Meg Lamont is a Research Biologist at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 2002
M.S., Marine Science, California State University, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 1995
B.S., The College of New Jersey, 1991
RESEARCH
Meg Lamont is a research biologist focusing on population-level studies of coastal and marine vertebrates in the Gulf of Mexico. She leads multiple research projects on topics such as demography, habitat use, and movement patterns, particularly related to varying environmental parameters. Her research has focused on species that include nesting and inwater marine turtles (Kemp's ridley, loggerhead and green turtles), diamondback terrapins, gopher tortoise, box turtles, Gulf sturgeon and Yellowfin tuna. She partners with various agencies including the Department of Defense, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, in addition to academic institutions, state agencies and non-profit organizations.
Science and Products
Fine-Scale Dive Profiles and Activity Patterns of Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico
Sea Turtle Movement and Habitat Use in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Distribution and Density of Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM): Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS)
Sea turtle nesting on Eglin Air Force Base property, Cape San Blas, Florida
Gulf Sturgeon Ecological Investigations
Surface time for sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010-2019
Mangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021
Preliminary data from animal borne cameras on loggerhead sea turtles in St. Joseph Bay, Florida (2018-2019)
Green turtle movements in the Gulf of Mexico: Tracking reveals new migration corridor and habitat use suggestive of MPA expansion
Discerning behavioral patterns of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico to inform management decisions
The influence of satellite-derived environmental and oceanographic parameters on marine turtle time at surface in the Gulf of Mexico
Long-term apparent survival of a cold-stunned subpopulation of juveniles green turtles
Temporal and spatial relationships of Yellowfin Tuna to deepwater petroleum platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Conservation action plan for diamond-backed terrapins in the Gulf of Mexico
Caretta caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtle) nesting exchange
Capture vulnerability of sea turtles on recreational fishing piers
Temperature-based modeling of incubation period to protect loggerhead hatchlings on an urban beach in Northwest Florida
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group monitoring and adaptive management strategy (LA TIG MAM Strategy)
Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) adult mortality
Science and Products
- Science
Fine-Scale Dive Profiles and Activity Patterns of Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico
Researchers are developing acceleration data logger pop-off packages that can be affixed to sea turtles to collect behavioral patterns of diving, surfacing, and general activity levels.Sea Turtle Movement and Habitat Use in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) uses trawling to capture and relocate live sea turtles away from dredging locations to minimize the risk of turtle entrainment. These incidental turtle captures provide a unique opportunity to fill critical data gaps for difficult to capture life-stages of marine turtles.Distribution and Density of Sea Turtles in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM): Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS)
The over-arching goal of GoMMAPPS is to collect broad-scale survey data for seabirds, marine mammals and sea turtles to determine distribution and abundance in the Gulf of Mexico.Sea turtle nesting on Eglin Air Force Base property, Cape San Blas, Florida
The Northwestern Atlantic population of loggerhead sea turtles is one of the largest in the world. Genetic studies have divided this population into 5 management units including a genetically distinct group that nests throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM).Gulf Sturgeon Ecological Investigations
The Gulf sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi, has been listed as Threatened since 1991. Beginning in 1986, USGS has been investigating sturgeon population abundance and ecology throughout its range, but mostly in the Suwannee River. - Data
Surface time for sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010-2019
This dataset contains surface dive times, defined as 0-2 m in the water column, for three species of sea turtles (Kemp's ridleys, loggerheads, and green turtles) tracked via satellite telemetry in the Gulf of Mexico during periods within 2010-2019. It contains information on turtle species, location, proportion of time in "surface" bins, region of the Gulf of Mexico, corresponding remoteMangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021
Global climate change is leading to large-scale shifts in species' range limits. For example, rising winter temperatures are shifting the abundance and distributions of tropical, cold sensitive plant species towards higher latitudes. Coastal wetlands provide a prime example of such shifts, with tropical mangrove forests expanding into temperate salt marshes as winter warming alleviates past geograPreliminary data from animal borne cameras on loggerhead sea turtles in St. Joseph Bay, Florida (2018-2019)
This is a fifty-four second video which includes short segments compiled from video collected using GoPro cameras mounted on two individual loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) within St. Joseph Bay, Florida as part of a preliminary data release for U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) outreach publications. Approximately 90 minutes of video footage was collected per individual prior to retrieval. This i - Multimedia
