Gregory Steyer
Dr. Gregory Steyer is a wetland ecologist who serves as Gulf of Mexico regional science advisor for the USGS Southeast region. Greg received his B.S. from the University of Maryland in 1985, M.S. in 1988 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Ph.D. at Louisiana State University in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Studies in 2008.
Biography
Greg's primary interest is developing ecological indicators, adaptive management approaches, and ecological and landscape models for use in natural resource decision support. For over 25 years, he has worked for State and Federal governments developing monitoring, modeling and research programs for the evaluation of wetland restoration projects and programs.
Greg has developed a comprehensive wetland monitoring network for the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) called the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (http://www.lacoast.gov/crms2/Home.aspx), that allows evaluation of the effects of restoration and protection efforts at project, hydrologic basin and coastwide scales. Greg has also developed desktop ecological models for the Louisiana Coastal Area and Louisiana State Master Plan that project over 50 years how wetland vegetation communities and coastal geomorphology will change with and without restoration and protection efforts. His current research investigates the effects of disturbance events, primarily hurricanes, and sea-level rise on coastal landscape change and resilience.
Science and Products
Enhancing Cross-Jurisdictional Adaptive Management in the Gulf of Mexico
Using an iterative qualitative coding process, WARC researchers are identifying objectives, stressors, and management priorities to support the implementation of adaptive management in restoration programs across the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Monitoring and Assessment Program Development
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and USGS will jointly lead the development of foundational components for Gulf region-wide monitoring.
Structured Decision-Making to Facilitate Multi-Stakeholder Coastal Conservation and Restoration under Climate Change Uncertainties: Case Study on Barrier Island of the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Barrier island resource managers within the northern Gulf of Mexico have the opportunity to more directly incorporate scientific uncertainties and technological challenges inherent with large-scale barrier island restoration projects, and as such, commit to developing robust long-term monitoring programs and applying adaptive management.
Structured Decision-Making as a Tool for Coastal Restoration: A Case Study on Ship Island, Mississippi
Barrier islands protect mainland areas from storm surge, but can erode over time and require restoration. Ship Island, a barrier island off the coast of Mississippi, provides an example of this: the island was battered by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and split into two separate islands. As part of the Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to use...
Louisiana Adaptive Management Status and Improvement Report: Vision and Recommendations
As part of the process to increase implementation of adaptive management for ecosystem-based coastal restoration within Louisiana, we aim for this report to be broadly applicable across planning processes as well as funding and implementing entities. It compiles technical knowledge and guidance summarized as key findings through the text which...
Boshart, Bill; Crutcher, Morgan; Freeman, Angelina; Haywood, Edward; Khalil, Syed M.; Langlois, Summer; Lee, Darin L.; Lindquist, David; McGinnis, Tommy E.; Pahl, James; Parsons-Richards, Carol; Plitsch, Erin; Raynie, Rick; Routon, Robert; Sharp, Leigh Anne; Troutman, John; Villarrubia, Chuck; Folse, Todd; Graugnard, Alyson; Hawes, Anne; Joffrion, Russ; Leblanc, Wes; Lezina, Brian; Pahl, Jim; White, Jody; Conzelmann, Craig; Hijuelos, Ann; Piazza, Sarai; Spear, Kathryn A.; Steyer, Gregory D.; Regalado, Nanciann; Tirpak, John M.; Schupp, Courtney; Carle, Melissa; Daly, Jaclyn; Eckhardt, Nicolas; Fellas, Christy; Fougeres, Erin M.; Heverly, Stephen; Horstman, Stacey; Kroll, Jason; Landry, Mel; Schroeder, Barbara A.; Weissberger, Eric; Wissman, Sara; Grayson, Treda; Taylor, Patricia; Wiegand, Danny; Defley, Mark; Kolic, Paulina; Bienn, Harris; Carruthers, Tim J.B.; Dausman, Alyssa; Grace, Alaina; Hemmerling, Scott; Jerabek, Andrea; White, Eric; Clark, Ryan; McHugh, Coleen; Moss, Leland C; Ramatchandirane, Cyndhia; Wold, AmyCouncil Monitoring and Assessment Program (CMAP): Inventory of existing water quality and habitat monitoring, and mapping metadata for Gulf of Mexico Programs
Under the Council-Selected Restoration Component of the RESTORE Act, the Council develops Funded Priority Lists (FPLs) that describe the projects and programs it will fund. Projects and programs funded through this component must be in furtherance of the goals and objectives of the Council’s Comprehensive Plan and address at least one of the...
