McNinch, J.E. and Miselis, J.L. (2012). Geology metrics for predicting shoreline change using seabed and sub-bottom observations from the surf zone. Eds. Sherwood, C., Li, M. International Association of Sedimentologists Special Publication, Vol. 44, 99-120.
Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D.
I study the geology of coastal margins, specifically how sediment availability and fluxes influence coastal evolution over a variety of time and space scales. My work, which spans the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, supports coastal management by providing insight into modern and future coastal behavior, the extent and quality of sediment resources, and spatial variability in ecosystem resilience.
Biography
I received a B.S. in Marine Science and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of South Carolina and a Ph.D. in Marine Science with a specialization in Coastal Geology from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. In 2008, I started an NRC Postdoctoral Research Associateship at the Naval Research Laboratory at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. In 2010, I began working for the USGS at the Saint Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, where I explore how geologic variability influences coastal system change over a range of time scales. Using geophysics, remote sensing, and sediment sampling, I characterize coastal geology and identify relationships between geology and coastal system response to climate and storms. Also, I integrate observations with models to quantify the impact of existing variability on future coastal response. Please see the following links for more information:
Barrier Island Evolution Research: https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/bier/
Fire Island Coastal Change: https://coastal.er.usgs.gov/fire-island/
Geology of Coastal Margins: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/geo-evo/
Science and Products
Date published: March 19, 2020
Status: Active Coastal Sediment Availability and Flux (CSAF) Project
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...
Date published: February 14, 2020
Status: Active Coastal Change at Fire Island, a geonarrative
Approximately 60 miles from the skyscrapers and fast-pace of New York City, Fire Island stretches 31 miles along the south shore of Long Island. The sandy beaches and pristine wilderness areas of Fire Island National Seashore are dotted with secluded residential communities. The island is fronted by the Atlantic Ocean, so in addition to its natural and recreational value, Fire Island is also...
Date published: August 6, 2019
Status: Active Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Fire Island is a 50-km long barrier island along the south shore of Long Island, New York. The island is comprised of seventeen year-round communities; federal, state, and county parks; and supports distinct ecosystems alongside areas of economic and cultural value. In addition to providing resources to its residents, the barrier island also protects the heavily-populated mainland from storm...
Date published: May 6, 2019
Status: Active Breach Evolution - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
In 2012, during Hurricane Sandy, a breach formed in the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness Area on Fire Island, NY.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: May 3, 2019
Status: Active Hurricane Sandy - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
USGS used several techniques to quantify the impacts of Hurricane Sandy on the ocean shoreline of Fire Island.
Contacts: Erika Lentz, Ph.D., Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: May 3, 2019
Status: Active Storm Impacts - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Fire Island is vulnerable to considerable storm activity year-round from both hurricanes and nor’easters. Storms are important drivers of coastal change in barrier island settings such as Fire Island. Larger storms carry sediment to the interior of the island via overwash, helping to create new habitat and build island resilience by adding back barrier width and interior elevation. Storms also...
Contacts: Erika Lentz, Ph.D., Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: May 2, 2019
Status: Active Research Integration - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
In order to predict the future behavior of the Fire Island landscape as a whole, information from across research themes must be integrated.
Contacts: Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D., Erika Lentz, Ph.D.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: May 1, 2019
Status: Active Predicting Future Beach Change - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Probabilistic models are used to predict future beach changes at Fire Island. These models, referred to as Bayesian networks, use statistics to estimate probabilities of future beach configurations based on existing observations. Bayesian networks are easily updated with new data or observations, making this approach ideal for use in coastal systems that experience rapid and frequent changes...
Contacts: Erika Lentz, Ph.D., Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: May 1, 2019
Status: Active Beach Change Envelope - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Given the unique challenges in quantifying the extensive, yet variable impacts of Hurricane Sandy at Fire Island, we used a time series of beach profile data at Fire Island, New York, to define a new contour-based morphologic change metric, the Beach Change Envelope (BCE).
Contacts: Erika Lentz, Ph.D., Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: May 1, 2019
Status: Active Beach Profiles - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
As part of the assessment of beach and dune morphologic change associated with Hurricane Sandy and the continuing efforts to track post-Sandy recovery, differential global positioning system (DGPS) elevation data are collected along 15 shore-perpendicular profiles extending from just inland of the crest of dune to the low-tide swash zone.
