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Melissa M Baustian, Ph.D.

Melissa’s research interests include how pelagic, benthic, and vegetated habitats of coastal ecosystems support functions of nutrient cycling, trophic dynamics of food webs, and carbon sequestration.

Melissa has conducted research on the essential mechanisms and stressors involved in benthic-pelagic coupling of lakes, estuaries, and oceans, including the hypoxic region or Dead Zone in the northern Gulf of Mexico.  An objective of her current research is to understand how phytoplankton and microphytobenthos (including potential harmful algal blooms) of coastal ecosystems are influenced by nutrient enrichment, climate change, and coastal restoration. 

Melissa uses new and existing short- and long-term field observations, statistical analyses, and ecosystem models at the landscape level to answer ecological research questions and to provide relevant information to policy makers and coastal managers.  Melissa enjoys participating and leading collaborative and interdisciplinary projects that generate information to inform stakeholders.

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D., Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, 2011

  • M.S., Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, Louisiana State University, 2005

  • B.S., Biology, Iowa State University, 2003

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation

  • Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

  • Gulf Estuarine Research Society

Science and Products

link
Assessing fish habitat and population dynamics of fisheries resources at Kaloko Fishpond

A Fresh Set of Tools: New Information for Managing Fisheries During Changes in River Discharge

The Bonnet Carré spillway (BCS) is a flood-control structure along the Lower Mississippi River designed to prevent flooding in the city of New Orleans by diverting excess water into the nearby Lake Pontchartrain estuary. Alarmingly, the BCS was opened as many times over the past decade (2011–2020) as it had been over the six prior decades combined (1951–2010), with devastating effects on the estua
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

A Fresh Set of Tools: New Information for Managing Fisheries During Changes in River Discharge

The Bonnet Carré spillway (BCS) is a flood-control structure along the Lower Mississippi River designed to prevent flooding in the city of New Orleans by diverting excess water into the nearby Lake Pontchartrain estuary. Alarmingly, the BCS was opened as many times over the past decade (2011–2020) as it had been over the six prior decades combined (1951–2010), with devastating effects on the estua
Learn More
link
A feedback loop for carbon sequestration, climate mitigation & coastal resilience.

Developing a Decision Support Tool to Inform Louisiana’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

In 2020, Governor Edwards of Louisiana issued two executive orders: establishing the Climate Initiatives Task Force to develop the state’s first ever Climate Action Plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to enhance coastal resilience in the state. Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and natural lands are of vital importance not just for hurricane protection, health and wellbeing, and
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Developing a Decision Support Tool to Inform Louisiana’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

In 2020, Governor Edwards of Louisiana issued two executive orders: establishing the Climate Initiatives Task Force to develop the state’s first ever Climate Action Plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to enhance coastal resilience in the state. Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and natural lands are of vital importance not just for hurricane protection, health and wellbeing, and
Learn More

Plant, soil, and microbial characteristics of marsh collapse in Mississippi River Deltaic wetlands

Site, field, and soil data collected from 14 sites along a chronosequence of wetland submergence on 15 – 17 October 2019 in a Louisiana salt marsh in Barataria Basin, part of the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain, along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast.
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

A subset of 2017 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan model output to estimate climate change mitigation potential of Louisiana's coastal area

A subset of the Louisiana's 2017 Coastal Master Plan model output was used to estimate the potential climate mitigation role of Louisiana’s coastal area. Model output of surface water salinity, land/water classification, and area of eight habitats for elapsed years of 6, 11, 16, 26, and 36 were post-processed to estimate habitat areas at years of 2020, 2025, 2030, 2040, and 2050, that align with t
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss at a Louisiana coastal salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain in 2019

This dataset provides the water content, bulk density, carbon concentrations, nitrogen concentrations, and carbon content of all fourteen cores sampled in coastal Louisiana (CRMS 0224) in October of 2019. Each sample is identified by a unique identifier that corresponds to each site by depth increment combination. The pond age range associated with each site is provided. The depth increment associ
By
Climate Research and Development Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Long-term soil carbon data and accretion from four marsh types in Mississippi River Delta in 2015

The Mississippi River Deltaic Plain has extensive marsh habitats (fresh, intermediate, brackish, and saline) where soil cores were collected to a depth of 100 cm at 24 sites to assess long-term carbon accumulation rates and coast-wide burial rates. Each core was sectioned into 2-cm depth intervals, and select intervals were analyzed for percent moisture, bulk density, total carbon, and radionuclid
By
Climate Research and Development Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Short term soil carbon data and accretion rates from four marsh types in Mississippi River Delta collected in 2015

