Hongqing Wang, Ph.D.
Biography
RESEARCH
Hongqing Wang's expertise is ecosystem modeling coupled with field observation, application of remote sensing, GIS, GPS and spatial statistics. His current research areas include integrated modeling, monitoring and detecting changes in hydrodynamics, sediment transport, morphology, water quality, landscape, surface elevation, vegetation (composition/distribution and productivity), biological population dynamics (e.g., oysters), and soil biogeochemistry (C, N, P, S) in wetland ecosystems due to natural disturbances (e.g., climate change, land subsidence, storms) and human activities (e.g., land use, water management, ecosystem restoration). Wang is one of the developers of Wetland Morphology Model for Louisiana's 2012 Coastal Master Plan (http://www.coastalmasterplan.louisiana.gov/) for coastal Louisiana ecosystem restoration, sponsored by State of Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. He has also been involved in monitoring programs such as Coastwide Reference Monitoring System and Louisiana Coastal Area program for adaptive management. He is currently an Associate Editor for Wetlands.
BACKGROUND
Previous Professional Positions
Microcomputer Systems Specialist, April – October 2011: Five Rivers Services, LLC/National Wetlands Research Center / USGS, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Microcomputer Systems Specialist, July 2009 – March 2011: IAP World Services/National Wetlands Research Center / USGS, Lafayette & Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Assistant Professor Research, February 2007 – June 2009: Center for Louisiana Water Studies, Institute of Coastal Ecology and Engineering, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana.
Research Scientist, February 2004 – January 2007: Environmental Cooperative Science Center (ECSC), NOAA, and Environmental Sciences Institute (ESI), Florida A&M University, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, November 2002 – January 2004: Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
Professional Association Memberships
Ecological Society of America (ESA) Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) American Ecological Engineering Society (AEES) American Geophysical Union (AGU) International Society for Ecological Modeling (ISEM) ASPRS: The Imaging & Geospatial Information Society International Association of Landscape Ecology (IALE)
Science and Products
Impacts of coastal and watershed changes on upper estuaries: causes and implications of wetland ecosystem transitions along the US Atlantic and Gulf Coasts
Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are coastal transition zones where freshwater rivers meet tidal seawater. As sea levels rise, tidal forces move saltier water farther upstream, extending into freshwater wetland areas. Human changes to the surrounding landscape may amplify the effects of this tidal extension, impacting the resiliency and function of the upper estuarine wetlands. One...
Model Improvements for Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan
The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s Coastal Master Plan is a blueprint for responding to environmental changes. As part of the agency’s continued engagement, USGS supports model developments and improvements for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan.
Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment
This project is a collaborative effort between the USGS, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the State of Alabama funded by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to investigate viable, sustainable restoration options that protect and restore the natural resources of Dauphin Island, Alabama. The project is focused on restoration options that protect and restore habitat and living...
Collecting Ecological Data and Models of Living Shoreline Restoration Projects
Developing effective living shoreline restoration projects that can withstand hurricanes and storms requires a better understanding of how restoration structures reduce the impact of wave and current energy on marsh edges in estuaries and bays. Without this knowledge, existing living shoreline projects and adaptive management measures are more likely to fail, decreasing the possibility for...
Alabama Barrier Island Restoration Assessment at Dauphin Island
Dauphin Island, Alabama, is the only barrier island providing protection to much of Alabama's coastal natural resources. Severely impacted by repeated extreme events, like Hurricane Katrina and Deepwater Horizon oil spill, USGS and partners are conducting a joint study to evaluate the feasibility of certain alternatives to increase resiliency and sustainability of the island.
Modeling Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands (TFFW) Habitat Changes for Land Management
As tidal freshwater forested wetlands - TFFWs - are influenced by salinty due to salt water intrusion, they may experience changes in plant community composition, growth, and productivity. Models are needed to predict vegetation community change or dieback, as well as changes in carbon sequestration and storage due to changing climate, drought, changes in freshwater discharge, elevated carbon...
