Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Joseph F. Terrano

Joseph Terrano is a physical scientist (coastal geomorphologist) with the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center. His research focuses on the impact of coastal erosion hazards on wetland and estuarine ecosystems.

Joseph Terrano’s research focuses on using field and geospatial data to assess environmental change in coastal wetlands, estuaries, and barrier islands. His present work is split into two main categories: 1) collecting and analyzing field data (net sedimentation tiles, sensors, Global Positioning System [GPS]) and 2) extracting shorelines from historical and modern sources (topographic sheets, aerial imagery, GPS, light detection and ranging [lidar], and satellite imagery) to complete shoreline change assessments for vegetated shorelines along the U.S. Gulf and East coasts. He currently completes work as part of the following projects:

  • Estuarine and Marsh Geology (EMrG) project
  • Estuarine Shoreline Change Research project
  • Coastal Change Hazards project

Professional Experience

  • 2022-Present: Physical Scientist, USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

  • 2018-2022: Researcher, Cherokee Nation Technology Solutions contracted to the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

  • 2016-2018: University of South Florida graduate research assistant, contracted to the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

  • 2015-2016: Researcher, Cherokee Nation Technology Solutions contracted to the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

  • 2014-2015: University of South Florida (College of Marine Science) undergraduate research assistant, contracted to the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Education and Certifications

  • M.S. - Geology (2018), University of South Florida

  • B.S. - Environmental Science and Policy (2015), University of South Florida (St. Petersburg campus)

Science and Products

Coastal wetland shoreline change monitoring: A comparison of shorelines from high-resolution WorldView satellite imagery, aerial imagery, and field surveys

Shoreline change analysis is an important environmental monitoring tool for evaluating coastal exposure to erosion hazards, particularly for vulnerable habitats such as coastal wetlands where habitat loss is problematic world-wide. The increasing availability of high-resolution satellite imagery and emerging developments in analysis techniques support the implementation of these data into shorelin
Authors
Kathryn Smith, Joseph Terrano, Jonathan L Pitchford, Michael Archer
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Gulf of Mexico

Lateral shoreline erosion and shore-proximal sediment deposition on a coastal marsh from seasonal, storm and decadal measurements

The persistence of coastal marsh is dependent on its ability to maintain elevation relative to sea level, particularly for marshes experiencing high rates of shoreline erosion due to wave-attack, storms, and sea level rise. Sediments eroded at the marsh edge are either delivered onto the marsh platform or into the estuary, the latter resulting in a net loss of marsh sediments and soil carbon. Know
Authors
Kathryn Smith, Joseph Terrano, Nicole S. Khan, Christopher G. Smith, Jonathan L Pitchford
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Gulf of Mexico
link
Satellite image with multiple colored lines show coastal wetland change over time

Estuarine Shoreline Change Research Project

The goal of the estuarine shoreline change project is to define shoreline positions for historical and modern wetland shorelines and calculate rates of change along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Estuarine Shoreline Change Research Project

The goal of the estuarine shoreline change project is to define shoreline positions for historical and modern wetland shorelines and calculate rates of change along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts.
Learn More
link
View of Grand Bay, Mississippi marsh in April 2017 from the water

Estuarine and MaRsh Geology Research Project

The goal of the Estuarine and MaRsh Geology (EMRG) Research Project is to study how and where short- and long-term marsh and estuarine coastal processes interact, how they influence coastal accretion or erosion, and how they pre-condition a marsh’s resiliency to storms, sea-level change, and human alterations along the northern Gulf of Mexico (Grand Bay and Point aux Chenes, Mississippi and St...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Gulf of Mexico
link

Estuarine and MaRsh Geology Research Project

The goal of the Estuarine and MaRsh Geology (EMRG) Research Project is to study how and where short- and long-term marsh and estuarine coastal processes interact, how they influence coastal accretion or erosion, and how they pre-condition a marsh’s resiliency to storms, sea-level change, and human alterations along the northern Gulf of Mexico (Grand Bay and Point aux Chenes, Mississippi and St...
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 13

Historical Bathymetry in the Mississippi-Alabama Coastal Region: Bathymetric Soundings, Gridded Digital Elevation Model, and Hydrographic Sheets (Ver. 2.0)

Hydrographic sheets (H-sheets) produced by the National Ocean Service (NOS) during the 1800s provide historic sounding (water depth) measurements of coastal areas. The data can be vectorized into a geographic information system (GIS), adjusted to a modern vertical datum, and converted into a digital elevation model to provide an interpretation of the historic seafloor elevation. These data were pr
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Single-Beam Bathymetry Data Collected in March 2021 from Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay, Mississippi/Alabama

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida (USGS - SPCSMC), conducted a single-beam bathymetry survey within Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay, Mississippi/Alabama, from March 3-6, 2021. Efforts were supported by the Estuarine and MaRsh Geology project (EMRG), and the data described will provide baseline bathymetric infor
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Shorelines from High-resolution WorldView Satellite Imagery, Real-time Kinematic Global Positioning Data, and Aerial Imagery for 2013 to 2020 for Study Sites Within Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi

Shoreline change analysis is an important environmental monitoring tool for evaluating coastal exposure to erosion hazards, particularly for vulnerable habitats such as coastal wetlands where habitat loss is problematic world-wide. The increasing availability of high-resolution satellite imagery and emerging developments in analysis techniques support the implementation of these data into coastal
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Historical Bathymetry in the Mississippi-Alabama Coastal Region: Bathymetric Soundings, Gridded Digital Elevation Model, and Hydrographic Sheets

Hydrographic sheets (H-sheets) produced by the National Ocean Service (NOS) during the 1800s provide historic sounding (water depth) measurements of coastal areas. The data can be vectorized into a geographic information system (GIS), adjusted to a modern vertical datum, and converted into a digital elevation model to provide an interpretation of the historic seafloor elevation. These data were pr
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Shore Proximal Marsh Sediment Deposition and Ancillary Data From Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, From July 2018 to January 2020 (Version 2.0)

To better understand sediment deposition in marsh environments, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS-SPCMSC) selected four study sites (Sites 5, 6, 7, and 8) along the Point Aux Chenes Bay shoreline of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), Mississippi. These data sets were collected to serve as baseline data prior
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Historical Shorelines for Fire Island and Great South Bay, New York (1834 to 1875): Georeferenced Topographic Sheets and Vector Digital Data

Topographic sheets (t-sheets) produced by the National Ocean Service (NOS) during the 1800s provide the position of past shorelines. The shoreline data can be vectorized into a geographic information system (GIS) and compared to modern shoreline data to calculate estimates of long-term shoreline rates of change. Many t-sheets were scanned and digitized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Shore Proximal Sediment Deposition, Elevation, Turbidity, and Water Level Data for Four Sites in the Coastal Marsh at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, From October 2016 Through October 2017

To understand sediment deposition in marsh environments, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS-SPCMSC) selected four study sites in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi (GNDNERR). Each site consisted of four plots located along a transect perpendicular to the marsh-estuary shoreline at 5-meter (m) increments (5,
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Wave Exposure Model for Grand Bay, Mississippi: Input and Validation Datasets

Coastal marsh are highly dynamic and ecologically important ecosystems that are subject to pervasive and often harmful disturbances, including shoreline erosion. Shoreline erosion can result in an overall loss of coastal marsh, particularly in estuaries with moderate- or high-wave energy. Not only can waves can be important physical drivers of shoreline change but can also influence shore-proximal
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Shoreline Change Analysis for the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi Alabama: 1848 to 2017

Throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico, marsh shorelines are eroding due to wave attack, sea-level rise and subsidence. Shoreline erosion results in net marsh loss when transgression rates at the marsh-water edge exceed upland-marsh migration. Coastal marsh serves important ecologic and economic functions, such as providing habitat, absorbing floodwaters and storm surges, and coastal carbon seques
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Gulf of Mexico

Shoreline Change Analysis of Coastal and Estuarine Shorelines in Barnegat and Great Bays, NJ: 1839 to 2012

Shoreline erosion is a significant issue for many coastal states, and as coastal populations continue to grow, these data will become increasingly important for managing coastal habitats and communities. The data presented here include compiled vectorized shorelines and transects with shoreline change rates for both estuarine and open-ocean shorelines in Barnegat and Great Bays, New Jersey. Shorel
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Historical Shoreline for New Jersey (1839 to 1875): T-sheets and Vector Digital Data

Historical shoreline surveys were conducted by the National Ocean Service (NOS), dating back to the early 1800s. The maps resulting from these surveys, often called t-sheets, provide a reference of historical shoreline position that can be compared to modern data to identify shoreline change. The t-sheets are stored at the National Archives and many have been scanned by the National Oceanic and At
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Topobathymetric Lidar Survey of Breton and Gosier Islands, Louisiana, January 16 and 18, 2014

This dataset contains binary point-cloud data and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), produced from remotely sensed, geographically referenced topobathymetric measurements encompassing the Breton Island and Gosier Islands, LA study area. The original area of interest was buffered by 100 meters to ensure complete coverage, resulting in approximately 75 square miles of lidar data. The Breton Island Li
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Researcher wearing safety clothing and lifejacket, holding clipboard while standing in waist-high marsh grass
link
Joseph Terrano in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi marsh

Barnegat Bay, NJ Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change

This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Barnegat and Great Bay, New Jersey.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Breton Island, LA Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change

This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Breton Island, Louisiana. 

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Grand Bay, MS/AL Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change

This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Grand Bay, Mississippi/Alabama (1848-2017). 

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Collaborative research will advance knowledge on coastal erosion hazards of marsh shorelines and the impact of living shorelines

Coastal wetland loss has been well documented and attributed to many factors, including increased shoreline erosion from human activities, sea level...

Read Article

Science and Products