Neil Kamal Ganju, PhD
My research spans the multiple disciplines that converge in estuarine systems. Research projects include numerical model development, field observations of hydrodynamics and water quality, wetland and coastal vulnerability assessments, geomorphic change, and eutrophication.
In 2001, I began working for the USGS at the California Water Science Center, on the San Francisco Bay Sediment Transport Project with Dr. David Schoellhamer. In 2008 I moved to the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center and began multiple projects throughout the northeast US. The Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems project, started in 2015, details the past and ongoing studies we are involved with.
Professional Experience
2010-present: Research Oceanographer, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
2008-2010: Hydraulic Engineer, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
2001-2008: Hydraulic Engineer, California Water Science Center
Education and Certifications
I studied civil engineering at the University of Michigan (BSCE), the University of Florida (MSCE), and the University of California-Davis (Ph.D.).
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 18
Filter Total Items: 74
Elevation of marsh units in Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts Elevation of marsh units in Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts
This data release provides elevation distribution in the Plum Island Estuary and Parker River (PIEPR) salt marsh complex. Elevation distribution was calculated in terms of mean elevation of conceptual marsh units defined by Defne and Ganju (2018). The elevation data was based on the 1-meter gridded Digital Elevation Model and supplemented by 1-meter resampled 1/9 arc-second resolution...
Unvegetated to vegetated marsh ratio in Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts Unvegetated to vegetated marsh ratio in Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts
Unvegetated to vegetated marsh ratio (UVVR) in the Plum Island Estuary and Parker River (PIEPR) salt marsh complex was computed based on conceptual marsh units defined by Defne and Ganju (2018). UVVR was calculated based on U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) 1-meter resolution imagery. Through scientific efforts initiated with the Hurricane Sandy...
Conceptual marsh units for Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts Conceptual marsh units for Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts
The salt marsh complex of Plum Island Estuary and Parker River (PIEPR) was delineated to smaller, conceptual marsh units by geoprocessing of surface elevation data. Flow accumulation based on the relative elevation of each location was used to determine the ridge lines that separate each marsh unit while the surface slope was used to automatically assign each unit a drainage point, where...
Elevation of salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey Elevation of salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey
Elevation distribution in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (EBFNWR), which spans over Great Bay, Little Egg Harbor, and Barnegat Bay in New Jersey, USA is given in terms of mean elevation of conceptual marsh units defined by Defne and Ganju (2016). The elevation data is based on the 1-meter resampled 1/9 arc-second resolution USGS National Elevation Data. As part of the...
USGS Barnegat Bay Hydrodynamic Model for March-September 2012 USGS Barnegat Bay Hydrodynamic Model for March-September 2012
Simulation of hydrodynamic circulation in Barnegat Bay for the period from 03-01-2012 to 10-01-2012. The bathymetry of the model was based on the National Ocean Service Hydrographic Survey data, and updated with recent bathymetric measurements. At the landward end (western boundary), we specified point sources of freshwater in accordance with USGS streamflow measurements at 7 gauges, and...
Shoreline change rates in salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey Shoreline change rates in salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey
Monitoring shoreline change is of interest in many coastal areas because it enables quantification of land loss over time. Evolution of shoreline position is determined by the balance between erosion and accretion along the coast. In the case of salt marshes, erosion along the water boundary causes a loss of ecosystem services, such as habitat provision, carbon storage, and wave...
Filter Total Items: 118
Progress and challenges in coupled hydrodynamic-ecological estuarine modeling Progress and challenges in coupled hydrodynamic-ecological estuarine modeling
Numerical modeling has emerged over the last several decades as a widely accepted tool for investigations in environmental sciences. In estuarine research, hydrodynamic and ecological models have moved along parallel tracks with regard to complexity, refinement, computational power, and incorporation of uncertainty. Coupled hydrodynamic-ecological models have been used to assess...
Authors
Neil K. Ganju, Mark J. Brush, Brenda Rashleigh, Alfredo L. Aretxabaleta, Pilar del Barrio, Jason S. Grear, Lora A. Harris, Samuel J. Lake, Grant McCardell, James O'Donnell, David K. Ralston, Richard P. Signell, Jeremy Testa, Jamie M. P. Vaudrey
Estimating time-dependent connectivity in marine systems Estimating time-dependent connectivity in marine systems
Hydrodynamic connectivity describes the sources and destinations of water parcels within a domain over a given time. When combined with biological models, it can be a powerful concept to explain the patterns of constituent dispersal within marine ecosystems. However, providing connectivity metrics for a given domain is a three-dimensional problem: two dimensions in space to define the...