Predicting the Long-Term Impact of Hurricane Sandy on Spatial Patterns of Wetland Morphology in Salt Marshes of Jamaica Bay, New York
USGS scientists are working with collaborators to understand how Hurricane Sandy impacted wetlands in Jamaica Bay, New York.
Integrated Modeling of Coastal Processes and Linkages to Management Applications
Coastal wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services such as wave attenuation, surge reduction, carbon sequestration, wastewater treatment, and critical habitats for endangered fish and wildlife species. However, wetland loss threatens the capacity of coastal wetlands to provide these ecosystem services.
Influence of Sea-Level Rise on Wetland Vegetation Community Structure, Primary Productivity, Organic Matter Decomposition and Carbon Storage
This study will employ a space for time substitution to show long-term effects of rising sea-level and increasing salinity on vegetation community structure, primary production and decomposition. Productivity and decomposition rates will be estimated for four wetland plant community types defined by salinity zones and dominant plant species.
Forecasting Biological Vulnerabilities: Modeling Jamaica Bay Wetland Morphology under Future Hurricanes
In light of the increase in hurricane frequency and intensity, there is concern about the resilience and sustainability of coastal wetlands. Models can be used to investigatethe impacts of future hurricanes on wetland morphology along the northeast coasts in areas like Jamaica Bay, New York, an area impacted by Hurricane Sandy.
Long-Term Carbon Burial in Marshes of the Mississippi River Delta
Wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico coast play an important role in the global carbon cycle, but as they rapidly convert to open water, their potential for carbon storage is declining. USGS is working to provide accurate, long-term marsh soil carbon sequestration rates.
Modeling soil porewater salinity in mangrove forests (Everglades, Florida, USA) impacted by hydrological restoration and a warming climate
Hydrology is a critical driver controlling mangrove wetlands structural and functional attributes at different spatial and temporal scales. Yet, human activities have negatively affected hydrology, causing mangrove diebacks and coverage loss worldwide. In fact, the assessment of mangrove water budgets, impacted by natural and human disturbances,...
Zhao, Xiaochen; Rivera-Monroy, Victor H.; Wang, Hongqing; Xue, Zuo; Tsai, Cheng-Feng; Willson, C. S.; Castañeda-Moya, E.; Twilley, Robert R.
Predicting barrier island habitats and oyster and seagrass habitat suitability for various restoration measures and future conditions for Dauphin Island, Alabama
Barrier islands, such as Dauphin Island, Alabama, provide numerous invaluable ecosystem services including storm damage reduction and erosion control to the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, carbon sequestration in marshes, water catchment and purification, recreation, and tourism. These islands are dynamic environments that are gradually...
Enwright, Nicholas M.; Wang, Hongqing; Dalyander, P. Soupy; Elizabeth Godsey Modeling soil porewater salinity response to drought in tidal freshwater forested wetlands
There is a growing concern about the adverse effects of saltwater intrusion via tidal rivers, streams and creeks into tidal freshwater forested wetlands (TFFW) due to sea‐level rise (SLR) and intense and extended drought events. However, the magnitude and duration of porewater salinity in exceedance of plant salinity stress threshold (2 practical...
Wang, Hongqing; Krauss, Ken W.; Noe, Gregory B.; Stagg, Camille L.; Swarzenski, Christopher M.; Duberstein, Jamie A.; Conner, William H.; DeAngelis, Donald L. Field observations of wind waves in Upper Delaware Bay with living shorelines
Constructed oyster reefs (CORs) provide shore protections and habitats for fish and shellfish communities via wave energy attenuation. However, the processes and mechanism of CORs on wave attenuation remain unclear, thus limiting the effective assessment of CORs for shoreline protection. This paper presents results of a field investigation on wave...
