William Royce Jones
Biography
Develops databases for coast landscapes and federal lands. Data are used for restoration and mitigation activities to protect and enhance coastal wetlands. Wetland projects include the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA - lacoast.gov) and the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS). Licensed FAA Certified Unmanned Aerial Systems Pilot. Fly reconnaisance and data acquisitions to map, monitor and analyize landscape features for restoration and scientific research.
Science and Products
Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Capabilities to Help Identify Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta) and the effects of Salvinia weevil (Cyrtogagous salviniae)
USGS is collecting remotely sensed data to classify Salvinia molesta, a non-native aquatic species that reduces light and oxygen levels in water, making it unsuitable for fish and other aquatic plant life.
Identification of Hydrologic Controls on Coastal Spartina patens Marshes and Optimal Hydrological Conditions for Sustainable Mottled Duck Habitat
Mottled ducks rely on the coastal marshes of the Texas Chenier Plain, which are considered among the most critically endangered habitats in the United States. USGS scientists are evaluating what might be contributing to the degradation of high-quality mottled duck habitat to better understand the causes of habitat loss and subsequently mitigate those losses.
Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Capabilities to Help Identify Hummock-Hollow Formation and Fragmentation in Critical Marsh Habitat for Mottled Ducks
For many years, coastal marshes in Texas and Louisiana have served as critical habitat for the mottled duck (Anas fulvigula), which is considered a priority species in the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast area.
Mapping Fort A.P. Hill Military Training Center’s Vast Wetlands
Mapping of Fort A.P Hill utilizes 2-D interpretation of 2013, 1-foot Color Infrared orthorectified imagery, affording greater detail in wetland interpretation and classification.
Extreme precipitation and flooding contribute to sudden vegetation dieback in a coastal salt marsh
Climate extremes are becoming more frequent with global climate change and have the potential to cause major ecological regime shifts. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico, a coastal wetland in Texas suffered sudden vegetation dieback following an extreme precipitation and flooding event associated with Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Historical salt marsh...
Stagg, Camille; Osland, Michael; Moon, Jena A.; Feher, Laura; Laurenzano, Claudia; Lane, Tiffany C.; Jones, William; Hartley, Stephen Quantifying hydrologic controls on local- and landscape-scale indicators of coastal wetland loss
Background and AimsCoastal wetlands have evolved to withstand stressful abiotic conditions through the maintenance of hydrologic feedbacks among vegetation production and flooding. However, disruption of these feedbacks can lead to ecosystem collapse, or a regime shift from vegetated wetland to open water. To prevent the loss of critical coastal...
Stagg, Camille; Osland, Michael; Moon, Jena A.; Hall, Courtney; Feher, Laura; Jones, William R.; Couvillion, Brady; Hartley, Stephen B.; Vervaeke, William
Using UAS capabilities to help identify hummock-hollow formation and fragmentation in critical marsh habitat (Spartina patens) for mottled ducks in southeast Texas
For many years, marshes in the coastal areas from Texas to Louisiana have served as critical habitat for Anas fulvigula, the mottled duck. Mottled ducks are a priority species in the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast area and have been affected by critical habitat reduction. In recent years, mottled duck habitats have been threatened by natural and...
Jones, William R.; Hartley, Stephen B.; Stagg, Camille L.; Osland, Michael J.
Potential sea level rise for the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
Situated in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain of the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GCP LCC), the Chitimacha Tribe is one of four federally recognized tribes in Louisiana. The Tribal seat, trust lands/ reservation, and adjacent Tribal owned lands are located near Charenton, Louisiana, totaling nearly 1,000 acres. The...
Spear, Kathryn A.; Jones, William; Griffith, Kereen; Tirpak, Blair E.; Walden, Kimberly Mississippi Delta: Chapter G in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
The Mississippi River Delta, the tip of the longest river in North America, is located in the coastal plains of southeastern Louisiana. The study area included in the Mississippi River Delta vignette of southeastern Louisiana follows the Mississippi River southward from Port Sulphur within the modern Plaquemines-Balize Delta lobe (Figure 1). It...
Lawrence Handley; Spear, Kathryn A.; Mirka Zapletal; Thatcher, Cindy A.; Jones, William R.; Wilson, Scott A. Barataria and Terrebonne Bays: Chapter F in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
The study area included in the Barataria and Terrebonne Bays vignette of southeastern Louisiana spans eastward from Terrebonne Bay to Barataria Bay (Figure 1) and includes portions of Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes. This area falls between the Mississippi River on the east and...
Lawrence Handley; Spear, Kathryn A.; Mirka Zapletal; Thatcher, Cindy A.; Jones, William R.; Wilson, Scott A. Mangrove expansion and contraction at a poleward range limit: Climate extremes and land-ocean temperature gradients
Within the context of climate change, there is a pressing need to better understand the ecological implications of changes in the frequency and intensity of climate extremes. Along subtropical coasts, less frequent and warmer freeze events are expected to permit freeze-sensitive mangrove forests to expand poleward and displace freeze-tolerant salt...
Osland, Michael J.; Day, Richard H.; Hall, Courtney T.; Brumfield, Marisa D; Dugas, Jason; Jones, William R. Cape Lookout, North Carolina, 2012 National Wetlands Inventory Habitat Classification
In the face of sea level rise and as climate change conditions increase the frequency and intensity of tropical storms along the north-Atlantic Coast, coastal areas will become increasingly vulnerable to storm damage, and the decline of already-threatened species could be exacerbated. Predictions about response of coastal birds to effects of...
Spear, Kathryn A.; Jones, William R. Hurricane Sandy 2013 National Wetlands Inventory Habitat Classification (habitat analysis of coastal federal lands located within high impact zones of Hurricane Sandy, October 2012)
Hurricane Sandy directly hit the Atlantic shoreline of New Jersey during several astronomical high tide cycles in late October, 2012. The eastern seaboard areas are subject to sea level rise and increased severity and frequency of storm events, prompting habitat and land use planning changes. Wetland Aquatic Research Center (WARC) has conducted...
Jones, William R. Analysis of the impact of spatial resolution on land/water classifications using high-resolution aerial imagery
Long-term monitoring efforts often use remote sensing to track trends in habitat or landscape conditions over time. To most appropriately compare observations over time, long-term monitoring efforts strive for consistency in methods. Thus, advances and changes in technology over time can present a challenge. For instance, modern camera technology...
Enwright, Nicholas M.; Jones, William R.; Garber, Adrienne L.; Keller, Matthew J. Pictorial account and landscape evolution of the crevasses near Fort St. Philip, Louisiana
Quantifying the effects of active natural and constructed crevasses is critical to the planning and success of future ecosystem restoration activities. This document provides a historical overview of landscape changes within the vicinity of the natural crevasses near Fort St. Philip, Louisiana. A significant event influencing landscape change...
Suir, Glenn M.; Jones, William R.; Garber, Adrienne L.; Barras, John A.
Classifications for Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) site-specific projects: 2010
The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) funds over 100 wetland restoration projects across Louisiana. Integral to the success of CWPPRA is its long-term monitoring program, which enables State and Federal agencies to determine the effectiveness of each restoration effort. One component of this monitoring program is...
Jones, William R.; Garber, Adrienne