the Great Lakes setting ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to lake-level related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsCoastal vulnerability assessment of Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park to sea-level rise
A coastal vulnerability index (CVI) was used to map the relative vulnerability of the coast to future sea-level rise within Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park in Hawaii. The CVI ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to sea-level rise-related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level rise, historical shoreline change rates, mean tAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsRelative coastal change-potential assessment of Kenai Fjords National Park
A change-potential index (CPI) was used to map the relative coastal change-potential of the shoreline to future sea-level changes within Kenai Fjords National Park (KEFJ) in south-central Alaska. The CPI ranks the following parameters in terms of their physical contribution to coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastal slope, rate of relative sea-level change, historical shoreline change rateAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress Williams - News