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
Thin-layer sediment addition to an existing salt marsh to combat sea-level rise and improve endangered species habitat in California, USA
Flooding regimes increase avian predation on wildlife prey in tidal marsh ecosystems
Rising tides: Assessing habitat vulnerability for an endangered salt marsh-dependent species with sea-level rise
El Niño increases high‐tide flooding in tidal wetlands along the U.S. Pacific coast.
Sea‐level rise, habitat loss, and potential extirpation of a salt marsh specialist bird in urbanized landscapes
Vertical zonation and niche breadth of tidal marsh plants along the Northeast Pacific coast
Climate-related variation in plant peak biomass and growth phenology across Pacific Northwest tidal marshes
U.S. Pacific coastal wetland resilience and vulnerability to sea-level rise
Inundation, vegetation, and sediment effects on litter decomposition in Pacific Coast tidal marshes
Are coastal managers ready for climate change? A case study from estuaries along the Pacific coast of the United States
Statistical correction of lidar-derived digital elevation models with multispectral airborne imagery in tidal marshes
Balanced sediment fluxes in southern California’s Mediterranean-climate zone salt marshes
Science and Products
Thin-layer sediment addition to an existing salt marsh to combat sea-level rise and improve endangered species habitat in California, USA
Flooding regimes increase avian predation on wildlife prey in tidal marsh ecosystems
Rising tides: Assessing habitat vulnerability for an endangered salt marsh-dependent species with sea-level rise
El Niño increases high‐tide flooding in tidal wetlands along the U.S. Pacific coast.
Sea‐level rise, habitat loss, and potential extirpation of a salt marsh specialist bird in urbanized landscapes
Vertical zonation and niche breadth of tidal marsh plants along the Northeast Pacific coast
Climate-related variation in plant peak biomass and growth phenology across Pacific Northwest tidal marshes
U.S. Pacific coastal wetland resilience and vulnerability to sea-level rise
Inundation, vegetation, and sediment effects on litter decomposition in Pacific Coast tidal marshes
Are coastal managers ready for climate change? A case study from estuaries along the Pacific coast of the United States
Statistical correction of lidar-derived digital elevation models with multispectral airborne imagery in tidal marshes
Balanced sediment fluxes in southern California’s Mediterranean-climate zone salt marshes
*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