Nathan J Wood, Ph.D.
Nathan Wood is a supervisory research geographer with the USGS Western Geographic Science Center.
He supervises the WGSC Hazard Vulnerability Team that specializes in societal-vulnerability science, geospatial modeling, and web mapping applications. He has conducted research and written extensively on community vulnerability to natural hazards, such as asset exposure, demographic sensitivity, and pedestrian evacuation modeling. He has done work related to tsunami threats in Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, Alaska, American Samoa, and Guam; volcanic hazards in Washington and California; and coastal hazards in California, the Pacific Northwest, and the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. He also works with natural scientists to model and create national-scale hazard maps, including landslide, sinkhole, and Valley Fever susceptibility. He is a co-leader of a project characterizing multi-hazard risk for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He is a USGS representative for the Coordinating Committee of the U.S. National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program.
Professional Experience
2014 – Current: Supervisory Research Geographer, USGS Western Geographic Science Center (WGSC)
2001 – 2014: Research Geographer, USGS WGSC
1999-2001: Project Manager, Extension Sea Grant, Oregon State University
1998-1999: Instructor, Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Geography, Oregon State University, 2002
M.S. Marine Science, University of South Florida, 1996
B.S. Geology, Duke University, 1993
Science and Products
Maximizing the social and ecological value of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina as the effects of global change processes increase.
Sensitivity of tsunami evacuation modeling to direction and land cover assumptions
Reducing risk from lahar hazards: Concepts, case studies, and roles for scientists
Variable population exposure and distributed travel speeds in least-cost tsunami evacuation modelling
The Pedestrian Evacuation Analyst: geographic information systems software for modeling hazard evacuation potential
Variations in population vulnerability to tectonic and landslide-related tsunami hazards in Alaska
A protocol for coordinating post-tsunami field reconnaissance efforts in the USA
Incorporating climate change and morphological uncertainty into coastal change hazard assessments
Comparing population exposure to multiple Washington earthquake scenarios for prioritizing loss estimation studies
Tsunami vertical-evacuation planning in the U.S. Pacific Northwest as a geospatial, multi-criteria decision problem
Changes in population evacuation potential for tsunami hazards in Seward, Alaska, since the 1964 Good Friday earthquake
Population vulnerability and evacuation challenges in California for the SAFRR tsunami scenario
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Maximizing the social and ecological value of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina as the effects of global change processes increase.
Coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been severely altered by processes associated with human development, including drainage of coastal wetlands, changes in hydrology that alter sediment and freshwater delivery to the coast, land clearing, agricultural and forestry activity, and the construction of seawalls and other structures that “harden” the coast. Sea-level rise and the changing frequAuthorsRaye Nilius, Sarah Dawsey, Mitchell J. Eaton, Julien Martin, Stephanie S. Romañach, Suzanne Baird, Michael Bryant, David J. Case, Fred A. Johnson, Gerard McMahon, Nancy Pau, Elizabeth Pienaar, Mary Ratnaswamy, Steven Seibert, Pamela Wingrove, Nathan J. WoodSensitivity of tsunami evacuation modeling to direction and land cover assumptions
Although anisotropic least-cost-distance (LCD) modeling is becoming a common tool for estimating pedestrian-evacuation travel times out of tsunami hazard zones, there has been insufficient attention paid to understanding model sensitivity behind the estimates. To support tsunami risk-reduction planning, we explore two aspects of LCD modeling as it applies to pedestrian evacuations and use the coasAuthorsMathew C. Schmidtlein, Nathan J. WoodReducing risk from lahar hazards: Concepts, case studies, and roles for scientists
Lahars are rapid flows of mud-rock slurries that can occur without warning and catastrophically impact areas more than 100 km downstream of source volcanoes. Strategies to mitigate the potential for damage or loss from lahars fall into four basic categories: (1) avoidance of lahar hazards through land-use planning; (2) modification of lahar hazards through engineered protection structures; (3) lahAuthorsThomas C. Pierson, Nathan J. Wood, Carolyn L. DriedgerVariable population exposure and distributed travel speeds in least-cost tsunami evacuation modelling
