Jonathan Warrick
My research focuses on the intersection of rivers and the sea. Topics include the movement of sediment within and from coastal watersheds, and how sediment can alter coastal landscapes and habitats. Recently these subjects have been addressed in my work on the Elwha River, Washington, where the largest dam removal project in U.S. history was completed in 2014.
In The News
2017, Los Angeles Times article, “Highway 1 was buried under a massive landslide. Months later, engineers battle Mother Nature to fix it”
2016, The Department of Interior and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, International RiverPrize Finalist
2015, New York Times article, “When Dams Come Down, Salmon and Sand Can Prosper”
2014, National Geographic news article, “World’s Largest Dam Removal Unleashes U.S. River After Century of Electric Production”
2013, Book, “Elwha: A River Reborn”
2012, Front-page Seattle Times article, “Dam gone, nature rebuilds Elwha River beach”
2009, Science Daily article, “Sediment Yield From The Tectonically Active Semiarid Western Transverse Ranges Of California”
2006, Environmental Science & Technology news article, “California’s Shifting Sands”
Professional Experience
Research Geologist, GS-15, 2016-present, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
Research Geologist, GS-14, 2008-2016, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
Research Geologist, GS-13, 2004-2008, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow, GS-12, 2002-2004, USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program, Menlo Park, California
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 2002, University of California, Santa Barbara
M.Sc., 1995, University Wisconsin-Madison
B.Sc., 1993, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Science and Products
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, August 2011
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, May 2011
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, September 2010
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, March 2013
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, September 2013
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, April and May 2014
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, September 2014
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, January 2015
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July 2016
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July 2015
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, February 2016
Coastal habitat and biological community response to dam removal on the Elwha River
Coastal river plumes: Collisions and coalescence
New techniques to measure cliff change from historical oblique aerial photographs and structure-from-motion photogrammetry
Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report
Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)—A map-based resource linking scientific studies and associated geospatial information about dam removals
Highstand shelf fans: The role of buoyancy reversal in the deposition of a new type of shelf sand body
Coastal change from a massive sediment input: Dam removal, Elwha River, Washington, USA
Sediment yields from small, steep coastal watersheds of California
Rapid water quality change in the Elwha River estuary complex during dam removal
Dam removal in the United States is increasing as a result of structural concerns, sedimentation of reservoirs, and declining riverine ecosystem conditions. The removal of the 32 m Elwha and 64 m Glines Canyon dams from the Elwha River in Washington, U.S.A., was the largest dam removal project in North American history. During the 3 yr of dam removal—from September 2011 to August 2014—more than te
Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: coastal geomorphic change
Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: source-to-sink sediment budget and synthesis
Understanding landscape responses to sediment supply changes constitutes a fundamental part of many problems in geomorphology, but opportunities to study such processes at field scales are rare. The phased removal of two large dams on the Elwha River, Washington, exposed 21 ± 3 million m3, or ~ 30 million tonnes (t), of sediment that had been deposited in the two former reservoirs, allowing a comp
Kelp, cobbles, and currents: Biologic reduction of coarse grain entrainment stress
Science and Products
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, August 2011
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, May 2011
Bathymetry and topography data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, September 2010
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, March 2013
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, September 2013
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, April and May 2014
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, September 2014
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, January 2015
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July 2016
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, July 2015
Bathymetry, topography, and sediment grain-size data from the Elwha River delta, Washington, February 2016
Coastal habitat and biological community response to dam removal on the Elwha River
Coastal river plumes: Collisions and coalescence
New techniques to measure cliff change from historical oblique aerial photographs and structure-from-motion photogrammetry
Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report
Dam Removal Information Portal (DRIP)—A map-based resource linking scientific studies and associated geospatial information about dam removals
Highstand shelf fans: The role of buoyancy reversal in the deposition of a new type of shelf sand body
Coastal change from a massive sediment input: Dam removal, Elwha River, Washington, USA
Sediment yields from small, steep coastal watersheds of California
Rapid water quality change in the Elwha River estuary complex during dam removal
Dam removal in the United States is increasing as a result of structural concerns, sedimentation of reservoirs, and declining riverine ecosystem conditions. The removal of the 32 m Elwha and 64 m Glines Canyon dams from the Elwha River in Washington, U.S.A., was the largest dam removal project in North American history. During the 3 yr of dam removal—from September 2011 to August 2014—more than te
Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: coastal geomorphic change
Large-scale dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA: source-to-sink sediment budget and synthesis
Understanding landscape responses to sediment supply changes constitutes a fundamental part of many problems in geomorphology, but opportunities to study such processes at field scales are rare. The phased removal of two large dams on the Elwha River, Washington, exposed 21 ± 3 million m3, or ~ 30 million tonnes (t), of sediment that had been deposited in the two former reservoirs, allowing a comp