Sarai Piazza serves as the program manager for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA).
EDUCATION
M.S., Louisiana State University, 2003 -- Thesis: Nekton use and growth in three brackish marsh pond microhabitats
B.S., Marine Fisheries, Texas A&M University, 1998
B.S., Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 1998
Sarai began working at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center in 2006 with a group of field ecologists interested in monitoring and assessment of coastal restoration projects. She now serves as the program manager for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). CRMS is one of the world's largest wetland monitoring programs with publically available data. Since 2006, nearly 400 CRMS sites have been collecting data throughout Louisiana's coastal zone monitoring aspects of wetland hydrology, vegetation, surface elevation and land area change. As program manager, Sarai represents USGS as the federal sponsor for CRMS. She is responsible for all aspects of budgeting, contracting, coordination, work planning, supervision and staffing. Program level interactions require regular coordination with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana and 5 federal partner agencies. She also acts as a liaison between the CRMS analytical teams and data delivery teams to develop web tools and maintain the CRMS website.
Science and Products
Developing bare-earth digital elevation models from structure-from-motion data on barrier islands
Louisiana Adaptive Management Status and Improvement Report: Vision and Recommendations
Using maintenance records from a long-term sensor monitoring network to evaluate the relationship between maintenance schedule and data quality
Monitoring plans for Louisiana’s system-wide assessment and monitoring program (SWAMP). Version IV
Floristic quality index and forested floristic quality index: Assessment tools for restoration projects and monitoring sites in coastal Louisiana
Vegetation cover, tidal amplitude and land area predict short-term marsh vulnerability in Coastal Louisiana
Oiling accelerates loss of salt marshes, southeastern Louisiana
Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: Gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network
Forested floristic quality index: An assessment tool for forested wetland habitats using the quality and quantity of woody vegetation at Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) vegetation monitoring stations
Determining the spatial variability of wetland soil bulk density, organic matter, and the conversion factor between organic matter and organic carbon across coastal Louisiana, U.S.A.
A landscape-scale assessment of above- and belowground primary production in coastal wetlands: Implications for climate change-induced community shifts
Mapping changing distributions of dominant species in oil-contaminated salt marshes of Louisiana using imaging spectroscopy
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.
Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program- DOI Monitoring and Adaptive Management Technical Assistance
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration: North Breton Island Component-Monitoring and Adaptive Management
Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana’s Monitoring and Adaptive Management
Creating a System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) for Coastal Louisiana
Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program Monitoring and Adaptive Management
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
Louisiana’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
Influence of Sea-Level Rise on Wetland Vegetation Community Structure, Primary Productivity, Organic Matter Decomposition and Carbon Storage
Developing bare-earth digital elevation models from structure-from-motion data on barrier islands, Dauphin Island, AL, 2018-2019
Barrier island vegetation and elevation survey, Dauphin Island, AL, 2018-19
Louisiana's Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) elevation data
Geomorphic and ecological effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on coastal Louisiana marsh communities
Primary production across a coastal wetland landscape in Louisiana, U.S.A. (2012-2014)
Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 20
Developing bare-earth digital elevation models from structure-from-motion data on barrier islands
