Researchers with the [U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St.
Kathryn E L Smith, Ph.D.
Kathryn Smith is a Research Ecologist at the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center. Her research focuses on the impact of coastal erosion hazards on wetland and estuarine ecosystems.
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, examining the complex dynamics of coastal sedimentary processes, paired field and spatial modeling studies which assess the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to storms and sea-level rise, and enhancing capabilities for paleoecological assessment of coastal habitats. In addition, Kathryn has maintained a teaching and graduate student advising role at the University of South Florida.
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center, 2017 to present
Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, St. Petersburg Coastal & Marine Science Center, 2003 to 2017
Research Assistant, West Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 1999 to 2002
Research Analyst, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 1996 to 1999
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. - Environmental Engineering (2013), University of Florida
M.S. - Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (2003), University of Florida
B.S. - Environmental Science (1999), University of Minnesota
Science and Products
Estuarine Shoreline Change Research Project
Estuarine and MaRsh Geology Research Project
Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES)
Historical Bathymetry in the Mississippi-Alabama Coastal Region: Bathymetric Soundings, Gridded Digital Elevation Model, and Hydrographic Sheets (Ver. 2.0)
Sediment Core Microfossil Data Collected from the Coastal Marsh of Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mississippi, USA
Single-Beam Bathymetry Data Collected in March 2021 from Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay, Mississippi/Alabama
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
Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2019 from Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay Alabama/Mississippi
Historical Bathymetry in the Mississippi-Alabama Coastal Region: Bathymetric Soundings, Gridded Digital Elevation Model, and Hydrographic Sheets
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)
Historical Shorelines for Fire Island and Great South Bay, New York (1834 to 1875): Georeferenced Topographic Sheets and Vector Digital Data
Sedimentary Data from Grand Bay, Alabama/Mississippi, 2014-2016
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
Multibeam Bathymetry Data Collected in 2018 from Grand Bay and Point Aux Chenes Bay Alabama/Mississippi
Wave Exposure Model for Grand Bay, Mississippi: Input and Validation Datasets
Researchers with the [U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St.
Salt marshes provide important economic and ecologic services but are vulnerable to habitat loss, particularly due to shoreline erosion from 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 to the marsh sediment budget and released soil carbon.
Salt marshes provide important economic and ecologic services but are vulnerable to habitat loss, particularly due to shoreline erosion from 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 to the marsh sediment budget and released soil carbon.
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom phytoplankton specimens. The specimens are sampled from salt marsh sediments and help scientists by providing clues to present and past environmental and hydrodynamic characteristics.
linkScanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom specimens (microfossils). Diatoms are microscopic phytoplankton (algae) that are found in aquatic environments all over the world. Plankton species have preferences for different water and environmental conditions, such as salt or fresh water, attaching to sand or vegetation, or river versus estuary.
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom phytoplankton specimens. The specimens are sampled from salt marsh sediments and help scientists by providing clues to present and past environmental and hydrodynamic characteristics.
linkScanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom specimens (microfossils). Diatoms are microscopic phytoplankton (algae) that are found in aquatic environments all over the world. Plankton species have preferences for different water and environmental conditions, such as salt or fresh water, attaching to sand or vegetation, or river versus estuary.
- Scenic photograph of Grand Bay estuary taken from a boat just before sunset following a day in the field.
- Scenic photograph of Grand Bay estuary taken from a boat just before sunset following a day in the field.
Tidal creek just after sunrise at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and National Wildlife Refuge
linkScientists from the USGS St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) capture the smooth water of the tidal creek reflecting a pastel sky and soft clouds while heading out for field work at early dawn.
Tidal creek just after sunrise at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and National Wildlife Refuge
linkScientists from the USGS St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) capture the smooth water of the tidal creek reflecting a pastel sky and soft clouds while heading out for field work at early dawn.
