Saira Haider, MEM
Biography
RESEARCH
Saira is a quantitative ecologist interested in GIS, ecological model development, and decision support tools.
BACKGROUND
Saira completed her Masters of Environmental Management at the Nicholas School of the Enivironment, where she specialized in geographic information systems and statistical analysis using R programming software. Before joining USGS, she worked in Mexico on payments for ecosystem services projects and grassroots conservation efforts.
EDUCATION
B.A., Physics with minors in Mathematics and Environmental Science, Knox College, 2010
M.E.M., Ecosystem Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 2015
Science and Products
Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
In the early 2000s, USGS developed the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) to provide water-level data for scientists, decision-makers, and managers to help monitor and assess Everglades restoration. EDEN is a real-time integrated network of 275 water-level gages, water-surface models, and applications that provides 400 x 400 meter gridded daily water-level data across the freshwater...
NexView: Empowering decision makers to assess the impacts of development on social-ecological systems in the Lower Mekong River Basin by increasing access with integrated and visualized data, models, and decision making tools
The NexView integrated decision framework will facilitate informed discussions and decisions by enabling policy makers to manipulate and explore multiple decision scenarios and understand the impacts of these decision alternatives before decisions are made.
Modeling Conservation Targets for the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative
The USGS is working with the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative to develop forecast models that integrate potential impacts from external drivers for selected conservation targets and priority resources.
Multispecies Operational Forecasting in the Florida Everglades
A USGS forecasting tool helps Everglades natural resource managers identify management actions that can benefit one or more species while quantifying the potential costs to others.
Modeling Spatial Habitat Quality for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow
The Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) team will develop species distribution models that incorporate hydrologic and habitat variables known to influence Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow occurrence.
Ecological Modeling in Support of the Western Everglades Restoration Project
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides ecological models tailored to address specific management issues, for example, the Western Everglades Restoration Project.
Evaluating Ecological Vulnerabilities of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem to Provide Decision Support for Restoration
USGS scientists develop decision support tools to help inform management and restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.
Habitat Modeling for the Endangered Everglades Snail Kite and Its Prey
Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) provides real-time habitat suitability models for species of interest in Everglades restoration planning, including the federally endangered Everglades snail kite.
EverForecast hydrologic output for April 2020: a six-month water stage forecast for the Greater Everglades
Operational ecological forecasting is an emerging field that leverages ecological models in a new, cross-disciplinary way, using a real-time or nearly real-time climate forecast to project near-term ecosystem states. These applications give decision-makers lead time to anticipate and manage state changes that degrade ecosystem functions or directly impact humans. The Everglades Forecasting mo...
Modeling the effects of future scenarios of urbanization and sea level rise on the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative's conservation targets
Understanding how ecological and cultural resources may change in the future is an important component of conservation planning and for the implementation of long-term environmental monitoring. We modeled six future scenarios of urbanization and sea level rise to investigate their potential effects on the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative's Priority Resources (PFLCC 2016%2...
The Everglades vulnerability analysis—Integrating ecological models and addressing uncertainty
The Everglades vulnerability analysis (EVA) is a project led by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the National Park Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to accomplish one of the science goals of Restoration Coordination & Verification (RECOVER), a multiagency group responsible for providing scientific and technical evaluations...
D’Acunto, Laura E.; Romañach, Stephanie S.; Haider, Saira M.; Hackett, Caitlin E.; Nestler, Jennifer H.; Shinde, Dilip; Pearlstine, Leonard G.
EverForecast—A near-term forecasting application for ecological decision support
The Everglades Forecasting application (EverForecast) provides decision makers with a support tool to examine optimal allocations of water across the managed landscape while explicitly quantifying the conflicting needs of multiple species. Covering the Greater Everglades (a vast, subtropical wetland ecosystem in South Florida), EverForecast...
Haider, Saira M.; Romañach, Stephanie S.; McKelvy, Mark; Suir, Kevin J.; Pearlstine, Leonard
The Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) surface-water interpolation model, version 3
The Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) is an integrated network of water-level gages, interpolation models that estimate daily water-level data at ungaged locations, and applications that generate derived hydrologic data across the freshwater part of the Greater Everglades landscape. Version 3 (V3) of the EDEN interpolation surface-...
Haider, Saira; Swain, Eric; Beerens, James; Petkewich, Matthew; McCloskey, Bryan; Henkel, Heather
Near-term spatial hydrologic forecasting in Everglades, USA for landscape planning and ecological forecasting
Operational ecological forecasting is an emerging field that leverages ecological models in a new, cross-disciplinary way – using a real-time or nearly real-time climate forecast to project near-term ecosystem states. These applications give decision-makers lead time to anticipate and manage state changes that degrade ecosystem functions or...
Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Beerens, James M.; Reynolds, Gregg; Haider, Saira; McKelvy, Mark; Suir, Kevin; Romanach, Stephanie; Nestler, Jennifer H. Potential impacts of future urbanization and sea level rise on Florida’s natural resources
As urban development continues to encroach into natural systems, these ecosystems experience increasing degradation to their form and function. Losses in biodiversity and ecosystem function are further compounded by changing climatic conditions. The State of Florida is known for its biodiversity but has experienced declines in species populations...
Romanach, Stephanie; Benscoter, Allison; Haider, Saira Managing conflicts in the River of Grass
Chances are, you would not pack up and move to a new home without first researching the neighborhood, reviewing your finances, and maybe investigating schools nearby. Similarly, you would not buy the first car you find on a magazine cover without first reviewing the technical specifications, exploring your options, and perhaps taking a test drive...
Romañach, Stephanie S.; Beerens, James M.; Perez, Larry; Haider, Saira; Pearlstine, Leonard G.
EDEN
This package provides a set of functions for the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN).