Karen Thorne, Ph.D.
Dr. Karen Thorne is a Research Ecologist with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center,
Her research focus is on climate change impacts to coastal ecosystems. In particular, her work has included assessing sea-level rise and storm impacts to coastal ecosystems, wetland ecology, restoration, and blue carbon. She received her Ph.D. and MS from the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Thorne's interests lie in conservation and management issues surrounding climate-related research that assess changes to ecosystems. Her current focus is assessing how sea-level rise and storms impact tidal wetland ecosystems in the U.S. and island habitats. She conducts research to inform climate adaptation and planning to help managers mitigate impacts and conduct restoration. Her research is based on field data collection methods that can be developed into climate change impact models using ArcGIS and other remote sensing tools.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Global Change Biology
- Coastal Ecosystems
- Wetland Ecology
- Restoration
- Threatened & Endangered Species
- Blue Carbon
- Landscape Ecology
- Ecological Response Modeling
- Storm Monitoring
- Sea-level Rise Planning & Decision Support
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, USGS, Western Ecological Research Center, Davis Field Station, 2012 - present
Biologist, USGS, Western Ecological Research Center, San Francisco Bay Estuary Field Station, 2005 to 2012
Research Associate, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Fairbanks, AK, 2002 to 2005
Education and Certifications
PhD, Geography, Global Change, University of California, Davis, 2012
MSc, Geography, Environmental Studies, University of California, Davis, 2008
BS, Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis 2000
Affiliations and Memberships*
California Landscape Conservation Cooperative Science Team
Science and Products
San Pablo Bay Marsh
Black John Marsh
Petaluma Marsh
Gambinini Marsh
Climate Extremes and Ecological Impacts to California Estuaries
Davis Field Station
Improving Our Ability to Forecast Tidal Marsh Response to Sea Level Rise
Understanding the Impacts of Ecological Drought on Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest
Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Extreme Storms on California Coastal Habitats: Part 2
Marshes to Mudflats: Climate Change Effects Along Coastal Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest
Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Extreme Storms on California Coastal Habitats: Part 1
Fate of Endangered Species in San Francisco Bay Tidal Marshes with Sea-Level Rise
LEAN-corrected San Francisco Bay digital elevation model, 2018
Digital elevation model outputs from wetland accreting rate model of ecosystem resilience (WARMER) at ten year intervals from 2010-2110
Data for climate-related variation in plant peak biomass and growth phenology across Pacific Northwest tidal marshes
Decomposition of plant litter in Pacific coast tidal marshes, 2014-2015
Incorporation of uncertainty to improve projections of tidal wetland elevation and carbon accumulation with sea-level rise
Climate change vulnerability assessment for the California coastal national monument—Trinidad and Point Arena-Stornetta units
Sea-level rise vulnerability of mangrove forests on the Micronesian Island of Pohnpei
Intensity of grass invasion negatively correlated with population density and age structure of an endangered dune plant across its range
Wetlands in intermittently closed estuaries can build elevations to keep pace with sea-level rise
Distribution, abundance, and genomic diversity of the endangered antioch dunes evening primrose (Oenothera deltoides subsp. howellii) surveyed in 2019
Mangrove species’ response to sea-level rise across Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
Seasonal impoundment alters patterns of tidal wetland plant diversity across spatial scales
Waterfowl use of wetland habitats informs wetland restoration designs for multi‐species benefits
Short-term impact of sediment addition on plants and invertebrates in a southern California salt marsh
Salinity and inundation effects on productivity of brackish tidal marsh plants in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary
Testing the interactive effects of flooding and salinity on tidal marsh plant productivity
Science and Products
San Pablo Bay Marsh
Black John Marsh
Petaluma Marsh
Gambinini Marsh
Climate Extremes and Ecological Impacts to California Estuaries
Davis Field Station
Improving Our Ability to Forecast Tidal Marsh Response to Sea Level Rise
Understanding the Impacts of Ecological Drought on Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest
Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Extreme Storms on California Coastal Habitats: Part 2
Marshes to Mudflats: Climate Change Effects Along Coastal Estuaries in the Pacific Northwest
Effects of Sea-Level Rise and Extreme Storms on California Coastal Habitats: Part 1
Fate of Endangered Species in San Francisco Bay Tidal Marshes with Sea-Level Rise
LEAN-corrected San Francisco Bay digital elevation model, 2018
Digital elevation model outputs from wetland accreting rate model of ecosystem resilience (WARMER) at ten year intervals from 2010-2110
Data for climate-related variation in plant peak biomass and growth phenology across Pacific Northwest tidal marshes
Decomposition of plant litter in Pacific coast tidal marshes, 2014-2015
Incorporation of uncertainty to improve projections of tidal wetland elevation and carbon accumulation with sea-level rise
Climate change vulnerability assessment for the California coastal national monument—Trinidad and Point Arena-Stornetta units
Sea-level rise vulnerability of mangrove forests on the Micronesian Island of Pohnpei
Intensity of grass invasion negatively correlated with population density and age structure of an endangered dune plant across its range
Wetlands in intermittently closed estuaries can build elevations to keep pace with sea-level rise
Distribution, abundance, and genomic diversity of the endangered antioch dunes evening primrose (Oenothera deltoides subsp. howellii) surveyed in 2019
Mangrove species’ response to sea-level rise across Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia
Seasonal impoundment alters patterns of tidal wetland plant diversity across spatial scales
Waterfowl use of wetland habitats informs wetland restoration designs for multi‐species benefits
Short-term impact of sediment addition on plants and invertebrates in a southern California salt marsh
Salinity and inundation effects on productivity of brackish tidal marsh plants in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary
Testing the interactive effects of flooding and salinity on tidal marsh plant productivity
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government