Landscape Ecology, Remote Sensing, and Decision Support for Natural Resources Management
Current Position
Research Physical Scientist
Western Geographic Science Center, Moffett Field, CA
I am an applied landscape ecologist with expertise in vegetation ecology, remote sensing, integrated landscape modeling and stakeholder engagement. I lead interdisciplinary teams in landscape-scale studies of Nature-based Climate Solutions provided by wetlands and working lands. Research topics address coastal ecosystem controls on hurricane impacts, carbon sequestration in tidal marshes, drought resilience in cropland and rangeland, and sustainability of ecosystem services. I integrate models of land use and management, climate and hydrological change to identify potential for climate resilience and adaptation. I analyze multispectral and hyperspectral imagery to quantify ecosystem condition. My work spans the spatial extents of U.S. coastal wetlands, the State of California and large landscapes including the Central Valley, California and Puget Sound, Washington. I emphasize the use of open data and open source software to easily reproduce, update and transfer information. All projects feature extensive outreach to land managers and landowners to aid natural resources decision making.
Current Projects
PI: “Remote Sensing of Mercury Speciation in South San Francisco Bay: Applications of Emerging Technologies to Track Management and Climate Impacts." USGS Bay-Delta Priority Ecosystem Studies Program. 2022 - 2026.
PI: "Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta: An Assessment Approach for Puget Sound Estuaries and USFWS Coastal Refuges." USGS Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and USGS LandCarbon Program. 2019 - 2023.
Co-PI: SHIFT (NASA Surface Biology and Geology High Density Time Series) Field Campaign, "Coastal Wetland Vegetation Trait Dynamics Across Environmental Gradients." NASA SBG. 2022 - 2023. Lead: Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Co-PI: "Coastal Elevation Models and Land Surface Variables for Use in Forecasting Hurricane Impacts." Hurricane Coastal Impacts, Task 1, National Oceanographic Partnership Program. 2021 - 2024. PI: Dean Gesch, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center.
Co-PI: "Quantifying Drivers and Stressors of Intertidal Biofilm Resources at the Largest Tidal Wetland Restoration on the U.S. West Coast." USGS Bay-Delta Priority Ecosystem Studies Program. 2019 - 2023. PI: Susan De La Cruz, USGS Western Ecological Research Center.
Co-PI: "Integrating Remote-Sensing and Ecological Forecasting into Decision-Support for Wetland Wildlife Management and Ecosystem Services in the Central Valley of California: Optimizing Across Multiple Benefits." NASA ROSES A.46: Earth Science Applications: Ecological Forecasting. 2017 - 2021. PI: Matt Reiter, Point Blue Conservation Science.
PI: "Remote Sensing and Forecasting Wetland and Watershed Ecosystem Services." USGS National Land Imaging Program. Ongoing.
Professional Experience
Research Physical Scientist, USGS Western Geographic Science Center, 2016 - present
Physical Scientist, USGS Western Geographic Science Center, 2009 - 2016
GIS Coordinator, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, 2007 - 2008
Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, U.C. Berkeley, 2006
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Environmental Science, Policy, and ManagementM.A., San Francisco State University
Ecology and SystematicsB.S., Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Environmental Science
Affiliations and Memberships*
Co-Chair, California Biodiversity Network Systematic Conservation Planning Roundtable, 2023 - present
Councillor-at-Large and Chair, Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Committee, International Association of Landscape Ecology-North America, 2019 - 2023
San Francisco Bay Wetland Regional Monitoring Program Technical Advisory Committee, 2021 - present
NASA Biodiversity and Ecological Forecasting Team member, 2017 - 2021
NASA Surface Biology and Geology Algorithms Working Group member, 2019 - present
USGS Spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Imaging Collaboration member, 2019 - present
Member, Society for Conservation Biology, International Association for Landscape Ecology-North America
Honors and Awards
Distinguished Service Award, International Association for Landscape Ecology - North American Region, 2022
Science and Products
Knowledge coproduction on the impact of decisions for waterbird habitat in a changing climate
Above- and belowground biomass carbon stock and net primary productivity maps for tidal herbaceous marshes of the United States
Variation in leaf reflectance spectra across the California flora partitioned by evolutionary history, geographic origin, and deep time
Changes in habitat suitability for wintering dabbling ducks during dry conditions in the Central Valley of California
Can coastal habitats rise to the challenge? Resilience of estuarine habitats, carbon accumulation, and economic value to sea-level rise in a Puget Sound estuary