Short-term carbon accumulation rates were examined by collecting 10-cm deep soil cores at 24 sites located in marshes spanning the salinity gradient in coastal Louisiana. Percent moisture, bulk density, total carbon content, and the short-term accretion rates obtained with feldspar horizon markers were measured to determine total carbon accumulation and storage rates.
By
Climate Research and Development Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Vegetation loss following vertical drowning of Mississippi River deltaic wetlands leads to faster microbial decomposition and decreases in soil carbon

Wetland ecosystems hold nearly a third of the global soil carbon pool, but as wetlands rapidly disappear the fate of this stored soil carbon is unclear. The aim of this study was to quantify and then link potential rates of microbial decomposition after vertical drowning of vegetated tidal marshes in coastal Louisiana to known drivers of anaerobic decomposition altered by vegetation loss. Profiles
Authors
Courtney Creamer, Mark Waldrop, Camille Stagg, Kristen L. Manies, Melissa Millman Baustian, Claudia Laurenzano, Tiong Gim Aw, Monica Haw, Sergio Merino, Donald R. Schoolmaster, Sabrina N. Sevilgen, Rachel Katherine Villani, Eric Ward
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Stable isotopes reveal that foraging strategy dictates trophic response of salt marsh residents to black mangrove Avicennia germinans range expansion

Climate warming has facilitated the expansion of black mangrove Avicennia germinans (hereafter ‘Avicennia’) into smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora (hereafter ‘Spartina’) salt marshes in southeastern Louisiana (USA). As macrophytes contribute to soil organic matter (SOM) and primary production, this transition could alter the basal energy pathways supporting salt marsh food webs. We used bulk-
Authors
Katherine B. Loesser, Christina E. Powell, Brandeus Davis, Melissa Millman Baustian, Michael J. Polito
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Preparing for future changes: Louisiana's Coast

Cooperator publication summarizing USGS publications in collaboration with Water Institute that are being used to inform Louisiana coastal policy.
Authors
Timothy Carruthers, Camille Stagg, Melissa Millman Baustian
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Dissolved organic carbon dynamics and fluxes in Mississippi-Atchafalaya deltaic system impacted by an extreme flood event and hurricanes: A multi-satellite approach using Sentinel-2/3 and Landsat-8/9 data

Transport of riverine and wetland-derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) spanning tidal wetlands, estuaries, and continental shelf waters functionally connects terrestrial and aquatic carbon reservoirs, yet the magnitude and ecological significance of this variable and its spatiotemporal linkage remains uncertain for coastal deltaic regions, such as Mississippi River Delta Plain, which includes Mi
Authors
Bingqing Liu, Eurico J. D'Sa, Francesca Messina, Melissa Millman Baustian, Kanchan Maiti, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Wei Huang, Ioannis Y. Georgiou
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

Influence of increased freshwater inflow on nitrogen and phosphorus budgets in a dynamic subtropical estuary, Barataria Basin, Louisiana

Coastal Louisiana is currently experiencing high rates of wetland loss and large-scale ecosystem restoration is being implemented. One of the largest and most novel restoration projects is a controlled sediment diversion, proposed to rebuild and sustain wetlands by diverting sediment- and nutrient-rich water from the Mississippi River. However, the impact of this proposed sediment diversion on the
Authors
Hoonshin Jung, William K. Nuttle, Melissa Millman Baustian, Tim J. B. Carruthers
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

Climate change mitigation potential of Louisiana's coastal area: Current estimates and future projections

Coastal habitats can play an important role in climate change mitigation. As Louisiana implements its climate action plan and the restoration and risk-reduction projects outlined in its 2017 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, it is critical to consider potential greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in coastal habitats. This study estimated the potential climate mitigation role of existing, converted, and resto
Authors
Melissa Millman Baustian, Bingqing Liu, Leland C. Moss, Alyssa Dausman, James W. Pahl
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain

The potential for carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands is high due to protection of carbon (C) in flooded soils. However, excessive flooding can result in the conversion of the vegetated wetland to open water. This transition results in the loss of wetland habitat in addition to the potential loss of soil carbon. Thus, in areas experiencing rapid wetland submergence, such as the Mississippi Ri
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Katherine Villani, Laura Scott
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

Tradeoffs in habitat value to maximize natural resource benefits from coastal restoration in a rapidly eroding wetland: Is monitoring land area sufficient?

