Judith Z. Drexler
Judith Drexler is a Research Hydrologist/Wetland Ecologist at the California Water Science Center. She specializes in ecosystem ecology with a special emphasis on the interactions among biogeochemical, ecological, and hydrologic processes in wetland and aquatic ecosystems.
RESEARCH
My research is focused on biological carbon sequestration and the impact of disturbance including climate change and sea-level rise, invasive species, land use change, and hydrologic alteration on ecosystem sustainability. Throughout my career, I have chosen to conduct much of this research in a wide variety of terrestrial and coastal wetlands and aquatic systems. In recent years, I have been studying how to regain critical ecosystem services, such as carbon storage and habitat for threatened and endangered species, through restoration. As part of my research, I use marsh sustainability modeling to better understand the vulnerability of wetlands to drowning under future sea-level rise scenarios. My current work on the island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i has allowed me to combine my interests in Western science and indigenous knowledge to evaluate potential options for restoring coastal wetlands and their critical linkages to adjacent ecosystems.
Professional Experience
I began my career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Drinking Water Branch. As a postdoc, I worked at the USDA Forest Service in Honolulu, Hawai‘i studying groundwater-surface water interactions in coastal wetland complexes in Micronesia. I have been at the USGS California Water Science Center since 2000.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Natural Resources, Cornell University
M.A., Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder
B.A., Environmental Science, University of California, Berkeley
Science and Products
Conceptual model of sedimentation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
Peat formation processes through the millennia in tidal marshes of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
Peat Formation Processes Through the Millennia in Tidal Marshes of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
Peat accretion histories during the past 6,000 years in the marshes of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, CA, USA
The legacy of wetland drainage on the remaining peat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
Evapotranspiration rates and crop coefficients for a restored marsh in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
Age Determination of the Remaining Peat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
South San Francisco Bay tidal marsh vegetation and elevation surveys-Corkscrew Marsh, Bird Island, and Palo Alto Baylands, California, 1983
A review of models and micrometeorological methods used to estimate wetland evapotranspiration
A project summary: Water and energy budget assessment for a non-tidal wetland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta
A micrometeorological investigation of a restored California wetland ecosystem
Hydrogeologic data from a shallow flooding demonstration project, Twitchell Island, California, 1997-2001
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 52
Conceptual model of sedimentation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
Sedimentation in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta builds the Delta landscape, creates benthic and pelagic habitat, and transports sediment-associated contaminants. Here we present a conceptual model of sedimentation that includes submodels for river supply from the watershed to the Delta, regional transport within the Delta and seaward exchange, and local sedimentation in open water and marsAuthorsDavid H. Schoellhamer, Scott A. Wright, Judith Z. DrexlerPeat formation processes through the millennia in tidal marshes of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
The purpose of this study was to determine peat formation processes throughout the millennia in four tidal marshes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Peat cores collected at each site were analyzed for bulk density, loss on ignition, and percent organic carbon. Core data and spline fit age-depth models were used to estimate inorganic sedimentation, organic accumulation, and carbon sequestrationAuthorsJudith Z. DrexlerPeat Formation Processes Through the Millennia in Tidal Marshes of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
The purpose of this study was to determine peat formation processes throughout the millennia in four tidal marshes in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Peat cores collected at each site were analyzed for bulk density, loss on ignition, and percent organic carbon. Core data and spline fit age-depth models were used to estimate inorganic sedimentation, organic accumulation, and carbon sequestrationAuthorsJ.Z. DrexlerPeat accretion histories during the past 6,000 years in the marshes of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, CA, USA
The purpose of this study was to determine how vertical accretion rates in marshes vary through the millennia. Peat cores were collected in remnant and drained marshes in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta of California. Cubic smooth spline regression models were used to construct age–depth models and accretion histories for three remnant marshes. Estimated vertical accretion rates at these sites raAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Christian S. de Fontaine, Thomas A. BrownThe legacy of wetland drainage on the remaining peat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
Throughout the world, many extensive wetlands, such as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California (hereafter, the Delta), have been drained for agriculture, resulting in land-surface subsidence of peat soils. The purpose of this project was to study the in situ effects of wetland drainage on the remaining peat in the Delta. Peat cores were retrieved from four drained, farmed islands and four rAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Christian S. de Fontaine, Steven J. DeverelEvapotranspiration rates and crop coefficients for a restored marsh in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
The surface renewal method was used to estimate evapotranspiration (ET) for a restored marsh on Twitchell Island in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, California, USA. ET estimates for the marsh, together with reference ET measurements from a nearby climate station, were used to determine crop coefficients over a 3‐year period during the growing season. The mean ET rate for the study period was 6 mAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Frank E. Anderson, Richard L. SnyderAge Determination of the Remaining Peat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, USA
Introduction The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California was once a 1,400 square kilometer (km2) tidal marsh, which contained a vast layer of peat ranging up to 15 meters (m) thick (Atwater and Belknap, 1980). Because of its favorable climate and highly fertile peat soils, the majority of the Delta was drained and reclaimed for agriculture during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Drainage of tAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Christian S. de Fontaine, Donna L. KnifongSouth San Francisco Bay tidal marsh vegetation and elevation surveys-Corkscrew Marsh, Bird Island, and Palo Alto Baylands, California, 1983
Changes in the topography and ecology of the San Francisco Bay Estuary ('Estuary') during the past 200 years have resulted in the loss of nearly 80 percent of the historical salt marsh in the region. Currently, numerous projects are being undertaken by federal, state, and local governments in an attempt to restore wetland habitat and ecosystem function at a number of locations within the Estuary.AuthorsJames L. Orlando, Judy Z. Drexler, Kent G. DedrickA review of models and micrometeorological methods used to estimate wetland evapotranspiration
Within the past decade or so, the accuracy of evapotranspiration (ET) estimates has improved due to new and increasingly sophisticated methods. Yet despite a plethora of choices concerning methods, estimation of wetland ET remains insufficiently characterized due to the complexity of surface characteristics and the diversity of wetland types. In this review, we present models and micrometeorologicAuthorsJ.Z. Drexler, R.L. Snyder, D. Spano, U.K.T. PawA project summary: Water and energy budget assessment for a non-tidal wetland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta
The methods used to obtain universal cover coefficient (Kc) values for a non-tidal restored wetland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta, US, during the summer of the year 2002 and to investigate possible differences during changing wind patterns are described. A micrometeorological tower over the wetland was established to quantify actual evapotranspiration (ETa) rates and surface energy fluAuthorsFrank E. Anderson, R.L. Snyder, U.K.T. Paw, Judith Z. DrexlerA micrometeorological investigation of a restored California wetland ecosystem
No abstract available.AuthorsFrank Anderson, Richard L. Snyder, Robin L. Miller, Judith Z. DrexlerHydrogeologic data from a shallow flooding demonstration project, Twitchell Island, California, 1997-2001
Data were collected during a study to determine the effects of continuous shallow flooding on ground-water discharge to an agricultural drainage ditch on Twitchell Island, California. The conceptual model of the hydrogeologic setting was detailed with soil coring and borehole-geophysical logs. Twenty-two monitoring wells were installed to observe hydraulic head. Ten aquifer slug tests were done inAuthorsJames M. Gamble, Karen R. Burow, Gail A. Wheeler, Robert Hilditch, Judy Z. Drexler - News