Contacts: Erika Lentz, Ph.D., Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: April 30, 2019
Status: Active Beach Recovery - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Alongshore features, such as the position of the dune crest and shoreline, are typically used to measure storm impacts and recovery. Impacts from Hurricane Sandy were so substantial to these features, however, that USGS researchers were provided a unique opportunity to develop new techniques to capture and monitor both storm impacts and recovery.
Contacts: Erika Lentz, Ph.D., Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: April 30, 2019
Status: Active Oceanside Beaches and Dunes - Coastal System Change at Fire Island, New York
Oceanfront research at Fire Island, New York, is primarily focused on understanding the long- and short-term behavior of the ocean-facing terrestrial barrier island system, including human influences. The USGS has had ongoing research activities on Fire Island since the late 1990s, providing science to help inform management decisions. Recent efforts include monitoring the response to and...
Contacts: Erika Lentz, Ph.D., Jennifer L Miselis, Ph.D.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Year Published: 2019
Application of sediment end-member analysis for understanding sediment fluxes, northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
We analyzed grain-size distributions (GSDs) from a time-series of sediment samples to evaluate sediment transport following anthropogenic sand-berm emplacement at the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana. End-member analysis (EMA) was applied to compare the end-member (EM) GSD of a known sediment source to GSDs from surrounding environments and...
Bernier, Julie C.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Buster, Noreen A.; Flocks, James G.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Bernier, J.C., Miselis, J.L., Buster, N.A., and Flocks, J.G., 2019, Application of sediment end-member analysis for understanding sediment fluxes, northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in Wang, P., Rosati, J.D., and Vallee, M. (eds.), , Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida, May 27-31, 2019: Singapore, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., p. 25-38.
Year Published: 2019
A Bayesian approach to predict sub-annual beach change and recovery
The upper beach, between the astronomical high tide and the dune-toe, supports habitat and recreation along many beaches, making predictions of upper beach change valuable to coastal managers and the public. We developed and tested a Bayesian network (BN) to predict the cross-shore position of an upper beach elevation contour (ZlD) following 1...
Wilson, Kathleen; Lentz, Erika E.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Safak, Ilgar; Brenner, Owen T.
Year Published: 2018
Sediment data from vibracores collected in 2016 from Fire Island, New York
Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a long-term coastal morphologic-change study at Fire Island, New York, prior to and after Hurricane Sandy impacted the area in October 2012. The Fire Island Coastal Change project objectives include understanding the morphologic evolution of the barrier island system on a...
Buster, Noreen A.; Bernier, Julie C.; Brenner, Owen T.; Kelso, Kyle W.; Tuten, Thomas M.; Miselis, Jennifer L.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Buster, N.A., Bernier, J.C., Brenner, O.T., Kelso, K.W., Tuten, T.M., and Miselis, J.L., 2018, Sediment data from vibracores collected in 2016 from Fire Island, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1100, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1100.
Year Published: 2018
Ground penetrating radar and differential global positioning system data collected in April 2016 from Fire Island, New York
Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a long-term coastal morphologic-change study at Fire Island, New York, prior to and after Hurricane Sandy impacted the area in October 2012. The Fire Island Coastal Change project objectives include understanding the morphologic evolution of the barrier island system on a variety of time...
Forde, Arnell S.; Bernier, Julie C.; Miselis, Jennifer L.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Forde, A.S., Bernier, J.C., and Miselis, J.L., 2018, Ground penetrating radar and differential global positioning system data collected in April 2016 from Fire Island, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1078, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1078.
Year Published: 2018
Chirp subbottom profile data collected in 2015 from the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
As part of the Barrier Island Evolution Research project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a nearshore geophysical survey around the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in September 2015. The objective of the project is to improve the understanding of barrier island...
Forde, Arnell S.; DeWitt, Nancy T.; Fredericks, Jake J.; Miselis, Jennifer L.View Citation
Forde, A.S., DeWitt, N.T., Fredericks, J.J., and Miselis, J.L., 2018, Chirp subbottom profile data collected in 2015 from the northern Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1077, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1077.
Year Published: 2017
Natural and human-induced variability in barrier-island response to sea level rise
Storm-driven sediment fluxes onto and behind barrier islands help coastal barrier systems keep pace with sea level rise (SLR). Understanding what controls cross-shore sediment flux magnitudes is critical for making accurate forecasts of barrier response to increased SLR rates. Here, using an existing morphodynamic model for barrier island...
