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
Effects of climate change on tidal marshes along a latitudinal gradient in California
Assessing wildlife benefits and carbon storage from restored and natural coastal marshes in the Nisqually River Delta: Determining marsh net ecosystem carbon balance
Potential effects of sea-level rise on plant productivity: Species-specific responses in northeast Pacific tidal marshes
Tidal marsh susceptibility to sea-level rise: importance of local-scale models
Marshes to mudflats—Effects of sea-level rise on tidal marshes along a latitudinal gradient in the Pacific Northwest
Case Study, California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis corturniculus): Science Foundation Chapter 5, Appendix 5.1 in The Baylands and climate change: What can we do?
Collaborative decision-analytic framework to maximize resilience of tidal marshes to climate change
Importance of biogeomorphic and spatial properties in assessing a tidal salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise
Wetland Accretion Rate Model of Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER) and its application to habitat sustainability for endangered species in the San Francisco Estuary
Final report for sea-level rise response modeling for San Francisco Bay estuary tidal marshes
Storm surges and climate change implications for tidal marshes: Insight from the San Francisco Bay Estuary, California, USA
Ecological effects of climate change on salt marsh wildlife: a case study from a highly urbanized estuary
Science and Products
Effects of climate change on tidal marshes along a latitudinal gradient in California
Assessing wildlife benefits and carbon storage from restored and natural coastal marshes in the Nisqually River Delta: Determining marsh net ecosystem carbon balance
Potential effects of sea-level rise on plant productivity: Species-specific responses in northeast Pacific tidal marshes
Tidal marsh susceptibility to sea-level rise: importance of local-scale models
Marshes to mudflats—Effects of sea-level rise on tidal marshes along a latitudinal gradient in the Pacific Northwest
Case Study, California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis corturniculus): Science Foundation Chapter 5, Appendix 5.1 in The Baylands and climate change: What can we do?
Collaborative decision-analytic framework to maximize resilience of tidal marshes to climate change
Importance of biogeomorphic and spatial properties in assessing a tidal salt marsh vulnerability to sea-level rise
Wetland Accretion Rate Model of Ecosystem Resilience (WARMER) and its application to habitat sustainability for endangered species in the San Francisco Estuary
Final report for sea-level rise response modeling for San Francisco Bay estuary tidal marshes
Storm surges and climate change implications for tidal marshes: Insight from the San Francisco Bay Estuary, California, USA
Ecological effects of climate change on salt marsh wildlife: a case study from a highly urbanized estuary
*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