Meyers, Michelle; Bosch, Julie; Burkart, Heidi; Clement, Chris; Enwright, Nicholas; Giordano, Steve; Jeffery, Chris; Hart, Rheannon; Hile, Sarah; Howell, Jacob; Lee, Michael; Laurenzano, Claudia ; McCloskey, Terrance; Mize, Scott; Monaco, Mark E.; Owen, Kevin; Rebich, Richard; Sample, Thomas; Steyer, Gregory D.; Suir, Kevin J.; Smith, Christopher G.; Watson, Katie; Bosch, Julie; Burkart, Heidi; Chivoiu, Bogdan; Clark, Randy; Clement, Chris; Enwright, Nicholas; Giordano, Steve; Jeffrey, Chris; Johnson, Edward; Hart, Rheannon M.; Hile, Sarah; Howell, Jacob; Laurenzano, Claudia ; Lee, Michael T.; McCloskey, Terrence A.; McTigue, Terry; Meyers, Michelle B.; Mize, Scott; Monaco, Mark E.; Owen, Kevin; Rebich, Richard A.; Rendon, Samuel H.; Robertson, Ali; Sample, Thomas; Steyer, Gregory D.; Suir, Kevin J.; Swarzenski, Christopher M.; Watson, KatieFloristic quality index and forested floristic quality index: Assessment tools for restoration projects and monitoring sites in coastal Louisiana
The Floristic Quality Index (FQI) has been used in many areas throughout the United State to assess the integrity of plant communities and restoration projects. Here, we summarize two tools that have been developed for monitoring sites in coastal Louisiana wetlands. The FQI was modified for herbaceous data collected in coastal Louisiana monitoring...
Dorney, John; Savage, Rick; Tiner, R.W.; Adamus, Paul; Cretini, Kari; Wood, William B.; Visser, Jenneke M.; Krauss, Ken W.; Sharp, Leigh Anne; Steyer, Gregory D.; Shaffer, Gary P.; Piazza, SaraiPrimary production across a coastal wetland landscape in Louisiana, U.S.A. (2012-2014)
Above- and belowground production in coastal wetlands are important contributors to carbon accumulation and ecosystem sustainability. As sea level rises, we can expect shifts to more salt-tolerant communities, which may alter these ecosystem functions and services. Although the direct influence of salinity on species-level primary production has...
Stagg, Camille L.; Schoolmaster, Donald; Piazza, Sarai; Snedden, Gregg; Steyer, Gregory D.; Fischenich, Craig J; McComas, Robert W.Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: Gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network
Coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise are greatly influenced by biogeomorphic processes that affect wetland surface elevation. Small changes in elevation relative to sea level can lead to comparatively large changes in ecosystem structure, function, and stability. The surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) approach is being used...
Osland, Michael J.; Griffith, Kereen T.; Larriviere, Jack C.; Feher, Laura C.; Cahoon, Donald R.; Enwright, Nicholas M.; Oster, David A.; Tirpak, John M.; Woodrey, Mark S.; Collini, Renee C.; Baustian, Joseph J.; Breithaupt, Joshua L.; Cherry, Julia A; Conrad, Jeremy R.; Cormier, Nicole; Coronado-Molina, Carlos A.; Donoghue, Joseph F.; Graham, Sean A.; Harper, Jennifer W.; Hester, Mark W.; Howard, Rebecca J.; Krauss, Ken W.; Kroes, Daniel; Lane, Robert R.; McKee, Karen L.; Mendelssohn, Irving A.; Middleton, Beth A.; Moon, Jena A.; Piazza, Sarai; Rankin, Nicole M.; Sklar, Fred H.; Steyer, Gregory D.; Swanson, Kathleen M.; Swarzenski, Christopher M.; Vervaeke, William; Willis, Jonathan M; Van Wilson, K.A landscape-scale assessment of above- and belowground primary production in coastal wetlands: Implications for climate change-induced community shifts
Above- and belowground production in coastal wetlands are important contributors to carbon accumulation and ecosystem sustainability. As sea level rises, we can expect shifts to more salt-tolerant communities, which may alter these ecosystem functions and services. Although the direct influence of salinity on species-level primary production has...
