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Melinda Martinez, Ph.D. (Former Employee)

Science and Products

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in July

Quantifying Restoration Impacts of Wetland Ecosystem Health and Carbon Export

USGS is investigating the impact of restoration on Louisiana's coastal wetlands' carbon dynamics.
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Quantifying Restoration Impacts of Wetland Ecosystem Health and Carbon Export

Quantifying Restoration Impacts of Wetland Ecosystem Health and Carbon Export

USGS is investigating the impact of restoration on Louisiana's coastal wetlands' carbon dynamics.
Learn More

North American dataset of ecosystem properties in tidal saline wetlands—Canopy height, aboveground biomass, productivity, soil carbon density, and soil carbon accumulation North American dataset of ecosystem properties in tidal saline wetlands—Canopy height, aboveground biomass, productivity, soil carbon density, and soil carbon accumulation

This dataset includes literature-derived ecological data from tidal saline wetlands across the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the following ecosystem properties: canopy height, aboveground biomass, productivity, soil carbon density, and soil carbon accumulation rates.
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Detecting trajectories of regime shifts and loss of resilience in coastal wetlands using remote sensing Detecting trajectories of regime shifts and loss of resilience in coastal wetlands using remote sensing

Raster data shows landscape scale trajectories of change as four potential scenarios based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) trends and standard deviation trends using full time series (Scenarios_All_FULL_TS.tif) as well as time series up to LandTrendr breakpoint if detected (Scenarios_All_LT_TS.tif). Time series analysis for trend use Landsat surface reflectance imagery...
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley

Data shows CH4 fluxes from the upper portion of cypress knees across various climate and flooding gradients of the North American Baldcypress Swamp Network in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley. Climate data in the form of temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and precipitation 3-days leading up to sampling date are also included. There various forms to calculate fluxes...
By
Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Mangrove damage along northern Gulf of Mexico from extreme freeze event on February 2021 Mangrove damage along northern Gulf of Mexico from extreme freeze event on February 2021

Climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Quantifying ecosystem responses to extreme events at the landscape scale is critical for understanding and responding to climate-driven change but is constrained by limited data availability. Here, we integrated remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify landscape-scale vegetation damage from...
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Mangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021 Mangrove distribution in the southeastern United States in 2021

Global climate change is leading to large-scale shifts in species' range limits. For example, rising winter temperatures are shifting the abundance and distributions of tropical, cold sensitive plant species towards higher latitudes. Coastal wetlands provide a prime example of such shifts, with tropical mangrove forests expanding into temperate salt marshes as winter warming alleviates...
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Dead trees stand in coastal waters
Ghost Forest - Goose Creek
Ghost Forest - Goose Creek
Dead trees stand in coastal waters

Ghost Forest - Goose Creek

Ghost Forest - Goose Creek

A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.

By
Eastern Ecological Science Center
Dead trees stand in coastal waters

Ghost Forest - Goose Creek

Ghost Forest - Goose Creek

A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.

By
Eastern Ecological Science Center
Dead trees stand in water
Ghost Forest II - Goose Creek
Ghost Forest II - Goose Creek
Dead trees stand in water

Ghost Forest II - Goose Creek

Ghost Forest II - Goose Creek

A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center
Dead trees stand in water

Ghost Forest II - Goose Creek

Ghost Forest II - Goose Creek

A ghost forest stands in Goose Creek State Park in North Carolina. This is an example of a freshwater forested wetland that is transitioning to open water.

By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center
David kneeling on wood plank over high grass setting up surface elevation table
David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).
David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).
David kneeling on wood plank over high grass setting up surface elevation table

David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).

David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).

David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion) at Money Stump in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.

Winter 2024 Photo Contest: Melinda Martinez, Honorable Mention category

By
Eastern Ecological Science Center
David kneeling on wood plank over high grass setting up surface elevation table

David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).

David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion).

David Walters measuring surface elevation table that is used to assess changes in wetland surface (accretion and/or erosion) at Money Stump in Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Cambridge, Maryland.

Winter 2024 Photo Contest: Melinda Martinez, Honorable Mention category

By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

Causal effects verses causal mechanisms: Two traditions with different requirements and contributions towards causal understanding Causal effects verses causal mechanisms: Two traditions with different requirements and contributions towards causal understanding

The scientific aspiration of building causal knowledge has received little explicit discussion in ecology despite its fundamental importance. When methods are described as ‘causal’, emphasis is increasingly placed on statistical techniques for isolating associations so as to quantify causal effects. In contrast, natural scientists have historically approached the pursuit of causal...
Authors
James Grace, Nick Huntington-Klein, E. William Schweiger, Melinda Martinez, Michael Osland, Laura C. Feher, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Karen M. Thorne
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Detecting trajectories of regime shifts and loss of resilience in coastal wetlands using remote sensing Detecting trajectories of regime shifts and loss of resilience in coastal wetlands using remote sensing

Many freshwater forested wetlands along the southeastern United States coastline are rapidly transitioning from forest to marsh or open water, due to climate change-related disturbances. Recent studies have found early warning signals (EWS) of regime shifts in other ecosystems, but it is unclear if these can be detected for coastal wetlands. In this study, we examined the ability to...
Authors
Melinda Martinez, Marcelo L Ardon, Joshua Gray
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center, Landsat Missions

Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley Methane emissions associated with bald cypress knees across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley

In freshwater forested wetlands, bald cypress knees (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) have the potential to emit large amounts of methane (CH4), but only a few studies have examined their greenhouse gas contribution. In this study, we measured CH4 fluxes associated with cypress knees across various climate and flooding gradients of the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley in southcentral...
Authors
Melinda Martinez, Robert Bordelon, Beth Middleton, Jorge A. Villa, Hojeong Kang, Inyoung Jang
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Eastern Ecological Science Center

