Research Oceanographer with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Professional Experience
Oct. 2009-present - Research Oceanographer, United States Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, CA. Lead PI on groundwater and land-based pollution coral reef ecosystem studies. Design and implement field experiments on geochemical impacts of groundwater and land-based pollution on coral reefs. Lead PI on deep-sea coral paleo-ecology multi-agency project.
July ‘10-Nov.’10 - Science Program Coordinator Advisor, Schmidt Ocean Institute, Palo Alto, CA Served as liaison between the individual scientific researchers and the Institute to implement and execute a scientific strategy. Managed complex, scientific planning efforts involving scientists, engineers, marine operations personnel, technicians, and other support staff.
2007-2009 - Mendenhall Postdoctoral Research Fellow, United States Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, CA. Lead investigator on 2-year Federal scientific research program to investigate the link between sedimentation and coral reef ecosystem health. Collaborated with investigators at multiple Federal agencies and academic institutions.
2004-2007 - Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research Postdoctoral Scholar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA. Lead investigator on multidisciplinary initiative to develop new tools to assess coral response to environmental stressors from both anthropogenic and natural perturbations.
Summer 2004 - University Instructor, University of California, Berkeley, CA. Developed innovative student centered curriculum for an 8-week intensive summer course on oceanography.
2000-2004 - Graduate Research Environmental Fellow, Department of Energy (DOE), Stanford University. Lead investigator of international coral reef project in Kenya and Sumatra.
Education and Certifications
2004: Ph.D., Oceanography, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
1997: M.S., Climate Change Research Center, Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
1993: B.A., Geology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
Science and Products
Coral Reef Project
Ecosystems: EXPRESS
Hazards: EXPRESS
Climate Change and Land-use Histories
EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
Resources: EXPRESS
USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats
DISCOVRE: Diversity, Systematics and Connectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems
Seeking the Seeps
IMMeRSS- Seafloor Methane Seep Environments
IMMeRSS-- Interagency Mission for Methane Research on Seafloor Seeps
CTD profiles and discrete water-column measurements collected off California and Oregon during NOAA cruise SH-18-12 (USGS field activity 2018-663-FA) from October to November 2018 (ver. 2.0, September 2021)
Geochemistry time series and growth parameters from Tutuila, American Samoa coral record (ver. 2.0, June 2021)
Coral geochemistry time series from Kahekili, west Maui
Near-shore seawater-column measurements of excess radon (Rn-222) and water levels, Faga'alu Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa, August 2018
Water-column environmental variables and accompanying discrete CTD measurements collected offshore the U.S. Mid- and South Atlantic
Radiocarbon dating of deep-sea black corals collected off the southeastern United States
CTD profiles and discrete water-column measurements collected off California and Oregon during NOAA cruise RL-19-05 (USGS field activity 2019-672-FA) from October to November 2019
Geochemical analysis of seeps along the Queen Charlotte Fault
Biomarker analysis of cold seeps along the United States Atlantic Margin
Geochemical analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at Atlantic Margin seeps
Olowalu chronology and geochemistry time-series, West Maui
Sediment trap and water column chemistry, Baltimore Canyon, U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bight
A characterization of deep-sea coral and sponge communities along the California and Oregon coast using a remotely operated vehicle on the EXPRESS 2018 expedition
Rebounds, regresses, and recovery: A 15-year study of the coral reef community at Pila‘a, Kaua‘i after decades of natural and anthropogenic stress events
Bomb-produced radiocarbon across the South Pacific Gyre — A new record from American Samoa with utility for fisheries science
New geochemical tools for investigating resource and energy functions at deep-sea cold seeps using amino-acid δ15N in chemosymbiotic mussels (Bathymodiolus childressi)
Expanding the repertoire of electron acceptors for the anaerobic oxidation of methane in carbonates in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
Focused fluid flow and methane venting along the Queen Charlotte fault, offshore Alaska (USA) and British Columbia (Canada)
Cascadia Margin cold seeps: Subduction zone fluids, gas hydrates, and chemosynthetic habitats
Mapping, exploration, and characterization of the California continental margin and associated features from the California-Oregon border to Ensenada, Mexico
Molecular indicators of methane metabolisms at cold seeps along the United States Atlantic margin
Pulse sediment event does not impact the metabolism of a mixed coral reef community
Coral skeleton δ15N as a tracer of historic nutrient loading to a coral reef in Maui, Hawaii
Molecular characterization of Bathymodiolus mussels and gill symbionts associated with chemosynthetic habitats from the U.S. Atlantic margin
Pre-USGS Publications
Science and Products
- Science
Coral Reef Project
Explore the fascinating undersea world of coral reefs. Learn how we map, monitor, and model coral reefs so we can better understand, protect, and preserve our Nation's reefs.Ecosystems: EXPRESS