Louisiana contains nearly 40% of estuarine herbaceous wetlands in the contiguous United States, supporting valuable ecosystem services and providing significant economic benefits to the state and the entire United States. However, coastal Louisiana is a hotspot for rapid land loss from factors including hurricanes, land use change, and high subsidence rates contributing to high relative sea-level
Authors
Tim J. B. Carruthers, Erin P. Kiskaddon, Melissa M. Baustian, Kelly M. Darnell, Leland C. Moss, Carey L. Perry, Camille Stagg
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

Long-term carbon sinks in marsh soils of coastal Louisiana are at risk to wetland loss

Coastal marshes are essential habitats for soil carbon accumulation and burial, which can influence the global carbon budget. Coastal Louisiana has extensive marsh habitats (fresh, intermediate, brackish, and saline) where soil cores were collected to a depth of 100 cm at 24 sites to assess long-term carbon accumulation and burial rates. Select soil depth intervals were analyzed for bulk density,
Authors
Melissa M. Baustian, Camille Stagg, Carey L. Perry, Leland C. Moss, Tim J. B. Carruthers
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Direct and indirect controls on organic matter decomposition in four coastal wetland communities along a landscape salinity gradient

Coastal wetlands store more carbon than most ecosystems globally. As sea level rises, changes in flooding and salinity will potentially impact ecological functions, such as organic matter decomposition, that influence carbon storage. However, little is known about the mechanisms that control organic matter loss in coastal wetlands at the landscape scale. As sea level rises, how will the shift from
Authors
Camille L. Stagg, Melissa M. Baustian, Carey L. Perry, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Courtney T. Hall
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Relationships between salinity and short-term soil carbon accumulation rates form marsh types across a landscape in the Mississippi River Delta