Climate and land change impacts on future managed wetland habitat: A case study from California’s Central Valley
Both real-time and long-term environmental data perform well in predicting shorebird distributions in managed habitat
Carbon flux, storage, and wildlife co-benefits in a restoring estuary
BERM: A Belowground Ecosystem Resiliency Model for estimating Spartina alterniflora belowground biomass
Editorial: Science and applications of coastal remote sensing
Sediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-kilometer segment of the main-stem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, California
Quantifying drought’s influence on moist soil seed vegetation in California’s Central Valley through remote sensing
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Developing General Coastal Vegetation Maps for Coastal Morphodynamic Models
Remote Sensing of Mercury Pollution in South San Francisco Bay
A Tool for Rapid-Repeat High-Resolution Coastal Vegetation Maps to Improve Forecasting of Hurricane Impacts and Coastal Resilience
Assessing the Benefits and Vulnerability of Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta and other Puget Sound Estuaries
Applied Landscape Ecology and Remote Sensing
Baseline High Resolution Land Cover Map for the Mainstem Klamath River Corridor Downstream of Iron Gate Dam, Klamath River, CA, 2018
Projected future habitat, elevation change, and carbon accumulation of coastal wetlands in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington
Model Output Tabular Summaries for Central Valley Water and Land Use Futures: Land Use Change, Flooded Area, and Flooded Habitat Change
Integrated modeling of climate and land change impacts on future dynamic wetland habitat – a case study from California’s Central Valley
Sediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-km segment of the mainstem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, CA - vegetation mapping
Tidal marsh biomass field plot and remote sensing datasets for six regions in the conterminous United States (ver. 2.0, June 2020)
Wetland Moist Soil Seed Maps for the Central Valley of California 2007-2017
Tidal marsh biomass field plot and remote sensing datasets for six regions in the conterminous United States
Historical Time-series Classification of Habitat for 1957, 1980 and 2015 in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington
Forecasting tidal marsh elevation and habitat change through fusion of Earth observations and a process model
Decision Support for Wetland and Wildlife Management
USGS Scientists published a StoryMap showing projected changes in land use, flooded area, and wildlife habitat in California’s Central Valley for five scenarios of future climate and water management.
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 37
Knowledge coproduction on the impact of decisions for waterbird habitat in a changing climate
Scientists, resource managers, and decision-makers increasingly use knowledge co-production to guide the stewardship of future landscapes under climate change. This process was applied in the California Central Valley, USA to solve complex conservation problems, where managed wetlands and croplands are flooded between fall and spring to support some of the largest concentrations of shorebirds andAuthorsKristin B. Byrd, Elliott Matchett, Claudia Mengelt, Tamara S. Wilson, Deanne DiPietro, Monica Moritsch, Erin Conlisk, Sam Veloz, Michael L. Casazza, Matthew ReiterAbove- and belowground biomass carbon stock and net primary productivity maps for tidal herbaceous marshes of the United States
Accurate assessments of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration in natural ecosystems are necessary to develop climate mitigation strategies. Regional and national-level assessments of carbon sequestration require high-resolution data to be available for large areas, increasing the need for remote sensing products that quantify carbon stocks and fluxes. The Intergovernmental Panel on CliAuthorsVictoria Woltz, Camille Stagg, Kristin B. Byrd, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Andre S. Rovai, Zhiliang ZhuVariation in leaf reflectance spectra across the California flora partitioned by evolutionary history, geographic origin, and deep time
Evolutionary relatedness underlies patterns of functional diversity in the natural world. Hyperspectral remote sensing has the potential to detect these patterns in plants through inherited patterns of leaf reflectance spectra. We collected leaf reflectance data from across the California flora from plants grown in a common garden. Regions of the reflectance spectra vary in the depth and strengthAuthorsDaniel M. Griffith, Kristin B. Byrd, Nicole Chin Taylor, Elijah Allan, Liz Bittner, Bart O'Brien, V. Thomas Parker, Michael C Vasey, Ryan Pavlick, Ramakrishna R. NemaniChanges in habitat suitability for wintering dabbling ducks during dry conditions in the Central Valley of California
