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Michael Itzkin, Ph.D. (Former Employee)

Science and Products

The Relative Role of Bar Morphology on Wave Runup and Hydrodynamics: Model Inputs

This data release contains two sets (reflective and dissipative) of synthesized barred beach profiles based on conditions in the University of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory's 0.9-meter wave flume. The profiles were collected using the methods outlined in Conti and others (2024) and then synthesized using the functions and relationships described by Stephens and others (2010)...
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Modeling the Impacts of Sand Placement Strategies on Barrier Island Evolution in a Semi-enclosed Bay System: Model Input and Results

The impacts of five proposed restoration alternatives at Little Dauphin Island, Alabama (AL) were assessed using process-based numerical models to simulate annual scale sediment transport and storm-driven morphological change. The five restoration alternatives include a no-action scenario representing a continuous island (R0), a tidal inlet channel realignment (R1), a sand spit (sand...
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hourly Sediment Moisture Content, Salinity, and Temperature Measurements for Madeira Beach, Florida, USA (January 25 – August 31, 2023)

This dataset contains hourly moisture content, salinity, and temperature measurements for sediment within a dune profile at Madeira Beach, Florida, USA. The data was collected between January 25, 2023, and August 31, 2023, following impacts from Hurricane Idalia. Data were collected using 5 moisture probes that extended 90 centimeters (cm) below the surface, with sensors spaced 10 cm...
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Close up of two scientists in the center, with long shots of them presenting to left and right
Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin giving presentations at ICCE
Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin giving presentations at ICCE
Close up of two scientists in the center, with long shots of them presenting to left and right

Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin giving presentations at ICCE

Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin giving presentations at ICCE

Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center presented research on sediment transport in coastal regions at the International Conference on Coastal Engineering on 9/8-9/14/2024, in Rome, Italy. 

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Close up of two scientists in the center, with long shots of them presenting to left and right

Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin giving presentations at ICCE

Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin giving presentations at ICCE

Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center presented research on sediment transport in coastal regions at the International Conference on Coastal Engineering on 9/8-9/14/2024, in Rome, Italy. 

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Michael Itzkin standing at the Dunex field site on the beach at Pea Island in September 2021 next to field instruments
Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location
Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location
Michael Itzkin standing at the Dunex field site on the beach at Pea Island in September 2021 next to field instruments

Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location

Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location

Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location on Pea Island, North Carolina. The instruments next to Michael include lidars, pressure sensors, and sonars to measure morphologic change, hydrodynamics, and sediment transport.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Michael Itzkin standing at the Dunex field site on the beach at Pea Island in September 2021 next to field instruments

Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location

Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location

Michael Itzkin at the DUNEX field location on Pea Island, North Carolina. The instruments next to Michael include lidars, pressure sensors, and sonars to measure morphologic change, hydrodynamics, and sediment transport.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Modeling the impacts of sand placement strategies on barrier island evolution in a semi-enclosed bay system

This study assesses the impacts of five proposed restoration actions at Little Dauphin Island, a low-lying relic spit in a semi-enclosed bay system on the Alabama coast. A Delft3D model is developed to simulate annual scale (five-year) sediment transport and resulting bed level changes. The model is validated with observed water level and wave data, as well as sediment tracers that were...
Authors
Davina Passeri, Rangley C. Mickey, David M. Thompson, Michael Itzkin, Elizabeth Godsey, Matthew V. Bilskie, Alexander C. Seymour, Autumn C. Poisson, Jin Ikeda, Scott C. Hagen
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Wave runup and total water level observations from time series imagery at several sites with varying nearshore morphologies

Coastal imaging systems have been developed to measure wave runup and total water level (TWL) at the shoreline, which is a key metric for assessing coastal flooding and erosion. However, extracting quantitative measurements from coastal images has typically been done through the laborious task of hand-digitization of wave runup timestacks. Timestacks are images created by sampling a...
Authors
Mark L. Buckley, Daniel D. Buscombe, Justin J. Birchler, Margaret L. Palmsten, Eric Swanson, Jennifer Brown, Michael Itzkin, Curt D. Storlazzi, Shawn Harrison
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Community for Data Integration (CDI), St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Developing a decision tree model to forecast runup and assess uncertainty in empirical formulations

The coastal zone is a dynamic region that can change rapidly and significantly with respect to the morphology of the beach and incoming wave conditions. Runup forecasts may be improved by adapting a dynamic approach that allows for different runup models to be implemented in response to changes in beach state. Accurately forecasting wave runup is critical to characterize exposure to...
Authors
Michael Itzkin, Margaret L. Palmsten, Mark L. Buckley, Justin J. Birchler, Legna Torres-Garcia
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Modeling total water level and coastal change at Pea Island, North Carolina, USA

The DUring Nearshore Event eXperiment (DUNEX) was carried out on Pea Island, North Carolina, USA between September-October 2021. We use a coupled numerical model (Windsurf) to hindcast the evolution of the DUNEX transect and produce a time series of hourly water levels at the shoreline from the model output. In addition to assessing the ability of Windsurf to reproduce TWL, we use model...
Authors
Michael Itzkin, Margaret L. Palmsten, Mark L. Buckley, Christopher R. Sherwood, Jennifer Brown, Jin-Si R. Over, Peter A. Traykovski
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center

Combining process-based and data-driven approaches to forecast beach and dune change

Producing accurate hindcasts and forecasts with coupled models is challenging due to complex parameterizations that are difficult to ground in observational data. We present a calibration workflow that utilizes a series of machine learning algorithms paired with Windsurf, a coupled beach-dune model (Aeolis, the Coastal Dune Model, and XBeach), to produce hindcasts and forecasts of...
Authors
Michael Itzkin, Laura J. Moore, Peter R Ruggiero, Paige A. Hovenga, Sally D. Hacker
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Gulf of America
USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center Scientists Present at the International Conference on Coastal Engineering in Rome, Italy

USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center Scientists Present at the International Conference on Coastal Engineering in Rome, Italy

Drs. Donya Frank-Gilchrist and Michael Itzkin of the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center presented research on sediment transport in...

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