The continental shelf and slope offshore California, Oregon, and Washington are home to deep-sea corals, chemosynthetic communities, and other sensitive habitats that could be impacted by the development of energy and mineral resources. The EXPRESS (Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems) campaign will map and characterize these special areas to help guide ocean management...Hazards: EXPRESS
Marine geohazards including earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis lie offshore of densely populated areas of California, Oregon, and Washington. One goal of EXPRESS is to improve assessments of these hazards.Climate Change and Land-use Histories
We are developing new and unique oceanographic and environmental archives from coral skeleton records to better understand the compounding effects of land-use and environmental change on coral reef health.EXPRESS: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems
EXPRESS is a multi-year, multi-institution cooperative research campaign in deep sea areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, including the continental shelf and slope. EXPRESS data and information are intended to guide wise use of living marine resources and habitats, inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions, and improve offshore hazard assessments.Resources: EXPRESS
Along the U.S. west coast, the Pacific Ocean, ocean floor, and winds above contain potentially vast energy and mineral resources. Developing these resources safely and wisely requires detailed information for each area of interest. One goal of EXPRESS is to inform ocean energy and mineral resource decisions.USGS Role in DEEP SEARCH: Deep Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral, Canyon, and Cold-seep Habitats
USGS scientists are collaborating with multiple agencies to provide the esssential foundation for understanding these deep-sea environments.DISCOVRE: Diversity, Systematics and Connectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems
DISCOVRE (DIversity, Systematics and COnnectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems) is an integrated, multidisciplinary, international effort investigating the unique and fragile deep-sea coral environments from the microscopic level to the ecosystem level.Seeking the Seeps
From June 12 to July 3, 2019, the USGS sailed onboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor with several other partners, seeking methane seeps along the seafloor of several underwater canyons off the coast of Oregon and Washington. On this cruise, USGS scientists will seek to understand how much methane is coming out of these seeps, how it travels through the water column, and its ultimate fate in...ByEcosystems, Natural Hazards, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Environments Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Communications and PublishingIMMeRSS- Seafloor Methane Seep Environments
Cold seeps, which are locations where chemicals -- including methane and other hydrocarbons, brine, hydrogen sulfide, and sometimes carbon dioxide--leak from the seafloor, occur worldwide on both passive and tectonically-active continental margins. Cold seeps are distinguished from hydrothermal vents, which are warm-temperature seeps associated with mid-ocean spreading centers.IMMeRSS-- Interagency Mission for Methane Research on Seafloor Seeps
From May 3 to May 11, 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the British Geological Survey and with support from these two agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, and the U.S. Department of Energy, will lead an expedition aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp to explore seafloor methane seeps on the northern U.S... - Data
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CTD profiles and discrete water-column measurements collected off California and Oregon during NOAA cruise SH-18-12 (USGS field activity 2018-663-FA) from October to November 2018 (ver. 2.0, September 2021)
Various water column variables, including salinity, dissolved inorganic nutrients, pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, radio-carbon isotopes were measured in samples collected using a Niskin-bottle rosette at selected depths from sites offshore of California and Oregon from October to November 2018 during NOAA cruise SH-18-12 on the R/V Bell M. Shimada (USGS field activity 2018-663-FGeochemistry time series and growth parameters from Tutuila, American Samoa coral record (ver. 2.0, June 2021)
Geochemical analysis (including radiocarbon, stable carbon isotope, and elemental composition) and growth parameters (including calcification rate, density, and extension information) were measured from a coral core collected from a reef off the southern side of Tutuila, American Samoa. The core was collected near Matautuloa Point on 8 April 2012 in collaboration with the Ecosystem Sciences DivisiCoral geochemistry time series from Kahekili, west Maui
Geochemical analysis (including stable boron, boron:calcium ratio, and carbon and oxygen isotopes) were measured from coral cores collected in July 2013 from the shallow reef at Kahekili in Kaanapali, west Maui, Hawaii from scleractinian Porites lobata.Near-shore seawater-column measurements of excess radon (Rn-222) and water levels, Faga'alu Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa, August 2018
This data table includes in-situ near-shore seawater measurements of excess radon (Rn-222) and water levels collected in Faga'alu Bay, Tutuila, American Samoa.Water-column environmental variables and accompanying discrete CTD measurements collected offshore the U.S. Mid- and South Atlantic
