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Sarai Piazza

Sarai Piazza serves as a Branch Chief for Science Support at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.

Sarai began working at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC) in 2006 with a group of field ecologists interested in monitoring and assessment of coastal restoration projects. After many years of fieldwork in coastal Louisiana, she became the program manager for Louisiana’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) focusing on the implementation of the CRMS program to support design and evaluation of coastal restoration projects. In 2023, she began serving as a Branch Chief and works with a team of scientists who conduct fieldwork, laboratory work, and data analyses for research projects and monitoring programs largely in the southeastern U.S.

Education and Certifications

  • M.S., Louisiana State University, 2003 -- Thesis: Nekton use and growth in three brackish marsh pond microhabitats

  • B.S., Marine Fisheries, Texas A&M University, 1998 

  • B.S., Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 1998   

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 21

Vegetation cover, tidal amplitude and land area predict short-term marsh vulnerability in Coastal Louisiana

The loss of coastal marshes is a topic of great concern, because these habitats provide tangible ecosystem services and are at risk from sea-level rise and human activities. In recent years, significant effort has gone into understanding and modeling the relationships between the biological and physical factors that contribute to marsh stability. Simulation-based process models suggest...
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, Camille L. Stagg, Leigh Anne Sharp, Tommy S. McGinnis, Bernard Wood, Sarai Piazza
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Land Change Science Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Oiling accelerates loss of salt marshes, southeastern Louisiana

The 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill damaged thousands of km2 of intertidal marsh along shorelines that had been experiencing elevated rates of erosion for decades. Yet, the contribution of marsh oiling to landscape-scale degradation and subsequent land loss has been difficult to quantify. Here, we applied advanced remote sensing techniques to map changes in marsh land cover and...
Authors
Michael Beland, Trent W. Biggs, Dar A. Roberts, Seth H. Peterson, Raymond F. Kokaly, Sarai Piazza
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Spectroscopy Lab, Gulf of America

Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: Gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network

Coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise are greatly influenced by biogeomorphic processes that affect wetland surface elevation. Small changes in elevation relative to sea level can lead to comparatively large changes in ecosystem structure, function, and stability. The surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) approach is being used globally to quantify the relative...
Authors
Michael J. Osland, Kereen T. Griffith, Jack C. Larriviere, Laura C. Feher, Donald R. Cahoon, Nicholas Enwright, David A. Oster, John M. Tirpak, Mark S. Woodrey, Renee C. Collini, Joseph J. Baustian, Joshua L. Breithaupt, Julia A. Cherry, Jeremy R. Conrad, Nicole Cormier, Carlos A. Coronado-Molina, Joseph F. Donoghue, Sean A. Graham, Jennifer W. Harper, Mark W. Hester, Rebecca J. Howard, Ken W. Krauss, Daniel E. Kroes, Robert R. Lane, Karen L. McKee, Irving A. Mendelssohn, Beth A Middleton, Jena A. Moon, Sarai Piazza, Nicole M. Rankin, Fred H. Sklar, Gregory D. Steyer, Kathleen Swanson, Christopher M. Swarzenski, William Vervaeke, Jonathan M Willis, K. Van Wilson
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Land Change Science Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Forested floristic quality index: An assessment tool for forested wetland habitats using the quality and quantity of woody vegetation at Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) vegetation monitoring stations

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana and the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, developed the Forested Floristic Quality Index (FFQI) for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS). The FFQI will help evaluate forested wetland sites on a continuum from severely degraded to healthy and...
Authors
William B. Wood, Gary P. Shaffer, Jenneke M. Visser, Ken W. Krauss, Sarai Piazza, Leigh Anne Sharp, Kari Cretini
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Determining the spatial variability of wetland soil bulk density, organic matter, and the conversion factor between organic matter and organic carbon across coastal Louisiana, U.S.A.

Soil bulk density (BD), soil organic matter (SOM) content, and a conversion factor between SOM and soil organic carbon (SOC) are often used in estimating SOC sequestration and storage. Spatial variability in BD, SOM, and the SOM–SOC conversion factor affects the ability to accurately estimate SOC sequestration, storage, and the benefits (e.g., land building area and vertical accretion)...
Authors
Hongqing Wang, Sarai Piazza, Leigh Anne Sharp, Camille L. Stagg, Brady Couvillion, Gregory D. Steyer, Thomas W. McGinnis
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

A landscape-scale assessment of above- and belowground primary production in coastal wetlands: Implications for climate change-induced community shifts

Above- and belowground production in coastal wetlands are important contributors to carbon accumulation and ecosystem sustainability. As sea level rises, we can expect shifts to more salt-tolerant communities, which may alter these ecosystem functions and services. Although the direct influence of salinity on species-level primary production has been documented, we lack an understanding...
Authors
Camille L. Stagg, Donald R. Schoolmaster, Sarai Piazza, Gregg Snedden, Gregory D. Steyer, Craig J Fischenich, Robert W. McComas
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Kanouse, S, M.K. La Peyre, and J.A. Nyman. 2006. Nekton use of Ruppia maritima and non-vegetated bottom habitat types within brackish marsh ponds. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 327:61-69. doi:10.3354/meps327061

**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.

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North Breton Island monitoring

Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration: North Breton Island Component-Monitoring and Adaptive Management

In order to enhance habitat for nesting Brown Pelicans, terns, Black Skimmers, and gulls, the USFWS has contracted with USGS to conduct project monitoring on North Breton Island from FY23 to FY31. Monitoring conducted by USGS will facilitate evaluation of habitat characteristics and determine restoration success or need for adaptive management.
By
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of America
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Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Program-Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration: North Breton Island Component-Monitoring and Adaptive Management

In order to enhance habitat for nesting Brown Pelicans, terns, Black Skimmers, and gulls, the USFWS has contracted with USGS to conduct project monitoring on North Breton Island from FY23 to FY31. Monitoring conducted by USGS will facilitate evaluation of habitat characteristics and determine restoration success or need for adaptive management.
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USGS

Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)

CRMS uses a multiple reference approach to biological monitoring and uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling that address the limited effectiveness of the traditional paired-reference monitoring approach in Louisiana. This approach includes a suite of sites that encompass the range of ecological conditions for each stratum, with projects placed on a...
By
Gulf of America
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Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS)

CRMS uses a multiple reference approach to biological monitoring and uses aspects of hydrogeomorphic functional assessments and probabilistic sampling that address the limited effectiveness of the traditional paired-reference monitoring approach in Louisiana. This approach includes a suite of sites that encompass the range of ecological conditions for each stratum, with projects placed on a...
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