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
Coping with historic drought in California rangelands: Developing a more effective institutional response
Adapting California’s ecosystems to a changing climate
Forecasting tidal marsh elevation and habitat change through fusion of Earth observations and a process model
Assessing wildlife benefits and carbon storage from restored and natural coastal marshes in the Nisqually River Delta: Determining marsh net ecosystem carbon balance
A hybrid model for mapping relative differences in belowground biomass and root: Shoot ratios using spectral reflectance, foliar N and plant biophysical data within coastal marsh
Prospective HyspIRI global observations of tidal wetlands
Integrated climate and land use change scenarios for California rangeland ecosystem services: wildlife habitat, soil carbon, and water supply
Quantifying climate change mitigation potential in Great Plains wetlands for three greenhouse gas emission scenarios
Evaluation of sensor types and environmental controls on mapping biomass of coastal marsh emergent vegetation
Future scenarios of impacts to ecosystem services on California rangelands
Remotely-sensed indicators of N-related biomass allocation in Schoenoplectus acutus
Interacting coastal based ecosystem services: recreation and water quality in Puget Sound, WA
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
Coping with historic drought in California rangelands: Developing a more effective institutional response
Adapting California’s ecosystems to a changing climate
Forecasting tidal marsh elevation and habitat change through fusion of Earth observations and a process model
Assessing wildlife benefits and carbon storage from restored and natural coastal marshes in the Nisqually River Delta: Determining marsh net ecosystem carbon balance
A hybrid model for mapping relative differences in belowground biomass and root: Shoot ratios using spectral reflectance, foliar N and plant biophysical data within coastal marsh
Prospective HyspIRI global observations of tidal wetlands
Integrated climate and land use change scenarios for California rangeland ecosystem services: wildlife habitat, soil carbon, and water supply
Quantifying climate change mitigation potential in Great Plains wetlands for three greenhouse gas emission scenarios
Evaluation of sensor types and environmental controls on mapping biomass of coastal marsh emergent vegetation
Future scenarios of impacts to ecosystem services on California rangelands
Remotely-sensed indicators of N-related biomass allocation in Schoenoplectus acutus
Interacting coastal based ecosystem services: recreation and water quality in Puget Sound, WA
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.
*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