Kristin Byrd, Ph.D.
Landscape Ecology, Remote Sensing, and Decision Support for Natural Resources Management
Current Position
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
Team Member, Philippines Counter Wildlife Trafficking & Protected Area Management Project, U.S. Dept. of Interior International Technical Assistance Program short-term assignment. 2023
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: “A Tool for Rapid-Repeat High-Resolution Coastal Vegetation Maps to Improve Forecasting of Hurricane Impacts and Coastal Resilience.” USGS Center for Data Integration. 2023.
Co-PI: “Coastal wetland vulnerability to climate change and sea-level rise: understanding ecological thresholds and ecosystem transformations.” USGS Large Landscapes Priority Ecosystem Studies Program. 2023 – 2025. PI: Michael Osland, USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
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. 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 EROS.
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.
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
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
USGS Environmental Achievement Award, 2024
Science and Products
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
Corrigendum to "A remote sensing-based model of tidal marsh aboveground carbon stocks for the conterminous United States" [ISPRS J. Photogram. Rem. Sens.139 (2018) 255-271]
Quantifying drought’s influence on moist soil seed vegetation in California’s Central Valley through time-series remote sensing
Scenarios of climate adaptation potential on protected working lands from management of soils
High-Resolution mapping of biomass and distribution of marsh and forested wetlands in southeastern coastal Louisiana
Status of tidal marsh mapping for blue carbon inventories
Uncertainty in United States coastal wetland greenhouse gas inventorying
Increasing soil organic carbon to mitigate greenhouse gases and increase climate resiliency for California
A remote sensing-based model of tidal marsh aboveground carbon stocks for the conterminous United States
Remote sensing for wetland mapping and historical change detection at the Nisqually River Delta
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.
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 40
Editorial: 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 ReiterCorrigendum to "A remote sensing-based model of tidal marsh aboveground carbon stocks for the conterminous United States" [ISPRS J. Photogram. Rem. Sens.139 (2018) 255-271]
The authors regret that two thirds of the San Francisco Bay biomass data included in the Landsat random forest models were not scaled to the proper units of grams per square meter. This error affects the Landsat-only models in the article, which are models #1-4 shown in Table 6. The authors have thoroughly investigated the error and found that the final random forest model, including the selectedAuthorsKristin B. Byrd, Laurel Ballanti, Nathan Thomas, Dung Nguyen, James Holmquist, Marc Simard, Lisamarie Windham-MyersQuantifying drought’s influence on moist soil seed vegetation in California’s Central Valley through time-series remote sensing
Californias Central Valley, USA is a critical component of the Pacific Flyway despite loss of more than 90% of its wetlands. Moist soil seed (MSS) wetland plants are now produced by mimicking seasonal flooding in managed wetlands to provide an essential food resource for waterfowl. Managers need MSS plant area and productivity estimates to support waterfowl conservation, yet this remains unknown aAuthorsKristin B. Byrd, Austen Lorenz, James Anderson, Cynthia Wallace, Kara Moore-O'Leary, Jennifer Isola, Ricardo Ortega, Matt ReiterScenarios of climate adaptation potential on protected working lands from management of soils
Management of protected lands may enhance ecosystem services that conservation programs were designed to protect. Practices that build soil organic matter (SOM) on agricultural lands also increase soil water holding capacity, potentially reducing climatic water deficit (CWD), increasing actual evapotranspiration (AET) and increasing groundwater recharge (RCH). We developed nine spatially-explicitAuthorsKristin B. Byrd, P. Alvarez, Benjamin Sleeter, Lorraine E. Flint, D. Richard Cameron, J. CrequeHigh-Resolution mapping of biomass and distribution of marsh and forested wetlands in southeastern coastal Louisiana
This study estimates herbaceous and forested wetland coverage and aboveground biomass (AGB) within the Atchafalaya and Terrebonne coastal basins representing sediment rich and sediment poor coastal regions of southern Louisiana. Louisiana coastal wetlands account for approximately one third (37%) of the estuarine wetland area in the conterminous United States, yet the spatial distribution of theirAuthorsNathan Thomas, Marc Simard, Edward Castaneda-Moya, Kristin B. Byrd, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Azure Bevington, Robert TwilleyStatus of tidal marsh mapping for blue carbon inventories
Remote-sensing-based maps of tidal marshes, both of their extents and carbon stocks, will play a key role in conducting greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories.The U.N. Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre has produced a new Global Distribution of Salt Marsh dataset that estimates global salt marsh area at 5.5 Mha.A Tier 1–2 GHG Inventory of U.S. Coastal Wetlands has been developedAuthorsKristin B. Byrd, Chris Mcowen, Lauren Weatherdon, James Holmquist, Stephen CrooksUncertainty in United States coastal wetland greenhouse gas inventorying
Coastal wetlands store carbon dioxide (CO2) and emit CO2 and methane (CH4) making them an important part of greenhouse gas (GHG) inventorying. In the contiguous United States (CONUS), a coastal wetland inventory was recently calculated by combining maps of wetland type and change with soil, biomass, and CH4 flux data from a literature review. We assess uncertainty in this developing carbon monitorAuthorsJames Holmquist, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Blanca Bernal, Kristin B. Byrd, Steve Crooks, Meagan Gonneea Eagle, Nathan Herold, Sara Knox, Kevin D. Kroeger, John McCombs, J. Patrick Megonigal, Lu Meng, James Morris, Ariana Sutton-Grier, Tiffany Troxler, Donald WellerIncreasing soil organic carbon to mitigate greenhouse gases and increase climate resiliency for California
Rising air temperatures are projected to continue to drive up urban, agricultural, and rangeland water use, straining both surface and groundwater resources. Scientific studies have shown that managing farms, ranches, and public lands to increase soil carbon can increase soil waterholding capacity and increase hydrologic benefits such as increased baseflows and aquifer recharge, reduced flooding aAuthorsLorraine E. Flint, Alan L. Flint, Michelle A. Stern, Allegra Mayer, Whendee L. Silver, Clyde Casey, Fabiano Franco, Kristin B. Byrd, Benjamin M. Sleeter, P. Alvarez, J. Creque, T. Estrada, D. CameronA remote sensing-based model of tidal marsh aboveground carbon stocks for 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 StatAuthorsKristin B. Byrd, Laurel Ballanti, Nathan Thomas, Dung Nguyen, James R. Holmquist, Marc Simard, Lisamarie Windham-MyersRemote sensing for wetland mapping and historical change detection at the Nisqually River Delta
Coastal wetlands are important ecosystems for carbon storage and coastal resilience to climate change and sea-level rise. As such, changes in wetland habitat types can also impact ecosystem functions. Our goal was to quantify historical vegetation change within the Nisqually River watershed relevant to carbon storage, wildlife habitat, and wetland sustainability, and identify watershed-scale anthrAuthorsLaurel Ballanti, Kristin B. Byrd, Isa Woo, Christopher EllingsNon-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.
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*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