Cindy Thatcher
Cindy Thatcher is a geographer with the U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Program in Reston, VA.
She serves as the elevation planning and management lead for the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP). She has a background in ecological applications of airborne and terrestrial lidar, with a focus on the use of lidar for mapping coastal topography and analyzing vegetation structure. Cindy previously worked at USGS science centers in Virginia, Louisiana, and Tennessee, where she conducted research on coastal environments, wetlands, and wildlife habitat.
Education and Certifications
Master’s degree in Geography from the University of Arkansas
Bachelor’s degree from James Madison University.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 32
Florida Panhandle
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico. Emergent wetland ecosystems provide a multitude of resources, including plant and wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational economic activity, and natural barriers against storms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects of this loss; emergent wet
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Barbara Albrecht, Karen Bruening, Alison McDowell, René Baumstark, Ryan Moyer, Cindy A. Thatcher
Accuracy assessment of a mobile terrestrial lidar survey at Padre Island National Seashore
The higher point density and mobility of terrestrial laser scanning (light detection and ranging (lidar)) is desired when extremely detailed elevation data are needed for mapping vertically orientated complex features such as levees, dunes, and cliffs, or when highly accurate data are needed for monitoring geomorphic changes. Mobile terrestrial lidar scanners have the capability for rapid data col
Authors
Samsung Lim, Cindy A. Thatcher, John Brock, Dustin R. Kimbrow, Jeffrey J. Danielson, B.J. Reynolds
Statewide summary for Florida
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico. Emergent wetland ecosystems provide a multitude of resources, including plant and wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational economic activity, and natural barriers against storms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects of this loss; emergent wet
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, René Baumstark, Ryan Moyer, Cindy A. Thatcher
A data-based conservation planning tool for Florida panthers
Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest threats to the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). We developed a data-based habitat model and user-friendly interface so that land managers can objectively evaluate Florida panther habitat. We used a geographic information system (GIS) and the Mahalanobis distance statistic (D2) to develop a model based on broad-scale landscape charact
Authors
Jennifer L. Murrow, Cindy A. Thatcher, Frank T. van Manen, Joseph D. Clark
Economic vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast
The northern Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States has been identified as highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, based on a combination of physical and societal factors. Vulnerability of human populations and infrastructure to projected increases in sea level is a critical area of uncertainty for communities in the extremely low-lying and flat northern gulf coastal zone. A rapidly growing popula
Authors
Cindy A. Thatcher, John Brock, Elizabeth A. Pendleton
Statewide summary for Mississippi
The Mississippi coastline is 113 linear kilometers (70 miles) long and its estuaries cover approximately 594 km (369 mi; Figure 1) (Handley and others, 2007). It has a man-made sand beach 43.5 km (27 mi) long and 595.5 km (370 mi) of shoreline (Klein and others, b., 1998). The Mississippi Sound extends across the coastal waters of the State and encompasses 175,412 ha (433,443 acres). It is bordere
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Ali Leggett, Cindy A. Thatcher
Statewide summary for Alabama
Alabama is over 132,000 km2 (51,000 miles2) in area, 483 km (300 miles) long, and 322 km (200 miles) wide (Copeland, 1968). Coastal Alabama comprises Mobile and Baldwin Counties and the surrounding State waters in the Gulf of Mexico (Figure 1; O’Neil and Mettee, 1982). It is part of both the East Gulf Coastal Plain section of the Coastal Plain province and the Mississippi-Alabama shelf section of
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Stephen Jones, Cindy A. Thatcher
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is the largest bay found in Alabama’s coastal area (Handley et al., 2007). It was named an Estuary of National Significance in 1995 under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Estuary Program (NEP), and its Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan was completed in 2002. Mobile Bay is 1,070 km2 (413 miles2) in area and 51 km (32 miles) long, making it the sixth larg
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Stephen Jones, Cindy A. Thatcher
Galveston Bay: Chapter D in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
The Galveston Bay estuary is located on the upper Texas Gulf coast (Lester and Gonzalez, 2002). It is composed of four major sub-bays - Galveston, Trinity, East, and West Bays. It is Texas’ largest estuary on the Gulf Coast with a total area of 155,399 hectares (384,000 acres) and 1,885 km (1,171 miles) of shoreline (Burgan and Engle, 2006). The volume of the bay has increased over the past 50 yea
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Eleonor Taylor, Cindy A. Thatcher
Statewide summary for Louisiana: Chapter E in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico. Emergent wetland ecosystems provide a variety of resources, including plant and wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational economic activity, and natural barriers against storms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects of this loss, emergent wetla
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Jenneke Visser, Cindy A. Thatcher, Scott A. Wilson
Introduction to emergent wetlands: Chapter A in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico.Emergent wetland ecosystems provide a plethora of resources including plant and wildlife habitat,commercial and recreational economic activity, water quality improvement, and natural barriers againststorms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects ofth
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, René Baumstark, Ryan Moyer, Cindy A. Thatcher
Corpus Christi, Nueces, and Aransas Bays: Chapter C in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces Bay comprise the middle estuarine portion of Texas’ Coastal Bend region (Figure 1; Burgan and Engle, 2006). Aransas Bay is part of the upper estuarine portion of the region. These bays make up part of the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, one of the many estuarine areas in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program (Holt, 1998). The Coa
