Neil Kamal Ganju, PhD
My research spans the multiple disciplines that converge in estuarine systems. Research projects include numerical model development, field observations of hydrodynamics and water quality, wetland and coastal vulnerability assessments, geomorphic change, and eutrophication.
In 2001, I began working for the USGS at the California Water Science Center, on the San Francisco Bay Sediment Transport Project with Dr. David Schoellhamer. In 2008 I moved to the Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center and began multiple projects throughout the northeast US. The Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems project, started in 2015, details the past and ongoing studies we are involved with.
Professional Experience
2010-present: Research Oceanographer, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
2008-2010: Hydraulic Engineer, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
2001-2008: Hydraulic Engineer, California Water Science Center
Education and Certifications
I studied civil engineering at the University of Michigan (BSCE), the University of Florida (MSCE), and the University of California-Davis (Ph.D.).
Science and Products
Time-series measurements of oceanographic and water quality data collected in the Herring River, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, USA, November 2018 to November 2019
Aerial imagery and ground control points collected during an uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) survey at Plum Island Estuary and Parker River NWR (PIEPR), November 14, 2017 and March 28, 2019
Geospatial characterization of salt marshes on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Lifespan of Chesapeake Bay salt marsh units
Geospatial characterization of salt marshes in Chesapeake Bay
Lifespan of marsh units in Assateague Island National Seashore and Chincoteague Bay, Maryland and Virginia
An Unvegetated to Vegetated Ratio (UVVR) for coastal wetlands of the Conterminous United States (2014-2018)
Suspended-sediment concentrations and loss-on-ignition from water samples collected in the Herring River during 2018-19 in Wellfleet, MA (ver 1.1, March 2023)
Climatological Wave Height, Wave Period and Wave Power along Coastal Areas of the East Coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico
Tidal Datums, Tidal Range, and Nuisance Flooding Levels for Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay
Idealized COAWST numerical model for testing marsh wave thrust and lateral retreat dynamics routines
COAWST model of Barnegat Bay creeks to demonstrate marsh dynamics
Quantifying slopes as a driver of forest to marsh conversion using geospatial techniques: Application to Chesapeake Bay coastal-plain, USA
Sediment dynamics of a divergent bay–marsh complex
Development of a submerged aquatic vegetation growth model in the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport (COAWST v3.4) model
Applying cumulative effects to strategically advance large‐scale ecosystem restoration
Simulated estuary-wide response of seagrass (Zostera marina) to future scenarios of temperature and sea level
Sediment delivery to marsh platforms minimized by source decoupling and flux convergence
Sediment budget estimates for a highly impacted embayment with extensive wetland loss
A non-linear relationship between marsh size and sediment trapping capacity compromises salt marshes’ resilience to sea-level rise
Representing the function and sensitivity of coastal interfaces in Earth system models
Spatiotemporal variability of light attenuation and net ecosystem metabolism in a back-barrier estuary
Determining the drivers of suspended sediment dynamics in tidal marsh-influenced estuaries using high-resolution ocean color remote sensing
A geospatially resolved wetland vulnerability index: Synthesis of physical drivers
Non-USGS Publications**
(2016), Estimating time-dependent
connectivity in marine systems, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2015GL066888.
**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.
Science and Products
Time-series measurements of oceanographic and water quality data collected in the Herring River, Wellfleet, Massachusetts, USA, November 2018 to November 2019
Aerial imagery and ground control points collected during an uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) survey at Plum Island Estuary and Parker River NWR (PIEPR), November 14, 2017 and March 28, 2019
Geospatial characterization of salt marshes on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Lifespan of Chesapeake Bay salt marsh units
Geospatial characterization of salt marshes in Chesapeake Bay
Lifespan of marsh units in Assateague Island National Seashore and Chincoteague Bay, Maryland and Virginia
An Unvegetated to Vegetated Ratio (UVVR) for coastal wetlands of the Conterminous United States (2014-2018)
Suspended-sediment concentrations and loss-on-ignition from water samples collected in the Herring River during 2018-19 in Wellfleet, MA (ver 1.1, March 2023)
Climatological Wave Height, Wave Period and Wave Power along Coastal Areas of the East Coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico
Tidal Datums, Tidal Range, and Nuisance Flooding Levels for Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay
Idealized COAWST numerical model for testing marsh wave thrust and lateral retreat dynamics routines
COAWST model of Barnegat Bay creeks to demonstrate marsh dynamics
Quantifying slopes as a driver of forest to marsh conversion using geospatial techniques: Application to Chesapeake Bay coastal-plain, USA
Sediment dynamics of a divergent bay–marsh complex
Development of a submerged aquatic vegetation growth model in the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport (COAWST v3.4) model
Applying cumulative effects to strategically advance large‐scale ecosystem restoration
Simulated estuary-wide response of seagrass (Zostera marina) to future scenarios of temperature and sea level
Sediment delivery to marsh platforms minimized by source decoupling and flux convergence
Sediment budget estimates for a highly impacted embayment with extensive wetland loss
A non-linear relationship between marsh size and sediment trapping capacity compromises salt marshes’ resilience to sea-level rise
Representing the function and sensitivity of coastal interfaces in Earth system models
Spatiotemporal variability of light attenuation and net ecosystem metabolism in a back-barrier estuary
Determining the drivers of suspended sediment dynamics in tidal marsh-influenced estuaries using high-resolution ocean color remote sensing
A geospatially resolved wetland vulnerability index: Synthesis of physical drivers
Non-USGS Publications**
(2016), Estimating time-dependent
connectivity in marine systems, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 43, doi:10.1002/2015GL066888.
**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.