Various water column variables, including salinity, dissolved inorganic nutrients, dissolved inorganic carbon, and radio-carbon isotopes were measured in samples collected using a Niskin-bottle rosette at selected depths from deepwater sites offshore the US Mid- and South Atlantic from September 2017 to April 2019. CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) data were also collected at each depth that aRadiocarbon dating of deep-sea black corals collected off the southeastern United States
Results of radiocarbon dating of deep-sea (500 m to 700 m) black corals are presented. These corals were collected off the southeastern United States as part of the Southeastern United States Deep-Sea Corals (SEADESC) Initiative.CTD profiles and discrete water-column measurements collected off California and Oregon during NOAA cruise RL-19-05 (USGS field activity 2019-672-FA) from October to November 2019
Various water column variables, including salinity, dissolved inorganic nutrients, pH, total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, rwere measured in samples collected using a Niskin-bottle rosette at selected depths from sites offshore of California and Oregon from October to November 2019 during NOAA cruise RL-19-05 on the R/V Reuben Lasker (USGS field activity 2019-672-FA). CTD (Conductivity TGeochemical analysis of seeps along the Queen Charlotte Fault
Geochemical analyses of authigenic carbonates, bivalves, and pore fluids were performed on samples collected from seep fields along the Queen Charlotte Fault, a right lateral transform boundary that separates the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. Samples were collected using grab samplers and piston cores, and were collected during three different research cruises in 2011, 2015, and 2017Biomarker analysis of cold seeps along the United States Atlantic Margin
Results of lipid biomarker concentration and compound specific isotopes analyzed from authigenic carbonates and surrounding sediment collected from Baltimore and Norfolk seep fields along the United States Atlantic Margin are presented in csv format. Samples were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and Duke University between 2012 and 2015 using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Geochemical aGeochemical analysis of authigenic carbonates and chemosynthetic mussels at Atlantic Margin seeps
Isotopic analyses of authigenic carbonates and methanotrophic deep-sea mussels, Bathymodiolus sp., was performed on samples collected from seep fields in the Baltimore and Norfolk Canyons on the north Atlantic margin. Samples were collected using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) during three different research cruises in 2012, 2013, and 2015. Analyses were performed by several differenOlowalu chronology and geochemistry time-series, West Maui
Chronology and time-series geochemistry data of a coral core collected from Olowalu, West Maui, Hawaii. The chronology is based on density banding, radiocarbon bomb-curve, and uranium thorium dating techniques. The geochemistry time-series data contains major and minor elements over the length of the coral life span, as measured from laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)Sediment trap and water column chemistry, Baltimore Canyon, U.S. Mid-Atlantic Bight
Time-series of sediment chemistry, including organic biomarker composition and bulk inorganic geochemical analytes, from samples collected over a one-year period in a sediment trap. The sediment traps were deployed at a depth between 603 m to 1318 m, and they were programmed to rotate a 250 mL sample bottle at 30 d intervals, delivering 12 samples during the 1-year deployment between August 2012 a - Publications
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A characterization of deep-sea coral and sponge communities along the California and Oregon coast using a remotely operated vehicle on the EXPRESS 2018 expedition
Deep-sea coral and sponge (DSCS) communities serve as essential fish habitats (EFH) by providing shelter and nursery habitat, increasing diversity, and increasing prey availability (Freese and Wing, 2003; Bright, 2007; Baillon et al., 2012; Henderson et al., 2020). Threats to these long-lived, fragile organisms from bottom contact fishing gear, potential offshore renewable energy development, andRebounds, regresses, and recovery: A 15-year study of the coral reef community at Pila‘a, Kaua‘i after decades of natural and anthropogenic stress events
Pila‘a reef on the north shore of Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i was subjected to a major flood event in 2001 that deposited extensive sediment on the reef flat, resulting in high coral mortality. To document potential recovery, this study replicated benthic and sediment surveys conducted immediately following the event and 15 years later. Coral cores were analyzed to determine coral growth rates and density. OuBomb-produced radiocarbon across the South Pacific Gyre — A new record from American Samoa with utility for fisheries science
Coral skeletal structures can provide a robust record of nuclear bomb produced 14C with valuable insight into air-sea exchange processes and water movement with applications to fisheries science. To expand these records in the South Pacific, a coral core from Tutuila Island, American Samoa was dated with density band counting covering a 59-yr period (1953–2012). Seasonal signals in elemental ratioNew geochemical tools for investigating resource and energy functions at deep-sea cold seeps using amino-acid δ15N in chemosymbiotic mussels (Bathymodiolus childressi)