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Eleonor Taylor, Cindy A. Thatcher
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 32
Florida Panhandle
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico. Emergent wetland ecosystems provide a multitude of resources, including plant and wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational economic activity, and natural barriers against storms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects of this loss; emergent wet
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Barbara Albrecht, Karen Bruening, Alison McDowell, René Baumstark, Ryan Moyer, Cindy A. Thatcher
Accuracy assessment of a mobile terrestrial lidar survey at Padre Island National Seashore
The higher point density and mobility of terrestrial laser scanning (light detection and ranging (lidar)) is desired when extremely detailed elevation data are needed for mapping vertically orientated complex features such as levees, dunes, and cliffs, or when highly accurate data are needed for monitoring geomorphic changes. Mobile terrestrial lidar scanners have the capability for rapid data col
Authors
Samsung Lim, Cindy A. Thatcher, John Brock, Dustin R. Kimbrow, Jeffrey J. Danielson, B.J. Reynolds
Statewide summary for Florida
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico. Emergent wetland ecosystems provide a multitude of resources, including plant and wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational economic activity, and natural barriers against storms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects of this loss; emergent wet
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, René Baumstark, Ryan Moyer, Cindy A. Thatcher
A data-based conservation planning tool for Florida panthers
Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest threats to the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). We developed a data-based habitat model and user-friendly interface so that land managers can objectively evaluate Florida panther habitat. We used a geographic information system (GIS) and the Mahalanobis distance statistic (D2) to develop a model based on broad-scale landscape charact
Authors
Jennifer L. Murrow, Cindy A. Thatcher, Frank T. van Manen, Joseph D. Clark
Economic vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast
The northern Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States has been identified as highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, based on a combination of physical and societal factors. Vulnerability of human populations and infrastructure to projected increases in sea level is a critical area of uncertainty for communities in the extremely low-lying and flat northern gulf coastal zone. A rapidly growing popula
Authors
Cindy A. Thatcher, John Brock, Elizabeth A. Pendleton
Statewide summary for Mississippi
The Mississippi coastline is 113 linear kilometers (70 miles) long and its estuaries cover approximately 594 km (369 mi; Figure 1) (Handley and others, 2007). It has a man-made sand beach 43.5 km (27 mi) long and 595.5 km (370 mi) of shoreline (Klein and others, b., 1998). The Mississippi Sound extends across the coastal waters of the State and encompasses 175,412 ha (433,443 acres). It is bordere
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Ali Leggett, Cindy A. Thatcher
Statewide summary for Alabama
Alabama is over 132,000 km2 (51,000 miles2) in area, 483 km (300 miles) long, and 322 km (200 miles) wide (Copeland, 1968). Coastal Alabama comprises Mobile and Baldwin Counties and the surrounding State waters in the Gulf of Mexico (Figure 1; O’Neil and Mettee, 1982). It is part of both the East Gulf Coastal Plain section of the Coastal Plain province and the Mississippi-Alabama shelf section of
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Stephen Jones, Cindy A. Thatcher
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is the largest bay found in Alabama’s coastal area (Handley et al., 2007). It was named an Estuary of National Significance in 1995 under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Estuary Program (NEP), and its Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan was completed in 2002. Mobile Bay is 1,070 km2 (413 miles2) in area and 51 km (32 miles) long, making it the sixth larg
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Stephen Jones, Cindy A. Thatcher
Galveston Bay: Chapter D in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
The Galveston Bay estuary is located on the upper Texas Gulf coast (Lester and Gonzalez, 2002). It is composed of four major sub-bays - Galveston, Trinity, East, and West Bays. It is Texas’ largest estuary on the Gulf Coast with a total area of 155,399 hectares (384,000 acres) and 1,885 km (1,171 miles) of shoreline (Burgan and Engle, 2006). The volume of the bay has increased over the past 50 yea
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Eleonor Taylor, Cindy A. Thatcher
Statewide summary for Louisiana: Chapter E in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico. Emergent wetland ecosystems provide a variety of resources, including plant and wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational economic activity, and natural barriers against storms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects of this loss, emergent wetla
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Jenneke Visser, Cindy A. Thatcher, Scott A. Wilson
Introduction to emergent wetlands: Chapter A in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
Throughout the past century, emergent wetlands have been declining across the Gulf of Mexico.Emergent wetland ecosystems provide a plethora of resources including plant and wildlife habitat,commercial and recreational economic activity, water quality improvement, and natural barriers againststorms. As emergent wetland losses increase, so does the need for information on the causes and effects ofth
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, René Baumstark, Ryan Moyer, Cindy A. Thatcher
Corpus Christi, Nueces, and Aransas Bays: Chapter C in Emergent wetlands status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1950-2010
Corpus Christi Bay and Nueces Bay comprise the middle estuarine portion of Texas’ Coastal Bend region (Figure 1; Burgan and Engle, 2006). Aransas Bay is part of the upper estuarine portion of the region. These bays make up part of the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program, one of the many estuarine areas in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program (Holt, 1998). The Coa
Authors
Lawrence R. Handley, Kathryn A. Spear, Eleonor Taylor, Cindy A. Thatcher