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
Mapping changing distributions of dominant species in oil-contaminated salt marshes of Louisiana using imaging spectroscopy
The April 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest coastal spill in U.S. history. Monitoring subsequent change in marsh plant community distributions is critical to assess ecosystem impacts and to establish future coastal management priorities. Strategically deployed airborne imaging spectrometers, like the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), offer the spectral a
Authors
Michael Beland, Dar A. Roberts, Seth H. Peterson, Trent W. Biggs, Raymond F. Kokaly, Sarai Piazza, Keely L. Roth, Shruti Khanna, Susan L. Ustin
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) Vegetation Volume Index: An assessment tool for marsh habitat focused on the three-dimensional structure at CRMS vegetation monitoring stations
A Vegetation Volume (VV) variable and Vegetation Volume Index (VVI) have been developed for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS). The VV is a measure of the amount of three-dimensional vegetative structure present at each CRMS site and is based on vegetation data collected annually. The VV uses 10 stations per CRMS site to quantify four vegetation layers: carpet, herbaceous, shrub, and
Authors
William B. Wood, Jenneke M. Visser, Sarai C. Piazza, Leigh A. Sharp, Laura C. Hundy, Tommy E. McGinnis
Wetland paleoecological study of southwest coastal Louisiana: sediment cores and diatom calibration dataset
Wetland sediment data were collected in 2009 and 2010 throughout the southwest Louisiana Chenier Plain as part of a pilot study to develop a diatom-based proxy for past wetland water chemistry and the identification of sediment deposits from tropical storms. The complete dataset includes forty-six surface sediment samples and nine sediment cores. The surface sediment samples were collected in fres
Authors
Kathryn E. L. Smith, James G. Flocks, Gregory D. Steyer, Sarai C. Piazza
Spectroscopic remote sensing of the distribution and persistence of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in Barataria Bay marshes
We applied a spectroscopic analysis to Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data collected from low and medium altitudes during and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to delineate the distribution of oil-damaged canopies in the marshes of Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Spectral feature analysis compared the AVIRIS data to reference spectra of oiled marsh by using absorption featur
Authors
Raymond F. Kokaly, Brady Couvillion, JoAnn M. Holloway, Dar A. Roberts, Susan L. Ustin, Seth H. Peterson, Shruti Khanna, Sarai C. Piazza
Geomorphic and ecological effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on coastal Louisiana marsh communities
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made landfall in 2005, subjecting the coastal marsh communities of Louisiana to various degrees of exposure. We collected data after the storms at 30 sites within fresh (12), brackish/intermediate (12), and saline (6) marshes to document the effects of saltwater storm surge and sedimentation on marsh community dynamics. The 30 sites were comprised of 15 pairs. Most pair
Authors
Sarai C. Piazza, Gregory D. Steyer, Kari F. Cretini, Charles E. Sasser, Jenneke M. Visser, Guerry O. Holm, Leigh A. Sharp, D. Elaine Evers, John R. Meriwether
Shoreline surveys of oil-impacted marsh in southern Louisiana, July to August 2010
This report describes shoreline surveys conducted in the marshes of Louisiana in areas impacted by oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Three field expeditions were conducted on July 7-10, August 12-14, and August 24-26, 2010, in central Barataria Bay and the Bird's Foot area at the terminus of the Mississippi River delta. This preliminary re
Authors
Raymond F. Kokaly, David Heckman, JoAnn Holloway, Sarai C. Piazza, Brady R. Couvillion, Gregory D. Steyer, Christopher T. Mills, Todd M. Hoefen
Hurricane Influences on Vegetation Community Change in Coastal Louisiana
The impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 on wetland vegetation were investigated in Louisiana coastal marshes. Vegetation cover, pore-water salinity, and nutrients data from 100 marsh sites covering the entire Louisiana coast were sampled for two consecutive growing seasons after the storms. A mixed-model nested ANOVA with Tukey's HSD test for post-ANOVA multiple comparisons was used to
Authors
Gregory D. Steyer, Kari Foster Cretini, Sarai C. Piazza, Leigh A. Sharp, Gregg A. Snedden, Sijan Sapkota
Defining restoration targets for water depth and salinity in wind-dominated Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. coastal marshes
Coastal wetlands provide valued ecosystem functions but the sustainability of those functions often is threatened by artificial hydrologic conditions. It is widely recognized that increased flooding and salinity can stress emergent plants, but there are few measurements to guide restoration, management, and mitigation. Marsh flooding can be estimated over large areas with few data where winds have
Authors
J.A. Nyman, Megan K. LaPeyre, Andral W. Caldwell, Sarai C. Piazza, C. Thom, C. Winslow
Potential consequences of saltwater intrusion associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita pushed salt water from the Gulf of Mexico well inland into freshwater marsh communities in coastal Louisiana. This paper describes the spatial extent of saltwater intrusion and provides an initial assessment of impacts (salt stress) to coastal marsh vegetation communities.
