Guy Gelfenbaum
Biography
Education
1978 B.S. Geology University of Wisconsin, Madison
1982 M.S. Geological Oceanography University of Washington, Seattle
1988 Ph.D. Geological Oceanography University of Washington, Seattle
2017- Center Director - Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
Ecosystem Dynamics, Project Chief: Coastal Habitats in Puget Sound - The goal of these projects is to develop scientific information and tools to support natural resource managers in the adaptive management of critical nearshore ecosystems in Puget Sound
Large-Scale Coastal Change, Project Chief: Southwest Washington Coastal Erosion Study - Research involves understanding complex relationships among sediment supply, littoral processes, and shoreline erosion or accretion in a high-energy coastal environment. Studies encompass multiple time and space scales of coastal evolution, and successfully differentiate natural and anthropogenic influences on coastal change.
Catastrophic Geologic Hazards, Co-Principal Investigator: Tsunami Hazards Study - Research effort to improve our understanding of tsunami hazards through identification and interpretation of sediments deposited from tsunamis
Science and Products
USGS ecosystem research for the next decade: advancing discovery and application in parks and protected areas through collaboration
Ecosystems within parks and protected areas in the United States and throughout the world are being transformed at an unprecedented rate. Changes associated with natural hazards, greenhouse gas emissions, and increasing demands for water, food, land, energy and mineral resources are placing urgency on sound decision making that will help sustain...
van Riper, Charles; Nichols, James D.; Wingard, G. Lynn; Kershner, Jeffrey L.; Cloern, James E.; Jacobson, Robert B.; White, Robin P.; McGuire, Anthony D.; Williams, Byron K.; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Shapiro, Carl D.A survey of benthic sediment contaminants in reaches of the Columbia River Estuary based on channel sedimentation characteristics
While previous studies have documented contaminants in fish, sediments, water, and wildlife, few specifics are known about the spatial distribution of contaminants in the Columbia River Estuary (CRE). Our study goal was to characterize sediment contaminant detections and concentrations in reaches of the CRE that were concurrently being sampled to...
Counihan, Timothy D.; Waite, Ian R.; Nilsen, Elena B.; Hardiman, Jill M.; Elias, Edwin; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Zaugg, Steven D.Little late Holocene strain accumulation and release on the Aleutian megathrust below the Shumagin Islands, Alaska
Can a predominantly creeping segment of a subduction zone generate a great (M > 8) earthquake? Despite Russian accounts of strong shaking and high tsunamis in 1788, geodetic observations above the Aleutian megathrust indicate creeping subduction across the Shumagin Islands segment, a well-known seismic gap. Seeking evidence for...
Witter, Robert C.; Briggs, Richard W.; Engelhart, Simon E.; Gelfenbaum, Guy R.; Koehler, Richard D.; Barnhart, William D.U.S. Geological Survey ecosystems science strategy—Advancing discovery and application through collaboration
Executive SummaryEcosystem science is critical to making informed decisions about natural resources that can sustain our Nation’s economic and environmental well-being. Resource managers and policymakers are faced with countless decisions each year at local, regional, and national levels on issues as diverse as renewable and nonrenewable energy...
Williams, Byron K.; Wingard, G. Lynn; Brewer, Gary; Cloern, James E.; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Jacobson, Robert B.; Kershner, Jeffrey L.; McGuire, Anthony D.; Nichols, James D.; Shapiro, Carl D.; van Riper, Charles; White, Robin P.Southwest Washington littoral drift restoration—Beach and nearshore morphological monitoring
A morphological monitoring program has documented the placement and initial dispersal of beach nourishment material (280,000 m3) placed between the Mouth of the Columbia River (MCR) North Jetty and North Head, at the southern end of the Long Beach Peninsula in southwestern Washington State. A total of 21 topographic surveys and 8 nearshore...
Stevens, Andrew W.; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Ruggiero, Peter; Kaminsky, George M.The U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystem Science Strategy, 2012-2022 - Advancing discovery and application through collaboration
Ecosystem science is critical to making informed decisions about natural resources that can sustain our Nation’s economic and environmental well-being. Resource managers and policy-makers are faced with countless decisions each year at local, state, tribal, territorial, and national levels on issues as diverse as renewable and non-renewable energy...
Williams, Byron K.; Wingard, G. Lynn; Brewer, Gary; Cloern, James E.; Gelfenbaum, Guy R.; Jacobson, Robert B.; Kershner, Jeffrey L.; McGuire, Anthony D.; Nichols, James D.; Shapiro, Carl D.; van Riper, Charles; White, Robin P.Time-dependent onshore tsunami response
While bulk measures of the onshore impact of a tsunami, including the maximum run-up elevation and inundation distance, are important for hazard planning, the temporal evolution of the onshore flow dynamics likely controls the extent of the onshore destruction and the erosion and deposition of sediment that occurs. However, the time-varying...
Apotsos, Alex; Gelfenbaum, Guy R.; Jaffe, Bruce E.Validation of a coupled wave-flow model in a high-energy setting: the mouth of the Columbia River
A monthlong time series of wave, current, salinity, and suspended-sediment measurements was made at five sites on a transect across the Mouth of Columbia River (MCR). These data were used to calibrate and evaluate the performance of a coupled hydrodynamic and wave model for the MCR based on the Delft3D modeling system. The MCR is a dynamic...
Elias, Edwin P.L.; Gelfenbaum, Guy R.; van der Westhuysen, André J.Coastal processes of the Elwha River delta: Chapter 5 in Coastal habitats of the Elwha River, Washington--biological and physical patterns and processes prior to dam removal
To understand the effects of increased sediment supply from dam removal on marine habitats around the Elwha River delta, a basic understanding of the region’s coastal processes is necessary. This chapter provides a summary of the physical setting of the coast near the Elwha River delta, for the purpose of synthesizing the processes that move and...
Duda, Jeffrey J.; Warrick, Jonathan A.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Warrick, Jonathan A.; Stevens, Andrew W.; Miller, Ian M.; Gelfenbaum, GuySummary and anticipated responses to Elwha River dam removal: Chapter 9 in Coastal habitats of the Elwha River, Washington--biological and physical patterns and processes prior to dam removal
Starting in September 2011, the removal of two large dams on the Elwha River will begin an unprecedented river restoration project because of the size of the dams, the volume of sediment released, the pristine watershed upstream of the dam sites, and the potential for renewing salmon populations. Ecosystem studies of the Elwha watershed indicate...
Duda, Jeffrey J.; Warrick, Jonathan A.; Magirl, Christopher S.; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Warrick, Jonathan A.Geological effects and implications of the 2010 tsunami along the central coast of Chile
Geological effects of the 2010 Chilean tsunami were quantified at five near-field sites along a 200. km segment of coast located between the two zones of predominant fault slip. Field measurements, including topography, flow depths, flow directions, scour depths, and deposit thicknesses, provide insights into the processes and morphological...
Morton, R.A.; Gelfenbaum, G.; Buckley, M.L.; Richmond, B.M.Puget Sound Shorelines and the Impacts of Armoring-Proceedings of a State of the Science Workshop, May 2009
The widespread extent and continued construction of seawalls and bulkheads on Puget Sound's beaches has emerged as a significant issue in shoreline management and coastal restoration in the region. Concerns about the impacts of shoreline armoring and managing the potential risks to coastal property are in many ways similar to those in other places...
Shipman, Hugh; Dethier, Megan N.; Gelfenbaum, Guy R.; Fresh, Kurt L.; Dinicola, Richard S.