Salinity alterations will likely change the plant and environmental characteristics in coastal marshes thereby influencing soil carbon accumulation rates. Coastal Louisiana marshes have been historically classified as fresh, intermediate, brackish, or saline based on resident plant community and position along a salinity gradient. Short-term total carbon accumulation rates were assessed by collect
Authors
Melissa M. Baustian, Camille L. Stagg, Carey L. Perry, Leland C Moss, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Mead Allison
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Beltrán-Burgos, M., C. R. Esposito, H. M. Nepf, M. M. Baustian, and D. R. Di Leonardo. 2023. Vegetation-driven seasonal sediment dynamics in a freshwater marsh of the Mississippi River Delta. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JG007143.
Hemmerling SA, DeMyers C, Parfait J, Piñero E, Baustian MM, Bregman M, Di Leonardo D, Esposito C, Georgiou IY, Grismore A, Jung H, McMann B and Miner MD (2023), A community-informed transdisciplinary approach to coastal restoration planning: Maximizing the social and ecological co-benefits of wetland creation in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, USA. Front. Environ. Sci. 11:1105671. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1105671
Mavrommati, G. and Baustian, M.M. 2022. Linking water purification and waste treatment to human wellbeing. In: DellaSala, D.A., Goldstein, M.I. (Eds.). Imperiled: The Encyclopedia of Conservation.Vol. 3. Elsevier. Pp. 139-144. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821139-7.00116-1
La Peyre, M.K., Sable, S., Taylor, C., Kiskaddon, E., and M.M. Baustian. 2021. Effects of sample gear on estuarine fish assemblage assessments and food web models. Ecological Indicators. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108404
Wiesenburg, D.A., Shipp, B. Wilson, C., Fodrie, J., Powers, S., Latrigue, J., Darnell, K.M., Baustian, M.M., Ngo, C., Valentine, J.F. and, K. Wowk. 2021. Prospects for Gulf of Mexico environmental recovery and restoration. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.124
Barra, M., Hemmerling, S., and M.M. Baustian. 2020. A model controversy: Using environmental competency groups to inform coastal restoration planning in Louisiana. Professional Geographer. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2020.1777574
N.N. Rabalais and Baustian, M.M. 2020. Historical shifts in benthic infaunal diversity in the northern Gulf of Mexico since the appearance of seasonally severe hypoxia. Diversity. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020049
Baustian, M.M., Brooks, Y.M., Baskaran, M., Liu, B., Ostrom, N.E., Stevenson, R.J., and J.B. Rose. 2020. Paleo-environmental examination of human-driven ecosystem change in Lake St. Clair region of Laurentian Great Lakes basin. Journal of Paleolimnology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-019-00108-x
Baustian, M.M, Jung, H., Bienn, H., Barra, M., Hemmerling, S. Wang, Y., White, E., and E. Meselhe. 2020. Engaging coastal community members about natural and nature-based solutions and assessing their ecosystem functions. Ecological Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoena.2019.100015
Meselhe, E., Wang, Y., White, E., Jung, H., Baustian, M.M., Hemmerling, S.A., Barra, M., and H. Bienn. 2020. Knowledge-Based predictive tools to assess effectiveness of natural and nature-based solutions for coastal restoration and protection planning. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering 146(2): https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001659
Hemmerling, S.A., Barra, M., Bienn, H.C., Baustian, M.M., Jung, H., Meselhe, E., Wang, Y., and E. White. 2019. Elevating local knowledge through participatory modeling: Active community engagement in restoration planning in coastal Louisiana. Journal of Geographical Systems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-019-00313-2
Baustian, M.M. Meselhe, E., Jung, H., Sadid, K, Duke- Sylvester, S., Visser, J., Allison, M., Moss, L., Ramatchandirane, C, van Maren, B., Jeuken, M., and S. Bargu. 2018. Development of an Integrated Biophysical Model to represent morphological and ecological processes in a changing deltaic and coastal ecosystem. Environmental Modeling and Software. 109:402-419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2018.05.019
Baustian, M.M., Bargu, S., Rabalais, N.N, and W.L. Morrison. 2018. The polychaete, Paraprionospio pinnata, is a likely vector of domoic acid to the benthic food web in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Harmful Algae. 79:44-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2018.06.002
Baustian, M.M., Clark, R. Jerabek, A.S., Wang, Y. Bienn, H.C., and E.D. White. 2018. Modeling current and future freshwater inflow needs of a subtropical estuary to manage and maintain forested wetland ecological conditions. Ecological Indicators. 85:791-807. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X17306295
Price, A., Baustian, M.M., Turner, R.E. Rabalais, N.N., and G. Chmura. 2017. Dinoflagellate cysts track eutrophication in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts. 41:1322-1336. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12237-017-0351-x
Brooks, Y.M., Baustian, M.M., Baskaran, M., Ostrom, N.E. and J.B. Rose. 2016. Historic associations of fecal indicator marker concentrations to anthropogenic activities and climate in freshwater sediment cores. Environmental Science and Technology. 50:6902-6911. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b01372
Price, A., Baustian, M.M., Turner, R.E. Rabalais, N.N., and Chmura, G. 2016. Melitasphaeridium choanophorum – a living dinoflagellate cyst fossil in the Gulf of Mexico. Palynology. 41:351-358. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01916122.2016.1205676
Bargu, S., Baustian, M.M., Rabalais, N.N., Del Rio, R., Von Korff, B., and R.E. Turner. 2016. Influence of the Mississippi River on Pseudo-nitzschia spp. abundance and toxicity in Louisiana coastal waters. Estuaries and Coasts. 39:1345-1356. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12237-016-0088-y
Baustian, M.M., Hansen, G., de Kluijver, A., Robinson, K., Henry Norton, E., Knoll, L., Rose, K, and C. Carey. 2014. Linking the bottom to the top in aquatic ecosystems: mechanisms and stressors of benthic-pelagic coupling. Invited Eco-DAS X chapter for Association for Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography e-book. http://www.aslo.org/books/ecodas10/ecodas10_025.pdf
Monk, M.H., Baustian, M.M., Saari, C.R., Welsh, S., D’Elia, C., Gaston, S., and J.E. Powers. 2014. EnvironMentors: mentoring at-risk high school students through university partnerships. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. 9:385-397. http://www.ijese.com/ijese.2014.223a.pdf
Hansen, G.A., Sadro, S., Baustian, M.M., and B. Stauffer. 2014. Shifting career pathways of Ph.D. ecologists: Is it time to redefine the “alternative” career? Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin. 23:2-5. http://aslo.org/bulletin/issues/14_v23_i1.pdf
Baustian, M.M., Mavrommati, G., Dreelin, E.A., Esselman, P., Schultze, S., Qian, L. Aw, T.G Luo, L. and J.B. Rose. 2014. A one hundred year review of the socioeconomic and ecological systems in Lake St. Clair, North America. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 40:15-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2013.11.006
Mavrommati, G., Baustian, M.M. and E. Dreelin. 2013. Coupling Socioeconomic and Lake Systems for Sustainability: A Conceptual Analysis Using Lake St. Clair Region as a Case Study. Ambio 43:275-287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13280-013-0432-4
Baustian, M.M., Rabalais, N.N., Morrison, W.L. and R.E. Turner. 2013. Microphytobenthos along the Louisiana continental shelf during mid-summer hypoxia. Continental Shelf Research.52:108-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2012.10.014
Baustian, M.M., Rabalais, N.N., Morrison, W.L. and R.E. Turner. 2011. Seasonal microphytobenthos on the hypoxic northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 436:51–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps09262
Qian, S.S., Craig, J.K., Baustian, M.M. and N.N. Rabalais. 2009. A Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach for analyzing observational data from marine ecological studies. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 58:1916–1921. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.09.029
Baustian, M.M., Craig, J.K. and N.N. Rabalais. 2009. Effects of summer 2003 hypoxia on macrobenthos and Atlantic croaker foraging selectivity in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 381:S31-S37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2009.07.007
Baustian, M.M. and N.N. Rabalais. 2009. Seasonal composition of benthic macroinfauna exposed to hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts. 32:975–983. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-009-9187-3
Baustian, M.M., Bentley, S.J. and J.H. Wandersee. 2008. Innovative assessment tools for a short, fast-paced, summer field course. Journal of College Science Teaching. 37:37-43. http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/4/jcst08_037_06_37
Millman, M., Teichberg, M, Martinetto, P and I. Valiela. 2002. Response of shrimp populations to land-derived nitrogen in Waquoit Bay. Biological Bulletin. 203:263-264. http://www.biolbull.org/content/203/2/263.full.pdf+html

