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
Influence of potential sea level rise on societal vulnerability to hurricane storm-surge hazards, Sarasota County, Florida
Stakeholder perspectives on land-use strategies for adapting to climate-change-enhanced coastal hazards: Sarasota, Florida
Community exposure to lahar hazards from Mount Rainier, Washington
Amount and Percentage of Current Societal Assets in Areas on Kaua'i, Hawai'i, within the 1992 Hurricane 'Iniki Storm-Surge Inundation Zone
Variations in Community Exposure and Sensitivity to Tsunami Hazards on the Open-Ocean and Strait of Juan de Fuca Coasts of Washington
Current and future vulnerability of Sarasota County Florida to hurricane storm surge & sea level rise
Spatial trends in marsh sediment deposition within a microtidal creek system, Waccasassa Bay, Florida
Variations in Community Exposure and Sensitivity to Tsunami Hazards in the State of Hawai'i
Variations in City Exposure and Sensitivity to Tsunami Hazards in Oregon
Opportunities and Needs for Mobile-Computing Technology to Support U.S. Geological Survey Fieldwork
Geographic Information System Software to Enhance Field-Data Collection and Management of Land Cover Trends Information
Dialog on science impact: benchmarking external efforts and organizations
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Influence of potential sea level rise on societal vulnerability to hurricane storm-surge hazards, Sarasota County, Florida
Although the potential for hurricanes under current climatic conditions continue to threaten coastal communities, there is concern that climate change, specifically potential increases in sea level, could influence the impacts of future hurricanes. To examine the potential effect of sea level rise on community vulnerability to future hurricanes, we assess variations in socioeconomic exposure in SaAuthorsTim G. Frazier, Nathan Wood, Brent Yarnal, Denise H. BauerStakeholder perspectives on land-use strategies for adapting to climate-change-enhanced coastal hazards: Sarasota, Florida
Sustainable land-use planning requires decision makers to balance community growth with resilience to natural hazards. This balance is especially difficult in many coastal communities where planners must grapple with significant growth projections, the persistent threat of extreme events (e.g., hurricanes), and climate-change-driven sea level rise that not only presents a chronic hazard but also aAuthorsTim G. Frazier, Nathan Wood, Brent YarnalCommunity exposure to lahar hazards from Mount Rainier, Washington
Geologic evidence of past events and inundation modeling of potential events suggest that lahars associated with Mount Rainier, Washington, are significant threats to downstream development. To mitigate potential impacts of future lahars and educate at-risk populations, officials need to understand how communities are vulnerable to these fast-moving debris flows and which individuals and communitiAuthorsNathan J. Wood, Christopher E. SoulardAmount and Percentage of Current Societal Assets in Areas on Kaua'i, Hawai'i, within the 1992 Hurricane 'Iniki Storm-Surge Inundation Zone
The Pacific Risk Management 'Ohana (PRiMO) is a network of partners and stakeholders involved in the development, delivery, and communication of risk management-related information, products, and services across the Pacific Ocean (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Services Center, 2008). One PRiMO-related project is the NOAA National Climatic Data Center's Integrated Data andAuthorsNathan WoodVariations in Community Exposure and Sensitivity to Tsunami Hazards on the Open-Ocean and Strait of Juan de Fuca Coasts of Washington
Evidence of past events and modeling of potential future events suggest that tsunamis are significant threats to communities on the open-ocean and Strait of Juan de Fuca coasts of Washington. Although potential tsunami-inundation zones from a Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake have been delineated, the amount and type of human development in tsunami-prone areas have not been documented. A vAuthorsNathan Wood, Christopher SoulardCurrent and future vulnerability of Sarasota County Florida to hurricane storm surge & sea level rise
Coastal communities in portions of the United States axe vulnerable to storm-surge inundation from hurricanes and this vulnerability will likely increase, given predicted rises in sea level from climate change and growing coastal development. In this paper, we provide an overview of research to determine current and future societal vulnerability to hurricane storm-surge inundation and to help publAuthorsTim Frazier, Nathan J. Wood, Brent YarnalSpatial trends in marsh sediment deposition within a microtidal creek system, Waccasassa Bay, Florida
Marsh surface deposition, suspended sediment concentrations, tidal hydrodynamics, and marsh surface characteristics were measured within a tidal creek system of a west-central Florida, microtidal, open marine Juncus roemerianus marsh to examine the depositional relationship between a creek system and the surrounding marsh during nonstorm conditions. Results suggest that short-term marsh depositionAuthorsNathan Wood, Albert C. HineVariations in Community Exposure and Sensitivity to Tsunami Hazards in the State of Hawai'i
Hawai`i has experienced numerous destructive tsunamis and the potential for future events threatens the safety and economic well being of its coastal communities. Although tsunami-evacuation zones have been delineated, what is in these areas and how communities have chosen to develop within them has not been documented. A community-level vulnerability assessment using geographic-information-systemAuthorsNathan Wood, Alyssia Church, Tim Frazier, Brent YarnalVariations in City Exposure and Sensitivity to Tsunami Hazards in Oregon
Evidence of past events and modeling of potential future events suggest that tsunamis are significant threats to Oregon coastal communities. Although a potential tsunami-inundation zone from a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake has been delineated, what is in this area and how communities have chosen to develop within it have not been documented. A vulnerability assessment using geographic-informAuthorsNathan WoodOpportunities and Needs for Mobile-Computing Technology to Support U.S. Geological Survey Fieldwork
To assess the opportunities and needs for mobile-computing technology at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), we conducted an internal, Internet-based survey of bureau scientists whose research includes fieldwork. In summer 2005, 144 survey participants answered 65 questions about fieldwork activities and conditions, technology to support field research, and postfieldwork data processing and analysiAuthorsNathan J. Wood, David L. HalsingGeographic Information System Software to Enhance Field-Data Collection and Management of Land Cover Trends Information
No abstract available.AuthorsNathan Wood, Benjamin Sleeter, Peter NgDialog on science impact: benchmarking external efforts and organizations
No abstract available.AuthorsNathan Wood - Web Tools
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