Richard Michael Buzard, Ph.D. (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Alaska Flood Staffs
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses observations of flooding in communities to monitor hazard conditions and support research by the USGS and its partners into a variety of hazard processes in Alaska. Local observations of flooding at a flood staffs are used to document flood elevations, improve flood models, and support floodplain management decisions.
Typhoon Merbok Disaster Emergency Recovery Efforts
Extreme storm events, such as Extratropical-Typhoon Merbok that hit the coast of Western Alaska in September 2022, are stark reminders of the devastating impacts coastal storms can have on Alaska Native community’s livelihoods and infrastructure. A chronic lack of environmental monitoring and technical assistance in rural Alaska present major barriers to communities affected by Typhoon Merbok...
Coastal Climate Impacts
The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise around the Pacific and Arctic Oceans can vary tremendously. Thus far the vast majority of national and international impact assessments and models of coastal climate change have focused on low-relief coastlines that are not near seismically active zones. Furthermore, the degree to which extreme waves and wind will add further stress to coastal...
Current and projected flood exposure for Alaska coastal communities
Globally, coastal communities experience flood hazards that are projected to worsen from climate change and sea level rise. The 100-year floodplain or record flood are commonly used to identify risk areas for planning purposes. Remote communities often lack measured flood elevations and require innovative approaches to estimate flood elevations. This study employs observation-based...
Authors
Richard Michael Buzard, Christopher V. Maio, Li Erikson, Jacquelyn R. Overbeck, Nichole E.M. Kinsman, Benjamin M. Jones
Barrier island reconfiguration leads to rapid erosion and relocation of a rural Alaska community
Coastal erosion is one of the foremost hazards that circumpolar communities face. Climate change and warming temperatures are anticipated to accelerate coastal change, increasing risk to coastal communities. Most erosion hazard studies for Alaska communities only consider linear erosion and do not anticipate coastal morphologic changes. This study showcases the possibility and...
Authors
Richard Michael Buzard, Nichole E.M. Kinsman, Christopher V. Maio, Li Erikson, Benjamin M. Jones, Scott W. Anderson, Roberta Glenn, Jacquelyn R. Overbeck
UAS-Based Observations of Infrasound Directionality at Stromboli Volcano, Italy
Infrasound (low frequency sound waves) can be used to monitor and characterize volcanic eruptions. However, infrasound sensors are usually placed on the ground, thus providing a limited sampling of the acoustic radiation pattern that can bias source size estimates. We present observations of explosive eruptions from a novel uncrewed aircraft system (UAS)-based infrasound sensor platform...
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Richard Michael Buzard, David Fee, Robin S. Matoza, Julia E. Gestrich, Arthur D. Jolly, Markus Schmid, Valeria Cigala, Ulrich Kueppers, Caron E.J. Vossen, Corrado Cimarelli, Giorgio Lacanna, Maurizio Ripepe
Salt marsh ecosystem restructuring enhances elevation resilience and carbon storage during accelerating relative sea-level rise
Salt marshes respond to sea-level rise through a series of complex and dynamic bio-physical feedbacks. In this study, we found that sea-level rise triggered salt marsh habitat restructuring, with the associated vegetation changes enhancing salt marsh elevation resilience. A continuous record of marsh elevation relative to sea level that includes reconstruction of high-resolution, sub...
Authors
Meagan J. Eagle, Christopher V. Maio, Kevin Kroeger, Andrea D. Hawkes, Jordan Mora, Richard Sullivan, Stephanie Madsen, Richard Michael Buzard, Niamh Cahill, Jeffrey P. Donnelly
Climate Change in Port Heiden, Alaska - Strategies for Community Health
There are two components to this document. The first component is the scope of described environmental change and its impacts in Port Heiden Alaska. The second component is a list of priorities to be addressed that will help Port Heiden achieve its vision for the future. Each priority area incorporates local knowledge with available climate science and takes the expected future changes...
Authors
Erica Lujan, Mike Brubaker, John H. Warren, Jaclyn Christensen, Scott W. Anderson, Melissa O'Domin, Jeremy S. Littell, Richard Michael Buzard, Jacquelyn R. Overbeck, Davin Holen, Sue Flensburg, Elizabeth Powers
A decade of remotely sensed observations highlight complex processes linked to coastal permafrost bluff erosion in the Arctic
Eroding permafrost coasts are indicators and integrators of changes in the Arctic System as they are susceptible to the combined effects of declining sea ice extent, increases in open water duration, more frequent and impactful storms, sea-level rise, and warming permafrost. However, few observation sites in the Arctic have yet to link decadal-scale erosion rates with changing...
Authors
Benjamin M. Jones, Louise M. Farquharson, Carson Baughman, Richard Michael Buzard, Christopher D. Arp, Guido Grosse, Diana L. Bull, Frank Günther, Ingemar Nitze, Frank Urban, Joshua W. Kasper, Jennifer M. Frederick, Matthew A. Thomas, Craig H. Jones, Alejandro Mota, Scott Dallimore, Craig E. Tweedie, Christopher V. Maio, Daniel H. Mann, Bruce M. Richmond, Ann Gibbs, Ming Xiao, Torsten Sachs, Go Iwahana, Mikhail Kanevskiy, Vladimir E. Romanovsky
Science and Products
Alaska Flood Staffs
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) uses observations of flooding in communities to monitor hazard conditions and support research by the USGS and its partners into a variety of hazard processes in Alaska. Local observations of flooding at a flood staffs are used to document flood elevations, improve flood models, and support floodplain management decisions.