Microbial communities in standing dead trees in ghost forests are largely aerobic, saprophytic, and methanotrophic Microbial communities in standing dead trees in ghost forests are largely aerobic, saprophytic, and methanotrophic

Standing dead trees (snags) are recognized for their influence on methane (CH4) cycling in coastal wetlands, yet the biogeochemical processes that control the magnitude and direction of fluxes across the snag-atmosphere interface are not fully elucidated. Herein, we analyzed microbial communities and fluxes at one height from ten snags in a ghost forest wetland. Snag-atmosphere CH4...
Authors
Mary Jane Carmichael, Melinda Martinez, Suzanna L. Bräuer, Marcelo Ardón
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

Temperature thresholds for leaf damage from two extreme freeze events (2018 and 2021) near the northern range limit of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) in southeastern North America Temperature thresholds for leaf damage from two extreme freeze events (2018 and 2021) near the northern range limit of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) in southeastern North America

Extreme winter temperatures govern the northern range limit of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) in southeastern North America. There is a pressing need for studies that advance our understanding of how extreme cold temperature events affect mangroves near their range limits. However, such events are infrequent and challenging to study at regional scales. Here, we compared the damage...
Authors
Simen Kaalstad, Michael Osland, Donna J. Devlin, C. Edward Proffitt, Laura Feher, Anna R. Armitage, Richard Day, Kathleen M. Swanson, Gordon Anderson, Brigid Berger, Just Cebrian, Karen L. Cummins, Kenneth H. Dunton, Ilka C. Feller, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Elena A. Flores, Andrew From, A. Randall Hughes, David A. Kaplan, Amy K. Langston, Melinda Martinez, Briana Martinez, Christopher J. Miller, Nathan G.F. Reaver, Colt R. Sanspree, Caitlin M. Snyder, Andrew P. Stetter, Jamie E. Thompson, Carlos Zamora-Tovar
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Integrating remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify the effects of an extreme freeze event on black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) at the landscape scale Integrating remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify the effects of an extreme freeze event on black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) at the landscape scale

Climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Quantifying ecosystem responses to extreme events at the landscape scale is critical for understanding and responding to climate-driven change but is constrained by limited data availability. Here, we integrated remote sensing with ground-based observations to quantify landscape-scale vegetation damage from...
Authors
Melinda Martinez, Michael Osland, James B. Grace, Nicholas Enwright, Camille Stagg, Simen Kaalstad, Gordon Anderson, Anna R. Armitage, Just Cebrian, Karen L. Cummins, Richard Day, Donna J. Devlin, Kenneth H. Dunton, Laura Feher, Alejandro Fierro-Cabo, Elena A. Flores, Andrew From, A. Randall Hughes, David A. Kaplan, Amy K. Langston, Christopher J. Miller, Charles E. Proffitt, Nathan G.F. Reaver, Colt R. Sanspree, Caitlin M. Snyder, Andrew P. Stetter, Kathleen M. Swanson, Jamie E. Thompson, Carlos Zamora-Tovar
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

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 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

Climate change is altering species’ range limits and transforming ecosystems. For example, warming temperatures are leading to the range expansion of tropical, cold-sensitive species at the expense of their cold-tolerant counterparts. In some temperate and subtropical coastal wetlands, warming winters are enabling mangrove forest encroachment into salt marsh, which is a major regime...
Authors
Rémi Bardou, Michael Osland, Steven B. Scyphers, Christine C. Shepard, Karen E. Aerni, Jahson B. Alemu, Robert Crimian, Richard Day, Nicholas Enwright, Laura Feher, Sarah L. Gibbs, Kiera O'Donnell, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina Thorne, Sarit Truskey, Anna R. Armitage, Ronald J. Baker, Joshua L. Breithaupt, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Just Cebrian, Karen Cummins, Donna J. Devlin, Jacob Doty, William L. Ellis, Ilka C. Feller, Christopher A. Gabler, Yiyang Kang, David A. Kaplan, John Paul Kennedy, Ken Krauss, Margaret Lamont, Kam-biu Liu, Melinda Martinez, Ashley M. Matheny, Giovanna M. McClenachan, Karen L. McKee, Irving A. Mendelssohn, Thomas C. Michot, Christopher J. Miller, Jena A. Moon, Ryan P. Moyer, James A. Nelson, Richard O'Connor, James W. Pahl, Jonathan L. Pitchford, C. Edward Proffitt, Tracy Quirk, Kara R. Radabaugh, Whitney A. Scheffel, Delbert L. Smee, Caitlin M. Snyder, Eric Sparks, Kathleen M. Swanson, William C. Vervaeke, Carolyn A. Weaver, Jonathan A Willis, Erik S. Yando, Qiang Yao, A. Randall Hughes
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Gundersen, G., Corbett, D. R., Long, A., Martinez, M., and Ardón, M. (2021). Long-Term Sediment, Carbon, and Nitrogen Accumulation Rates in Coastal Wetlands Impacted by Sea Level Rise. Estuaries and Coasts. doi: 10.1007/s12237-021-00928-z.
Martinez, M., & Ardón, M. (2021). Drivers of greenhouse gas emissions from standing dead trees in ghost forests. Biogeochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-021-00797-5. Winner of Ecological Society of America Sulzman Award - Best Graduate Student Paper.
Martinez, M., Ardón, M., & Carmichael, M. J. (2022). Identifying sources and oxidation of methane in standing dead trees in freshwater forested wetlands. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 9. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fenvs.2021.737379

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Ghost forests: Learn more as Halloween sneaks up!

Have you ever walked through a forest and felt a little spooked? Well, that’s definitely the vibe of ghost forests!

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Science and Products

*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

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