Extensive floating marshes occur in a few locations around the world. Papyrus swamps of tropical Africa occur along the White Nile, the Okavango and Niger deltas, and along the shoreline of Lake Victoria. There are extensive Phragmites swamps in the Danube Delta in Romania. Seasonal and permanent floating meadows are found in the middle Amazon flood plain.
Karen McKee, Ph.D.
Karen McKee is a Scientist Emeritus at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
Karen L. McKee is a Scientist Emeritus (retired) with the U.S. Geological Survey. She received both a master’s degree and doctorate in botany and conducted research in the field of wetland plant ecology for forty years. Research topics have included adaptations of plants to stressful environments and effects of elevated CO2, climate change, sea-level rise, and hurricanes on wetlands. Her scientific work has been published in over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and books; she has also produced several peer-reviewed videos. McKee has been active in promoting science communication by scientists and has worked to encourage more scientists and science students to acquire better multimedia skills.
Science and Products
Soil elevation change in mangrove forests and marshes of the Greater Everglades: a regional synthesis of surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) data
Above- and belowground biomass production, decomposition, and wetland elevation change in transitional coastal wetland communities exposed to elevated CO2 and sediment deposition: a mesocosm study from 2012 to 2014
Mangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021
Hurricane sedimentation in a subtropical salt marsh-mangrove community in the Mississippi River Delta Complex unaffected by vegetation type
Will fluctuations in salt marsh - mangrove dominance alter vulnerability of a subtropical wetland to sea-level rise?
Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network
Extensive floating marshes occur in a few locations around the world. Papyrus swamps of tropical Africa occur along the White Nile, the Okavango and Niger deltas, and along the shoreline of Lake Victoria. There are extensive Phragmites swamps in the Danube Delta in Romania. Seasonal and permanent floating meadows are found in the middle Amazon flood plain.
This video describes causes of wetland loss in the Mississippi River Delta.
This video describes causes of wetland loss in the Mississippi River Delta.
This video describes how scientists are studying freshwater wetlands on the North Island of New Zealand and how nutrients from pasture runoff may alter the vegetation and peat formation in these important ecosystems. Much of what is known about wetlands comes from research conducted in the Northern Hemisphere.
This video describes how scientists are studying freshwater wetlands on the North Island of New Zealand and how nutrients from pasture runoff may alter the vegetation and peat formation in these important ecosystems. Much of what is known about wetlands comes from research conducted in the Northern Hemisphere.
What Lies Beneath: Using Mangrove Peat to Study Ancient Coastal Environments and Sea-Level Rise
linkThis video describes how scientists study past changes in sea-level and coastal environments by analyzing mangrove peat. Mangrove islands located off the coast of Belize are underlain by deep deposits of peat (organic soil), which retain a record of past sea level, vegetation, and climate.
What Lies Beneath: Using Mangrove Peat to Study Ancient Coastal Environments and Sea-Level Rise
linkThis video describes how scientists study past changes in sea-level and coastal environments by analyzing mangrove peat. Mangrove islands located off the coast of Belize are underlain by deep deposits of peat (organic soil), which retain a record of past sea level, vegetation, and climate.
A brackish marsh in the Mississippi River Delta.
A brackish marsh in the Mississippi River Delta.
An aerial view of subsiding marshes in the Mississippi River Delta. An aerial view of subsiding marshes in the Mississippi River Delta. This region contains vast areas of marshes, swamps, and barrier islands—important habitat for wildlife, as nursery grounds for marine life, and as protective buffers against storms and hurricanes.
An aerial view of subsiding marshes in the Mississippi River Delta. An aerial view of subsiding marshes in the Mississippi River Delta. This region contains vast areas of marshes, swamps, and barrier islands—important habitat for wildlife, as nursery grounds for marine life, and as protective buffers against storms and hurricanes.