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Green turtle movements in the Gulf of Mexico: Tracking reveals new migration corridor and habitat use suggestive of MPA expansion
Globally, Marine Protected Areas are an important tool in the conservation of large marine vertebrates. Recent studies have highlighted the use of protected areas by imperiled green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the southern Gulf of Mexico. To identify and characterize inter-nesting, migratory, and foraging areas for green turtles that nest in the northern Gulf of Mexico, we deployed 14 satellite taDiscerning behavioral patterns of sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico to inform management decisions
The protection of all sea turtles globally is a high priority, and research projects on these imperiled species are focused on those that are likely to result in improvements in monitoring and management for population recovery. Determining distribution, seasonal movements, vital rates and habitat use for all life-stages of sea turtles has been identified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWSThe influence of satellite-derived environmental and oceanographic parameters on marine turtle time at surface in the Gulf of Mexico
The aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill highlighted the lack of baseline spatial, behavioral, and abundance data for many species, including imperiled marine turtles, across the Gulf of Mexico. The ecology of marine turtles is closely tied to their vertical movements within the water column and is therefore critical knowledge for resource management in a changing ocean. A more compreLong-term apparent survival of a cold-stunned subpopulation of juveniles green turtles
Understanding the effects of extreme weather on animal populations is fundamental to ecological and conservation sciences and species management. Climate change has resulted in both warm and cold temperature extremes, including an increased frequency of severe cold snaps at middle latitudes in North America. These unusually cold air masses cause rapid declines in nearshore ocean temperatures in coTemporal and spatial relationships of Yellowfin Tuna to deepwater petroleum platforms in the northern Gulf of Mexico
In 2006–2007, 110 Yellowfin Tuna Thunnus albacares were tagged with acoustic transmitters near deepwater oil platforms and one drillship in the northern Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi River delta to determine the extent to which platforms act as fish aggregating devices (FADs). Vemco acoustic receivers were installed on six deepwater platforms to detect the presence of tagged individuals. FiveConservation action plan for diamond-backed terrapins in the Gulf of Mexico
Diamondback terrapins are small estuarine turtles that are vital to the health of salt marsh and mangrove habitats. Their populations have declined for over a century due to many factors including coastal development, nest predation, pet trade and drowning in crab traps. Without action, terrapin populations will continue to decline. This document summarizes the Nature Conservancy's efforts in collCaretta caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtle) nesting exchange
The Northwest Atlantic population of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) is one of the largest C. caretta populations in the world and is listed as threatened. This population was divided into five genetically distinct subpopulations, including the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoM) subpopulation (Shamblin et al. 2017 Mar. Bio. 164:138). Across the NGoM, the majority of C. caretta nesting occursCapture vulnerability of sea turtles on recreational fishing piers
Capture vulnerability of commercial and recreational fishes has been associated with behavioral, morphological, and life-history traits; however, relationships with non-target species, such as sea turtles, have not been adequately studied. We examined species composition, timing of captures, morphological variables including body size and head width, and body condition of sea turtles captured fromTemperature-based modeling of incubation period to protect loggerhead hatchlings on an urban beach in Northwest Florida
Sea turtle hatchlings face many natural and anthropogenic threats during their short journey to the water after emerging from nests. Reducing hatchling mortality is critical to population recovery of imperiled sea turtle species; however, protecting hatchlings is particularly challenging on beaches degraded by human development and disturbances, including artificial lighting. Managers need practicLouisiana Trustee Implementation Group monitoring and adaptive management strategy (LA TIG MAM Strategy)
The purpose of the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) Monitoring and Adaptive Management (MAM) Strategy is to outline an approach for the LA TIG to prioritize MAM activities in Louisiana for effective and efficient evaluation of the restoration of resources injured by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Working from the Restoration Goals and Restoration Approaches outlined in the PGopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) adult mortality
Gopherus polyphemus has typically high adult survivorship, with some populations reaching a mean annual survivorship of 93.4% (Howell et al. 2019. J. Wildl. Manage. 84:56–65). Instances of adult mortality are not commonly reported outside of large mortality events, and most often result from disease, starvation, dehydration, or chronic stress (Gates et al. 2002. Florida Sci. 65:185– 197; Cozad et - News