**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

  • Science
    link
    Assessing fish habitat and population dynamics of fisheries resources at Kaloko Fishpond

    A Fresh Set of Tools: New Information for Managing Fisheries During Changes in River Discharge

    The Bonnet Carré spillway (BCS) is a flood-control structure along the Lower Mississippi River designed to prevent flooding in the city of New Orleans by diverting excess water into the nearby Lake Pontchartrain estuary. Alarmingly, the BCS was opened as many times over the past decade (2011–2020) as it had been over the six prior decades combined (1951–2010), with devastating effects on the estua
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers
    link

    A Fresh Set of Tools: New Information for Managing Fisheries During Changes in River Discharge

    The Bonnet Carré spillway (BCS) is a flood-control structure along the Lower Mississippi River designed to prevent flooding in the city of New Orleans by diverting excess water into the nearby Lake Pontchartrain estuary. Alarmingly, the BCS was opened as many times over the past decade (2011–2020) as it had been over the six prior decades combined (1951–2010), with devastating effects on the estua
    Learn More
    link
    A feedback loop for carbon sequestration, climate mitigation & coastal resilience.

    Developing a Decision Support Tool to Inform Louisiana’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

    In 2020, Governor Edwards of Louisiana issued two executive orders: establishing the Climate Initiatives Task Force to develop the state’s first ever Climate Action Plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to enhance coastal resilience in the state. Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and natural lands are of vital importance not just for hurricane protection, health and wellbeing, and
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers
    link

    Developing a Decision Support Tool to Inform Louisiana’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

    In 2020, Governor Edwards of Louisiana issued two executive orders: establishing the Climate Initiatives Task Force to develop the state’s first ever Climate Action Plan to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and to enhance coastal resilience in the state. Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and natural lands are of vital importance not just for hurricane protection, health and wellbeing, and
    Learn More
  • Data

    Plant, soil, and microbial characteristics of marsh collapse in Mississippi River Deltaic wetlands

    Site, field, and soil data collected from 14 sites along a chronosequence of wetland submergence on 15 – 17 October 2019 in a Louisiana salt marsh in Barataria Basin, part of the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain, along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast.
    By
    Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    A subset of 2017 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan model output to estimate climate change mitigation potential of Louisiana's coastal area

    A subset of the Louisiana's 2017 Coastal Master Plan model output was used to estimate the potential climate mitigation role of Louisiana’s coastal area. Model output of surface water salinity, land/water classification, and area of eight habitats for elapsed years of 6, 11, 16, 26, and 36 were post-processed to estimate habitat areas at years of 2020, 2025, 2030, 2040, and 2050, that align with t
    By
    Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss at a Louisiana coastal salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain in 2019

    This dataset provides the water content, bulk density, carbon concentrations, nitrogen concentrations, and carbon content of all fourteen cores sampled in coastal Louisiana (CRMS 0224) in October of 2019. Each sample is identified by a unique identifier that corresponds to each site by depth increment combination. The pond age range associated with each site is provided. The depth increment associ
    By
    Climate Research and Development Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Long-term soil carbon data and accretion from four marsh types in Mississippi River Delta in 2015

    The Mississippi River Deltaic Plain has extensive marsh habitats (fresh, intermediate, brackish, and saline) where soil cores were collected to a depth of 100 cm at 24 sites to assess long-term carbon accumulation rates and coast-wide burial rates. Each core was sectioned into 2-cm depth intervals, and select intervals were analyzed for percent moisture, bulk density, total carbon, and radionuclid
    By
    Climate Research and Development Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Short term soil carbon data and accretion rates from four marsh types in Mississippi River Delta collected in 2015

    Short-term carbon accumulation rates were examined by collecting 10-cm deep soil cores at 24 sites located in marshes spanning the salinity gradient in coastal Louisiana. Percent moisture, bulk density, total carbon content, and the short-term accretion rates obtained with feldspar horizon markers were measured to determine total carbon accumulation and storage rates.
    By
    Climate Research and Development Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
  • Publications

    Vegetation loss following vertical drowning of Mississippi River deltaic wetlands leads to faster microbial decomposition and decreases in soil carbon

    Wetland ecosystems hold nearly a third of the global soil carbon pool, but as wetlands rapidly disappear the fate of this stored soil carbon is unclear. The aim of this study was to quantify and then link potential rates of microbial decomposition after vertical drowning of vegetated tidal marshes in coastal Louisiana to known drivers of anaerobic decomposition altered by vegetation loss. Profiles
    Authors
    Courtney Creamer, Mark Waldrop, Camille Stagg, Kristen L. Manies, Melissa Millman Baustian, Claudia Laurenzano, Tiong Gim Aw, Monica Haw, Sergio Merino, Donald R. Schoolmaster, Sabrina N. Sevilgen, Rachel Katherine Villani, Eric Ward
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Stable isotopes reveal that foraging strategy dictates trophic response of salt marsh residents to black mangrove Avicennia germinans range expansion

