Eric Grossman
Research Geologist with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Science and Products
Estuaries and large river deltas in the Pacific Northwest
Essential habitat for wild salmon and other wildlife borders river deltas and estuaries in the Pacific Northwest. These estuaries also support industry, agriculture, and a large human population that’s expected to double by the year 2060, but each could suffer from more severe river floods, higher sea level, and storm surges caused by climate change.
Using Video Imagery to Study Coastal Change: Whidbey Island
From May of 2018 through November of 2019, USGS scientists collected imagery from video cameras overlooking the coast along a beach on Whidbey Island, Island County at the northern boundary of Puget Sound in western Washington.
Assessing the Benefits and Vulnerability of Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta and other Puget Sound Estuaries
The Nisqually River Delta represents the largest wetland restoration in the Pacific Northwest. The restoration resulted in a 50% increase in potential salt marsh habitat. The Delta supports threatened salmon fisheries, large populations of migratory birds, and provides unique opportunities for recreation. The Delta also provides multiple ecosystem services, which are the benefits that...
PS-CoSMoS FAQs
Puget Sound - Coastal Storm Modeling System (PS-CoSMoS) frequently asked questions
Understanding the Interactions Between Human Health, Environment, and Climate in Salish Sea Communities
The overarching project goal was to develop overlapping conceptual models of environmental and community health indicators in reference to climate forecasts. The sensitivity of species and habitats to climate was cross-walked with recently developed Coast Salish community health indicators (e.g., ceremonial use, knowledge exchange, and physiological well-being) in order to demonstrate...
Filter Total Items: 25
Oceanographic and water-quality measurements collected in Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA, 2019 to 2021
Bottom-landing and floating platforms with instrumentation to measure currents, waves, water level, optical turbidity, water temperature, and conductivity were deployed at four locations in Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA. Platforms were deployed during three separate periods: July 30, 2019-November 14, 2019; November 19, 2019-February 5, 2020; and January 22, 2021-April 13, 2021...
Geochemistry of surface sediment and sediment cores in Bellingham Bay, Whatcom County, Washington, in February 2020
Geochemical data are reported for surface sediments and long sediment cores from Bellingham Bay, Whatcom County, Washington, collected in early February 2020 after flood conditions on the Nooksack River. Data include total organic carbon content (TOC), carbonate content (CaCO3), ratios of stable carbon 13/12 isotopes (d13C), ratios of total carbon to total nitrogen (C:N), short-lived...
Projected future habitat, elevation change, and carbon accumulation of coastal wetlands in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington
This dataset consists of raster geotiff outputs from modeling habitat change, marsh vertical accretion, and carbon accumulation in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington, USA. These rasters represent projections of future habitat type, change in surface elevation above Mean Sea Level, and total sediment carbon accumulation since 2011 in coastal wetland habitats. Projections were generated...
Time-series measurements of pressure, conductivity, temperature, and water level collected in Puget Sound and Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA, 2018 to 2021
Pressure, conductivity, temperature, and water level relative the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) were measured at seven locations in Puget Sound and Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA, from November 2, 2018 to June 4, 2021. These data were collected using submersible pressure-conductivity-temperature sensors mounted on piers to support studies of extreme water levels and...
Eelgrass distributions and bathymetry of Bellingham Bay, Washington, 2019
This data release presents eelgrass distributions and bathymetry data derived from acoustic surveys of Bellingham Bay, Washington. Survey operations were conducted between February 16 and February 21, 2019 (USGS Field Activity Number 2019-606-FA) by a team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center and Washington State Department of Ecology...
Aerial imagery and structure-from-motion data products from UAS survey of the intertidal zone at Lone Tree Point, Kiket Bay, WA, June 2019
An unmanned aerial system (UAS) was used to acquire high-resolution imagery of the intertidal zone at Lone Tree Point, Kiket Bay, Washington on June 5, 2019. This imagery was processed using structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques to derive a high-resolution digital surface model (DSM), orthomosaic imagery, and topographic point clouds. In order to maximize the extent of...
Filter Total Items: 44
Fluvial delivery and wave resuspension of sediment in a sheltered, urbanized Pacific Northwest estuary
The sequence and timing of sediment delivery and redistribution in coastal systems is important for shoreline stability, ecosystem services, and remediation planning. In temperate estuaries, understanding the role of fluvial sediment delivery and dispersal relative to wind and wave remobilization processes is particularly important to address the fate of contaminants, many of which...
Authors
Daniel J. Nowacki, Andrew W. Stevens, Renee K. Takesue, Eric E. Grossman
Efficient modeling of wave generation and propagation in a semi-enclosed estuary
Accurate, and high-resolution wave statistics are critical for regional hazard mapping and planning. However, long-term simulations at high spatial resolution are often computationally prohibitive. Here, multiple rapid frameworks including fetch-limited, look-up-table (LUT), and linear propagation are combined and tested in a large estuary exposed to both remotely (swell) and locally...
