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Kathryn E L Smith, Ph.D.

Kathryn Smith is a coastal ecologist at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Dr. Kathryn Smith’s research focuses on linking geospatial and geophysical data to assess environmental change in coastal wetlands, estuaries, and barrier islands. Kathryn is responsible for leading efforts in geospatial data analysis procedures, enhancing capabilities for paleoecological assessment of coastal habitats, examining the complex dynamics of coastal sedimentary processes, and paired field and spatial modeling studies which assess the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to storms and sea-level rise. In addition, Kathryn has maintained a teaching and graduate student advising role at the University of South Florida. Dr. Smith is a graduate of the University of Florida with a PhD in Environmental Engineering and an MS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. She obtained her BS from the University of Minnesota in Environmental Science.

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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.
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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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.
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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...
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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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...
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four photos showing wetlands

Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES)

This project assesses the physical controls of sediment and material exchange between wetlands and estuarine environments along the northern Gulf of Mexico (Grand Bay Alabama/Mississippi and Vermilion Bay, Louisiana) and the Atlantic coast (Chincoteague Bay, Virginia/Maryland).
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Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES)

This project assesses the physical controls of sediment and material exchange between wetlands and estuarine environments along the northern Gulf of Mexico (Grand Bay Alabama/Mississippi and Vermilion Bay, Louisiana) and the Atlantic coast (Chincoteague Bay, Virginia/Maryland).
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Filter Total Items: 20

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

Sediment Core Microfossil Data Collected from the Coastal Marsh of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA

To aid in geologic studies of sediment transport and environmental change of a coastal marsh, 1-centimeter (cm) foraminiferal subsamples were taken from seven sediment push cores collected in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), Mississippi (MS), in October 2016. The push cores were collected along two, shore-perpendicular transects at 5, 15, 25, and 50 meters (m) from the
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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
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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
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2019 from Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay Alabama/Mississippi

The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) conducted an ellipsoidally referenced survey using a multibeam echosounder within Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay, Alabama/Mississippi May 7-10, 2019. The survey is a part of the Estuarine and Marsh Geology Research Project (EMRG) which focuses on evaluating the linkage between marsh shoreline metrics and
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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
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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
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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
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Sedimentary Data from Grand Bay, Alabama/Mississippi, 2014-2016

This data release is an archive of sedimentary field and laboratory analytical data collected in Grand Bay, Alabama/Mississippi from 2014-2016 by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (USGS SPCMSC). This work, a component of the SPCMSC's Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, provides the necessar
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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,
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2018 from Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay Alabama/Mississippi

The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) conducted an ellipsoidally referenced survey using a multibeam echosounder within Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay, Alabama/Mississippi October 22-23, 2018. The survey is bridged between the former Sea level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines project (SSIEES), which focused on the i
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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
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Filter Total Items: 19

Documenting the multiple facets of a subsiding landscape from coastal cities and wetlands to the continental shelf

Land subsidence is a settling, sinking, or collapse of the land surface. In the southeastern United States, subsidence is frequently observed as sinkhole collapse in karst environments, wetland degradation and loss in coastal and other low-lying areas, and inundation of coastal urban communities. Human activities such as fluid extraction, mining, and overburden alteration can cause or exacerbate s
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Natural Hazards, Water Resources, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center (CFWSC), Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

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

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

Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems

Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the Coastal Barrier

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Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

A geospatially resolved wetland vulnerability index: Synthesis of physical drivers

Assessing wetland vulnerability to chronic and episodic physical drivers is fundamental for establishing restoration priorities. We synthesized multiple data sets from E.B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey, to establish a wetland vulnerability metric that integrates a range of physical processes, regulatory information and physical/biophysical features. The geospatial data are based on
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Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Analysis of multi-decadal wetland changes, and cumulative impact of multiple storms 1984 to 2017

Land-cover classification analysis using Landsat satellite imagery acquired between 1984 and 2017 quantified short- (post-Hurricane Sandy) and long-term wetland-change trends along the Maryland and Virginia coasts between Metompkin Bay, VA and Ocean City, MD. Although there are limited options for upland migration of wetlands in the study area, regression analysis showed that wetland area increase
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Barrier-island and estuarine-wetland physical-change assessment after Hurricane Sandy

IntroductionThe Nation’s eastern coast is fringed by beaches, dunes, barrier islands, wetlands, and bluffs. These natural coastal barriers provide critical benefits and services, and can mitigate the impact of storms, erosion, and sea-level rise on our coastal communities. Waves and storm surge resulting from Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall along the New Jersey coast on October 29, 2012, impa
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Ground-penetrating radar and differential global positioning system data collected from Long Beach Island, New Jersey, April 2015