Authors
Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, Alfredo Aretxabaleta
Colored dissolved organic matter in shallow estuaries: relationships between carbon sources and light attenuation Colored dissolved organic matter in shallow estuaries: relationships between carbon sources and light attenuation
Light availability is of primary importance to the ecological function of shallow estuaries. For example, benthic primary production by submerged aquatic vegetation is contingent upon light penetration to the seabed. A major component that attenuates light in estuaries is colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). CDOM is often measured via a proxy, fluorescing dissolved organic matter...
Authors
W.K. Oestreich, Neil K. Ganju, John W. Pohlman, Steven E. Suttles
A linear relationship between wave power and erosion determines salt-marsh resilience to violent storms and hurricanes A linear relationship between wave power and erosion determines salt-marsh resilience to violent storms and hurricanes
Salt marsh losses have been documented worldwide because of land use change, wave erosion, and sea-level rise. It is still unclear how resistant salt marshes are to extreme storms and whether they can survive multiple events without collapsing. Based on a large dataset of salt marsh lateral erosion rates collected around the world, here, we determine the general response of salt marsh...
Authors
Nicoletta Leonardi, Neil K. Ganju, Sergio Fagherazzi
Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity
Assessments of coupled barrier island-estuary storm response are rare. Hurricane Sandy made landfall during an investigation in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary that included water quality monitoring, geomorphologic characterization, and numerical modeling; this provided an opportunity to characterize the storm response of the barrier island-estuary system. Barrier island...
Authors
Jennifer L. Miselis, Brian D. Andrews, Robert S. Nicholson, Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, Anthony S. Navoy
Quantifying the residence time and flushing characteristics of a shallow, back-barrier estuary: Application of hydrodynamic and particle tracking models Quantifying the residence time and flushing characteristics of a shallow, back-barrier estuary: Application of hydrodynamic and particle tracking models
Estuarine residence time is a major driver of eutrophication and water quality. Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH), New Jersey, is a lagoonal back-barrier estuary that is subject to anthropogenic pressures including nutrient loading, eutrophication, and subsequent declines in water quality. A combination of hydrodynamic and particle tracking modeling was used to identify the...
Authors
Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju
Non-USGS Publications**
Defne, Z., N. K. Ganju, and A. Aretxabaleta
(2016), Estimating time-dependent
connectivity in marine systems, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2015GL066888.
(2016), Estimating time-dependent
connectivity in marine systems, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2015GL066888.
Ganju, N. K., Brush, M. J., Rashleigh, B., Aretxabaleta, A. L., del Barrio, P., Grear, J. S., ... & Vaudrey, J. M., 2015, Progress and challenges in coupled hydrodynamic-ecological estuarine modeling, Estuaries and Coasts, 1-22.
Ganju, N.K., Jaffe, B.E., and Schoellhamer, D.H., 2011, Discontinuous hindcast simulations of estuarine bathymetric change: a case study from Suisun Bay, California. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 93, 142-150.
Ganju, N.K., and Schoellhamer, D.H., 2006, Annual sediment flux estimates in a tidal strait using surrogate measurements. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 69, 165-178.
Ganju, N.K., Schoellhamer, D.H., and Jaffe, B.E., 2009, Hindcasting of decadal-timescale estuarine bathymetric change with a tidal-timescale model. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, 114, F04019, doi:10.1029/2008JF001191.
Ganju, N.K., Schoellhamer, D.H., Warner, J.C., Barad, M.F., and Schladow, S.G., 2004, Tidal oscillation of sediment between a river and a bay: a conceptual model. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 60(1), 81-90.
Ganju, N.K., and Sherwood, C.R., 2010, Effect of roughness formulation on the performance of a coupled wave, hydrodynamic, and sediment transport model. Ocean Modelling, 33, 299-313.
Gartner, J.W., and Ganju, N.K., 2007, Correcting acoustic Doppler current profiler discharge measurement bias from moving-bed conditions without global positioning during the 2004 Glen Canyon Dam controlled flood on the Colorado River. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 5, 156-162.
Leonardi, N., Ganju, N.K. and Fagherazzi, S., 2016. A linear relationship between wave power and erosion determines salt-marsh resilience to violent storms and hurricanes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(1), pp.64-68.
Kirincich, A. R., Lentz, S. J., Farrar, J. T., and Ganju, N. K., 2013, The Spatial Structure of Tidal and Mean Circulation over the Inner Shelf South of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 43(9).
Miselis, J.L., Andrews, B.D., Nicholson, R.S., Defne, Z., Ganju, N.K. and Navoy, A., 2015. Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity. Estuaries and Coasts, pp.1-19.
Oestreich, W. K., Ganju, N. K., Pohlman, J. W., and Suttles, S. E., 2016. Colored dissolved organic matter in shallow estuaries: relationships between carbon sources and light attenuation, Biogeosciences, 13, 583-595, doi:10.5194/bg-13-583-2016.
Rosencranz, J.A., Ganju, N.K., Ambrose, R.F., Brosnahan, S.M., Dickhudt, P.J., Guntenspergen, G.R., MacDonald, G.M., Takekawa, J.Y, and Thorne, K.M., 2015, Balanced sediment fluxes in southern California’s Mediterranean-climate zone salt marshes, Estuaries and Coasts, DOI 10.1007/s12237-015-0056-y.
**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
Filter Total Items: 18
Filter Total Items: 74
Elevation of marsh units in Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts Elevation of marsh units in Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts
This data release provides elevation distribution in the Plum Island Estuary and Parker River (PIEPR) salt marsh complex. Elevation distribution was calculated in terms of mean elevation of conceptual marsh units defined by Defne and Ganju (2018). The elevation data was based on the 1-meter gridded Digital Elevation Model and supplemented by 1-meter resampled 1/9 arc-second resolution...
Unvegetated to vegetated marsh ratio in Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts Unvegetated to vegetated marsh ratio in Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts
Unvegetated to vegetated marsh ratio (UVVR) in the Plum Island Estuary and Parker River (PIEPR) salt marsh complex was computed based on conceptual marsh units defined by Defne and Ganju (2018). UVVR was calculated based on U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) 1-meter resolution imagery. Through scientific efforts initiated with the Hurricane Sandy...
Conceptual marsh units for Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts Conceptual marsh units for Plum Island Estuary and Parker River salt marsh complex, Massachusetts
The salt marsh complex of Plum Island Estuary and Parker River (PIEPR) was delineated to smaller, conceptual marsh units by geoprocessing of surface elevation data. Flow accumulation based on the relative elevation of each location was used to determine the ridge lines that separate each marsh unit while the surface slope was used to automatically assign each unit a drainage point, where...
Elevation of salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey Elevation of salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey
Elevation distribution in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge (EBFNWR), which spans over Great Bay, Little Egg Harbor, and Barnegat Bay in New Jersey, USA is given in terms of mean elevation of conceptual marsh units defined by Defne and Ganju (2016). The elevation data is based on the 1-meter resampled 1/9 arc-second resolution USGS National Elevation Data. As part of the...
USGS Barnegat Bay Hydrodynamic Model for March-September 2012 USGS Barnegat Bay Hydrodynamic Model for March-September 2012
Simulation of hydrodynamic circulation in Barnegat Bay for the period from 03-01-2012 to 10-01-2012. The bathymetry of the model was based on the National Ocean Service Hydrographic Survey data, and updated with recent bathymetric measurements. At the landward end (western boundary), we specified point sources of freshwater in accordance with USGS streamflow measurements at 7 gauges, and...
Shoreline change rates in salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey Shoreline change rates in salt marsh units in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey
Monitoring shoreline change is of interest in many coastal areas because it enables quantification of land loss over time. Evolution of shoreline position is determined by the balance between erosion and accretion along the coast. In the case of salt marshes, erosion along the water boundary causes a loss of ecosystem services, such as habitat provision, carbon storage, and wave...
Filter Total Items: 118
Progress and challenges in coupled hydrodynamic-ecological estuarine modeling Progress and challenges in coupled hydrodynamic-ecological estuarine modeling
Numerical modeling has emerged over the last several decades as a widely accepted tool for investigations in environmental sciences. In estuarine research, hydrodynamic and ecological models have moved along parallel tracks with regard to complexity, refinement, computational power, and incorporation of uncertainty. Coupled hydrodynamic-ecological models have been used to assess...
Authors
Neil K. Ganju, Mark J. Brush, Brenda Rashleigh, Alfredo L. Aretxabaleta, Pilar del Barrio, Jason S. Grear, Lora A. Harris, Samuel J. Lake, Grant McCardell, James O'Donnell, David K. Ralston, Richard P. Signell, Jeremy Testa, Jamie M. P. Vaudrey
Estimating time-dependent connectivity in marine systems Estimating time-dependent connectivity in marine systems
Hydrodynamic connectivity describes the sources and destinations of water parcels within a domain over a given time. When combined with biological models, it can be a powerful concept to explain the patterns of constituent dispersal within marine ecosystems. However, providing connectivity metrics for a given domain is a three-dimensional problem: two dimensions in space to define the...
Authors
Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, Alfredo Aretxabaleta
Colored dissolved organic matter in shallow estuaries: relationships between carbon sources and light attenuation Colored dissolved organic matter in shallow estuaries: relationships between carbon sources and light attenuation
Light availability is of primary importance to the ecological function of shallow estuaries. For example, benthic primary production by submerged aquatic vegetation is contingent upon light penetration to the seabed. A major component that attenuates light in estuaries is colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). CDOM is often measured via a proxy, fluorescing dissolved organic matter...