    Climate warming has facilitated the expansion of black mangrove Avicennia germinans (hereafter ‘Avicennia’) into smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora (hereafter ‘Spartina’) salt marshes in southeastern Louisiana (USA). As macrophytes contribute to soil organic matter (SOM) and primary production, this transition could alter the basal energy pathways supporting salt marsh food webs. We used bulk-
    Authors
    Katherine B. Loesser, Christina E. Powell, Brandeus Davis, Melissa Millman Baustian, Michael J. Polito
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Preparing for future changes: Louisiana's Coast

    Cooperator publication summarizing USGS publications in collaboration with Water Institute that are being used to inform Louisiana coastal policy.
    Authors
    Timothy Carruthers, Camille Stagg, Melissa Millman Baustian
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Dissolved organic carbon dynamics and fluxes in Mississippi-Atchafalaya deltaic system impacted by an extreme flood event and hurricanes: A multi-satellite approach using Sentinel-2/3 and Landsat-8/9 data

    Transport of riverine and wetland-derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) spanning tidal wetlands, estuaries, and continental shelf waters functionally connects terrestrial and aquatic carbon reservoirs, yet the magnitude and ecological significance of this variable and its spatiotemporal linkage remains uncertain for coastal deltaic regions, such as Mississippi River Delta Plain, which includes Mi
    Authors
    Bingqing Liu, Eurico J. D'Sa, Francesca Messina, Melissa Millman Baustian, Kanchan Maiti, Victor H. Rivera-Monroy, Wei Huang, Ioannis Y. Georgiou
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

    Influence of increased freshwater inflow on nitrogen and phosphorus budgets in a dynamic subtropical estuary, Barataria Basin, Louisiana

    Coastal Louisiana is currently experiencing high rates of wetland loss and large-scale ecosystem restoration is being implemented. One of the largest and most novel restoration projects is a controlled sediment diversion, proposed to rebuild and sustain wetlands by diverting sediment- and nutrient-rich water from the Mississippi River. However, the impact of this proposed sediment diversion on the
    Authors
    Hoonshin Jung, William K. Nuttle, Melissa Millman Baustian, Tim J. B. Carruthers
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

    Climate change mitigation potential of Louisiana's coastal area: Current estimates and future projections

    Coastal habitats can play an important role in climate change mitigation. As Louisiana implements its climate action plan and the restoration and risk-reduction projects outlined in its 2017 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, it is critical to consider potential greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in coastal habitats. This study estimated the potential climate mitigation role of existing, converted, and resto
    Authors
    Melissa Millman Baustian, Bingqing Liu, Leland C. Moss, Alyssa Dausman, James W. Pahl
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

    A model of the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil carbon following coastal wetland loss applied to a Louisiana salt marsh in the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain

    The potential for carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands is high due to protection of carbon (C) in flooded soils. However, excessive flooding can result in the conversion of the vegetated wetland to open water. This transition results in the loss of wetland habitat in addition to the potential loss of soil carbon. Thus, in areas experiencing rapid wetland submergence, such as the Mississippi Ri
    Authors
    Donald R. Schoolmaster, Camille Stagg, Courtney Creamer, Claudia Laurenzano, Eric Ward, Mark Waldrop, Melissa M. Baustian, Tiong Aw, Sergio Merino, Rachel Katherine Villani, Laura Scott
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Land Management Research Program, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

    Tradeoffs in habitat value to maximize natural resource benefits from coastal restoration in a rapidly eroding wetland: Is monitoring land area sufficient?

    Louisiana contains nearly 40% of estuarine herbaceous wetlands in the contiguous United States, supporting valuable ecosystem services and providing significant economic benefits to the state and the entire United States. However, coastal Louisiana is a hotspot for rapid land loss from factors including hurricanes, land use change, and high subsidence rates contributing to high relative sea-level
    Authors
    Tim J. B. Carruthers, Erin P. Kiskaddon, Melissa M. Baustian, Kelly M. Darnell, Leland C. Moss, Carey L. Perry, Camille Stagg
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of Mexico

    Long-term carbon sinks in marsh soils of coastal Louisiana are at risk to wetland loss

    Coastal marshes are essential habitats for soil carbon accumulation and burial, which can influence the global carbon budget. Coastal Louisiana has extensive marsh habitats (fresh, intermediate, brackish, and saline) where soil cores were collected to a depth of 100 cm at 24 sites to assess long-term carbon accumulation and burial rates. Select soil depth intervals were analyzed for bulk density,
    Authors
    Melissa M. Baustian, Camille Stagg, Carey L. Perry, Leland C. Moss, Tim J. B. Carruthers
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Land Management Research Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Direct and indirect controls on organic matter decomposition in four coastal wetland communities along a landscape salinity gradient