Miselis, Jennifer L.; Lorenzo-Trueba, JorgeAttribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Miselis, J.L., Lorenzo-Trueba, J., 2017, Natural and Human-Induced Variability in Barrier-Island Response to Sea Level Rise: Geophysical Research Letters, 44, pp. 11,922–11,931, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074811.
Year Published: 2017
Morphologic evolution of the wilderness area breach at Fire Island, New York—2012–15
IntroductionHurricane Sandy, which made landfall on October 29, 2012, near Atlantic City, New Jersey, had a significant impact on the coastal system along the south shore of Long Island, New York. A record significant wave height of 9.6 meters (m) was measured at wave buoy 44025, approximately 48 kilometers offshore of Fire Island, New York. Surge...
Hapke, Cheryl J.; Nelson, Timothy R.; Henderson, Rachel E. ; Brenner, Owen T.; Miselis, Jennifer L.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Hapke, C.J., Nelson, T.R., Henderson, R.E., Brenner, O.T., and Miselis, J.L., 2017, Morphologic evolution of the wilderness area breach at Fire Island, New York—2012–15: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017–1116, 17 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171116.
Year Published: 2017
Coastal geophysical data collected in 2016 nearshore Cape Canaveral, Florida
Geophysical data including multibeam bathymetry and backscatter, side scan sonar, and chirp subbottom were collected by Coastal Carolina University (CCU) Center for Marine and Wetland Studies (CMWS), Conway, South Carolina, in June 2016 in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC...
Buster, Noreen A.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Okano, Shinobu; Gayes, Paul T.; Hill, Jenna C.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
View Citation
Buster, N.A., Miselis, J.L., Okano, S., Gayes, P.T., Hill, J.C., 2017, Coastal geophysical data collected in 2016 nearshore Cape Canaveral, Florida: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7833Q8J.
Year Published: 2017
Coastal bathymetry data collected in May 2015 from Fire Island, New York—Wilderness breach and shoreface
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, conducted a bathymetric survey of Fire Island from May 6-20, 2015. The USGS is involved in a post-Hurricane Sandy effort to map and monitor the morphologic evolution of the wilderness breach as a part of the Hurricane...
Nelson, Timothy R.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Hapke, Cheryl J.; Brenner, Owen T.; Henderson, Rachel E. ; Reynolds, Billy J.; Wilson, Kathleen E.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Nelson, T.R., Miselis, J.L., Hapke, C.J., Brenner, O.T., Henderson, R.E., Reynolds, B.J., Wilson, K.E., 2017, Coastal bathymetry data collected in May 2015 from Fire Island, New York—Wilderness breach and shoreface: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1049, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1049.
Year Published: 2017
Nearshore sediment thickness, Fire Island, New York
Investigations of coastal change at Fire Island, New York (N.Y.), sought to characterize sediment budgets and determine geologic framework controls on coastal processes. Nearshore sediment thickness is critical for assessing coastal system sediment availability, but it is largely unquantified due to the difficulty of conducting geological or...
Locker, Stanley D. ; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Buster, Noreen A.; Hapke, Cheryl J.; Wadman, Heidi M. ; McNinch, Jesse E. ; Forde, Arnell S.; Stalk, Chelsea A.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Locker, S.D., Miselis, J.L., Buster, N.A., Hapke, C.J., Wadman, H.M., McNinch, J.E., Forde, A.S., and Stalk, C.A., 2017, Nearshore sediment thickness, Fire Island, New York: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2017–1024, 21 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171024.
Year Published: 2017
Bathymetry data collected in October 2014 from Fire Island, New York—The wilderness breach, shoreface, and bay
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, conducted a bathymetric survey of Fire Island, New York, from October 5 to 10, 2014. The U.S. Geological Survey is involved in a post-Hurricane Sandy effort to map and monitor the morphologic evolution of the wilderness breach,...
Nelson, Timothy R. ; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Hapke, Cheryl J.; Brenner, Owen T.; Henderson, Rachel E. ; Reynolds, Billy J.; Wilson, Kathleen E.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Nelson, T.R., Miselis, J.L., Hapke, C.J., Brenner, O.T., Henderson, R.E., Reynolds, B.J., and Wilson, K.E., 2017, Bathymetry data collected in October 2014 from Fire Island, New York—The wilderness breach, shoreface, and bay: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1034, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1034.
