G. Lynn Wingard, Ph.D.
Lynn Wingard’s research focus is on the application of paleoecologic techniques to the interpretation of Holocene marine and estuarine ecosystems. Current emphasis is on deriving baseline environmental data for Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration resource managers and on examining the interaction of climate and sea level on south Florida’s coastline in the Holocene.
Professional Background
1991-Present Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey
Lynn Wingard has been a Research Geologist with the USGS since 1991. She has conducted biostratigraphic and paleoecologic research on Mesozoic and Cenozoic Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain sediments throughout her career. Her early research focused on molluscan taxonomy and evolution across the Cretaceous Tertiary boundary and she examined the role of taxonomic assignments in calculations of extinction at the boundary. Investigations into the subsurface geology and paleoenvironments in Florida led to a reclassification of the subsurface Oligocene units and she assisted the Florida State Geologic Survey in their state map efforts.
Beginning in 1994, Lynn has served as Principal Investigator on projects related to the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration as part of the USGS Priority Ecosystem Science Program and she has served in a number of advisory roles related to this research. Her work has helped define salinity targets for Florida’s southern estuaries and has contributed to estimating historic freshwater flow through the wetlands. Her collaboration with Everglades resource managers has demonstrated the importance of paleoecology and the emerging field of conservation paleobiology in providing valuable scientific information to guide restoration efforts. Recent work has focused on sea level rise and storm history and how these driving factors have shaped the south Florida coastline over the last 5,000 years and what this tells us in terms of future projections of coastal change.
Science Leadership and Advisory Roles
- 1993: helped draft Program Implementation Plan for USGS South Florida Ecosystem Initiative
- 2001-Present: member of 6 CERP - Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan - Teams; currently serving on Southern Coastal Systems Sub-Team and Biscayne Bay Southeast Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Eco-subteam
- 2002: helped draft DOI and USGS Science Plans in Support of Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration
Education and Certifications
1979 BS (Geology / Biology) The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg VA
1983 MS (Geology) George Washington University, Washington DC
1990 PhD (Geology) George Washington University, Washington DC
Science and Products
Red-Rimmed Melania (Melanoides tuberculatus) - A snail in Biscayne National Park, Florida - Harmful invader or just a nuisance?
Synthesis of age data and chronology for Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay cores collected for ecosystem history of South Florida’s estuaries project
A cyclostratigraphic and borehole-geophysical approach to development of a three-dimensional conceptual hydrogeologic model of the karstic Biscayne aquifer, southeastern Florida
Application of carbonate cyclostratigraphy and borehole geophysics to delineate porosity and preferential flow in the karst limestone of the Biscayne aquifer, SE Florida
Paleontology of the upper Eocene to quaternary postimpact section in the USGS-NASA Langley core, Hampton, Virginia
Ecosystem history of southern and central Biscayne Bay: Summary report on sediment core analyses - year two
Characterization of aquifer heterogeneity using cyclostratigraphy and geophysical methods in the upper part of the Karstic Biscayne Aquifer, Southeastern Florida
Ecosystem history of southern and central Biscayne Bay: Summary report on sediment core analyses
Molluscan faunal distribution in Florida Bay, past and present: An integration of down-core and modern data
Historical trends in salinity and substrate in central and northern Florida Bay: A Paleoecological Reconstruction using modern analogue data
Environmental impacts on the southern Florida coastal waters: A history of change in Florida Bay
Reinterpretation of the peninsular Florida oligocene: An integrated stratigraphic approach
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.
Science and Products
Red-Rimmed Melania (Melanoides tuberculatus) - A snail in Biscayne National Park, Florida - Harmful invader or just a nuisance?
Synthesis of age data and chronology for Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay cores collected for ecosystem history of South Florida’s estuaries project
A cyclostratigraphic and borehole-geophysical approach to development of a three-dimensional conceptual hydrogeologic model of the karstic Biscayne aquifer, southeastern Florida
Application of carbonate cyclostratigraphy and borehole geophysics to delineate porosity and preferential flow in the karst limestone of the Biscayne aquifer, SE Florida
Paleontology of the upper Eocene to quaternary postimpact section in the USGS-NASA Langley core, Hampton, Virginia
Ecosystem history of southern and central Biscayne Bay: Summary report on sediment core analyses - year two
Characterization of aquifer heterogeneity using cyclostratigraphy and geophysical methods in the upper part of the Karstic Biscayne Aquifer, Southeastern Florida
Ecosystem history of southern and central Biscayne Bay: Summary report on sediment core analyses
Molluscan faunal distribution in Florida Bay, past and present: An integration of down-core and modern data
Historical trends in salinity and substrate in central and northern Florida Bay: A Paleoecological Reconstruction using modern analogue data
Environmental impacts on the southern Florida coastal waters: A history of change in Florida Bay
Reinterpretation of the peninsular Florida oligocene: An integrated stratigraphic approach
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.