In order to reconstruct the ecosystem structure of chemosynthetic environments in the fossil record, geochemical proxies must be developed. Here, we present a suite of novel compound-specific isotope parameters for tracing chemosynthetic production with a focus on understanding nitrogen dynamics in deep-sea cold seep environments. We examined the chemosymbiotic bivalve Bathymodiolus childressi froExpanding the repertoire of electron acceptors for the anaerobic oxidation of methane in carbonates in the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
Authigenic carbonates represent a significant microbial sink for methane, yet little is known about the microbiome responsible for the methane removal. We identify carbonate microbiomes distributed over 21 locations hosted by seven different cold seeps in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans by carrying out a gene-based survey using 16S rRNA- and mcrA gene sequencing coupled with metagenomic analyses.Focused fluid flow and methane venting along the Queen Charlotte fault, offshore Alaska (USA) and British Columbia (Canada)
Fluid seepage along obliquely deforming plate boundaries can be an important indicator of crustal permeability and influence on fault-zone mechanics and hydrocarbon migration. The ~850-km-long Queen Charlotte fault (QCF) is the dominant structure along the right-lateral transform boundary that separates the Pacific and North American tectonic plates offshore southeastern Alaska (USA) and western BCascadia Margin cold seeps: Subduction zone fluids, gas hydrates, and chemosynthetic habitats
Priority Geographic Area: The outer continental shelf and upper continental slope from Canada/U.S. border offshore Washington State to the Mendocino Fracture Zone (Northern California), entirely within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), from the outermost shelf to at least 2000 m water depth (Figure 1). Description of Priority Area: Since 2015, over a thousand water column gas plumes originatMapping, exploration, and characterization of the California continental margin and associated features from the California-Oregon border to Ensenada, Mexico
Priority Geographic Area: Both within and outside US Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). California continental margin. This area includes and continues south of the geographic area captured in the Watt et al. white paper. Description of Priority Area: The California continental margin, from the narrow shelf to abyssal depths, contains diverse seafloor features that influence benthic community types, bMolecular indicators of methane metabolisms at cold seeps along the United States Atlantic margin
A lipid biomarker study was undertaken to determine the microbial composition and variability in authigenic carbonates and associated soft bottom habitats from the Norfolk and the Baltimore Canyon seep fields along the US mid-Atlantic margin. Results from this study capture a distinct molecular signal from methane oxidizing archaea, including archaeol (I), sn-2-hydroxyarchaeol, pentamethylicosanePulse sediment event does not impact the metabolism of a mixed coral reef community
Sedimentation can bury corals, cause physical abrasion, and alter both spectral intensity and quality; however, few studies have quantified the effects of sedimentation on coral reef metabolism in the context of episodic sedimentation events. Here, we present the first study to measure coral community metabolism - calcification and photosynthesis - in a manipulative mesocosm experiment simulatingCoral skeleton δ15N as a tracer of historic nutrient loading to a coral reef in Maui, Hawaii
Excess nutrient loading to nearshore environments has been linked to declining water quality and ecosystem health. Macro-algal blooms, eutrophication, and reduction in coral cover have been observed in West Maui, Hawaii, and linked to nutrient inputs from coastal submarine groundwater seeps. Here, we present a forty-year record of nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) of intra-crystalline coral skeletal organiMolecular characterization of Bathymodiolus mussels and gill symbionts associated with chemosynthetic habitats from the U.S. Atlantic margin
Mussels of the genus Bathymodiolus are among the most widespread colonizers of hydrothermal vent and cold seep environments, sustained by endosymbiosis with chemosynthetic bacteria. Presumed species of Bathymodiolus are abundant at newly discovered cold seeps on the Mid-Atlantic continental slope, however morphological taxonomy is challenging, and their phylogenetic affinities remain unestablishedPre-USGS Publications
Lamborg, C.H., Swarr, G., Hughen, K., Jones, R., Birdwhistell, S., Fuby, K., Murty, S.A., Prouty, N., and Tseng, C-M., 2013 Determination of low-level mercury in coralline aragonite by calcination-isotope dilution-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and its application to Diploria specimens from Castle Harbour, Bermuda: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 109, pp. 27-37, doi: 10.1016/j.gca.2013.01.026.Prouty NG, Roark EB, Andrews A, Robinson L, Hill T, Sherwood O, Willams B, Guilderson T, Fallon S, 2015, Age, Growth Rates, and Paleoclimate Studies of Deep Sea Corals, In: Hourigan TF, Etnoyer PJ, Cairns SD, eds., The State of Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Ecosystems of the United States: 2015: NOAA Technical Memorandum X, NOAA, Silver Spring, Maryland, p 10-1 – 10-21Carilli, J., Prouty, N.G., Hughen, K.A., and Norris, R.D., 2009, Century-scale records of land-based activities recorded in Mesoamerican coral cores: Marine Pollution Bulletin, v. 58, i. 12, pp. 1835-1842, doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.07.024. - News
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