    Coastal wetlands store more carbon than most ecosystems globally. As sea level rises, changes in flooding and salinity will potentially impact ecological functions, such as organic matter decomposition, that influence carbon storage. However, little is known about the mechanisms that control organic matter loss in coastal wetlands at the landscape scale. As sea level rises, how will the shift from
    Authors
    Camille L. Stagg, Melissa M. Baustian, Carey L. Perry, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Courtney T. Hall
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Relationships between salinity and short-term soil carbon accumulation rates form marsh types across a landscape in the Mississippi River Delta

    Salinity alterations will likely change the plant and environmental characteristics in coastal marshes thereby influencing soil carbon accumulation rates. Coastal Louisiana marshes have been historically classified as fresh, intermediate, brackish, or saline based on resident plant community and position along a salinity gradient. Short-term total carbon accumulation rates were assessed by collect
    Authors
    Melissa M. Baustian, Camille L. Stagg, Carey L. Perry, Leland C Moss, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Mead Allison
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

    Non-USGS Publications**

    Beltrán-Burgos, M., C. R. Esposito, H. M. Nepf, M. M. Baustian, and D. R. Di Leonardo. 2023. Vegetation-driven seasonal sediment dynamics in a freshwater marsh of the Mississippi River Delta. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JG007143.
    Hemmerling SA, DeMyers C, Parfait J, Piñero E, Baustian MM, Bregman M, Di Leonardo D, Esposito C, Georgiou IY, Grismore A, Jung H, McMann B and Miner MD (2023), A community-informed transdisciplinary approach to coastal restoration planning: Maximizing the social and ecological co-benefits of wetland creation in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, USA. Front. Environ. Sci. 11:1105671. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2023.1105671
    Mavrommati, G. and Baustian, M.M. 2022. Linking water purification and waste treatment to human wellbeing. In: DellaSala, D.A., Goldstein, M.I. (Eds.). Imperiled: The Encyclopedia of Conservation.Vol. 3. Elsevier. Pp. 139-144. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821139-7.00116-1
    La Peyre, M.K., Sable, S., Taylor, C., Kiskaddon, E., and M.M. Baustian. 2021. Effects of sample gear on estuarine fish assemblage assessments and food web models. Ecological Indicators. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108404
    Wiesenburg, D.A., Shipp, B. Wilson, C., Fodrie, J., Powers, S., Latrigue, J., Darnell, K.M., Baustian, M.M., Ngo, C., Valentine, J.F. and, K. Wowk. 2021. Prospects for Gulf of Mexico environmental recovery and restoration. Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.124
    Barra, M., Hemmerling, S., and M.M. Baustian. 2020. A model controversy: Using environmental competency groups to inform coastal restoration planning in Louisiana. Professional Geographer. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2020.1777574
    N.N. Rabalais and Baustian, M.M. 2020. Historical shifts in benthic infaunal diversity in the northern Gulf of Mexico since the appearance of seasonally severe hypoxia. Diversity. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020049
    Baustian, M.M., Brooks, Y.M., Baskaran, M., Liu, B., Ostrom, N.E., Stevenson, R.J., and J.B. Rose. 2020. Paleo-environmental examination of human-driven ecosystem change in Lake St. Clair region of Laurentian Great Lakes basin. Journal of Paleolimnology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-019-00108-x
    Baustian, M.M, Jung, H., Bienn, H., Barra, M., Hemmerling, S. Wang, Y., White, E., and E. Meselhe. 2020. Engaging coastal community members about natural and nature-based solutions and assessing their ecosystem functions. Ecological Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoena.2019.100015
    Meselhe, E., Wang, Y., White, E., Jung, H., Baustian, M.M., Hemmerling, S.A., Barra, M., and H. Bienn. 2020. Knowledge-Based predictive tools to assess effectiveness of natural and nature-based solutions for coastal restoration and protection planning. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering 146(2): https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0001659
    Hemmerling, S.A., Barra, M., Bienn, H.C., Baustian, M.M., Jung, H., Meselhe, E., Wang, Y., and E. White. 2019. Elevating local knowledge through participatory modeling: Active community engagement in restoration planning in coastal Louisiana. Journal of Geographical Systems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-019-00313-2
    Baustian, M.M. Meselhe, E., Jung, H., Sadid, K, Duke- Sylvester, S., Visser, J., Allison, M., Moss, L., Ramatchandirane, C, van Maren, B., Jeuken, M., and S. Bargu. 2018. Development of an Integrated Biophysical Model to represent morphological and ecological processes in a changing deltaic and coastal ecosystem. Environmental Modeling and Software. 109:402-419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2018.05.019
