Hongqing Wang, Ph.D.
Hongqing Wang is a Research Ecologist at WARC.
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 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
Seagrass habitat suitability modeling for the Alabama Barrier Island restoration assessment at Dauphin Island
Oyster habitat suitability modeling for the Alabama Barrier Island restoration assessment at Dauphin Island
Modeling soil pore water salinity response to drought in tidal freshwater forested wetlands
Field observations and spectral evolution of wind waves in Upper Delaware Bay with living shorelines
Modeling barrier island habitats using landscape position information for Dauphin Island, Alabama
Barrier island habitat map and vegetation survey, Dauphin Island, AL, 2015
Predicting landscape effects of Mississippi River diversions on soil organic carbon sequestration
Assessing habitat change and migration of barrier islands
Assessment of wave attenuation, current patterns, and sediment deposition and erosion during winter storms by living shoreline structures in Gandys Beach, New Jersey
Modeling structural mechanics of oyster reef self-organization including environmental constraints and community interactions
Modeling soil porewater salinity in mangrove forests (Everglades, Florida, USA) impacted by hydrological restoration and a warming climate
2023 Coastal master plan: Model improvement plan, ICM-wetlands, vegetation, and soil
Predicting barrier island habitats and oyster and seagrass habitat suitability for various restoration measures and future conditions for Dauphin Island, Alabama
Modeling soil porewater salinity response to drought in tidal freshwater forested wetlands
Field observations of wind waves in Upper Delaware Bay with living shorelines
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
Modeling barrier island habitats using landscape position information
Numerical modeling of salt marsh morphological change induced by Hurricane Sandy
Predicting landscape effects of Mississippi River diversions on soil organic carbon sequestration
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 19
Seagrass habitat suitability modeling for the Alabama Barrier Island restoration assessment at Dauphin Island
A barrier island seagrass habitat suitability index (HSI) model was developed for the Alabama barrier island restoration assessment at Dauphin Island. Shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) was selected as the representative species for seagrass community near Dauphin Island waters since H. wrightii is the dominant species (>62%) of seagrass communities in this area due to its rapid growth and toleranceOyster habitat suitability modeling for the Alabama Barrier Island restoration assessment at Dauphin Island
A spatially explicit oyster habitat suitability index (HSI) model was developed for the Alabama barrier island restoration assessment at Dauphin Island. Based on previous oyster habitat suitability studies, seven water quality variables were selected and their relationships with habitat suitability were developed and incorporated into the oyster HSI model for Dauphin Island restoration assessment:Modeling soil pore water salinity response to drought in tidal freshwater forested wetlands
Model generated soil pore water salinity (psu) values under scenarios of drought and normal conditions at Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetlands (TFFW) sites along the Waccamaw River and Savannah River in the Southeastern United States.Field observations and spectral evolution of wind waves in Upper Delaware Bay with living shorelines
This dataset contains measured (interval=0.5 hour) water depth, wave height, and peak wave period during February 2 to April 4, 2018 at six wave gage locations along the Gandy's Beach, New Jersey in upper Delaware Bay. These data were used for the analysis of spectral evolution of wind waves along the coast in upper Delaware Bay with oyster-reef based living shoreline.Modeling barrier island habitats using landscape position information for Dauphin Island, Alabama
Barrier islands provide important ecosystem services, including storm protection and erosion control to the mainland, habitat for fish and wildlife, and tourism (Barbier and others, 2011; Feagin and others, 2010). These islands tend to be dynamic due to their location along the estuarine-marine interface. Besides gradual changes caused by constant forces, such as currents and tides, barrier islandBarrier island habitat map and vegetation survey, Dauphin Island, AL, 2015
This dataset includes barrier island land cover types collected from mid-November 2015 to mid-December 2015 along randomly placed transects at seven sites throughout the east end of Dauphin Island. Specifically, this data collection included characterizing land cover types and measuring horizontal position and elevation. We characterized plant community composition and structure for a subset of thPredicting landscape effects of Mississippi River diversions on soil organic carbon sequestration
It contains supporting data from the wetland morphology modeling to support the analysis on the landscape effects of Mississippi River diversions in the context of sea-level rise on soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration along coastal Louisiana wetlands. - Publications