Zhu, Ling; Chen, Qin; Wang, Hongqing; Capurso, William D.; Niemoczynski, Lukasz; Hu, Kelin; Snedden, Gregg Wetland biomass and productivity in Coastal Louisiana: Base line data (1976-2015) and knowledge gaps for the development of spatially explicit models for ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation initiatives
Coastal Louisiana host 37% of the coastal wetland area in the conterminous US, including one of the deltaic coastal regions more susceptible to the synergy of human and natural impacts causing wetland loss. As a result of the construction of flood protection infrastructure, dredging of channels across wetlands for oil/gas exploration and maritime...
Rivera-Monroy, Victor H.; Elliton, Courtney; Narra, Siddhartha; Meselhe, Ehab; Zhao, Xiaochen; White, Eric; Sasser, Charles E.; Visser, Jenneke M.; Meng, X.; Wang, Hongqing; Xue, Zuo; Jaramillo, Fernando Modeling barrier island habitats using landscape position information
Barrier islands are dynamic environments because of their position along the marine–estuarine interface. Geomorphology influences habitat distribution on barrier islands by regulating exposure to harsh abiotic conditions. Researchers have identified linkages between habitat and landscape position, such as elevation and distance from shore, yet...
Enwright, Nicholas; Lei Wang; Wang, Hongqing; Osland, Michael; Feher, Laura; Borchert, Sinéad M.; Day, Richard Numerical modeling of salt marsh morphological change induced by Hurricane Sandy
The salt marshes of Jamaica Bay serve as a recreational outlet for New York City residents, mitigate wave impacts during coastal storms, and provide habitat for critical wildlife species. Hurricanes have been recognized as one of the critical drivers of coastal wetland morphology due to their effects on hydrodynamics and sediment transport,...
Hu, Kelin; Chen, Qin; Wang, Hongqing; Hartig, Ellen K.; Orton, Philip M.
Barrier island habitat map and vegetation survey—Dauphin Island, Alabama, 2015
Barrier islands are dynamic environments due to their position at the land-sea interface. Storms, waves, tides, currents, and relative sea-level rise are powerful forces that shape barrier island geomorphology and habitats (for example, beach, dune, marsh, and forest). Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Deep Water Horizon oil spill in 2010 are two...
Enwright, Nicholas M.; Borchert, Sinéad M.; Day, Richard H.; Feher, Laura C.; Osland, Michael J.; Wang, Lei; Wang, Hongqing
Numerical modeling of the effects of Hurricane Sandy and potential future hurricanes on spatial patterns of salt marsh morphology in Jamaica Bay, New York City
The salt marshes of Jamaica Bay, managed by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and the Gateway National Recreation Area of the National Park Service, serve as a recreational outlet for New York City residents, mitigate flooding, and provide habitat for critical wildlife species. Hurricanes and extra-tropical storms have been...
Wang, Hongqing; Chen, Qin; Hu, Kelin; Snedden, Gregg A.; Hartig, Ellen K.; Couvillion, Brady R.; Johnson, Cody L.; Orton, Philip M. Predicting the impacts of Mississippi River diversions and sea-level rise on spatial patterns of eastern oyster growth rate and production
There remains much debate regarding the perceived tradeoffs of using freshwater and sediment diversions for coastal restoration in terms of balancing the need for wetland restoration versus preserving eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) production. Further complicating the issue, climate change-induced sea-level rise (SLR) and land subsidence...
Wang, Hongqing; Chen, Qin; La Peyre, Megan; Hu, Kelin; La Peyre, Jerome F. A modeling study of the impacts of Mississippi River diversion and sea-level rise on water quality of a deltaic estuary
Freshwater and sediment management in estuaries affects water quality, particularly in deltaic estuaries. Furthermore, climate change-induced sea-level rise (SLR) and land subsidence also affect estuarine water quality by changing salinity, circulation, stratification, sedimentation, erosion, residence time, and other physical and ecological...
Wang, Hongqing; Chen, Qin; Hu, Kelin; LaPeyre, Megan K. 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.
Bigger May Not Be Better When It Comes to Mississippi River Diversions
New research shows how river diversions may change water quality in estuaries.