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Dr. Karen Thorne

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contains an excel format and shapefile format of the vegetation survey data collected within Humboldt Bay during the summer of 2012.We recorded vegetation data within a 0.25 m2 quadrat concurrently with elevation surveys. Data were taken at every fourth (25%) elevation point (n=740 quadrats; Fig. 4). We measured height (mean and maximum, measured within 0.05 m) and visually estimated percent cover for each species within each quadrat. This allowed us to develop a relationship between plant species, elevation and tidal datum across all sites. We also characterized the most common species, which were defined as those found at>10 % of the plots. Plant species frequency was plotted relative to MHW. This comprehensive...
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Our study focused on seven marsh sites distributed throughout Humboldt Bay and largely withinrefuge boundaries; Hookton Slough Island, Salmon Creek marsh, White Slough marsh, EurekaSlough marsh, Jacoby Creek marsh, Mad River Slough marsh, and Manila marsh. These marshesprovide important habitat for marsh-dependent species, such as Humboldt Bay Owl’s Clover(Castilleja ambigua), Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus), and Steelhead(Oncorhynchus mykiss).
The coastal region of California supports a wealth of ecosystem services including habitat provision forwildlife and fisheries. Tidal marshes, mudflats, and shallow bays within coastal estuaries link marine,freshwater and terrestrial habitats, and provide economic and recreational benefits to local communities.Climate change effects such as sealevelrise (SLR) are altering these habitats, but we know little abouthow these areas will change over the next 50–100 years. Our study examined the projected effects of threerecent SLR scenarios produced for the West Coast of North America on tidal marshes in California. Wecompiled physical and biological data, including coastal topography, tidal inundation, plant composition,and...
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contains digital elevation models in TIFF format for salt marshes surveyed within the Humboldt Bay during the summer of 2012 and the spring of 2013. Climate change scenarios typically address top-down global to continental scale changes; thus, few are easily interpretable to local land managers or contain vertical resolution that is useful at the local level for developing climate change adaptation strategies. Our studies support a bottom-up local approach to evaluating SLR effects at the parcel scale providing information and data sets useful in assessing responses. We collect comprehensive, detailed site-specific data that are used to model marsh ecological response from SLR and storms. By implementing this approach...
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Coastal resource managers are faced with many challenges and uncertainties in planning adaptive strategies for conserving estuarine habitats with climate change. To plan and manage for future scenarios, managers need access to data, models, and training on the best-available science. To address this need, the USGS Western Ecological Research Center has worked with federal, Tribal, state, and local partners to establish a network of study sites in 17 estuaries along the Pacific Coast, examining the climate change effects on tidal wetlands with high-quality local data, downscaled models, and projected storm effects. Study sites include ten USFWS National Wildlife Refuges and four NOAA National Estuarine Research Reserves.
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