Identifying and constraining marsh-type transitions in response to increasing erosion over the past century
Modeling the effects of interior headland restoration on estuarine sediment transport processes in a marine-dominant estuary
Mode and provenance of sediment deposition on a transgressive marsh
Documenting the multiple facets of a subsiding landscape from coastal cities and wetlands to the continental shelf
Coastal wetland shoreline change monitoring: A comparison of shorelines from high-resolution WorldView satellite imagery, aerial imagery, and field surveys
Lateral shoreline erosion and shore-proximal sediment deposition on a coastal marsh from seasonal, storm and decadal measurements
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
A geospatially resolved wetland vulnerability index: Synthesis of physical drivers
Analysis of multi-decadal wetland changes, and cumulative impact of multiple storms 1984 to 2017
Barrier-island and estuarine-wetland physical-change assessment after Hurricane Sandy
Ground-penetrating radar and differential global positioning system data collected from Long Beach Island, New Jersey, April 2015
Analysis of shoreline and geomorphic change for Breton Island, Louisiana, from 1869 to 2014
Coastal Wetlands Geonarrative
This geonarrative provides information about the importance and vulnerability of coastal wetlands and describes USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program research and partnerships to produce scientific information about wetland vulnerability to coastal hazards, such as storms and sea level rise, and provides critical wetland data to stakeholders and partners.
A Century of Change in Grand Bay, Mississippi and Alabama
The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in southern Mississippi was established to provide recreational and educational opportunities along with facilitating science-based coastal management; therefore, Grand Bay is the subject of numerous short and long-term environmental studies. The reserve is an important location for research and conservation.
Barnegat Bay, NJ Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change
This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Barnegat and Great Bay, New Jersey.
Breton Island, LA Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change
This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Breton Island, Louisiana.
Grand Bay, MS/AL Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change
This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Grand Bay, Mississippi/Alabama (1848-2017).
Science and Products
- Science
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.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...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). - Data
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 prSediment 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 theSingle-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 inforShorelines 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 coastalMultibeam 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 andHistorical 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 prShore 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 priorHistorical 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 AdminSedimentary 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 necessarShore 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,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 iWave 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 - Multimedia
A Changing Marsh: The Past, Present, and Future of Grand Bay (AD)A Changing Marsh: The Past, Present, and Future of Grand Bay (AD)A Changing Marsh: The Past, Present, and Future of Grand BayA Changing Marsh: The Past, Present, and Future of Grand BayMarsh lateral shoreline erosion and shore-proximal sediment depositionMarsh lateral shoreline erosion and shore-proximal sediment deposition
Salt marshes provide important economic and ecologic services but are vulnerable to habitat loss, particularly due to shoreline erosion from 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 to the marsh sediment budget and released soil carbon.
Salt marshes provide important economic and ecologic services but are vulnerable to habitat loss, particularly due to shoreline erosion from 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 to the marsh sediment budget and released soil carbon.
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom phytoplankton specimens. The specimens are sampled from salt marsh sediments and help scientists by providing clues to present and past environmental and hydrodynamic characteristics.Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom phytoplankton specimens. The specimens are sampled from salt marsh sediments and help scientists by providing clues to present and past environmental and hydrodynamic characteristics.Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom phytoplankton specimens. The specimens are sampled from salt marsh sediments and help scientists by providing clues to present and past environmental and hydrodynamic characteristics.
linkScanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom specimens (microfossils). Diatoms are microscopic phytoplankton (algae) that are found in aquatic environments all over the world. Plankton species have preferences for different water and environmental conditions, such as salt or fresh water, attaching to sand or vegetation, or river versus estuary.
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom phytoplankton specimens. The specimens are sampled from salt marsh sediments and help scientists by providing clues to present and past environmental and hydrodynamic characteristics.
linkScanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of fossilized diatom specimens (microfossils). Diatoms are microscopic phytoplankton (algae) that are found in aquatic environments all over the world. Plankton species have preferences for different water and environmental conditions, such as salt or fresh water, attaching to sand or vegetation, or river versus estuary.
Scenic photograph of Grand Bay estuary following a day in the fieldScenic photograph of Grand Bay estuary following a day in the field- Scenic photograph of Grand Bay estuary taken from a boat just before sunset following a day in the field.
- Scenic photograph of Grand Bay estuary taken from a boat just before sunset following a day in the field.
Tidal creek just after sunrise at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and National Wildlife RefugeTidal creek just after sunrise at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and National Wildlife RefugeTidal creek just after sunrise at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and National Wildlife Refuge
linkScientists from the USGS St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) capture the smooth water of the tidal creek reflecting a pastel sky and soft clouds while heading out for field work at early dawn.