Evacuation of the population from a tsunami hazard zone is vital to reduce life-loss due to inundation. Geospatial least-cost distance modelling provides one approach to assessing tsunami evacuation potential. Previous models have generally used two static exposure scenarios and fixed travel speeds to represent population movement. Some analyses have assumed immediate departure or a common evacuatAuthorsStuart A. Fraser, Nathan J. Wood, David A. Johnston, Graham S. Leonard, Paul D. Greening, Tiziana RossettoThe Pedestrian Evacuation Analyst: geographic information systems software for modeling hazard evacuation potential
Recent disasters such as the 2011 Tohoku, Japan, earthquake and tsunami; the 2013 Colorado floods; and the 2014 Oso, Washington, mudslide have raised awareness of catastrophic, sudden-onset hazards that arrive within minutes of the events that trigger them, such as local earthquakes or landslides. Due to the limited amount of time between generation and arrival of sudden-onset hazards, evacuationsAuthorsJeanne M. Jones, Peter Ng, Nathan J. WoodVariations in population vulnerability to tectonic and landslide-related tsunami hazards in Alaska
Effective tsunami risk reduction requires an understanding of how at-risk populations are specifically vulnerable to tsunami threats. Vulnerability assessments primarily have been based on single hazard zones, even though a coastal community may be threatened by multiple tsunami sources that vary locally in terms of inundation extents and wave arrival times. We use the Alaskan coastal communitiesAuthorsNathan J. Wood, Jeff PetersA protocol for coordinating post-tsunami field reconnaissance efforts in the USA
In the aftermath of a catastrophic tsunami, much is to be learned about tsunami generation and propagation, landscape and ecological changes, and the response and recovery of those affected by the disaster. Knowledge of the impacted area directly helps response and relief personnel in their efforts to reach and care for survivors and for re-establishing community services. First-hand accounts of tAuthorsRick I. Wilson, Nathan J. Wood, Laura Kong, Michael V. Shulters, Kevin D. Richards, Paula Dunbar, Gen Tamura, Edward J. YoungIncorporating climate change and morphological uncertainty into coastal change hazard assessments
Documented and forecasted trends in rising sea levels and changes in storminess patterns have the potential to increase the frequency, magnitude, and spatial extent of coastal change hazards. To develop realistic adaptation strategies, coastal planners need information about coastal change hazards that recognizes the dynamic temporal and spatial scales of beach morphology, the climate controls onAuthorsHeather M. Baron, Peter Ruggiero, Nathan J. Wood, Erica L. Harris, Jonathan Allan, Paul D. Komar, Patrick CorcoranComparing population exposure to multiple Washington earthquake scenarios for prioritizing loss estimation studies
Scenario-based, loss-estimation studies are useful for gauging potential societal impacts from earthquakes but can be challenging to undertake in areas with multiple scenarios and jurisdictions. We present a geospatial approach using various population data for comparing earthquake scenarios and jurisdictions to help emergency managers prioritize where to focus limited resources on data developmenAuthorsNathan J. Wood, Jamie L. Ratliff, John Schelling, Craig S. WeaverTsunami vertical-evacuation planning in the U.S. Pacific Northwest as a geospatial, multi-criteria decision problem
Tsunami vertical-evacuation (TVE) refuges can be effective risk-reduction options for coastal communities with local tsunami threats but no accessible high ground for evacuations. Deciding where to locate TVE refuges is a complex risk-management question, given the potential for conflicting stakeholder priorities and multiple, suitable sites. We use the coastal community of Ocean Shores (WashingtoAuthorsNathan Wood, Jeanne Jones, John Schelling, Mathew SchmidtleinChanges in population evacuation potential for tsunami hazards in Seward, Alaska, since the 1964 Good Friday earthquake
Pedestrian evacuation modeling for tsunami hazards typically focuses on current land-cover conditions and population distributions. To examine how post-disaster redevelopment may influence the evacuation potential of at-risk populations to future threats, we modeled pedestrian travel times to safety in Seward, Alaska, based on conditions before the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and tsunami disasterAuthorsNathan J. Wood, Mathew C. Schmidtlein, Jeff PetersPopulation vulnerability and evacuation challenges in California for the SAFRR tsunami scenario
The SAFRR tsunami scenario models the impacts of a hypothetical yet plausible tsunami associated with a magnitude 9.1 megathrust earthquake east of the Alaska Peninsula. This report summarizes community variations in population vulnerability and potential evacuation challenges to the tsunami. The most significant public-health concern for California coastal communities during a distant-source tsunAuthorsNathan Wood, Jamie Ratliff, Jeff Peters, Kimberley Shoaf - Web Tools
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