Justin Birchler is a Physical Scientist at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center.
For the last decade, he has been part of the National Assessment of Storm-Induced Coastal Change Hazards project. His work in this project includes:
- Producing real-time forecasts and scenario-based predictions of coastal total water level and geomorphic change during storms.
- Analysis of lidar-derived measures of coastal change.
- Installing and maintaining USGS CoastCam sites and processing imagery obtained from coastcams.
Professional Experience
Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Geology Science Center, 2017 to present
Researcher IV, Cherokee Nation Technologies contracted to the U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center, 2014 to 2017
Education and Certifications
M.S. Marine Science, College of William & Mary
B.S. Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University
Science and Products
USGS Madeira Beach, Florida CoastCam Imagery and Calibration Data
A digital video camera was installed at Madeira Beach, Florida (FL) and faced west along the beach. Every hour during daylight hours, daily from 2017 to 2022, the camera collected raw video and produced snapshots and time-averaged image products. This data release includes the necessary intrinsic orientation (IO) and extrinsic orientation (EO) calibration data to utilize imagery to make quantitati
National Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards: Puerto Rico
These datasets contain information on the probabilities of hurricane-induced erosion (collision, inundation, and overwash) for each 100-meter (m) section of the Puerto Rico open-ocean coastline for category 1-5 hurricanes. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model (Sallenger, 2000; https://www.jstor.org/stable/4300099) that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophistica
Beach Profile Data Collected from Madeira Beach, Florida
This dataset, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, provides beach profile data collected at Madeira Beach, Florida. Data were collected by a walking person equipped with a Global Positioning System receiver and a GPS antenna affixed to a surveying backpack. The horizontal position data are given in the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projecte
Storm-Induced Overwash Extent
The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards project exists to understand and predict storm impacts to our nation's coastlines. This data release defines the alongshore extent of overwash deposits, determined from aerial photograph analysis, attributed to coastal processes during storm events.
Note: This data release was versioned on September 16, 2021. Please see the Suggested Citation sect
National Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards
These datasets contain information on the probabilities of hurricane-induced erosion (collision, inundation, and overwash) for each 1-km section of the United States sandy open-ocean coastline for category 1-5 hurricanes. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model (Sallenger, 2000; https://www.jstor.org/stable/4300099) that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticat
Lidar-derived Beach Morphology (Dune Crest, Dune Toe, and Shoreline) for U.S. Sandy Coastlines
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards (NACCH) project aims to identify areas of the nation's coastline that are most vulnerable to extreme storms and long-term shoreline change. These assessments require coastal elevation data across diverse geographic regions and covering a time span of many years. The datasets published here, organized by individual fiel
Storm-Induced Coastal Change Forecasts: Archive of Individual Storm Events
These data sets contain information on the probabilities of storm-induced erosion (collision, inundation and overwash) on sandy beaches along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts during real-time peak forecast conditions. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticated hydrodynamic models to predict how the coast will respon
Hurricane Matthew Overwash Extents
The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards project exists to understand and predict storm impacts to our nation's coastlines. This data defines the alongshore extent of overwash deposits attributed to coastal processes during Hurricane Matthew.
National Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards: South Carolina to New Hampshire update
These data sets contain information on the probabilities of hurricane-induced erosion (collision, inundation and overwash) for each 1-km section of the U.S. coast for category 1-5 hurricanes. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticated hydrodynamic models to predict how the coast will respond to the direct landfall of
National Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards: Gulf of Mexico Update
These data sets contain information on the probabilities of hurricane-induced erosion (collision, inundation and overwash) for each 1-km section of the Gulf of Mexico coast for category 1-5 hurricanes. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticated hydrodynamic models to predict how the coast will respond to the direct l
Data-driven, multi-model workflow suggests strong influence from hurricanes on the generation of turbidity currents in the Gulf of Mexico
Turbidity currents deliver sediment rapidly from the continental shelf to the slope and beyond; and can be triggered by processes such as shelf resuspension during oceanic storms; mass failure of slope deposits due to sediment- and wave-pressure loadings; and localized events that grow into sustained currents via self-amplifying ignition. Because these operate over multiple spatial and temporal sc
Authors
Courtney K. Harris, Jaia Syvitski, H.G. Arango, E. H. Meiburg, Sagy Cohen, C.J. Jenkins, Justin J. Birchler, E. W. H. Hutton, T. A. Kniskern, S. Radhakrishnan, Guillermo Auad
Hurricane Matthew: Predictions, observations, and an analysis of coastal change
Hurricane Matthew, the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the 2016 hurricane season, made land-fall south of McClellanville, S.C., around 1500 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on October 8, 2016. Hurricane Matthew affected the States of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina along the U.S. Atlantic coastline. Numerous barrier islands were breached, and the erosion of beaches and dunes o
Authors
Justin J. Birchler, Kara S. Doran, Joseph W. Long, Hilary F. Stockdon
Sediment transport model including short-lived radioisotopes: Model description and idealized test cases
Geochronologies derived from sediment cores in coastal locations are often used to infer event bed characteristics such as deposit thicknesses and accumulation rates. Such studies commonly use naturally occurring, short-lived radioisotopes, such as Beryllium-7 (7Be) and Thorium-234 (234Th), to study depositional and post-depositional processes. These radioisotope activities, however, are not gener
Authors
Justin J. Birchler, Courtney K. Harris, Christopher R. Sherwood, Tara A Kniskern
Numerical model of geochronological tracers for deposition and reworking applied to the Mississippi subaqueous delta