Scientists from the United States Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, and students from the University of Hawaii at Manoa collected sediment cores, sediment surface grab samples, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) data from within the Edwin B. Forsythe Na
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Analysis of shoreline and geomorphic change for Breton Island, Louisiana, from 1869 to 2014

Many barrier islands in the United States are eroding and losing elevation substantively because of storm surge, waves, and sea-level changes. This is particularly true for the deltaic barrier system in Louisiana. Breton Island is near the mouth of the Mississippi River at the southern end of the Chandeleur barrier island chain in southeast Louisiana. This report expands on previous geomorphic stu
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Wetland paleoecological study of southwest coastal Louisiana: sediment cores and diatom calibration dataset

Wetland sediment data were collected in 2009 and 2010 throughout the southwest Louisiana Chenier Plain as part of a pilot study to develop a diatom-based proxy for past wetland water chemistry and the identification of sediment deposits from tropical storms. The complete dataset includes forty-six surface sediment samples and nine sediment cores. The surface sediment samples were collected in fres
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Ecosystems, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Morphology, ecology and biogeography of Stauroneis pachycephala P.T. Cleve (Bacillariophyta) and its transfer to the genus Envekadea

Stauroneis pachycephala was described in 1881 from the Baakens River, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Recently, it was found during surveys of the MacKenzie River (Victoria, Australia), the Florida Everglades (USA) and coastal marshes of Louisiana (USA). The morphology, ecology and geographic distribution of this species are described in this article. This naviculoid species is characterised by lanc
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Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hurricane Sandy: observations and analysis of coastal change

Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, made landfall on October 29, 2012, and impacted a long swath of the U.S. Atlantic coastline. The barrier islands were breached in a number of places and beach and dune erosion occurred along most of the Mid-Atlantic coast. As a part of the National Assessment of Coastal Change Hazards project, the U.S. Geological Survey collected post-Hurr
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St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
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A Changing Marsh: The Past, Present, and Future of Grand Bay

Coastal marshes are important habitats that serve as buffer zones between the land and the sea. However, many are at severe risk from increasing...

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Scientists from the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center will represent USGS at the 50th anniversary of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) conference.

SPCMSC scientists Kathryn Smith, Alisha Ellis, Karim Alizad, Joseph Terrano, Robert Jenkins, and RC Mickey will be giving virtual presentations at the...

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Kathryn Smith and Christopher G. Smith will present at the Grand Bay NERR Research Symposium

Kathryn Smith and Christopher G. Smith of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center will present their research during the “Ecological...

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New study from SPCMSC compares wetland shoreline change analysis methods

SPCMSC Research Ecologist Kathryn Smith and team publish a new paper, “Coastal Wetland Shoreline Change Monitoring: A Comparison of Shorelines from...

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SPCMSC scientists publish new paper on shoreline erosion and sediment deposition

Kathryn Smith and team publish a new paper, “Lateral shoreline erosion and shore-proximal sediment deposition on a coastal marsh from seasonal, storm...

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Lunch & Learn: Estuarine Shoreline Change Analysis

USGS Research Ecologist, Kathryn Smith, and CNT Researcher, Joseph Terrano, have been invited to present their estuarine shoreline change analysis...

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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...

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USGS scientists publish study documenting recent wetland-changes along Maryland and Virginia coastline

New study analyzed Landsat satellite imagery to document historical and recent (post-Hurricane Sandy) wetland changes that occurred along the Maryland...

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Big Bend Coastal Mapping Prioritization Workshop in Cedar Key, Florida

The USGS, FWRI, and FIO, as part of the Florida Coastal Mapping Program (FCMaP), are leading a coastal and seafloor mapping prioritization workshop on...

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PVC and metal mesh screen well installed in the estuary near the marsh edge link
PVC and metal mesh screen well installed in the estuary near the marsh edge link
screenshot of web tool titled, "A Century of Change in Grand Bay, Mississippi and Alabama" over photo of a sunrise over marsh
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Two white rectangular platforms mounted with metal cylindrical objects sit on the deck of a boat chained to cinderblocks
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Animation shows tides washing away brown mud from the shoreline and eroding green marshgrass. A graph follows the tide.
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Map of Grand Bay estuarine shoreline change rates indicates most are retreating -1.99 to -0.5 m/yr, some at -6.55 m/yr
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Scanning Electron Microscope images of the white fossilized “shells” of six common species of coastal diatoms (microfossils).
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Scenic photograph of Grand Bay estuary taken from a boat
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pastel-colored sky and soft clouds at sunrise reflecting on tidal creek by marsh grasses and distant flatwood habitat
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