A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.
Melinda Martinez, Ph.D.
Melinda Martinez is a Mendenhall Post-Doctorate/Research Ecologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Laurel, MD.
Research focuses on coastal wetland resilience using time series analysis of remote sensing data (Landsat, Sentinel, Rapid Eye, Planet), as well as greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) in freshwater forested wetlands and coastal salt marshes.
Professional Experience
North Carolina Space Grant - Science Communication/Outreach Internship (September 30, 2020 – December 31, 2020)
Florida International University - Sr. Laboratory Technician (February 2016 – July 2017)
Ocean Exploration Trust/Nautilus Exploration Program - Science Student Intern (Summer 2015)
Centro Ecológico de Akumal - Research Assistant (August 2012)
Education and Certifications
PhD in Forestry and Environmental Resources from North Carolina State University
MS in Environmental Science from Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
BS in Marine and Freshwater Biology from Marine Science Institute at The University of Texas at Austin
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society of Wetland Scientists
Honors and Awards
Ecological Society of America – Sulzman Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Paper (2022)
Science and Products
Quantifying Restoration Impacts of Wetland Ecosystem Health and Carbon Export
Detecting trajectories of regime shifts and loss of resilience in coastal wetlands using remote sensing
Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley
Mangrove damage along northern Gulf of Mexico from extreme freeze event on February 2021
Mangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021
A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.
A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.
A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.
David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).
linkDavid Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion) at Money Stump in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.
Winter 2024 Photo Contest: Melinda Martinez, Honorable Mention category
David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).
linkDavid Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion) at Money Stump in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.
Winter 2024 Photo Contest: Melinda Martinez, Honorable Mention category
Detecting trajectories of regime shifts and loss of resilience in coastal wetlands using remote sensing
Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley
Microbial communities in standing dead trees in ghost forests are largely aerobic, saprophytic, and methanotrophic
Temperature thresholds for leaf damage from two extreme freeze events (2018 and 2021) near the northern range limit of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) in southeastern North America
Integrating remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify the effects of an extreme freeze event on black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) at the landscape scale
Rapidly changing range limits in a warming world: Critical data limitations and knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of mangrove range dynamics in the southeastern USA
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
Quantifying Restoration Impacts of Wetland Ecosystem Health and Carbon Export
Detecting trajectories of regime shifts and loss of resilience in coastal wetlands using remote sensing
Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley
Mangrove damage along northern Gulf of Mexico from extreme freeze event on February 2021
Mangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021
A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.
A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.
A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.
A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.
David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).
linkDavid Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion) at Money Stump in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.
Winter 2024 Photo Contest: Melinda Martinez, Honorable Mention category
David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).
linkDavid Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion) at Money Stump in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.
Winter 2024 Photo Contest: Melinda Martinez, Honorable Mention category
Detecting trajectories of regime shifts and loss of resilience in coastal wetlands using remote sensing
Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley
Microbial communities in standing dead trees in ghost forests are largely aerobic, saprophytic, and methanotrophic
Temperature thresholds for leaf damage from two extreme freeze events (2018 and 2021) near the northern range limit of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) in southeastern North America
Integrating remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify the effects of an extreme freeze event on black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) at the landscape scale
Rapidly changing range limits in a warming world: Critical data limitations and knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of mangrove range dynamics in the southeastern USA
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