Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

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.