Soil elevation change in mangrove forests and marshes of the greater Everglades: A regional synthesis of surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) data
Rapidly changing range limits in a warming world: Critical data limitations and knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of mangrove range dynamics in the southeastern USA
Presence of the herbaceous marsh species Schoenoplectus americanus enhances surface elevation gain in transitional coastal wetland communities exposed to elevated CO2 and sediment deposition events
The history of surface-elevation paradigms in mangrove biogeomorphology
Does geomorphology determine vulnerability of mangrove coasts to sea-level rise?
How plants influence resilience of salt marsh and mangrove wetlands to sea-level rise
The field trip that changed the course of my career
Hurricane sedimentation in a subtropical salt marsh-mangrove community is unaffected by vegetation type
The shifting saltmarsh-mangrove ecotone in Australasia and the Americas
Will fluctuations in salt marsh–mangrove dominance alter vulnerability of a subtropical wetland to sea‐level rise?
Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: Gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network
Species and tissue type regulate long-term decomposition of brackish marsh plants grown under elevated CO2 conditions
Science and Products
Soil elevation change in mangrove forests and marshes of the Greater Everglades: a regional synthesis of surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) data
Above- and belowground biomass production, decomposition, and wetland elevation change in transitional coastal wetland communities exposed to elevated CO2 and sediment deposition: a mesocosm study from 2012 to 2014
Mangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021
Hurricane sedimentation in a subtropical salt marsh-mangrove community in the Mississippi River Delta Complex unaffected by vegetation type
Will fluctuations in salt marsh - mangrove dominance alter vulnerability of a subtropical wetland to sea-level rise?
Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network
Extensive floating marshes occur in a few locations around the world. Papyrus swamps of tropical Africa occur along the White Nile, the Okavango and Niger deltas, and along the shoreline of Lake Victoria. There are extensive Phragmites swamps in the Danube Delta in Romania. Seasonal and permanent floating meadows are found in the middle Amazon flood plain.
Extensive floating marshes occur in a few locations around the world. Papyrus swamps of tropical Africa occur along the White Nile, the Okavango and Niger deltas, and along the shoreline of Lake Victoria. There are extensive Phragmites swamps in the Danube Delta in Romania. Seasonal and permanent floating meadows are found in the middle Amazon flood plain.
This video describes causes of wetland loss in the Mississippi River Delta.
This video describes causes of wetland loss in the Mississippi River Delta.
This video describes how scientists are studying freshwater wetlands on the North Island of New Zealand and how nutrients from pasture runoff may alter the vegetation and peat formation in these important ecosystems. Much of what is known about wetlands comes from research conducted in the Northern Hemisphere.
This video describes how scientists are studying freshwater wetlands on the North Island of New Zealand and how nutrients from pasture runoff may alter the vegetation and peat formation in these important ecosystems. Much of what is known about wetlands comes from research conducted in the Northern Hemisphere.
What Lies Beneath: Using Mangrove Peat to Study Ancient Coastal Environments and Sea-Level Rise
linkThis video describes how scientists study past changes in sea-level and coastal environments by analyzing mangrove peat. Mangrove islands located off the coast of Belize are underlain by deep deposits of peat (organic soil), which retain a record of past sea level, vegetation, and climate.
What Lies Beneath: Using Mangrove Peat to Study Ancient Coastal Environments and Sea-Level Rise
linkThis video describes how scientists study past changes in sea-level and coastal environments by analyzing mangrove peat. Mangrove islands located off the coast of Belize are underlain by deep deposits of peat (organic soil), which retain a record of past sea level, vegetation, and climate.
A brackish marsh in the Mississippi River Delta.
A brackish marsh in the Mississippi River Delta.
An aerial view of subsiding marshes in the Mississippi River Delta. An aerial view of subsiding marshes in the Mississippi River Delta. This region contains vast areas of marshes, swamps, and barrier islands—important habitat for wildlife, as nursery grounds for marine life, and as protective buffers against storms and hurricanes.
An aerial view of subsiding marshes in the Mississippi River Delta. An aerial view of subsiding marshes in the Mississippi River Delta. This region contains vast areas of marshes, swamps, and barrier islands—important habitat for wildlife, as nursery grounds for marine life, and as protective buffers against storms and hurricanes.