Unoccupied aerial systems can collect aerial imagery that can be used to develop structure-from-motion products with a temporal resolution well-suited to monitoring dynamic barrier island environments. However, topographic data created using photogrammetric techniques such as structure-from-motion represent the surface elevation including the vegetation canopy. Additional processing is required foAuthorsNicholas Enwright, Christine J. Kranenburg, Brett Patton, P. Soupy Dalyander, Jenna A. Brown, Sarai Piazza, Wyatt C CheneyLouisiana Adaptive Management Status and Improvement Report: Vision and Recommendations
As part of the process to increase implementation of adaptive management for ecosystem-based coastal restoration within Louisiana, we aim for this report to be broadly applicable across planning processes as well as funding and implementing entities. It compiles technical knowledge and guidance summarized as key findings through the text which lead to eight priority recommendations to improve applAuthorsBill Boshart, Morgan Crutcher, Angelina Freeman, Edward Haywood, Syed M. Khalil, Summer Langlois, Darin L. Lee, David Lindquist, Tommy E. McGinnis, James Pahl, Carol Parsons-Richards, Erin Plitsch, Rick Raynie, Robert Routon, Leigh Anne Sharp, John Troutman, Chuck Villarrubia, Todd Folse, Alyson Graugnard, Anne Hawes, Russ Joffrion, Wes Leblanc, Brian Lezina, Jim Pahl, Jody White, Craig Conzelmann, Ann Hijuelos, Sarai Piazza, Kathryn A. Spear, Gregory D. Steyer, Nanciann Regalado, John M. Tirpak, Courtney Schupp, Melissa Carle, Jaclyn Daly, Nicolas Eckhardt, Christy Fellas, Erin M. Fougeres, Stephen Heverly, Stacey Horstman, Jason Kroll, Mel Landry, Barbara A. Schroeder, Eric Weissberger, Sara Wissman, Treda Grayson, Patricia Taylor, Danny Wiegand, Mark Defley, Paulina Kolic, Harris Bienn, Tim J. B. Carruthers, Alyssa Dausman, Alaina Grace, Scott Hemmerling, Andrea Jerabek, Eric White, Ryan Clark, Coleen McHugh, Leland C Moss, Cyndhia Ramatchandirane, Amy WoldUsing maintenance records from a long-term sensor monitoring network to evaluate the relationship between maintenance schedule and data quality
Sensor-based environmental monitoring networks are beginning to provide the large-scale, long-term data required to address important fundamental and applied questions in ecology. However, the data quality from deployed sensors can be difficult and costly to ensure. In this study, we use maintenance records from the 12-year history of Louisiana’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) to assAuthorsDonald Schoolmaster, Sarai PiazzaMonitoring plans for Louisiana’s system-wide assessment and monitoring program (SWAMP). Version IV
The System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) has been envisioned as a long-term monitoring program to ensure a comprehensive network of coastal data collection activities is in place to support the development, implementation, and adaptive management of the coastal protection and restoration program within coastal Louisiana. The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) and BarrierAuthorsScott Hemmerling, Melissa M. Baustian, Harris Bienn, Alyssa Dausman, Alaina Grace, Lauren Grimley, Adrian McInnis, Michael Vingiello, Huy Vu, Shaye Sable, Britt Gentile, Phillip Lafargue, Ann Hijuelos, Sarai Piazza, Camille Stagg, Richard C Raynie, Edward Haywood, Syed KhalidFloristic quality index and forested floristic quality index: Assessment tools for restoration projects and monitoring sites in coastal Louisiana
The Floristic Quality Index (FQI) has been used in many areas throughout the United State to assess the integrity of plant communities and restoration projects. Here, we summarize two tools that have been developed for monitoring sites in coastal Louisiana wetlands. The FQI was modified for herbaceous data collected in coastal Louisiana monitoring sites. A second FQI, the Forested Floristic QualitAuthorsKari Cretini, William B. Wood, Jenneke M. Visser, Ken W. Krauss, Leigh Anne Sharp, Gregory D. Steyer, Gary P. Shaffer, Sarai PiazzaVegetation cover, tidal amplitude and land area predict short-term marsh vulnerability in Coastal Louisiana
The loss of coastal marshes is a topic of great concern, because these habitats provide tangible ecosystem services and are at risk from sea-level rise and human activities. In recent years, significant effort has gone into understanding and modeling the relationships between the biological and physical factors that contribute to marsh stability. Simulation-based process models suggest that marshAuthorsDonald Schoolmaster, Camille L. Stagg, Leigh Anne Sharp, Tommy S. McGinnis, Bernard Wood, Sarai PiazzaOiling accelerates loss of salt marshes, southeastern Louisiana
