S. Jeffress Williams
S. Jeffress Williams, a senior scientist emeritus, research coastal marine geologist with the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, has focused his research career on understanding the geologic history and processes of coastal, estuarine, wetland, and inner continental shelf regions.
He has more than 50 years research experience investigating topics on the geologic origins and development of coastal, continental shelf, and estuarine regions, Great Lakes coastal systems, Holocene sea-level history, climate-change effects on coasts, and the geologic origins and character of marine sand bodies. Williams has led or participated in more than 80 field studies along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, Great Lakes coasts, and the Irish Sea, UK and been principal investigator on many offshore geologic mapping investigations. Williams was awarded the Coastal Zone Foundation Award for career achievement in coastal science, the USGS 40-year career service award and career achievement awards for natural resources research from the Eastern Regional Director of the National Park Service and the Director of the NPS. Williams has authored more than 350 scientific publications and been a member on many national and state science committees. In addition, he is a frequent lecturer at scientific meetings, state and local legislatures, and civic groups on coastal topics. Williams directed the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program from 1996 to 2000. Prior to joining the USGS, Williams was a research marine geologist with the Coastal Engineering Research Center and an invited visiting scientist at the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Taunton, UK. He earned degrees in geology and oceanography.
Professional Experience
Present- 2010 Senior scientist emeritus, USGS/WHSC
Present- 2010 Professional coastal scientist, consultant
2015-2010 Affiliate Faculty, Un.of Hawaii, Geology Department
2010- 2000 Senior research coastal-marine geologist, USGS/WHSC
2000- 1996 Director, USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program
1996-1993 Research geologist, USGS
1993-1987 Co-coordinator, USGS National Coastal Geology Program
Education and Certifications
MS Lehigh University
BS Allegheny College
Affiliations and Memberships*
Organized and co-chaired a special session, “Coasts in Crisis: Sea Level Rise and Inundation and the Drivers for Adaptation”, 2016 AGU Ocean Sciences Mtg.
Invited technical expert, Hawaii Sea-Level R
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 86
Enhanced Sidescan-Sonar Imagery Offshore of Southeastern Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) have been working cooperatively to map and study the coastal sea floor. The sidescan-sonar imagery collected during NOAA hydrographic surveys has been included as part of these studies. However, the original sonar imagery contains tonal artifacts from
Authors
Lawrence J. Poppe, Kate Y. McMullen, S. Jeffress Williams, Seth D. Ackerman, K.A. Glomb, N.A. Forfinski
Sea-Floor Character and Sedimentary Processes in the Vicinity of Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Continuous-coverage multibeam bathymetric models and sidescan-sonar imagery have been verified with high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, sediment sampling, and bottom photography. Together these data layers provide detailed base maps that yield topographic, compositional, and environmental perspectives of the sea floor in the vicinity of Woods Hole, an important harbor and major passage be
Authors
Lawrence J. Poppe, Katherine Y. McMullen, David S. Foster, Dann S. Blackwood, S. Jeffress Williams, Seth D. Ackerman, Steven R. Barnum, Rick T. Brennan
Estuarine sediment transport by gravity-driven movement of the nepheloid layer, Long Island Sound
Interpretation of sidescan-sonar imagery provides evidence that down-slope gravity-driven movement of the nepheloid layer constitutes an important mode of transporting sediment into the basins of north-central Long Island Sound, a major US East Coast estuary. In the Western Basin, this transport mechanism has formed dendritic drainage systems characterized by branching patterns of low backscatter
Authors
L. J. Poppe, K. Y. McMullen, S. J. Williams, J.M. Crocker, E. F. Doran
Seabed mapping and characterization of sediment variability using the usSEABED data base
We present a methodology for statistical analysis of randomly located marine sediment point data, and apply it to the US continental shelf portions of usSEABED mean grain size records. The usSEABED database, like many modern, large environmental datasets, is heterogeneous and interdisciplinary. We statistically test the database as a source of mean grain size data, and from it provide a first exam
Authors
J.A. Goff, C.J. Jenkins, Williams S. Jeffress
Quaternary geology and sedimentary processes in the vicinity of Six Mile Reef, eastern Long Island Sound
Six Mile Reef, a sandy, 22-m-high shoal trending east-west and located about 7.8 km off the Connecticut coast, has a core of postglacial marine deltaic deposits mantled by tidally reworked modern sediments. Sedimentary environments off the eastern end of the shoal are characterized by processes associated with long-term erosion or nondeposition, a mobile-sediment-limited seafloor armored by gravel
Authors
L. J. Poppe, S. J. Williams, M. S. Moser, N.A. Forfinski, H.F. Stewart, E. F. Doran
Geologic effects and coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise, erosion, and storms
A combination of natural and human factors are driving coastal change and making coastal regions and populations increasingly vulnerable. Sea level, a major agent of coastal erosion, has varied greatly from -120 m below present during glacial period low-stands to + 4 to 6 m above present during interglacial warm periods. Geologic and tide gauge data show that global sea level has risen about 12 to
Authors
S. J. Williams, B.T. Gutierrez, E. R. Thieler, E. Pendleton
Sea-floor character and sedimentary processes of Great Round Shoal Channel, offshore Massachusetts
The imagery, interpretive data layers, and data presented herein were derived from multibeam echo-sounder and sidescan-sonar data collected in the vicinity of Great Round Shoal Channel, the main passage through shoals located at the eastern entrance to Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, and from the stations occupied to verify these acoustic data (fig. 1). Basic data layers show sea-floor topography,
Authors
Lawrence J. Poppe, Seth D. Ackerman, David S. Foster, Dann S. Blackwood, S. Jeffress Williams, M. S. Moser, H.F. Stewart, K.A. Glomb
Surficial sediment character of the New York-New Jersey offshore continental shelf region: A GIS compilation
Broad continental shelf regions such as the New York Bight are the product of a complex geologic history and dynamic oceanographic processes, dominated by the Holocene marine transgression (>100 m sea-level rise) following the end of the last Pleistocene ice advance ~ 20,000 years ago. The area of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) territory, extending 200 nautical miles seaward from the
Authors
S. Jeffress Williams, Matthew A. Arsenault, Lawrence J. Poppe, Jane A. Reid, Jamey M. Reid, Chris J. Jenkins
Recommendations for a barrier island breach management plan for Fire Island National Seashore, including the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness Area, Long Island, New York
The U.S Army Corps of Engineers, New York District is developing engineering plans, including
economic costs and benefits, for storm damage reduction along an 83 mile stretch of the coastal
barrier islands and beaches on the south shore of Long Island, NY from Fire Island Inlet east to the
Montauk Point headland. The plan, expected to include various alternatives for storm protection and
erosi
Authors
S. Jeffress Williams, Mary K. Foley
Integration of seafloor point data in usSEABED
Sediments of the beach, nearshore, and continental shelves record a complex interplay of processes including wave energy and direction , currents, beach erosion or accretion, bluff or cliff retreat, fluvial input, sediment longshore and cross-shelf transport processes, contaminant content and transport, sediment sources and sinks, and others. In turn, sediments and rocks modify wave patterns, affe
Authors
Jane A. Reid, S. Jeffress Williams, Mark Zimmermann, Chris Jenkins, Nadine E. Golden
Coastal change-potential assessment of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Indiana Dunes, and Apostle Islands National Lakeshores to lake-level changes
A change-potential index (CPI) was used to map the susceptibility of the shoreline to future lake-level change within Apostle Islands, Indiana Dunes, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshores (NL) along Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The CPI in the Great Lakes setting ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to lake-level related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coast
Authors
Elizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress Williams
Potential for shoreline changes due to sea-level rise along the U.S. mid-Atlantic region
Sea-level rise over the next century is expected to contribute significantly to physical changes along open-ocean shorelines. Predicting the form and magnitude of coastal changes is important for understanding the impacts to humans and the environment. Presently, the ability to predict coastal changes is limited by the scientific understanding of the many variables and processes involved in coasta
Authors
Benjamin T. Gutierrez, S. Jeffress Williams, E. Robert Thieler
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Filter Total Items: 86
Enhanced Sidescan-Sonar Imagery Offshore of Southeastern Massachusetts
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) have been working cooperatively to map and study the coastal sea floor. The sidescan-sonar imagery collected during NOAA hydrographic surveys has been included as part of these studies. However, the original sonar imagery contains tonal artifacts fromAuthorsLawrence J. Poppe, Kate Y. McMullen, S. Jeffress Williams, Seth D. Ackerman, K.A. Glomb, N.A. ForfinskiSea-Floor Character and Sedimentary Processes in the Vicinity of Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Continuous-coverage multibeam bathymetric models and sidescan-sonar imagery have been verified with high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles, sediment sampling, and bottom photography. Together these data layers provide detailed base maps that yield topographic, compositional, and environmental perspectives of the sea floor in the vicinity of Woods Hole, an important harbor and major passage beAuthorsLawrence J. Poppe, Katherine Y. McMullen, David S. Foster, Dann S. Blackwood, S. Jeffress Williams, Seth D. Ackerman, Steven R. Barnum, Rick T. BrennanEstuarine sediment transport by gravity-driven movement of the nepheloid layer, Long Island Sound
Interpretation of sidescan-sonar imagery provides evidence that down-slope gravity-driven movement of the nepheloid layer constitutes an important mode of transporting sediment into the basins of north-central Long Island Sound, a major US East Coast estuary. In the Western Basin, this transport mechanism has formed dendritic drainage systems characterized by branching patterns of low backscatterAuthorsL. J. Poppe, K. Y. McMullen, S. J. Williams, J.M. Crocker, E. F. DoranSeabed mapping and characterization of sediment variability using the usSEABED data base
We present a methodology for statistical analysis of randomly located marine sediment point data, and apply it to the US continental shelf portions of usSEABED mean grain size records. The usSEABED database, like many modern, large environmental datasets, is heterogeneous and interdisciplinary. We statistically test the database as a source of mean grain size data, and from it provide a first examAuthorsJ.A. Goff, C.J. Jenkins, Williams S. JeffressQuaternary geology and sedimentary processes in the vicinity of Six Mile Reef, eastern Long Island Sound
Six Mile Reef, a sandy, 22-m-high shoal trending east-west and located about 7.8 km off the Connecticut coast, has a core of postglacial marine deltaic deposits mantled by tidally reworked modern sediments. Sedimentary environments off the eastern end of the shoal are characterized by processes associated with long-term erosion or nondeposition, a mobile-sediment-limited seafloor armored by gravelAuthorsL. J. Poppe, S. J. Williams, M. S. Moser, N.A. Forfinski, H.F. Stewart, E. F. DoranGeologic effects and coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise, erosion, and storms
A combination of natural and human factors are driving coastal change and making coastal regions and populations increasingly vulnerable. Sea level, a major agent of coastal erosion, has varied greatly from -120 m below present during glacial period low-stands to + 4 to 6 m above present during interglacial warm periods. Geologic and tide gauge data show that global sea level has risen about 12 toAuthorsS. J. Williams, B.T. Gutierrez, E. R. Thieler, E. PendletonSea-floor character and sedimentary processes of Great Round Shoal Channel, offshore Massachusetts
The imagery, interpretive data layers, and data presented herein were derived from multibeam echo-sounder and sidescan-sonar data collected in the vicinity of Great Round Shoal Channel, the main passage through shoals located at the eastern entrance to Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts, and from the stations occupied to verify these acoustic data (fig. 1). Basic data layers show sea-floor topography,AuthorsLawrence J. Poppe, Seth D. Ackerman, David S. Foster, Dann S. Blackwood, S. Jeffress Williams, M. S. Moser, H.F. Stewart, K.A. GlombSurficial sediment character of the New York-New Jersey offshore continental shelf region: A GIS compilation
Broad continental shelf regions such as the New York Bight are the product of a complex geologic history and dynamic oceanographic processes, dominated by the Holocene marine transgression (>100 m sea-level rise) following the end of the last Pleistocene ice advance ~ 20,000 years ago. The area of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (U.S. EEZ) territory, extending 200 nautical miles seaward from theAuthorsS. Jeffress Williams, Matthew A. Arsenault, Lawrence J. Poppe, Jane A. Reid, Jamey M. Reid, Chris J. JenkinsRecommendations for a barrier island breach management plan for Fire Island National Seashore, including the Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness Area, Long Island, New York
The U.S Army Corps of Engineers, New York District is developing engineering plans, including economic costs and benefits, for storm damage reduction along an 83 mile stretch of the coastal barrier islands and beaches on the south shore of Long Island, NY from Fire Island Inlet east to the Montauk Point headland. The plan, expected to include various alternatives for storm protection and erosiAuthorsS. Jeffress Williams, Mary K. FoleyIntegration of seafloor point data in usSEABED
Sediments of the beach, nearshore, and continental shelves record a complex interplay of processes including wave energy and direction , currents, beach erosion or accretion, bluff or cliff retreat, fluvial input, sediment longshore and cross-shelf transport processes, contaminant content and transport, sediment sources and sinks, and others. In turn, sediments and rocks modify wave patterns, affeAuthorsJane A. Reid, S. Jeffress Williams, Mark Zimmermann, Chris Jenkins, Nadine E. GoldenCoastal change-potential assessment of Sleeping Bear Dunes, Indiana Dunes, and Apostle Islands National Lakeshores to lake-level changes
A change-potential index (CPI) was used to map the susceptibility of the shoreline to future lake-level change within Apostle Islands, Indiana Dunes, and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshores (NL) along Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The CPI in the Great Lakes setting ranks the following in terms of their physical contribution to lake-level related coastal change: geomorphology, regional coastAuthorsElizabeth A. Pendleton, E. Robert Thieler, S. Jeffress WilliamsPotential for shoreline changes due to sea-level rise along the U.S. mid-Atlantic region
Sea-level rise over the next century is expected to contribute significantly to physical changes along open-ocean shorelines. Predicting the form and magnitude of coastal changes is important for understanding the impacts to humans and the environment. Presently, the ability to predict coastal changes is limited by the scientific understanding of the many variables and processes involved in coastaAuthorsBenjamin T. Gutierrez, S. Jeffress Williams, E. Robert Thieler
*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