Authors
Sean C. Crosby, Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Nathan R. VanArendonk, Eric E. Grossman
Assessment of vulnerabilities and opportunities to restore marsh sediment supply at Nisqually River Delta, west-central Washington
A cascading set of hazards to coastal environments is intimately tied to sediment transport and includes the flooding and erosion of shorelines and habitats that support communities, industry, infrastructure, and ecosystem functions (for example, habitats critical to fisheries). This report summarizes modeling and measurement data used to evaluate the sediment budget of the Nisqually...
Authors
Eric E. Grossman, Sean C. Crosby, Andrew W. Stevens, Daniel J. Nowacki, Nathan R. vanArendonk, Christopher A. Curran
Can coastal habitats rise to the challenge? Resilience of estuarine habitats, carbon accumulation, and economic value to sea-level rise in a Puget Sound estuary
Sea-level rise (SLR) and obstructions to sediment delivery pose challenges to the persistence of estuarine habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. Restoration actions and sediment management strategies may help mitigate such challenges by encouraging the vertical accretion of sediment in and horizontal migration of tidal forests and marshes. We used a process-based soil...
Authors
Monica Mei Jeen Moritsch, Kristin B. Byrd, Melanie J. Davis, Anthony J. Good, Judith Z. Drexler, James T. Morris, Isa Woo, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Eric E. Grossman, Glynnis Nakai, Katrina L. Poppe, John M. Rybczyk
Long-term changes in kelp forests in an inner basin of the Salish Sea
Kelp forests form an important biogenic habitat that responds to natural and human drivers. Global concerns exist about threats to kelp forests, yet long-term information is limited and research suggests that trends are geographically distinct. We examined distribution of the bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana over 145 years in South Puget Sound (SPS), a semi-protected inner basin in a...
Authors
H.D. Berry, T.F. Mumford, M. Calloway, L. Ferrier, B. Christiaen, P. Dowty, Eric E. Grossman, Nathan R. vanArendonk
Nearshore water quality and coral health indicators along the west coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi, 2010–2014
Coral reefs worldwide are experiencing rapid degradation in response to climate and land-use change, namely effects of warming sea-surface temperatures, contaminant runoff, and overfishing. Extensive coral bleaching caused by the steady rise of sea-surface temperatures is projected to increase, but our understanding and ability to predict where corals may be most resilient to this effect...
Authors
Eric E. Grossman, Lisa Marrack, Nathan R. vanArendonk
Science and Products
Estuaries and large river deltas in the Pacific Northwest
Essential habitat for wild salmon and other wildlife borders river deltas and estuaries in the Pacific Northwest. These estuaries also support industry, agriculture, and a large human population that’s expected to double by the year 2060, but each could suffer from more severe river floods, higher sea level, and storm surges caused by climate change.
Using Video Imagery to Study Coastal Change: Whidbey Island
From May of 2018 through November of 2019, USGS scientists collected imagery from video cameras overlooking the coast along a beach on Whidbey Island, Island County at the northern boundary of Puget Sound in western Washington.
Assessing the Benefits and Vulnerability of Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta and other Puget Sound Estuaries
The Nisqually River Delta represents the largest wetland restoration in the Pacific Northwest. The restoration resulted in a 50% increase in potential salt marsh habitat. The Delta supports threatened salmon fisheries, large populations of migratory birds, and provides unique opportunities for recreation. The Delta also provides multiple ecosystem services, which are the benefits that...
PS-CoSMoS FAQs
Puget Sound - Coastal Storm Modeling System (PS-CoSMoS) frequently asked questions
Understanding the Interactions Between Human Health, Environment, and Climate in Salish Sea Communities
The overarching project goal was to develop overlapping conceptual models of environmental and community health indicators in reference to climate forecasts. The sensitivity of species and habitats to climate was cross-walked with recently developed Coast Salish community health indicators (e.g., ceremonial use, knowledge exchange, and physiological well-being) in order to demonstrate...
Filter Total Items: 25
Oceanographic and water-quality measurements collected in Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA, 2019 to 2021
Bottom-landing and floating platforms with instrumentation to measure currents, waves, water level, optical turbidity, water temperature, and conductivity were deployed at four locations in Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA. Platforms were deployed during three separate periods: July 30, 2019-November 14, 2019; November 19, 2019-February 5, 2020; and January 22, 2021-April 13, 2021...
Geochemistry of surface sediment and sediment cores in Bellingham Bay, Whatcom County, Washington, in February 2020
Geochemical data are reported for surface sediments and long sediment cores from Bellingham Bay, Whatcom County, Washington, collected in early February 2020 after flood conditions on the Nooksack River. Data include total organic carbon content (TOC), carbonate content (CaCO3), ratios of stable carbon 13/12 isotopes (d13C), ratios of total carbon to total nitrogen (C:N), short-lived...