The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill damaged thousands of km2 of intertidal marsh along shorelines that had been experiencing elevated rates of erosion for decades. Yet, the contribution of marsh oiling to landscape-scale degradation and subsequent land loss has been difficult to quantify. Here, we applied advanced remote sensing techniques to map changes in marsh land cover and open wateAuthorsMichael Beland, Trent W. Biggs, Dar A. Roberts, Seth H. Peterson, Raymond F. Kokaly, Sarai PiazzaAssessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: Gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network
Coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise are greatly influenced by biogeomorphic processes that affect wetland surface elevation. Small changes in elevation relative to sea level can lead to comparatively large changes in ecosystem structure, function, and stability. The surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) approach is being used globally to quantify the relative contributions of proAuthorsMichael J. Osland, Kereen T. Griffith, Jack C. Larriviere, Laura C. Feher, Donald R. Cahoon, Nicholas M. Enwright, David A. Oster, John M. Tirpak, Mark S. Woodrey, Renee C. Collini, Joseph J. Baustian, Joshua L. Breithaupt, Julia A Cherry, Jeremy R. Conrad, Nicole Cormier, Carlos A. Coronado-Molina, Joseph F. Donoghue, Sean A. Graham, Jennifer W. Harper, Mark W. Hester, Rebecca J. Howard, Ken W. Krauss, Daniel Kroes, Robert R. Lane, Karen L. McKee, Irving A. Mendelssohn, Beth A. Middleton, Jena A. Moon, Sarai Piazza, Nicole M. Rankin, Fred H. Sklar, Gregory D. Steyer, Kathleen M. Swanson, Christopher M. Swarzenski, William Vervaeke, Jonathan M Willis, K. Van WilsonForested floristic quality index: An assessment tool for forested wetland habitats using the quality and quantity of woody vegetation at Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) vegetation monitoring stations
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana and the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, developed the Forested Floristic Quality Index (FFQI) for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS). The FFQI will help evaluate forested wetland sites on a continuum from severely degraded to healthy and will assistAuthorsWilliam B. Wood, Gary P. Shaffer, Jenneke M. Visser, Ken W. Krauss, Sarai C. Piazza, Leigh Anne Sharp, Kari F. CretiniDetermining the spatial variability of wetland soil bulk density, organic matter, and the conversion factor between organic matter and organic carbon across coastal Louisiana, U.S.A.
Soil bulk density (BD), soil organic matter (SOM) content, and a conversion factor between SOM and soil organic carbon (SOC) are often used in estimating SOC sequestration and storage. Spatial variability in BD, SOM, and the SOM–SOC conversion factor affects the ability to accurately estimate SOC sequestration, storage, and the benefits (e.g., land building area and vertical accretion) associatedAuthorsHongqing Wang, Sarai C. Piazza, Leigh A. Sharp, Camille L. Stagg, Brady R. Couvillion, Gregory D. Steyer, Thomas E. McGinnisA landscape-scale assessment of above- and belowground primary production in coastal wetlands: Implications for climate change-induced community shifts
Above- and belowground production in coastal wetlands are important contributors to carbon accumulation and ecosystem sustainability. As sea level rises, we can expect shifts to more salt-tolerant communities, which may alter these ecosystem functions and services. Although the direct influence of salinity on species-level primary production has been documented, we lack an understanding of the lanAuthorsCamille L. Stagg, Donald R. Schoolmaster, Sarai C. Piazza, Gregg Snedden, Gregory D. Steyer, Craig J Fischenich, Robert W. McComasMapping changing distributions of dominant species in oil-contaminated salt marshes of Louisiana using imaging spectroscopy
The April 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest coastal spill in U.S. history. Monitoring subsequent change in marsh plant community distributions is critical to assess ecosystem impacts and to establish future coastal management priorities. Strategically deployed airborne imaging spectrometers, like the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), offer the spectral aAuthorsMichael Beland, Dar A. Roberts, Seth H. Peterson, Trent W. Biggs, Raymond F. Kokaly, Sarai Piazza, Keely L. Roth, Shruti Khanna, Susan L. UstinNon-USGS Publications**
Kanouse, S, M.K. La Peyre, and J.A. Nyman. 2006. Nekton use of Ruppia maritima and non-vegetated bottom habitat types within brackish marsh ponds. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 327:61-69. doi:10.3354/meps327061**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.
