Kurt Rosenberger
Oceanographer with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Science and Products
What determines the downstream evolution of turbidity currents?
Sediment and organic carbon transport and deposition driven by internal tides along Monterey Canyon, offshore California
Linking direct measurements of turbidity currents to submarine canyon-floor deposits
Submarine canyons are conduits for episodic and powerful sediment density flows (commonly called turbidity currents) that move globally significant amounts of terrestrial sediment and organic carbon into the deep sea, forming some of the largest sedimentary deposits on Earth. The only record available for most turbidity currents is the deposit they leave behind. Therefore, to understand turbidity
The influence of sea level on incident and infragravity wave-driven sediment dynamics across a fringing coral reef
Integrating structure from motion, numerical modelling and field measurements to understand carbonate sediment transport in coral reef canopies
Controls on sediment transport over coral reefs off southwest Puerto Rico: Seasonal patterns and Hurricane Maria
Guánica Bay in southwest Puerto Rico is highly turbid and has some of the highest PCB concentrations in the USA. To investigate how and to what extent the bay waters influence coral reef ecosystem health along the coastline, 6 months of hydrodynamic data were collected at 8 sites on the insular shelf. Bed shear stresses were primarily driven by waves and were weakest at the site closest to La Parg
Spatial and temporal variability in ripple formation and migration across a coral reef flat and lagoon
Morphodynamics of a field of crescent-shaped rippled scour depressions: Northern Monterey Bay, CA
Despite the prevalence of rippled scour depression (RSD) on the world's continental shelves and their importance as nursery habitats for many commercially-important species, the processes responsible for their formation and geomorphic evolution are still not well understood. Most studies that focused on RSD evolution have been based on data acquired over multiple years to decades, and often during
Powerful turbidity currents driven by dense basal layers
Coastal circulation and water-column properties in the National Park of American Samoa, February–July 2015
Final data report for factors controlling DDE dechlorination rates on the Palos Verdes Shelf: A field and laboratory investigation
Observations of wave transformation over a fringing coral reef and the importance of low-frequency waves and offshore water levels to runup, overwash, and coastal flooding
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What determines the downstream evolution of turbidity currents?
Seabed sediment flows called turbidity currents form some of the largest sediment accumulations, deepest canyons and longest channel systems on Earth. Only rivers transport comparable sediment volumes over such large areas; but there are far fewer measurements from turbidity currents, ensuring they are much more poorly understood. Turbidity currents differ fundamentally from rivers, as turbidity cAuthorsCatharina Heerema, Peter J. Talling, Matthieu J.B. Cartigny, Charles K. Paull, Lewis Bailey, Stephen Simmons, Daniel Parsons, Michael Clare, Roberto Gwiazda, Eve M. Lundsten, Krystle Anderson, Katherine L. Maier, Jingping Xu, Esther J. Sumner, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Jenny Gales, Mary McGann, Lionel Carter, Ed PopeSediment and organic carbon transport and deposition driven by internal tides along Monterey Canyon, offshore California
Submarine canyons provide globally important conduits for sediment and organic carbon transport into the deep-sea. Using a novel dataset from Monterey Canyon, offshore central California, that includes an extensive array of water column sampling devices, we address how fine-grained sediment and organic carbon are transported, mixed, fractionated, and buried along a submarine canyon. Anderson-typeAuthorsKatherine L. Maier, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Charles K. Paull, Roberto Gwiazda, Jenny Gales, Thomas Lorenson, James P. Barry, Peter J. Talling, Mary McGann, Jingping Xu, Eve M. Lundsten, Krystle Anderson, Steven Litvin, Daniel Parsons, Michael Clare, Stephen Simmons, Esther J. Sumner, Matthieu J.B. CartignyLinking direct measurements of turbidity currents to submarine canyon-floor deposits
Submarine canyons are conduits for episodic and powerful sediment density flows (commonly called turbidity currents) that move globally significant amounts of terrestrial sediment and organic carbon into the deep sea, forming some of the largest sedimentary deposits on Earth. The only record available for most turbidity currents is the deposit they leave behind. Therefore, to understand turbidity
AuthorsKatherine L. Maier, Jenny Gales, Charles K. Paull, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Peter J. Talling, Stephen Simmons, Roberto Gwiazda, Mary McGann, Matthieu J.B. Cartigny, Eve M. Lundsten, Krystle Anderson, Michael Clare, Jingping Xu, Daniel Parsons, James P. Barry, Monica Wolfson-Schwher, Nora M. Nieminski, Esther J. SumnerThe influence of sea level on incident and infragravity wave-driven sediment dynamics across a fringing coral reef