Measurements of naturally occurring, short-lived radioisotopes from sediment cores on the Mississippi subaqueous delta have been used to infer event bed characteristics such as depositional thicknesses and accumulation rates. Specifically, the presence of Beryllium-7 (7Be) indicates recent riverine-derived terrestrial sediment deposition; while Thorium-234 (234Th) provides evidence of recent suspe
Authors
Justin J. Birchler, Courtney K. Harris, Tara A. Kniskern, Christopher R. Sherwood
Science and Products
- Data
USGS Madeira Beach, Florida CoastCam Imagery and Calibration Data
A digital video camera was installed at Madeira Beach, Florida (FL) and faced west along the beach. Every hour during daylight hours, daily from 2017 to 2022, the camera collected raw video and produced snapshots and time-averaged image products. This data release includes the necessary intrinsic orientation (IO) and extrinsic orientation (EO) calibration data to utilize imagery to make quantitatiNational Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards: Puerto Rico
These datasets contain information on the probabilities of hurricane-induced erosion (collision, inundation, and overwash) for each 100-meter (m) section of the Puerto Rico open-ocean coastline for category 1-5 hurricanes. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model (Sallenger, 2000; https://www.jstor.org/stable/4300099) that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticaBeach Profile Data Collected from Madeira Beach, Florida
This dataset, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, provides beach profile data collected at Madeira Beach, Florida. Data were collected by a walking person equipped with a Global Positioning System receiver and a GPS antenna affixed to a surveying backpack. The horizontal position data are given in the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projecteStorm-Induced Overwash Extent
The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards project exists to understand and predict storm impacts to our nation's coastlines. This data release defines the alongshore extent of overwash deposits, determined from aerial photograph analysis, attributed to coastal processes during storm events. Note: This data release was versioned on September 16, 2021. Please see the Suggested Citation sectNational Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards
These datasets contain information on the probabilities of hurricane-induced erosion (collision, inundation, and overwash) for each 1-km section of the United States sandy open-ocean coastline for category 1-5 hurricanes. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model (Sallenger, 2000; https://www.jstor.org/stable/4300099) that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticatLidar-derived Beach Morphology (Dune Crest, Dune Toe, and Shoreline) for U.S. Sandy Coastlines
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards (NACCH) project aims to identify areas of the nation's coastline that are most vulnerable to extreme storms and long-term shoreline change. These assessments require coastal elevation data across diverse geographic regions and covering a time span of many years. The datasets published here, organized by individual fielStorm-Induced Coastal Change Forecasts: Archive of Individual Storm Events
These data sets contain information on the probabilities of storm-induced erosion (collision, inundation and overwash) on sandy beaches along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts during real-time peak forecast conditions. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticated hydrodynamic models to predict how the coast will responHurricane Matthew Overwash Extents
The National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards project exists to understand and predict storm impacts to our nation's coastlines. This data defines the alongshore extent of overwash deposits attributed to coastal processes during Hurricane Matthew.National Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards: South Carolina to New Hampshire update
These data sets contain information on the probabilities of hurricane-induced erosion (collision, inundation and overwash) for each 1-km section of the U.S. coast for category 1-5 hurricanes. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticated hydrodynamic models to predict how the coast will respond to the direct landfall ofNational Assessment of Hurricane-Induced Coastal Erosion Hazards: Gulf of Mexico Update
These data sets contain information on the probabilities of hurricane-induced erosion (collision, inundation and overwash) for each 1-km section of the Gulf of Mexico coast for category 1-5 hurricanes. The analysis is based on a storm-impact scaling model that uses observations of beach morphology combined with sophisticated hydrodynamic models to predict how the coast will respond to the direct l - Publications
Data-driven, multi-model workflow suggests strong influence from hurricanes on the generation of turbidity currents in the Gulf of Mexico
Turbidity currents deliver sediment rapidly from the continental shelf to the slope and beyond; and can be triggered by processes such as shelf resuspension during oceanic storms; mass failure of slope deposits due to sediment- and wave-pressure loadings; and localized events that grow into sustained currents via self-amplifying ignition. Because these operate over multiple spatial and temporal scAuthorsCourtney K. Harris, Jaia Syvitski, H.G. Arango, E. H. Meiburg, Sagy Cohen, C.J. Jenkins, Justin J. Birchler, E. W. H. Hutton, T. A. Kniskern, S. Radhakrishnan, Guillermo AuadHurricane Matthew: Predictions, observations, and an analysis of coastal change
Hurricane Matthew, the strongest Atlantic hurricane of the 2016 hurricane season, made land-fall south of McClellanville, S.C., around 1500 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on October 8, 2016. Hurricane Matthew affected the States of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina along the U.S. Atlantic coastline. Numerous barrier islands were breached, and the erosion of beaches and dunes oAuthorsJustin J. Birchler, Kara S. Doran, Joseph W. Long, Hilary F. StockdonSediment transport model including short-lived radioisotopes: Model description and idealized test cases
Geochronologies derived from sediment cores in coastal locations are often used to infer event bed characteristics such as deposit thicknesses and accumulation rates. Such studies commonly use naturally occurring, short-lived radioisotopes, such as Beryllium-7 (7Be) and Thorium-234 (234Th), to study depositional and post-depositional processes. These radioisotope activities, however, are not generAuthorsJustin J. Birchler, Courtney K. Harris, Christopher R. Sherwood, Tara A KniskernNumerical model of geochronological tracers for deposition and reworking applied to the Mississippi subaqueous delta
Measurements of naturally occurring, short-lived radioisotopes from sediment cores on the Mississippi subaqueous delta have been used to infer event bed characteristics such as depositional thicknesses and accumulation rates. Specifically, the presence of Beryllium-7 (7Be) indicates recent riverine-derived terrestrial sediment deposition; while Thorium-234 (234Th) provides evidence of recent suspeAuthorsJustin J. Birchler, Courtney K. Harris, Tara A. Kniskern, Christopher R. Sherwood