In arid and Mediterranean regions, landscape-scale wetland conservation requires understanding how wildlife responds to dynamic freshwater availability and conservation actions to enhance wetland habitat. Taking advantage of Landsat satellite data and structured and community science bird survey data, we built species distribution models to describe how three duck species, the Northern Pintail (AnAuthorsErin E. Conlisk, Kristin B. Byrd, Elliott Matchett, Austen Lorenz, Michael L. Casazza, Gregory H. Golet, Mark D. Reynolds, Kristin A. Sesser, Matthew E. ReiterCan coastal habitats rise to the challenge? Resilience of estuarine habitats, carbon accumulation, and economic value to sea-level rise in a Puget Sound estuary
Sea-level rise (SLR) and obstructions to sediment delivery pose challenges to the persistence of estuarine habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. Restoration actions and sediment management strategies may help mitigate such challenges by encouraging the vertical accretion of sediment in and horizontal migration of tidal forests and marshes. We used a process-based soil accretion model (AuthorsMonica Mei Jeen Moritsch, Kristin B. Byrd, Melanie J. Davis, Anthony J. Good, Judith Z. Drexler, James T. Morris, Isa Woo, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Eric E. Grossman, Glynnis Nakai, Katrina L. Poppe, John M. RybczykClimate and land change impacts on future managed wetland habitat: A case study from California’s Central Valley
ConceptCalifornia’s Central Valley provides critical habitat for migratory waterbirds, yet only 10% of naturally occurring wetlands remain. Competition for limited water supplies and climate change will impact the long-term viability of these intensively managed habitats.ObjectivesForecast the distribution, abundance, and connectivity of surface water and managed wetland habitats, using 5 spatiallAuthorsTamara S. Wilson, Elliott Matchett, Kristin B. Byrd, Erin Conlisk, Matthew E. Reiter, Cynthia Wallace, Lorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Monica Mei Jeen MoritschBoth real-time and long-term environmental data perform well in predicting shorebird distributions in managed habitat
Highly mobile species, such as migratory birds, respond to seasonal and inter-annual variability in resource availability by moving to better habitats. Despite the recognized importance of resource thresholds, species distribution models typically rely on long-term average habitat conditions, mostly because large-extent, temporally-resolved, environmental data are difficult to obtain. Recent advanAuthorsErin Conlisk, Gregory Golet, Mark Reynolds, Blake Barbaree, Kristin Sesser, Kristin B. Byrd, Sam Veloz, Matt ReiterCarbon flux, storage, and wildlife co-benefits in a restoring estuary
Tidal marsh restorations may result in transitional mudflat habitats depending on hydrological and geomorphological conditions. Compared to tidal marsh, mudflats are thought to have limited value for carbon sequestration, carbon storage, and foraging benefits for salmon. We evaluated greenhouse gas exchange, sediment carbon storage, and invertebrate production at restoration and reference tidal maAuthorsIsa Woo, Melanie J. Davis, Susan E. W. De La Cruz, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Judith Z. Drexler, Kristin B. Byrd, Ellen Stuart-Haëntjens, Frank E Anderson, Brian A. Bergamaschi, Glynnis Nakai, Christopher S. Ellings, Sayre HodgsonBERM: A Belowground Ecosystem Resiliency Model for estimating Spartina alterniflora belowground biomass
SummarySpatiotemporal patterns of Spartina alterniflora belowground biomass (BGB) are important for evaluating salt marsh resiliency. To solve this, we created the BERM (Belowground Ecosystem Resiliency Model), which estimates monthly BGB (30-m spatial resolution) from freely available data such as Landsat-8 and Daymet climate summaries.Our modeling framework relied on extreme gradient boosting, aAuthorsJessica L. O'Connell, Deepak Mishra, Merryl Alber, Kristin B. ByrdEditorial: Science and applications of coastal remote sensing
No abstract available.AuthorsKevin R. Turpie, Steven G. Ackleson, Kristin B. Byrd, Tiffany K. MoisanSediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-kilometer segment of the main-stem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, California
This river corridor assessment documents sediment mobility and river response to flood disturbance along a 140-kilometer segment of the main-stem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, California. Field and remote sensing methods were used to assess fundamental indicators of active sediment transport and river response to a combination of natural runoff events and reservoir releases during the study pAuthorsJennifer Curtis, Travis Poitras, Sandra Bond, Kristin ByrdQuantifying drought’s influence on moist soil seed vegetation in California’s Central Valley through remote sensing
Across the Central Valley of California, millions of wintering waterfowl rely on moist soil seed (MSS) plants that grow in managed seasonal wetlands as a critical source of food. Estimates of MSS plant production are used to set waterfowl habitat targets yet this information is not well known. We created the first Central Valley-wide time series maps of MSS plant distributions and productivity. WeAuthorsKristin B. Byrd, Austen Lorenz, James Anderson, Cynthia Wallace, Kara Moore-O'Leary, Jennifer Isola, Ricardo Ortega, Matt ReiterNon-USGS Publications**