Coral reefs generate significant volumes of carbonate sediment that becomes the primary source of beach material along many low-latitude shorelines that protect hundreds of millions of people globally. Despite this fact, there is little understanding of the specific processes that transport the carbonate sediment produced on the outer portions of coral reefs to the shoreline, let alone how those pAuthorsCurt D. Storlazzi, Olivia Cheriton, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Andrew Pomeroy, Ryan J. LoweIntegrating structure from motion, numerical modelling and field measurements to understand carbonate sediment transport in coral reef canopies
Reef canopies are complex and extremely variable across a range of spatial scales. This variability affects the velocity above as well as within the canopy, and directly impacts the transport of sediment along the bed as well as suspended in the water column. How a canopy affects the transport of sediment is important to understand and predict changes in the position of the adjacent shoreline, parAuthorsAndrew Pomeroy, Curt D. Storlazzi, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Gerry Hatcher, Jonathan WarrickControls on sediment transport over coral reefs off southwest Puerto Rico: Seasonal patterns and Hurricane Maria
Guánica Bay in southwest Puerto Rico is highly turbid and has some of the highest PCB concentrations in the USA. To investigate how and to what extent the bay waters influence coral reef ecosystem health along the coastline, 6 months of hydrodynamic data were collected at 8 sites on the insular shelf. Bed shear stresses were primarily driven by waves and were weakest at the site closest to La Parg
AuthorsOlivia Cheriton, Curt D. Storlazzi, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Clark ShermanSpatial and temporal variability in ripple formation and migration across a coral reef flat and lagoon
The transport of carbonate sediment across reefs to the shoreline is of great interest to the research community and coastal managers alike. This sediment is generated by the breakdown of reef skeletal structure and a critical source for beach nourishment that provides a buffer to coastal flooding as sea levels rise. Understanding the physical processes that are responsible for this flux of sedimeAuthorsKurt J. Rosenberger, Curt D. Storlazzi, Andrew Pomeroy, Olivia Cheriton, Ryan J. Lowe, Jeff HansenMorphodynamics of a field of crescent-shaped rippled scour depressions: Northern Monterey Bay, CA
Despite the prevalence of rippled scour depression (RSD) on the world's continental shelves and their importance as nursery habitats for many commercially-important species, the processes responsible for their formation and geomorphic evolution are still not well understood. Most studies that focused on RSD evolution have been based on data acquired over multiple years to decades, and often during
AuthorsKurt J. Rosenberger, Curt D. Storlazzi, Peter DartnellPowerful turbidity currents driven by dense basal layers
Seafloor sediment flows (turbidity currents) are among the volumetrically most important yet least documented sediment transport processes on Earth. A scarcity of direct observations means that basic characteristics, such as whether flows are entirely dilute or driven by a dense basal layer, remain equivocal. Here we present the most detailed direct observations yet from oceanic turbidity currentsAuthorsC. K. Paull, P. J. Talling, Katherine L. Maier, Daniel Parsons, Jingping Xu, D. W. Caress, R. Gwiazda, E. Lundsten, K. Anderson, James P. Barry, M. Chaffey, T. O'Reilly, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Jenny Gales, Brian Kieft, Mary McGann, Samantha E. Simmons, M. McCann, Esther J. Sumner, M. A. Clare, M. J. CartignyCoastal circulation and water-column properties in the National Park of American Samoa, February–July 2015
There is little information on the oceanography in the National Park of American Samoa (NPSA). The transport pathways for potentially harmful constituents of land-derived runoff, as well as larvae and other planktonic organisms, are driven by nearshore circulation patterns. To evaluate the processes affecting coral reef ecosystem health, it is first necessary to understand the oceanographic procesAuthorsCurt D. Storlazzi, Olivia Cheriton, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Joshua B. Logan, Timothy B. ClarkFinal data report for factors controlling DDE dechlorination rates on the Palos Verdes Shelf: A field and laboratory investigation
This data report provides a compilation of information developed over the last 6+ years by a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional research team. The overall goal of this work has been to identify the biological, chemical, and physical factors that control rates of reductive dechlorination of DDE and DDMU in sediments of the Palos Verdes Shelf (PVS). More specific questions and objectives are deAuthorsRobert P. Eganhouse, James Pontolillo, William H. Orem, Daniel M. Webster, Paul C. Hackley, Brian D. Edwards, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Patrick Dickhudt, Christopher R. Sherwood, Martin Reinhard, Sujie Qin, Jennifer Dougherty, Gary Hopkins, Ian Marshall, Alfred SpormannObservations of wave transformation over a fringing coral reef and the importance of low-frequency waves and offshore water levels to runup, overwash, and coastal flooding
Many low-lying tropical islands are susceptible to sea level rise and often subjected to overwash and flooding during large wave events. To quantify wave dynamics and wave-driven water levels on fringing coral reefs, a 5 month deployment of wave gauges and a current meter was conducted across two shore-normal transects on Roi-Namur Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. These observationsAuthorsOlivia Cheriton, Curt D. Storlazzi, Kurt J. Rosenberger - News