    Baustian, M.M., Bargu, S., Rabalais, N.N, and W.L. Morrison. 2018. The polychaete, Paraprionospio pinnata, is a likely vector of domoic acid to the benthic food web in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Harmful Algae. 79:44-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2018.06.002
    Baustian, M.M., Clark, R. Jerabek, A.S., Wang, Y. Bienn, H.C., and E.D. White. 2018. Modeling current and future freshwater inflow needs of a subtropical estuary to manage and maintain forested wetland ecological conditions. Ecological Indicators. 85:791-807. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X17306295
    Price, A., Baustian, M.M., Turner, R.E. Rabalais, N.N., and G. Chmura. 2017. Dinoflagellate cysts track eutrophication in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts. 41:1322-1336. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12237-017-0351-x
    Brooks, Y.M., Baustian, M.M., Baskaran, M., Ostrom, N.E. and J.B. Rose. 2016. Historic associations of fecal indicator marker concentrations to anthropogenic activities and climate in freshwater sediment cores. Environmental Science and Technology. 50:6902-6911. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b01372
    Price, A., Baustian, M.M., Turner, R.E. Rabalais, N.N., and Chmura, G. 2016. Melitasphaeridium choanophorum – a living dinoflagellate cyst fossil in the Gulf of Mexico. Palynology. 41:351-358. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01916122.2016.1205676
    Bargu, S., Baustian, M.M., Rabalais, N.N., Del Rio, R., Von Korff, B., and R.E. Turner. 2016. Influence of the Mississippi River on Pseudo-nitzschia spp. abundance and toxicity in Louisiana coastal waters. Estuaries and Coasts. 39:1345-1356. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12237-016-0088-y
    Baustian, M.M., Hansen, G., de Kluijver, A., Robinson, K., Henry Norton, E., Knoll, L., Rose, K, and C. Carey. 2014. Linking the bottom to the top in aquatic ecosystems: mechanisms and stressors of benthic-pelagic coupling. Invited Eco-DAS X chapter for Association for Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography e-book. http://www.aslo.org/books/ecodas10/ecodas10_025.pdf
    Monk, M.H., Baustian, M.M., Saari, C.R., Welsh, S., D’Elia, C., Gaston, S., and J.E. Powers. 2014. EnvironMentors: mentoring at-risk high school students through university partnerships. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education. 9:385-397. http://www.ijese.com/ijese.2014.223a.pdf
    Hansen, G.A., Sadro, S., Baustian, M.M., and B. Stauffer. 2014. Shifting career pathways of Ph.D. ecologists: Is it time to redefine the “alternative” career? Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin. 23:2-5. http://aslo.org/bulletin/issues/14_v23_i1.pdf
    Baustian, M.M., Mavrommati, G., Dreelin, E.A., Esselman, P., Schultze, S., Qian, L. Aw, T.G Luo, L. and J.B. Rose. 2014. A one hundred year review of the socioeconomic and ecological systems in Lake St. Clair, North America. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 40:15-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2013.11.006
    Mavrommati, G., Baustian, M.M. and E. Dreelin. 2013. Coupling Socioeconomic and Lake Systems for Sustainability: A Conceptual Analysis Using Lake St. Clair Region as a Case Study. Ambio 43:275-287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13280-013-0432-4
    Baustian, M.M., Rabalais, N.N., Morrison, W.L. and R.E. Turner. 2013. Microphytobenthos along the Louisiana continental shelf during mid-summer hypoxia. Continental Shelf Research.52:108-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2012.10.014
    Baustian, M.M., Rabalais, N.N., Morrison, W.L. and R.E. Turner. 2011. Seasonal microphytobenthos on the hypoxic northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 436:51–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps09262
    Qian, S.S., Craig, J.K., Baustian, M.M. and N.N. Rabalais. 2009. A Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach for analyzing observational data from marine ecological studies. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 58:1916–1921. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.09.029
    Baustian, M.M., Craig, J.K. and N.N. Rabalais. 2009. Effects of summer 2003 hypoxia on macrobenthos and Atlantic croaker foraging selectivity in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 381:S31-S37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2009.07.007
    Baustian, M.M. and N.N. Rabalais. 2009. Seasonal composition of benthic macroinfauna exposed to hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuaries and Coasts. 32:975–983. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-009-9187-3
    Baustian, M.M., Bentley, S.J. and J.H. Wandersee. 2008. Innovative assessment tools for a short, fast-paced, summer field course. Journal of College Science Teaching. 37:37-43. http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/4/jcst08_037_06_37
    Millman, M., Teichberg, M, Martinetto, P and I. Valiela. 2002. Response of shrimp populations to land-derived nitrogen in Waquoit Bay. Biological Bulletin. 203:263-264. http://www.biolbull.org/content/203/2/263.full.pdf+html

    **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