Byrd, K.B., A. R. Rissman, and A. M. Merenlender. 2009. Impacts of conservation easements for threat abatement and fire management in a rural oak woodland landscape. Landscape and Urban Planning 92(2):106-116. doi: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2009.03.003.Byrd, K.B. 2009. Remote sensing and spatial analysis of watershed and estuarine processes for conservation planning in Elkhorn Slough, Monterey County, California, pp. 495-520 In X. Yang (ed.). Remote Sensing and Geospatial Technologies for Coastal Ecosystem Assessment and Management. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.Byrd, K.B., N. M. Kelly and A. M. Merenlender. 2007. Temporal and spatial relationships between watershed land use and salt marsh disturbance in a Pacific estuary. Environmental Management 39(1):98-112. doi: 10.1007/s00267-005-0217-z.Byrd, K.B. and N. M. Kelly. 2006. Salt marsh vegetation response to edaphic and topographical changes from upland sedimentation in a Pacific estuary. Wetlands 26(3):813-829. doi: 10.1672/0277-5212(2006)26[813:SMVRTE]2.0.CO;2.Byrd, K.B. 2005. Temporal and Spatial Linkages Between Watershed Land Use and Wetland Vegetation Response in the Elkhorn Slough Watershed, Monterey, County, California. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley. 173 pp.Byrd, K.B., N. M. Kelly, and E. Van Dyke. 2004. Decadal changes in a Pacific estuary: a multi-source remote sensing approach for historical ecology. GIScience and Remote Sensing 41(4):347-370. doi: 10.2747/1548-1603.41.4.347.Byrd, K.B., V. T. Parker, D. R. Vogler, and K. W. Cullings. 2000. The influence of clear-cutting on ectomycorrhizal fungus diversity in a lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) stand, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, and Gallatin National Forest, Montana. Canadian Journal of Botany 78(2):149-156.Byrd, K.B. 1998. The Influence of Clear-cutting on Ectomycorrhizal Fungus Diversity in a Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) Stand, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, and Gallatin National Forest, Montana. M.A. Thesis. San Francisco State University. 103 pp.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- Science
Developing General Coastal Vegetation Maps for Coastal Morphodynamic Models
The USGS is collaborating with researchers from other agencies, academia, and industry to predict coastal impacts from hurricanes. The results from this study will better inform coastal morphological change models, which will lead to improved hurricane impact projections.Remote Sensing of Mercury Pollution in South San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay has a long history of being subject to natural resources exploitation and pollution. Ongoing flux of contaminants into the bay, legacy pollution from the Gold Rush era and structural modifications still influence the natural ecosystem today. This project aims to map multiple forms (i.e. species) of mercury -- one of the major contaminants in the bay -- to help inform restoration...A Tool for Rapid-Repeat High-Resolution Coastal Vegetation Maps to Improve Forecasting of Hurricane Impacts and Coastal Resilience
We will develop and publish a stand-alone Python script to produce high-frequency and high-spatial resolution coastal vegetation maps that leverage new Planet 8-band 3m images, USGS CoNED topo-bathy DEMs, and 3DEP Height Above Ground data. These products will help improve forecasts of hurricane impacts.Assessing the Benefits and Vulnerability of Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta and other Puget Sound Estuaries
The Nisqually River Delta represents the largest wetland restoration in the Pacific Northwest. The restoration resulted in a 50% increase in potential salt marsh habitat. The Delta supports threatened salmon fisheries, large populations of migratory birds, and provides unique opportunities for recreation. The Delta also provides multiple ecosystem services, which are the benefits that wildlife orApplied Landscape Ecology and Remote Sensing
We focus on landscape studies of natural and working lands, in particular coastal and inland wetlands and rangelands. We quantify ecosystem benefits, find areas vulnerable to future change, and identify potential for climate mitigation and resilience. We conduct research by scaling field measurements to the regional, state and national scale with remote sensing, geospatial analysis, and modeling... - Data
Baseline High Resolution Land Cover Map for the Mainstem Klamath River Corridor Downstream of Iron Gate Dam, Klamath River, CA, 2018
This data release includes a file geodatabase with land cover maps for a 313-kilometer segment along the mainstem Klamath River corridor downstream from Iron Gate Dam, CA. The maps were derived from high-resolution (15cm) imagery and topobathymetric elevation data, collected by NV5 Geospatial (formerly QSI, Inc) and published on Open Topography (https://doi.org/10.5069/G9DN436N). Acquisition datesProjected future habitat, elevation change, and carbon accumulation of coastal wetlands in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington
This dataset consists of raster geotiff outputs from modeling habitat change, marsh vertical accretion, and carbon accumulation in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington, USA. These rasters represent projections of future habitat type, change in surface elevation above Mean Sea Level, and total sediment carbon accumulation since 2011 in coastal wetland habitats. Projections were generated in 20-yeaModel Output Tabular Summaries for Central Valley Water and Land Use Futures: Land Use Change, Flooded Area, and Flooded Habitat Change
To support coordinated conservation, wetland restoration, and climate adaptation planning, we have developed five future scenarios of the Central Valley's seasonally flooded cropland and wetland waterbird habitat based on the State's most recent climate and land use projections (Wilson et al. 2021).The USGS Western Geographic Science Center and Point Blue Conservation Science modeled a Business-asIntegrated modeling of climate and land change impacts on future dynamic wetland habitat – a case study from California’s Central Valley
This dataset consists of raster geotiff and tabular outputs of annual map projections of land use and land cover for the California Central Valley for the period 2011-2101 across 5 future scenarios. Four of the scenarios were developed as part of the Central Valley Landscape Conservation Project. The 4 original scenarios include a Bad-Business-As-Usual (BBAU; high water, poor management), CalifornSediment mobility and river corridor assessment for a 140-km segment of the mainstem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, CA - vegetation mapping
This report documents river response to hydrologic disturbance along a 140-km segment of the mainstem Klamath River below Iron Gate Dam, CA by assessing fundamental indicators of active sediment transport and dynamic changes in riparian vegetation. A combination of field and remote sensing methods were used to document river response to natural rainfall-runoff events (e.g., 2006 and 2017) and manaTidal marsh biomass field plot and remote sensing datasets for six regions in the conterminous United States (ver. 2.0, June 2020)
Remote sensing based maps of tidal marshes, both of their extents and carbon stocks, have the potential to play a key role in conducting greenhouse gas inventories and implementing climate mitigation policies. Our objective was to generate a single remote sensing model of tidal marsh aboveground biomass and carbon that represents nationally diverse tidal marshes within the conterminous United StatWetland Moist Soil Seed Maps for the Central Valley of California 2007-2017
We produced a series of maps of moist soil seed plants within managed wetlands in the Central Valley of California from 2007-2011 & 2013-2017. Moist soil seed plants, such as swamp timothy (Crypsis schoenoides) and watergrass (Echinochloa crusgallim), are a critical food source for migratory birds. Vegetation maps were created by classifying Landsat imagery from 2007-2011 and 2013-2017. A supportTidal marsh biomass field plot and remote sensing datasets for six regions in the conterminous United States
Remote sensing based maps of tidal marshes, both of their extents and carbon stocks, have the potential to play a key role in conducting greenhouse gas inventories and implementing climate mitigation policies. Our objective was to generate a single remote sensing model of tidal marsh aboveground biomass and carbon that represents nationally diverse tidal marshes within the conterminous United StatHistorical Time-series Classification of Habitat for 1957, 1980 and 2015 in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington
This USGS Data Release represents geospatial and tabular data for the Nisqually River Delta historical habitat mapping. The data release was produced in compliance with the new 'open data' requirements as a way to make the scientific products associated with USGS research efforts and publications available to the public. The dataset consists of 9 separate items: 1. Forest Change (raster dataseForecasting tidal marsh elevation and habitat change through fusion of Earth observations and a process model
Regional models of tidal marsh elevation response to sea-level rise are needed to support coastal climate change adaptation decisions, including those related to land use planning, habitat management and infrastructure design. The Marsh Equilibrium Model (MEM) is a one-dimensional mechanistic elevation model that incorporates feedbacks of organic and inorganic inputs within the tidal frame to proj - Web Tools
Decision Support for Wetland and Wildlife Management
USGS Scientists published a StoryMap showing projected changes in land use, flooded area, and wildlife habitat in California’s Central Valley for five scenarios of future climate and water management.
- News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government