Authors
Gregory D. Steyer, Brian C. Perez, Sarai C. Piazza, Glenn Suir
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.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 21
Mapping changing distributions of dominant species in oil-contaminated salt marshes of Louisiana using imaging spectroscopy
The April 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill was the largest coastal spill in U.S. history. Monitoring subsequent change in marsh plant community distributions is critical to assess ecosystem impacts and to establish future coastal management priorities. Strategically deployed airborne imaging spectrometers, like the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), offer the spectral a
Authors
Michael Beland, Dar A. Roberts, Seth H. Peterson, Trent W. Biggs, Raymond F. Kokaly, Sarai Piazza, Keely L. Roth, Shruti Khanna, Susan L. Ustin
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) Vegetation Volume Index: An assessment tool for marsh habitat focused on the three-dimensional structure at CRMS vegetation monitoring stations
A Vegetation Volume (VV) variable and Vegetation Volume Index (VVI) have been developed for the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS). The VV is a measure of the amount of three-dimensional vegetative structure present at each CRMS site and is based on vegetation data collected annually. The VV uses 10 stations per CRMS site to quantify four vegetation layers: carpet, herbaceous, shrub, and
Authors
William B. Wood, Jenneke M. Visser, Sarai C. Piazza, Leigh A. Sharp, Laura C. Hundy, Tommy E. McGinnis
Wetland paleoecological study of southwest coastal Louisiana: sediment cores and diatom calibration dataset
Wetland sediment data were collected in 2009 and 2010 throughout the southwest Louisiana Chenier Plain as part of a pilot study to develop a diatom-based proxy for past wetland water chemistry and the identification of sediment deposits from tropical storms. The complete dataset includes forty-six surface sediment samples and nine sediment cores. The surface sediment samples were collected in fres
Authors
Kathryn E. L. Smith, James G. Flocks, Gregory D. Steyer, Sarai C. Piazza
Spectroscopic remote sensing of the distribution and persistence of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in Barataria Bay marshes
We applied a spectroscopic analysis to Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data collected from low and medium altitudes during and after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to delineate the distribution of oil-damaged canopies in the marshes of Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Spectral feature analysis compared the AVIRIS data to reference spectra of oiled marsh by using absorption featur
Authors
Raymond F. Kokaly, Brady Couvillion, JoAnn M. Holloway, Dar A. Roberts, Susan L. Ustin, Seth H. Peterson, Shruti Khanna, Sarai C. Piazza
Geomorphic and ecological effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on coastal Louisiana marsh communities
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita made landfall in 2005, subjecting the coastal marsh communities of Louisiana to various degrees of exposure. We collected data after the storms at 30 sites within fresh (12), brackish/intermediate (12), and saline (6) marshes to document the effects of saltwater storm surge and sedimentation on marsh community dynamics. The 30 sites were comprised of 15 pairs. Most pair
Authors
Sarai C. Piazza, Gregory D. Steyer, Kari F. Cretini, Charles E. Sasser, Jenneke M. Visser, Guerry O. Holm, Leigh A. Sharp, D. Elaine Evers, John R. Meriwether
Shoreline surveys of oil-impacted marsh in southern Louisiana, July to August 2010
This report describes shoreline surveys conducted in the marshes of Louisiana in areas impacted by oil spilled from the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Three field expeditions were conducted on July 7-10, August 12-14, and August 24-26, 2010, in central Barataria Bay and the Bird's Foot area at the terminus of the Mississippi River delta. This preliminary re
Authors
Raymond F. Kokaly, David Heckman, JoAnn Holloway, Sarai C. Piazza, Brady R. Couvillion, Gregory D. Steyer, Christopher T. Mills, Todd M. Hoefen
Hurricane Influences on Vegetation Community Change in Coastal Louisiana
The impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 on wetland vegetation were investigated in Louisiana coastal marshes. Vegetation cover, pore-water salinity, and nutrients data from 100 marsh sites covering the entire Louisiana coast were sampled for two consecutive growing seasons after the storms. A mixed-model nested ANOVA with Tukey's HSD test for post-ANOVA multiple comparisons was used to
Authors
Gregory D. Steyer, Kari Foster Cretini, Sarai C. Piazza, Leigh A. Sharp, Gregg A. Snedden, Sijan Sapkota
Defining restoration targets for water depth and salinity in wind-dominated Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. coastal marshes
Coastal wetlands provide valued ecosystem functions but the sustainability of those functions often is threatened by artificial hydrologic conditions. It is widely recognized that increased flooding and salinity can stress emergent plants, but there are few measurements to guide restoration, management, and mitigation. Marsh flooding can be estimated over large areas with few data where winds have
Authors
J.A. Nyman, Megan K. LaPeyre, Andral W. Caldwell, Sarai C. Piazza, C. Thom, C. Winslow
Potential consequences of saltwater intrusion associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita pushed salt water from the Gulf of Mexico well inland into freshwater marsh communities in coastal Louisiana. This paper describes the spatial extent of saltwater intrusion and provides an initial assessment of impacts (salt stress) to coastal marsh vegetation communities.
Authors
Gregory D. Steyer, Brian C. Perez, Sarai C. Piazza, Glenn Suir
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.