Projected future habitat, elevation change, and carbon accumulation of coastal wetlands in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington
This dataset consists of raster geotiff outputs from modeling habitat change, marsh vertical accretion, and carbon accumulation in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington, USA. These rasters represent projections of future habitat type, change in surface elevation above Mean Sea Level, and total sediment carbon accumulation since 2011 in coastal wetland habitats. Projections were generated...
Time-series measurements of pressure, conductivity, temperature, and water level collected in Puget Sound and Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA, 2018 to 2021
Pressure, conductivity, temperature, and water level relative the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) were measured at seven locations in Puget Sound and Bellingham Bay, Washington, USA, from November 2, 2018 to June 4, 2021. These data were collected using submersible pressure-conductivity-temperature sensors mounted on piers to support studies of extreme water levels and...
Eelgrass distributions and bathymetry of Bellingham Bay, Washington, 2019
This data release presents eelgrass distributions and bathymetry data derived from acoustic surveys of Bellingham Bay, Washington. Survey operations were conducted between February 16 and February 21, 2019 (USGS Field Activity Number 2019-606-FA) by a team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center and Washington State Department of Ecology...
Aerial imagery and structure-from-motion data products from UAS survey of the intertidal zone at Lone Tree Point, Kiket Bay, WA, June 2019
An unmanned aerial system (UAS) was used to acquire high-resolution imagery of the intertidal zone at Lone Tree Point, Kiket Bay, Washington on June 5, 2019. This imagery was processed using structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques to derive a high-resolution digital surface model (DSM), orthomosaic imagery, and topographic point clouds. In order to maximize the extent of...
Filter Total Items: 44
Fluvial delivery and wave resuspension of sediment in a sheltered, urbanized Pacific Northwest estuary
The sequence and timing of sediment delivery and redistribution in coastal systems is important for shoreline stability, ecosystem services, and remediation planning. In temperate estuaries, understanding the role of fluvial sediment delivery and dispersal relative to wind and wave remobilization processes is particularly important to address the fate of contaminants, many of which...
Authors
Daniel J. Nowacki, Andrew W. Stevens, Renee K. Takesue, Eric E. Grossman
Efficient modeling of wave generation and propagation in a semi-enclosed estuary
Accurate, and high-resolution wave statistics are critical for regional hazard mapping and planning. However, long-term simulations at high spatial resolution are often computationally prohibitive. Here, multiple rapid frameworks including fetch-limited, look-up-table (LUT), and linear propagation are combined and tested in a large estuary exposed to both remotely (swell) and locally...
Authors
Sean C. Crosby, Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Nathan R. VanArendonk, Eric E. Grossman
Assessment of vulnerabilities and opportunities to restore marsh sediment supply at Nisqually River Delta, west-central Washington
A cascading set of hazards to coastal environments is intimately tied to sediment transport and includes the flooding and erosion of shorelines and habitats that support communities, industry, infrastructure, and ecosystem functions (for example, habitats critical to fisheries). This report summarizes modeling and measurement data used to evaluate the sediment budget of the Nisqually...
Authors
Eric E. Grossman, Sean C. Crosby, Andrew W. Stevens, Daniel J. Nowacki, Nathan R. vanArendonk, Christopher A. Curran
Can coastal habitats rise to the challenge? Resilience of estuarine habitats, carbon accumulation, and economic value to sea-level rise in a Puget Sound estuary
Sea-level rise (SLR) and obstructions to sediment delivery pose challenges to the persistence of estuarine habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. Restoration actions and sediment management strategies may help mitigate such challenges by encouraging the vertical accretion of sediment in and horizontal migration of tidal forests and marshes. We used a process-based soil...
Authors
Monica Mei Jeen Moritsch, Kristin B. Byrd, Melanie J. Davis, Anthony J. Good, Judith Z. Drexler, James T. Morris, Isa Woo, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Eric E. Grossman, Glynnis Nakai, Katrina L. Poppe, John M. Rybczyk
Long-term changes in kelp forests in an inner basin of the Salish Sea
Kelp forests form an important biogenic habitat that responds to natural and human drivers. Global concerns exist about threats to kelp forests, yet long-term information is limited and research suggests that trends are geographically distinct. We examined distribution of the bull kelp Nereocystis luetkeana over 145 years in South Puget Sound (SPS), a semi-protected inner basin in a...
Authors
H.D. Berry, T.F. Mumford, M. Calloway, L. Ferrier, B. Christiaen, P. Dowty, Eric E. Grossman, Nathan R. vanArendonk
Nearshore water quality and coral health indicators along the west coast of the Island of Hawaiʻi, 2010–2014
Coral reefs worldwide are experiencing rapid degradation in response to climate and land-use change, namely effects of warming sea-surface temperatures, contaminant runoff, and overfishing. Extensive coral bleaching caused by the steady rise of sea-surface temperatures is projected to increase, but our understanding and ability to predict where corals may be most resilient to this effect...
Authors
Eric E. Grossman, Lisa Marrack, Nathan R. vanArendonk