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Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program- DOI Monitoring and Adaptive Management Technical Assistance
WARC researchers are providing support to Louisiana Monitoring and Adaptive Management activities.Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration: North Breton Island Component-Monitoring and Adaptive Management
In order to enhance habitat for nesting Brown Pelicans, terns, Black Skimmers, and gulls, the USFWS has contracted with USGS to conduct project monitoring on North Breton Island from FY23 to FY31. Monitoring conducted by USGS will facilitate evaluation of habitat characteristics and determine restoration success or need for adaptive management.Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana’s Monitoring and Adaptive Management
The USGS is participating in the Louisiana-Trustee Implementation Group Monitoring and Adaptive Management work group to assess the injuries caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and to select the appropriate restoration measures to compensate the public for the injury to coastal and marine resources.Creating a System-Wide Assessment and Monitoring Program (SWAMP) for Coastal Louisiana
USGS researchers will provide technical guidance to inform the development of monitoring plans for the western coast of Louisiana.Natural Resource Damage and Assessment (NRDA) Program Monitoring and Adaptive Management
State and Federal agencies are working together to assess the damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and to determine appropriate restoration actions to restore natural resources, ecological services, and recreational services injured or lost due to the incident.Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
CRMS uses a multiple reference approach to biological monitoring and uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling that address the limited effectiveness of the traditional paired-reference monitoring approach in Louisiana. This approach includes a suite of sites that encompass the range of ecological conditions for each stratum, with projects placed on a...Louisiana’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)
The Coastwise Reference Monitoring System was designed to monitor the effectiveness of restoration actions at individual sites, as well as across the entire Louisiana coast.Influence of Sea-Level Rise on Wetland Vegetation Community Structure, Primary Productivity, Organic Matter Decomposition and Carbon Storage
This study will employ a space for time substitution to show long-term effects of rising sea-level and increasing salinity on vegetation community structure, primary production and decomposition. Productivity and decomposition rates will be estimated for four wetland plant community types defined by salinity zones and dominant plant species. - Data
Developing bare-earth digital elevation models from structure-from-motion data on barrier islands, Dauphin Island, AL, 2018-2019
This U.S. Geological Survey data release includes bare-earth digital elevation models (DEMs) that were produced by removing elevation bias in vegetated areas from structure-from-motion (SfM) data products for two sites on Dauphin Island, Alabama. These data were collected in the late fall of 2018 and spring of 2019. In addition to the bare-earth DEMs, this data release also includes vegetation masBarrier island vegetation and elevation survey, Dauphin Island, AL, 2018-19
Vegetation and elevation survey data were collected in 4-square-meter quadrats via Real-Time Kinematic GPS from September 9, 2018 to April 17, 2019 on Dauphin Island, AL. Vegetation data included total percent herbaceous cover, percent cover by plant species, and mean height of vegetation within the quadrat. The percent cover by species was used to determine the dominant species for the plot.Louisiana's Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) elevation data
Wetland restoration efforts conducted by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in Louisiana rely on monitoring efforts to determine the efficacy of these efforts. The Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) was developed to assist in a multiple-reference approach that uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling for monitorGeomorphic and ecological effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on coastal Louisiana marsh communities
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made landfall in 2005, subjecting the coastal marsh communities of Louisiana to various degrees of exposure. We collected data after the storms at 30 sites within fresh (12), brackish/intermediate (12), and saline (6) marshes to document the effects of saltwater storm surge and sedimentation on marsh community dynamics. The 30 sites were comprised of 15 pairs. Most pairPrimary production across a coastal wetland landscape in Louisiana, U.S.A. (2012-2014)
Above- and belowground production in coastal wetlands are important contributors to carbon accumulation and ecosystem sustainability. As sea level rises, we can expect shifts to more salt-tolerant communities, which may alter these ecosystem functions and services. Although the direct influence of salinity on species-level primary production has been documented, we lack an understanding of the lanAssessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network
The study area included the coasts of all five U.S. states along the northern Gulf of Mexico (i.e., Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas). We contacted federal, state, and university-affiliated scientists working with SET-MH data within this area to obtain the geographic coordinates and the installation year for each SET-MH station. Please note that while our inventory is extensive - News
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