Jonathan Warrick
My research focuses on the intersection of rivers and the sea. Topics include the movement of sediment within and from coastal watersheds, and how sediment can alter coastal landscapes and habitats. Recently these subjects have been addressed in my work on the Elwha River, Washington, where the largest dam removal project in U.S. history was completed in 2014.
In The News
2017, Los Angeles Times article, “Highway 1 was buried under a massive landslide. Months later, engineers battle Mother Nature to fix it”
2016, The Department of Interior and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, International RiverPrize Finalist
2015, New York Times article, “When Dams Come Down, Salmon and Sand Can Prosper”
2014, National Geographic news article, “World’s Largest Dam Removal Unleashes U.S. River After Century of Electric Production”
2013, Book, “Elwha: A River Reborn”
2012, Front-page Seattle Times article, “Dam gone, nature rebuilds Elwha River beach”
2009, Science Daily article, “Sediment Yield From The Tectonically Active Semiarid Western Transverse Ranges Of California”
2006, Environmental Science & Technology news article, “California’s Shifting Sands”
Professional Experience
Research Geologist, GS-15, 2016-present, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
Research Geologist, GS-14, 2008-2016, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
Research Geologist, GS-13, 2004-2008, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, GS-12, 2002-2004, USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Menlo Park, California
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 2002, University of California, Santa Barbara
M.Sc., 1995, University Wisconsin-Madison
B.Sc., 1993, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Science and Products
Oceanographic measurements obtained offshore of the Elwha River delta in coordination with the Elwha River Restoration Project, Washington, USA, 2010-2014
Beach topography and nearshore bathymetry of northern Monterey Bay, California
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington
Data collected in 2008-2014 to assess nearshore subtidal community response to increased sediment load during removal of the Elwha River dams, Washington State, USA
Characterization of seafloor photographs near the mouth of the Elwha River during the first two years of dam removal (2011-2013)
Multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data collected in 2016 for Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, August 2012
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, May 2012
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, August 2011
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, May 2011
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, September 2010
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, March 2013
Do we know how much fluvial sediment reaches the sea? Decreased river monitoring of U.S. coastal rivers
Rapid, remote assessment of Hurricane Matthew impacts using four-dimensional structure-from-motion photogrammetry
Projected 21st century coastal flooding in the Southern California Bight. Part 1: Development of the third generation CoSMoS model
Science partnership between U.S. Geological Survey and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe—Understanding the Elwha River Dam Removal Project
Morphodynamic evolution following sediment release from the world’s largest dam removal
Sediment pulses can cause widespread, complex changes to rivers and coastal regions. Quantifying landscape response to sediment-supply changes is a long-standing problem in geomorphology, but the unanticipated nature of most sediment pulses rarely allows for detailed measurement of associated landscape processes and evolution. The intentional removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washingto
Increased sediment load during a large-scale dam removal changes nearshore subtidal communities
Coherence between coastal and river flooding along the California coast
Ephemeral seafloor sedimentation during dam removal: Elwha River, Washington
Coastal habitat and biological community response to dam removal on the Elwha River
Coastal river plumes: Collisions and coalescence
New techniques to measure cliff change from historical oblique aerial photographs and structure-from-motion photogrammetry
Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report
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Oceanographic measurements obtained offshore of the Elwha River delta in coordination with the Elwha River Restoration Project, Washington, USA, 2010-2014
Time-series data of velocity, pressure, turbidity, conductivity, and temperature were collected near the mouth of the Elwha River, Washington, USA, from December 2010 through October 2014, for the Department of Interiors Elwha River Restoration project. As part of this project, the U.S. Geological Survey studied the effects of renewed sediment supplies on the coastal ecosystems before, during, andBeach topography and nearshore bathymetry of northern Monterey Bay, California
This data release presents beach topography and nearshore bathymetry data from repeated surveys in northern Monterey Bay, California to document changes in shoreline position and coastal morphology as they relate to episodic (storms), seasonal, and interannual and longer (e.g. El Ni?o) processes. The ongoing monitoring program was initiated in October 2014 with semi-annual surveys performed in latBathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington
Two dams on the Elwha River, Washington State, USA trapped over 20 million cubic meters of sediment, reducing downstream sediment fluxes and contributing to erosion of the river's coastal delta. The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams between 2011 and 2014 induced massive increases in river sediment supply and provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the response of a delta systemData collected in 2008-2014 to assess nearshore subtidal community response to increased sediment load during removal of the Elwha River dams, Washington State, USA
Data are time series of substrate grain size, remotely sensed water column turbidity, and measures of abundance (e.g., density, percent cover) of the nearshore subtidal (3-17 m depth) benthic community (vegetation, invertebrates, and fish) collected before (2008-2011) and during dam removal (2012-2014).Characterization of seafloor photographs near the mouth of the Elwha River during the first two years of dam removal (2011-2013)
We characterized seafloor sediment conditions near the mouth of the Elwha River from underwater photographs taken every four hours from September 2011 to December 2013. A digital camera was affixed to a tripod that was deployed in approximately 10 meters of water (Tripod location from September 2011 to April 2013: 48.15333, -123.55931; tripod location from April 2013 to December 2013: 48.15407, -1Multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data collected in 2016 for Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington
In February 2016 the U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in cooperation with North Carolina State University and the National Park Service collected multibeam bathymetry and acoustic backscatter data in Lake Crescent located in Olympic National Park, Washington. These data were collected to support geologic hazard studies within the lake including mapping submarine laBathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, August 2012
Two dams on the Elwha River, Washington State, USA trapped over 20 million cubic meters of sediment, reducing downstream sediment fluxes and contributing to erosion of the river's coastal delta. The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams between 2011 and 2014 induced massive increases in river sediment supply and provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the response of a delta systemBathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, May 2012
Two dams on the Elwha River, Washington State, USA trapped over 20 million cubic meters of sediment, reducing downstream sediment fluxes and contributing to erosion of the river's coastal delta. The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams between 2011 and 2014 induced massive increases in river sediment supply and provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the response of a delta systemBathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, August 2011
Two dams on the Elwha River, Washington State, USA trapped over 20 million cubic meters of sediment, reducing downstream sediment fluxes and contributing to erosion of the river's coastal delta. The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams between 2011 and 2014 induced massive increases in river sediment supply and provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the response of a delta systemBathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, May 2011
Two dams on the Elwha River, Washington State, USA trapped over 20 million cubic meters of sediment, reducing downstream sediment fluxes and contributing to erosion of the river's coastal delta. The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams between 2011 and 2014 induced massive increases in river sediment supply and provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the response of a delta systemBathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, September 2010
Two dams on the Elwha River, Washington State, USA trapped over 20 million cubic meters of sediment, reducing downstream sediment fluxes and contributing to erosion of the river's coastal delta. The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams between 2011 and 2014 induced massive increases in river sediment supply and provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the response of a delta systemBathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, March 2013
Two dams on the Elwha River, Washington State, USA trapped over 20 million cubic meters of sediment, reducing downstream sediment fluxes and contributing to erosion of the river's coastal delta. The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams between 2011 and 2014 induced massive increases in river sediment supply and provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the response of a delta system - Maps
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Do we know how much fluvial sediment reaches the sea? Decreased river monitoring of U.S. coastal rivers
Given the present and future changing climate and human changes to land use and river control, river sediment fluxes to coastal systems are changing and will continue to change in the future. To delineate these changes and their effects, it is increasingly important to document the fluxes of river-borne sediment discharged to the sea. Unfortunately, broad-scale river sediment monitoring programsAuthorsJonathan Warrick, John D. MillimanRapid, remote assessment of Hurricane Matthew impacts using four-dimensional structure-from-motion photogrammetry
Timely assessment of coastal landforms and structures after storms is important for evaluating storm impacts, aiding emergency response and restoration, and initializing and assessing morphological models. Four-dimensional multiview photogrammetry, also known as structure from motion (4D SfM), provides a method for generating three-dimensional reconstructions of landscapes at two times (before andAuthorsChristopher R. Sherwood, Jonathan Warrick, Andrew D. Hill, Andrew C. Ritchie, Brian D. Andrews, Nathaniel G. PlantProjected 21st century coastal flooding in the Southern California Bight. Part 1: Development of the third generation CoSMoS model
Due to the effects of climate change over the course of the next century, the combination of rising sea levels, severe storms, and coastal change will threaten the sustainability of coastal communities, development, and ecosystems as we know them today. To clearly identify coastal vulnerabilities and develop appropriate adaptation strategies due to projected increased levels of coastal flooding anAuthorsAndrea C. O'Neill, Li H. Erikson, Patrick L. Barnard, Patrick W. Limber, Sean Vitousek, Jonathan Warrick, Amy C. Foxgrover, Jessica LoveringScience partnership between U.S. Geological Survey and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe—Understanding the Elwha River Dam Removal Project
