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
Variation of energy and carbon fluxes from a restored temperate freshwater wetland and implications for carbon market verification protocols
Recent rates of carbon accumulation in montane fens ofYosemite National Park, California, U.S.A.
Primary production in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A science strategy to quantify change and identify future potential
Modeling tidal freshwater marsh sustainability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta under a broad suite of potential future scenarios
Wetland Accretion Rate Model of Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER) and its application to habitat sustainability for endangered species in the San Francisco Estuary
Marsh soils as potential sinks for Bacteroides fecal indicator bacteria, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, Georgetown, SC, USA
Adjustment of the San Francisco estuary and watershed to decreasing sediment supply in the 20th century
A long-term comparison of carbon sequestration rates in impounded and naturally tidal freshwater marshes along the lower Waccamaw River, South Carolina
Final report for sea-level rise response modeling for San Francisco Bay estuary tidal marshes
Fens as whole-ecosystem gauges of groundwater recharge under climate change
234U/238U and δ87Sr in peat as tracers of paleosalinity in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California, USA
Conceptual model of sedimentation in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 51
Variation of energy and carbon fluxes from a restored temperate freshwater wetland and implications for carbon market verification protocols
Temperate freshwater wetlands are among the most productive terrestrial ecosystems, stimulating interest in using restored wetlands as biological carbon sequestration projects for greenhouse gas reduction programs. In this study, we used the eddy covariance technique to measure surface energy carbon fluxes from a constructed, impounded freshwater wetland during two annual periods that were 8 yearsAuthorsFrank Anderson, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Cove Sturtevant, Sarah Knox, Lauren Hastings, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Matteo Detto, Erin L. Hestir, Judith Z. Drexler, Robin L. Miller, Jaclyn Matthes, Joseph Verfaillie, Dennis Baldocchi, Richard L. Snyder, Roger FujiiRecent rates of carbon accumulation in montane fens ofYosemite National Park, California, U.S.A.
Little is known about recent rates of carbon storage in montane peatlands, particularly in the western United States. Here we report on recent rates of carbon accumulation (past 50 to 100 years) in montane groundwater-fed peatlands (fens) of Yosemite National Park in central California, U.S.A. Peat cores were collected at three sites ranging in elevation from 2070 to 2500 m. Core sections were anaAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Christopher C. Fuller, James L. Orlando, Peggy E. MoorePrimary production in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A science strategy to quantify change and identify future potential
No abstract available.AuthorsApril Robinson, Amy Richey, James E. Cloern, Katharyn E. Boyer, Jon Burau, Elizabeth A. Canuel, John F. DeGeorge, Judith Z. Drexler, E. R. Howe, Ronald Kneib, Anke Mueller-Solger, James L. Pinckney, Robert J. Naiman, David H. Schoellhamer, Charles A. SimenstadModeling tidal freshwater marsh sustainability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta under a broad suite of potential future scenarios
In this paper, we report on the adaptation and application of a one-dimensional marsh surface elevation model, the Wetland Accretion Rate Model of Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER), to explore the conditions that lead to sustainable tidal freshwater marshes in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta. We defined marsh accretion parameters to encapsulate the range of observed values over historic and modern tiAuthorsKathleen M. Swanson, Judith Z. Drexler, Christopher C. Fuller, David H. SchoellhamerWetland Accretion Rate Model of Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER) and its application to habitat sustainability for endangered species in the San Francisco Estuary
Salt marsh faunas are constrained by specific habitat requirements for marsh elevation relative to sea level and tidal range. As sea level rises, changes in relative elevation of the marsh plain will have differing impacts on the availability of habitat for marsh obligate species. The Wetland Accretion Rate Model for Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER) is a 1-D model of elevation that incorporates bothAuthorsKathleen M. Swanson, Judith Z. Drexler, David H. Schoellhamer, Karen M. Thorne, Michael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, John C. Callaway, John Y. TakekawaMarsh soils as potential sinks for Bacteroides fecal indicator bacteria, Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge, Georgetown, SC, USA
A soil core collected in a tidal freshwater marsh in the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (Georgetown, SC) exuded a particularly strong odor of cow manure upon extrusion. In order to test for manure and determine its provenance, we carried out microbial source tracking using DNA markers for Bacteroides, a noncoliform, anaerobic bacterial group that represents a broad group of the fecal populationAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Heather E. Johnson, Joseph W. Duris, Ken W. KraussAdjustment of the San Francisco estuary and watershed to decreasing sediment supply in the 20th century
The general progression of human land use is an initial disturbance (e.g., deforestation, mining, agricultural expansion, overgrazing, and urbanization) that creates a sediment pulse to an estuary followed by dams that reduce sediment supply. We present a conceptual model of the effects of increasing followed by decreasing sediment supply that includes four sequential regimes, which propagate downAuthorsDavid H. Schoellhamer, Scott A. Wright, Judith Z. DrexlerA long-term comparison of carbon sequestration rates in impounded and naturally tidal freshwater marshes along the lower Waccamaw River, South Carolina
Carbon storage was compared between impounded and naturally tidal freshwater marshes along the Lower Waccamaw River in South Carolina, USA. Soil cores were collected in (1) naturally tidal, (2) moist soil (impounded, seasonally drained since ~1970), and (3) deeply flooded “treatments” (impounded, flooded to ~90 cm since ~2002). Cores were analyzed for % organic carbon, % total carbon, bulk densityAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Ken W. Krauss, M. Craig Sasser, Christopher C. Fuller, Christopher M. Swarzenski, Amber Powell, Kathleen M. Swanson, James L. OrlandoFinal report for sea-level rise response modeling for San Francisco Bay estuary tidal marshes
The International Panel on Climate Change has identified coastal ecosystems as areas that will be disproportionally affected by climate change. Current sea-level rise projections range widely with 0.57 to 1.9 meters increase in mea sea level by 2100. The expected accelerated rate of sea-level rise through the 21st century will put many coastal ecosystems at risk, especially those in topographicallAuthorsJohn Y. Takekawa, Karen M. Thorne, Kevin J. Buffington, Kyle A. Spragens, Kathleen M. Swanson, Judith Z. Drexler, David H. Schoellhamer, Cory T. Overton, Michael L. CasazzaFens as whole-ecosystem gauges of groundwater recharge under climate change
Currently, little is known about the impact of climate change on groundwater recharge in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range of California or other mountainous regions of the world. The purpose of this study was to determine whether small alpine peat lands called fens can be used as whole-ecosystem gauges of groundwater recharge through time. Fens are sustained by groundwater discharge anAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, Donna L. Knifong, JayLee Tuil, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint234U/238U and δ87Sr in peat as tracers of paleosalinity in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California, USA
The purpose of this study was to determine the history of paleosalinity over the past 6000+ years in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta), which is the innermost part of the San Francisco Estuary. We used a combination of Sr and U concentrations, d87Sr values, and 234U/238U activity ratios (AR) in peat as proxies for tracking paleosalinity. Peat cores were collected in marshes on Browns IsAuthorsJudith Z. Drexler, James B. Paces, Charles N. Alpers, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Leonid A. Neymark, Thomas D. Bullen, Howard E. TaylorConceptual 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. Drexler - News