Filter Total Items: 40
Assessing habitat change and migration of barrier islands
Barrier islands are dynamic environments that experience gradual change from waves, tides, and currents, and rapid change from extreme storms. These islands are expected to change drastically over the coming century due to accelerated sea-level rise and changes in frequency and intensity of storm events. The dynamic nature of barrier islands coupled with the importance of these environments make iAuthorsNicholas Enwright, Lei Wang, P. Soupy Dalyander, Hongqing Wang, Michael Osland, Rangley C. Mickey, Robert L. Jenkins, Elizabeth GodseyAssessment of wave attenuation, current patterns, and sediment deposition and erosion during winter storms by living shoreline structures in Gandys Beach, New Jersey
This study was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and Northeastern University in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy. This report summarizes field investigation and analysis of waves, current patterns, and sediment deposition and erosion along the Gandys Beach, New Jersey, salt marsh vegetated shoreline and mudflat, where living shoreline structuresAuthorsH. Wang, William D. Capurso, Q. Chen, Ling Zhu, L.M. Niemoczynski, Gregg SneddenModeling structural mechanics of oyster reef self-organization including environmental constraints and community interactions
Self-organization is a process of establishing and reinforcing local structures through feedbacks between internal population dynamics and external factors. In reef-building systems, substrate is collectively engineered by individuals that also occupy it and compete for space. Reefs are constrained spatially by the physical environment, and by mortality, which reduces production but exposes substrAuthorsSimeon Yurek, Mitchell Eaton, Romain Lavaud, R. Wilson Laney, Don DeAngelis, William E. Pine, Megan K. LaPeyre, Julien Martin, Peter C Frederick, Hongqing Wang, Michael R. Lowe, Fred Johnson, Edward V. Camp, Rua MordecaiModeling 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, is limited due to a lack of long-term data and inforAuthorsXiaochen Zhao, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Hongqing Wang, Zuo Xue, Cheng-Feng Tsai, C. S. Willson, E. Castañeda-Moya, Robert R. Twilley2023 Coastal master plan: Model improvement plan, ICM-wetlands, vegetation, and soil
As part of the model improvement effort for the 2023 Coastal Master Plan, the wetland processes captured by the morphology and vegetation models used during previous master plans were reevaluated to assess how Integrated Compartment Model (ICM) subroutines could be improved. This process considered technical reviews, comments, and suggested improvements provided by model developers, advisory groupAuthorsMelissa M. Baustian, Denise Reed, Jenneke Visser, Scott M. Duke-Sylvester, Gregg Snedden, Hongqing Wang, Kristin DeMarco, Madeline R. Foster-Martinez, Leigh Anne Sharp, Tommy E. McGinnis, Elizabeth JarrellPredicting 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 shaped by currents, waves, and tides under quiescentModeling 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 salinity units, psu) and the controlling factors reAuthorsHongqing Wang, Ken W. Krauss, Gregory B. Noe, Camille L. Stagg, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Jamie A. Duberstein, William H. Conner, Donald L. DeAngelisField 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 characteristics and wave spectral variations alongAuthorsLing Zhu, Q. Chen, Hongqing Wang, William D. Capurso, L.M. Niemoczynski, Kelin Hu, Gregg SneddenWetland 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 transport activities, coastal Coastal Louisiana hosAuthorsVictor H. Rivera-Monroy, Courtney Elliton, Siddhartha Narra, Ehab Meselhe, Xiaochen Zhao, Eric White, Charles E. Sasser, Jenneke M. Visser, X. Meng, Hongqing Wang, Zuo Xue, Fernando JaramilloModeling 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 these linkages have not been fully leveraged to develoAuthorsNicholas Enwright, Lei Wang, Hongqing Wang, Michael Osland, Laura Feher, Sinéad M. Borchert, Richard DayNumerical 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, deposition, and erosion processes. In this study, the DelAuthorsKelin Hu, Q. Chen, Hongqing Wang, Ellen K. Hartig, Philip M. OrtonPredicting landscape effects of Mississippi River diversions on soil organic carbon sequestration
Large Mississippi River (MR) diversions (peak water flow >1416 m3/s and sediment loads >165 kg/s) have been proposed as part of a suite of coastal restoration projects and are expected to rehabilitate and rebuild wetlands to alleviate the significant historic wetland loss in coastal Louisiana. These coastal wetlands are undergoing increasing eustatic sea‐level rise, land subsidence, climate changeAuthorsHongqing Wang, Gregory D. Steyer, Brady Couvillion, Holly J. Beck, John M Rybczyk, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Ken W. Krauss, Jenneke M. Visser - News
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