After nearly a century of producing power, two large hydroelectric dams on the Elwha River in Washington State were removed during 2011 to 2014 to restore the river ecosystem and recover imperiled salmon populations. Roughly two-thirds of the 21 million cubic meters of sediment—enough to fill nearly 2 million dump trucks—contained behind the dams was released downstream, which restored natural proAuthorsJeffrey J. Duda, Matt M. Beirne, Jonathan A. Warrick, Christopher S. MagirlMorphodynamic evolution following sediment release from the world’s largest dam removal
Sediment pulses can cause widespread, complex changes to rivers and coastal regions. Quantifying landscape response to sediment-supply changes is a long-standing problem in geomorphology, but the unanticipated nature of most sediment pulses rarely allows for detailed measurement of associated landscape processes and evolution. The intentional removal of two large dams on the Elwha River (Washingto
AuthorsAndrew C. Ritchie, Jonathan Warrick, Amy E. East, Christopher S. Magirl, Andrew W. Stevens, Jennifer A. Bountry, Timothy J. Randle, Christopher A. Curran, Robert C. Hilldale, Jeffrey J. Duda, Ian M. Miller, George R. Pess, Emily Eidam, Melissa M. Foley, Randall McCoy, Andrea S. OgstonByEcosystems Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Arizona Water Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Washington Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Sediment Lab Suite and Carbon Analysis LaboratoryIncreased sediment load during a large-scale dam removal changes nearshore subtidal communities
The coastal marine ecosystem near the Elwha River was altered by a massive sediment influx—over 10 million tonnes—during the staged three-year removal of two hydropower dams. We used time series of bathymetry, substrate grain size, remotely sensed turbidity, scuba dive surveys, and towed video observations collected before and during dam removal to assess responses of the nearshore subtidal communAuthorsStephen P. Rubin, Ian M. Miller, Melissa M. Foley, Helen D. Berry, Jeffrey J. Duda, Benjamin Hudson, Nancy E. Elder, Matthew M. Beirne, Jonathan Warrick, Michael L. McHenry, Andrew W. Stevens, Emily Eidam, Andrea Ogston, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Rob PedersenCoherence between coastal and river flooding along the California coast
Water levels around river mouths are intrinsically determined by sea level and river discharge. If storm-associated coastal water-level anomalies coincide with extreme river discharge, landscapes near river mouths will be flooded by the hydrodynamic interactions of these two water masses. Unfortunately, the temporal relationships between ocean and river water masses are not well understood. The coAuthorsKingsley O. Odigie, Jonathan WarrickEphemeral seafloor sedimentation during dam removal: Elwha River, Washington
The removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams from the Elwha River in Washington, USA, resulted in the erosion and transport of over 10 million m3 of sediment from the former reservoirs and into the river during the first two years of the dam removal process. Approximately 90% of this sediment was transported through the Elwha River and to the coast at the Strait of Juan de Fuca. To evaluate theAuthorsMelissa M. Foley, Jonathan WarrickCoastal habitat and biological community response to dam removal on the Elwha River
Habitat diversity and heterogeneity play a fundamental role in structuring ecological communities. Dam emplacement and removal can fundamentally alter habitat characteristics, which in turn can affect associated biological communities. Beginning in the early 1900s, the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams in Washington, USA, withheld an estimated 30 million tonnes of sediment from river, coastal, and nearAuthorsMelissa M. Foley, Jonathan A. Warrick, Andrew C. Ritchie, Andrew W. Stevens, Patrick B. Shafroth, Jeffrey J. Duda, Matthew M. Beirne, Rebecca Paradis, Guy R. Gelfenbaum, Randall McCoy, Erin S. CubleyCoastal river plumes: Collisions and coalescence
Plumes of buoyant river water spread in the ocean from river mouths, and these plumes influence water quality, sediment dispersal, primary productivity, and circulation along the world’s coasts. Most investigations of river plumes have focused on large rivers in a coastal region, for which the physical spreading of the plume is assumed to be independent from the influence of other buoyant plumes.AuthorsJonathan Warrick, Katherine L FarnsworthNew techniques to measure cliff change from historical oblique aerial photographs and structure-from-motion photogrammetry
Oblique aerial photograph surveys are commonly used to document coastal landscapes. Here it is shown that adequate overlap may exist in these photographic records to develop topographic models with Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques. Using photographs of Fort Funston, California, from the California Coastal Records Project, imagery were combined with ground control points in aAuthorsJonathan Warrick, Andy Ritchie, Gabrielle Adelman, Ken Adelman, Patrick W. LimberCommunity for Data Integration 2015 annual report
The Community for Data Integration (CDI) continued to experience success in fiscal year 2015. The CDI community members have been sharing, learning, and collaborating through monthly forums, workshops, working groups, and funded projects. In fiscal year 2015, CDI coordinated 10 monthly forums with 16 different speakers from the U.S. Geological Survey and external partners; funded 11 collaborativeAuthorsMadison L. Langseth, Michelle Y. Chang, Jennifer Carlino, J. Ryan Bellmore, Daniella D. Birch, Joshua Bradley, R. Sky Bristol, Daniel D. Buscombe, Jeffrey J. Duda, Anthony L. Everette, Tabitha A. Graves, Michelle M. Greenwood, David L. Govoni, Heather S. Henkel, Vivian B. Hutchison, Brenda K. Jones, Tim Kern, Jennifer Lacey, Rynn M. Lamb, Frances L. Lightsom, John L. Long, Ra'ad A. Saleh, Stan W. Smith, Christopher E. Soulard, Roland J. Viger, Jonathan A. Warrick, Katherine E. Wesenberg, Daniel J. Wieferich, Luke A. Winslow - Software
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