Typhoon Merbok Disaster Emergency Recovery Efforts
Extreme storm events, such as Extratropical-Typhoon Merbok that hit the coast of Western Alaska in September 2022, are stark reminders of the devastating impacts coastal storms can have on Alaska Native community’s livelihoods and infrastructure. A chronic lack of environmental monitoring and technical assistance in rural Alaska present major barriers to communities affected by Typhoon Merbok...
Coastal Climate Impacts
The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise around the Pacific and Arctic Oceans can vary tremendously. Thus far the vast majority of national and international impact assessments and models of coastal climate change have focused on low-relief coastlines that are not near seismically active zones. Furthermore, the degree to which extreme waves and wind will add further stress to coastal...
Current and projected flood exposure for Alaska coastal communities
Globally, coastal communities experience flood hazards that are projected to worsen from climate change and sea level rise. The 100-year floodplain or record flood are commonly used to identify risk areas for planning purposes. Remote communities often lack measured flood elevations and require innovative approaches to estimate flood elevations. This study employs observation-based...
Authors
Richard Michael Buzard, Christopher V. Maio, Li Erikson, Jacquelyn R. Overbeck, Nichole E.M. Kinsman, Benjamin M. Jones
Barrier island reconfiguration leads to rapid erosion and relocation of a rural Alaska community
Coastal erosion is one of the foremost hazards that circumpolar communities face. Climate change and warming temperatures are anticipated to accelerate coastal change, increasing risk to coastal communities. Most erosion hazard studies for Alaska communities only consider linear erosion and do not anticipate coastal morphologic changes. This study showcases the possibility and...
Authors
Richard Michael Buzard, Nichole E.M. Kinsman, Christopher V. Maio, Li Erikson, Benjamin M. Jones, Scott W. Anderson, Roberta Glenn, Jacquelyn R. Overbeck
UAS-Based Observations of Infrasound Directionality at Stromboli Volcano, Italy
Infrasound (low frequency sound waves) can be used to monitor and characterize volcanic eruptions. However, infrasound sensors are usually placed on the ground, thus providing a limited sampling of the acoustic radiation pattern that can bias source size estimates. We present observations of explosive eruptions from a novel uncrewed aircraft system (UAS)-based infrasound sensor platform...
Authors
Alexandra M. Iezzi, Richard Michael Buzard, David Fee, Robin S. Matoza, Julia E. Gestrich, Arthur D. Jolly, Markus Schmid, Valeria Cigala, Ulrich Kueppers, Caron E.J. Vossen, Corrado Cimarelli, Giorgio Lacanna, Maurizio Ripepe
Salt marsh ecosystem restructuring enhances elevation resilience and carbon storage during accelerating relative sea-level rise
Salt marshes respond to sea-level rise through a series of complex and dynamic bio-physical feedbacks. In this study, we found that sea-level rise triggered salt marsh habitat restructuring, with the associated vegetation changes enhancing salt marsh elevation resilience. A continuous record of marsh elevation relative to sea level that includes reconstruction of high-resolution, sub...
Authors
Meagan J. Eagle, Christopher V. Maio, Kevin Kroeger, Andrea D. Hawkes, Jordan Mora, Richard Sullivan, Stephanie Madsen, Richard Michael Buzard, Niamh Cahill, Jeffrey P. Donnelly
Climate Change in Port Heiden, Alaska - Strategies for Community Health
There are two components to this document. The first component is the scope of described environmental change and its impacts in Port Heiden Alaska. The second component is a list of priorities to be addressed that will help Port Heiden achieve its vision for the future. Each priority area incorporates local knowledge with available climate science and takes the expected future changes...
Authors
Erica Lujan, Mike Brubaker, John H. Warren, Jaclyn Christensen, Scott W. Anderson, Melissa O'Domin, Jeremy S. Littell, Richard Michael Buzard, Jacquelyn R. Overbeck, Davin Holen, Sue Flensburg, Elizabeth Powers
A decade of remotely sensed observations highlight complex processes linked to coastal permafrost bluff erosion in the Arctic
Eroding permafrost coasts are indicators and integrators of changes in the Arctic System as they are susceptible to the combined effects of declining sea ice extent, increases in open water duration, more frequent and impactful storms, sea-level rise, and warming permafrost. However, few observation sites in the Arctic have yet to link decadal-scale erosion rates with changing...
Authors
Benjamin M. Jones, Louise M. Farquharson, Carson Baughman, Richard Michael Buzard, Christopher D. Arp, Guido Grosse, Diana L. Bull, Frank Günther, Ingemar Nitze, Frank Urban, Joshua W. Kasper, Jennifer M. Frederick, Matthew A. Thomas, Craig H. Jones, Alejandro Mota, Scott Dallimore, Craig E. Tweedie, Christopher V. Maio, Daniel H. Mann, Bruce M. Richmond, Ann Gibbs, Ming Xiao, Torsten Sachs, Go Iwahana, Mikhail Kanevskiy, Vladimir E. Romanovsky