Emily's research aims to understand how sediment availability, hydrodynamics, geology, and human modifications influence barrier island and coastal response to sea-level rise and storms.
Research
Emily investigates these processes on the mid-Atlantic margin as part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux group. In nearshore settings, Emily uses chirp seismic reflection, multibeam bathymetry, and sediment sampling to study the shoreface, a transition zone between the beach and continental shelf. This area is important, as sediment eroded from the shoreface can be transported to the beach, or vice versa.
Education
Ph.D. Earth Sciences (2019): Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
M.S. Earth Sciences (2014): Scripps Institution of Oceanography
B.A. Geology (2013): Middlebury College
Science and Products
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)
Coastal Multibeam Bathymetry and Backscatter Data Collected in May 2021 from Seven Mile Island, New Jersey
Coastal Bathymetry and Backscatter Data Collected in June 2021 from Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Grain-Size Data From Sediment Samples at Seven Mile Island, New Jersey and Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Archive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2019 From Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Geologic framework, anthropogenic impacts, and hydrodynamics contribute to variable sediment availability and shoreface morphology at the Rockaway Peninsula, NY
Shoreface and Holocene sediment thickness offshore of Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Science and Products
- Science
Storm-Related Barrier Island Morphological Evolution
Storms quickly and dramatically alter barrier island environments by changing adjacent seafloor morphology, eroding beaches, scarping or leveling dunes, and sometimes creating new inlets. Measuring the magnitude of barrier island sediment movement during and after storms allows us to track rates of beach recovery, dune growth, and inlet-related alterations to barrier island sediment supply.Barrier Island Sensitivity to Changes in Sediment Supply
Observations and models show that maintaining barrier islands requires a balance between sea-level rise and sediment supply. However, most estimates of sediment supply are not based on modern conditions, which could result in less accurate predictions of sediment fluxes. We explore how natural and human alterations impact modern sediment fluxes, or changes, on barrier islands – research that has...Shoreface Morphology and Geology
Exchanges of sediment between the shoreface and barrier islands allow barrier islands to adjust to changes in water level, such as those associated with storms or sea-level rise. Characterizing shoreface morphology and geology allows us to explore how past and present processes have impacted modern barrier island sediment transport and what that means for future barrier island evolution.Modeling Barrier Island Evolution, Shoreface Morphology, and Overwash
Barrier island field observations provide information about past and current environmental conditions and changes over time; however, they can’t tell us about the future. Models can predict possible future behaviors but are only as good as their input data. By integrating both observations and models, we can extend observations and arrive at more realistic predictions of barrier island behavior...Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) Capabilities
As part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux project, we use innovative technology and integrate a variety of techniques to characterize barrier island environments, reconstruct their past history, and predict their future vulnerability.Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF)
Sediments are the foundation of coastal systems, including barrier islands. Their behavior is driven by not only sediment availability, but also sediment exchanges between barrier island environments. We collect geophysical, remote sensing, and sediment data to estimate these parameters, which are integrated with models to improve prediction of coastal response to extreme storms and sea-level rise... - Data
Coastal Multibeam Bathymetry and Backscatter Data Collected in May 2021 from Seven Mile Island, New Jersey
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (USGS - SPCSMC), conducted a geophysical survey nearshore Seven Mile Island, New Jersey, during May 2021. During this study, multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data were collected aboard the R/V Sallenger. Efforts were supported by the National Fish and Wildlife FoundatCoastal Bathymetry and Backscatter Data Collected in June 2021 from Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (USGS-SPCSMC), conducted a geophysical survey nearshore the Rockaway Peninsula, New York, during June 2021. During this study, multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data were collected aboard the R/V Sallenger. Efforts were supported by the National Fish and Wildlife FoundGrain-Size Data From Sediment Samples at Seven Mile Island, New Jersey and Rockaway Peninsula, New York
Sediment grab samples were collected from one onshore location and 32 undisturbed locations along the seafloor around Seven Mile Island, New Jersey (NJ) and Rockaway Peninsula, New York (NY). The sediment grab samples were collected in May and June of 2021 at locations within the area where multibeam bathymetry surveys were also conducted during the same trip. All sediment samples were analyzed usArchive of Chirp Subbottom Profile Data Collected in 2019 From Rockaway Peninsula, New York
As part of the Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux Project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey to map the shoreface of Rockaway, New York (NY) between September and October of 2019. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island geomorphic evolution and the se - Multimedia
- Publications
Geologic framework, anthropogenic impacts, and hydrodynamics contribute to variable sediment availability and shoreface morphology at the Rockaway Peninsula, NY
Recent field and modeling studies have shown that barrier island resiliency is sensitive to sediment fluxes from the shoreface, making it important to evaluate how shoreface sediment availability varies in coastal systems. To do this, we assessed shoreface geology and morphology along the Rockaway Peninsula, NY, USA. We find that spatial variability in shoreface volume is influenced by sediment acShoreface and Holocene sediment thickness offshore of Rockaway Peninsula, New York
During September and October 2019, the U.S. Geological Survey mapped the shoreface and inner continental shelf offshore of the Rockaway Peninsula in New York using high-resolution chirp seismic reflection and single-beam bathymetry geophysical techniques. The results from this study are important for assessing the Quaternary evolution of the Rockaway Peninsula and determining coastal sediment avai - News