Tidal creek just after sunrise at Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and National Wildlife Refuge
linkScientists from the USGS St Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC) capture the smooth water of the tidal creek reflecting a pastel sky and soft clouds while heading out for field work at early dawn.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 22
Identifying and constraining marsh-type transitions in response to increasing erosion over the past century
Marsh environments, characterized by their flora and fauna, change laterally in response to shoreline erosion, water levels and inundation, and anthropogenic activities. The Grand Bay coastal system (USA) has undergone multiple large-scale geomorphic and hydrologic changes resulting in altered sediment supply, depositional patterns, and degraded barrier islands, leaving wetland salt marshes vulnerAuthorsAlisha M. Ellis, Christopher G. Smith, Kathryn Smith, Jessica A. JacobsModeling the effects of interior headland restoration on estuarine sediment transport processes in a marine-dominant estuary
The effects of interior headland restoration on estuarine sediment transport processes were assessed through process-based numerical modeling. Three proposed interior headland restoration scenarios in the Grand Bay estuary (Mississippi/Alabama) were modeled using Delft3D to understand impacts on suspended sediment concentrations, bed level morphology, and sediment fluxes under present-day conditioAuthorsRobert L. Jenkins, Davina Passeri, Christopher G. Smith, David M. Thompson, Kathryn SmithMode and provenance of sediment deposition on a transgressive marsh
In this study, we use foraminifera as environmental indicators to aid in computing the historical volumetric inputs of estuarine sediments to adjacent marsh. These data can help assess the importance of estuarine sediment inputs to marsh accretion. The Grand Bay system (GBS), located on the southern coast of Alabama and Mississippi, has been described as a “self-cannibalizing bay-marsh complex” duAuthorsChristopher G. Smith, Alisha M. Ellis, Kathryn SmithDocumenting 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 sAuthorsJames G. Flocks, Eileen McGraw, John Barras, Julie Bernier, Mike Bradley, Devin L. Galloway, James Landmeyer, W. Scott McBride, Christopher Smith, Kathryn Smith, Christopher Swarzenski, Lauren TothByNatural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, 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, Gulf of MexicoCoastal 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 shorelinAuthorsKathryn Smith, Joseph Terrano, Jonathan L Pitchford, Michael ArcherLateral 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. KnowAuthorsKathryn Smith, Joseph Terrano, Nicole S. Khan, Christopher G. Smith, Jonathan L PitchfordImpacts 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
AuthorsJennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Sara Zeigler, Davina Passeri, David R. Smith, Jill Bourque, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christopher G. Smith, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Kathryn Smith, Kristen Hart, David C. Kazyak, Alicia Berlin, Bianca Prohaska, Teresa Calleson, Kristi YanchisA 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 onAuthorsZafer Defne, Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Neil K. Ganju, Tarandeep S. Kalra, Daniel Jones, Kathryn SmithAnalysis 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 increaseAuthorsSteven H. Douglas, Julie Bernier, Kathryn SmithBarrier-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, impaAuthorsNathaniel G. Plant, Kathryn Smith, Davina Passeri, Christopher G. Smith, Julie BernierGround-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 NaAuthorsNicholas J. Zaremba, Kathryn E.L. Smith, James M. Bishop, Christopher G. SmithAnalysis 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 stuAuthorsJoseph F. Terrano, James G. Flocks, Kathryn E. L. Smith - Web Tools
Coastal Wetlands Geonarrative
This geonarrative provides information about the importance and vulnerability of coastal wetlands and describes USGS Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program research and partnerships to produce scientific information about wetland vulnerability to coastal hazards, such as storms and sea level rise, and provides critical wetland data to stakeholders and partners.
A Century of Change in Grand Bay, Mississippi and Alabama
The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in southern Mississippi was established to provide recreational and educational opportunities along with facilitating science-based coastal management; therefore, Grand Bay is the subject of numerous short and long-term environmental studies. The reserve is an important location for research and conservation.
Barnegat Bay, NJ Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change
This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Barnegat and Great Bay, New Jersey.
Breton Island, LA Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change
This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Breton Island, Louisiana.
Grand Bay, MS/AL Estuarine Shorelines and Rates of Change
This collection contains estuarine shorelines and rates of change for Grand Bay, Mississippi/Alabama (1848-2017).
- News