Stagg, Camille L.; Schoolmaster, Donald R.; Piazza, Sarai C.; Snedden, Gregg; Steyer, Gregory D.; Fischenich, Craig J; McComas, Robert W.Determining the spatial variability of wetland soil bulk density, organic matter, and the conversion factor between organic matter and organic carbon across coastal Louisiana, U.S.A.
Soil bulk density (BD), soil organic matter (SOM) content, and a conversion factor between SOM and soil organic carbon (SOC) are often used in estimating SOC sequestration and storage. Spatial variability in BD, SOM, and the SOM–SOC conversion factor affects the ability to accurately estimate SOC sequestration, storage, and the benefits (e.g.,...
Wang, Hongqing; Piazza, Sarai C.; Sharp, Leigh A.; Stagg, Camille L.; Couvillion, Brady R.; Steyer, Gregory D.; McGinnis, Thomas E.Use of structured decision-making to explicitly incorporate environmental process understanding in management of coastal restoration projects: Case study on barrier islands of the northern Gulf of Mexico
Coastal ecosystem management typically relies on subjective interpretation of scientific understanding, with limited methods for explicitly incorporating process knowledge into decisions that must meet multiple, potentially competing stakeholder objectives. Conversely, the scientific community lacks methods for identifying which advancements in...
Dalyander, P. Soupy; Meyers, Michelle B.; Mattsson, Brady; Steyer, Gregory; Godsey, Elizabeth; McDonald, Justin; Byrnes, Mark R.; Ford, MarkOperational considerations for implementing regional sediment management plans in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Development of a comprehensive and stakeholder-driven Regional Sediment Management plan can provide the basis for long-term sustainable resource use and protection. This paper highlights three operational components that can positively influence sediment management at a regional scale, including (1) integration of an operational sediment budget, (...
Underwood, Steven G.; Khalil, Syed M.; Byrnes, Mark R.; Steyer, Gregory D.; Raynie, Richard CWetland paleoecological study of southwest coastal Louisiana: sediment cores and diatom calibration dataset
Wetland sediment data were collected in 2009 and 2010 throughout the southwest Louisiana Chenier Plain as part of a pilot study to develop a diatom-based proxy for past wetland water chemistry and the identification of sediment deposits from tropical storms. The complete dataset includes forty-six surface sediment samples and nine sediment cores....
Smith, Kathryn E. L.; Flocks, James G.; Steyer, Gregory D.; Piazza, Sarai C.Forecasting landscape effects of Mississippi River diversions on elevation and accretion in Louisiana deltaic wetlands under future environmental uncertainty scenarios
Large sediment diversions are proposed and expected to build new wetlands to alleviate the extensive wetland loss (5,000 km2) affecting coastal Louisiana during the last 78 years. Current assessment and prediction of the impacts of sediment diversions have focused on the capture and dispersal of both water and sediment on the adjacent river side...
Wang, Hongqing; Steyer, Gregory D.; Couvillion, Brady R.; John M. Rybczyk; Beck, Holly J.; Sleavin, William J.; Ehab A. Meselhe; Mead A. Allison; Boustany, Ronald G.; Craig J. Fischenich; Victor H. Rivera-MonroyMonitoring vegetation response to episodic disturbance events by using multi-temporal vegetation indices
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery and land/water assessments from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery were used to quantify the extent and severity of damage and subsequent recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005 within the vegetation...
Steyer, Gregory D.; Couvillion, Brady R.; Barras, John A.