Authors
W.K. Oestreich, Neil K. Ganju, John W. Pohlman, Steven E. Suttles
A linear relationship between wave power and erosion determines salt-marsh resilience to violent storms and hurricanes A linear relationship between wave power and erosion determines salt-marsh resilience to violent storms and hurricanes
Salt marsh losses have been documented worldwide because of land use change, wave erosion, and sea-level rise. It is still unclear how resistant salt marshes are to extreme storms and whether they can survive multiple events without collapsing. Based on a large dataset of salt marsh lateral erosion rates collected around the world, here, we determine the general response of salt marsh...
Authors
Nicoletta Leonardi, Neil K. Ganju, Sergio Fagherazzi
Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity
Assessments of coupled barrier island-estuary storm response are rare. Hurricane Sandy made landfall during an investigation in Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor estuary that included water quality monitoring, geomorphologic characterization, and numerical modeling; this provided an opportunity to characterize the storm response of the barrier island-estuary system. Barrier island...
Authors
Jennifer L. Miselis, Brian D. Andrews, Robert S. Nicholson, Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju, Anthony S. Navoy
Quantifying the residence time and flushing characteristics of a shallow, back-barrier estuary: Application of hydrodynamic and particle tracking models Quantifying the residence time and flushing characteristics of a shallow, back-barrier estuary: Application of hydrodynamic and particle tracking models
Estuarine residence time is a major driver of eutrophication and water quality. Barnegat Bay-Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH), New Jersey, is a lagoonal back-barrier estuary that is subject to anthropogenic pressures including nutrient loading, eutrophication, and subsequent declines in water quality. A combination of hydrodynamic and particle tracking modeling was used to identify the...
Authors
Zafer Defne, Neil K. Ganju
Non-USGS Publications**
Defne, Z., N. K. Ganju, and A. Aretxabaleta
(2016), Estimating time-dependent
connectivity in marine systems, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2015GL066888.
(2016), Estimating time-dependent
connectivity in marine systems, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2015GL066888.
Ganju, N. K., Brush, M. J., Rashleigh, B., Aretxabaleta, A. L., del Barrio, P., Grear, J. S., ... & Vaudrey, J. M., 2015, Progress and challenges in coupled hydrodynamic-ecological estuarine modeling, Estuaries and Coasts, 1-22.
Ganju, N.K., Jaffe, B.E., and Schoellhamer, D.H., 2011, Discontinuous hindcast simulations of estuarine bathymetric change: a case study from Suisun Bay, California. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 93, 142-150.
Ganju, N.K., and Schoellhamer, D.H., 2006, Annual sediment flux estimates in a tidal strait using surrogate measurements. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 69, 165-178.
Ganju, N.K., Schoellhamer, D.H., and Jaffe, B.E., 2009, Hindcasting of decadal-timescale estuarine bathymetric change with a tidal-timescale model. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, 114, F04019, doi:10.1029/2008JF001191.
Ganju, N.K., Schoellhamer, D.H., Warner, J.C., Barad, M.F., and Schladow, S.G., 2004, Tidal oscillation of sediment between a river and a bay: a conceptual model. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 60(1), 81-90.
Ganju, N.K., and Sherwood, C.R., 2010, Effect of roughness formulation on the performance of a coupled wave, hydrodynamic, and sediment transport model. Ocean Modelling, 33, 299-313.
Gartner, J.W., and Ganju, N.K., 2007, Correcting acoustic Doppler current profiler discharge measurement bias from moving-bed conditions without global positioning during the 2004 Glen Canyon Dam controlled flood on the Colorado River. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 5, 156-162.
Leonardi, N., Ganju, N.K. and Fagherazzi, S., 2016. A linear relationship between wave power and erosion determines salt-marsh resilience to violent storms and hurricanes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(1), pp.64-68.
Kirincich, A. R., Lentz, S. J., Farrar, J. T., and Ganju, N. K., 2013, The Spatial Structure of Tidal and Mean Circulation over the Inner Shelf South of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 43(9).
Miselis, J.L., Andrews, B.D., Nicholson, R.S., Defne, Z., Ganju, N.K. and Navoy, A., 2015. Evolution of mid-Atlantic coastal and back-barrier estuary environments in response to a hurricane: Implications for barrier-estuary connectivity. Estuaries and Coasts, pp.1-19.
Oestreich, W. K., Ganju, N. K., Pohlman, J. W., and Suttles, S. E., 2016. Colored dissolved organic matter in shallow estuaries: relationships between carbon sources and light attenuation, Biogeosciences, 13, 583-595, doi:10.5194/bg-13-583-2016.
Rosencranz, J.A., Ganju, N.K., Ambrose, R.F., Brosnahan, S.M., Dickhudt, P.J., Guntenspergen, G.R., MacDonald, G.M., Takekawa, J.Y, and Thorne, K.M., 2015, Balanced sediment fluxes in southern California’s Mediterranean-climate zone salt marshes, Estuaries and Coasts, DOI 10.1007/s12237-015-0056-y.
**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.