Year Published: 2017
Coastal single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana
As part of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Barrier Island Comprehensive Monitoring Program, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a single-beam bathymetry survey around the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana, in June 2015. The goal of the program is...
Stalk, Chelsea A.; DeWitt, Nancy T.; Bernier, Julie C.; Kindinger, Jack G.; Flocks, James G.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Locker, Stanley D.; Kelso, Kyle W.; Tuten, Thomas M.Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands)
View Citation
Stalk, C.A., DeWitt, N.T., Bernier, J.C., Kindinger, J.G., Flocks, J.G., Miselis, J.L., Locker, S.D., Kelso, K.W., and Tuten, T.M., 2017, Coastal single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from the Chandeleur Islands, Louisiana: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 1039, https://doi.org/10.3133/ds1039.
Pre-USGS Publications
Miselis, J.L. and McNinch, J.E. (2006). Calculating shoreline erosion potential using nearshore stratigraphy and sediment volume: Outer Banks, North Carolina. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, VOL. 111, F02019, doi:10.1029/2005JF000389)
Kohn, M.J., Miselis, J.L., Fremd, T.J. (2002). Oxygen isotope evidence for progressive uplift of the Cascade Range, Oregon. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 204: 151-165.
Date published: September 19, 2019
USGS scientists travel to the Rockaways in New York to conduct shoreface geophysical survey
A shoreface geophysical survey will take place from 23 September to 15 October 2019 along Rockaway Beach, NY. The Rockaways are comprised of National Park Service (NPS) lands, public beaches, and the private community of Breezy Point, all of which were impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Date published: September 11, 2019
USGS Researchers will travel to Patchogue, NY, to meet with Superintendent and Staff at Fire Island National Seashore
SPCMSC Research Geologists Jennifer Miselis and Daniel Ciarletta and Research Oceanographers Timothy Nelson and Sara Zeigler will travel to the National Park Service (NPS) Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS) office in Patchogue, NY, to meet with the new Superintendent, Alexcy Romero, and his staff.
Date published: May 30, 2019
SPCMSC scientists to present at Coastal Sediments '19 conference
SPCMSC scientists Julie Bernier, Noreen Buster, Kara Doran, Karen Morgan, and Tim Nelson will present their research at the Coastal Sediments '19 conference, May 27–31, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Research Geologist Jennifer Miselis, co-author with Bernier and Buster, will also be attending.
Date published: August 31, 2018
USGS scientists travel to Seven Mile Island in New Jersey to conduct nearshore geophysical survey
USGS SPCMSC personnel Jennifer Miselis (Research Geologist), Julie Bernier (Geologist), Nancy DeWitt (Geologist), Andy Farmer (CNT), Jake Fredericks (Hydrographic Technician), Kyle Kelso (Marine Operations Manager), BJ Reynolds (Engineering Technician), Chelsea Stalk (CNT), and Hunter Wilcox (CNT) will travel to southern New Jersey to conduct a nearshore geophysical survey.
Date published: July 17, 2018
USGS scientists successfully acquire repeat geophysical data at Fire Island National Seashore
The objective of the field effort was to remeasure seafloor elevations and sub-seafloor geology in areas that were surveyed in 2014 in order to quantify change in shoreface sediment availability and flux, some of the first data of its kind.
Date published: July 17, 2018
USGS scientists host National Science Foundation undergraduate students from Mote Marine Laboratory
Several undergraduate students who were awarded internships at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, will visit the Saint Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.
Attribution: St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Date published: April 26, 2018
USGS Researchers attend 11th Biennial Science Workshop at Fire Island National Seashore
SPCMSC Research Geologist Jennifer Miselis and WHCMSC Research Geologist Erika Lentz will present USGS research at the 11th Biennial Science Workshop organized by the National Park Service (NPS) Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS).
Date published: December 12, 2017
USGS Research Geologist Publishes New AGU Article Forecasting Barrier Island Response to Sea-Level Rise
A new article combines geomorphological and pre- and post-Hurricane Sandy observations from coastal New Jersey with a morphodynamic model to forecast the response of barrier islands to various rates of sea-level rise and explores the impact of human alterations on forecasted behavior.