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Person

Dean B Gesch

RESEARCH PHYSICAL SCIENTIST
Email: gesch@usgs.gov
Office Phone: 605-594-6055
ORCID: 0000-0002-8992-4933

Location
47914 252nd Street
Sioux Falls , SD 57198-9801
US
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As a low-lying island nation, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is at the forefront of exposure to climate change impacts, including, primarily, inundation (coastal flooding). Increased water levels can stem from episodic events (storm surge, wave run-up, king tides) or from chronic conditions (long term sea-level rise). Land elevation is the primary geophysical variable that determines exposure to inundation in coastal settings. Accordingly, accurate coastal elevation data are a critical input for assessments of inundation exposure and vulnerability. Previous research has demonstrated that the quality of data used for elevation-based assessments must be well understood and applied to properly model potential...
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Low-lying island environments, such as the Majuro Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, are particularly vulnerable to inundation (coastal flooding) whether the increased water levels are from episodic events (storm surge, wave run-up, king tides) or from chronic conditions (long term sea-level rise). Land elevation is the primary geophysical variable that determines exposure to inundation in coastal settings. Accordingly, coastal elevation data are a critical input for assessments of inundation exposure and vulnerability. Previous research has demonstrated that the quality of data used for elevation-based assessments must be well understood and applied to properly model potential impacts. The vertical...
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Located in the northern tropical Pacific Ocean, Majuro is the capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Majuro Atoll consists of a large, narrow landmass and a set of smaller perimeter islands surrounding a lagoon that is over 100 square miles in size. The waters surrounding the Majuro Atoll land areas are relatively shallow with poorly mapped bathymetry. However, the Pacific Ocean on the exterior of the coral atoll and the lagoon within its interior consist of deep bathymetry with steep slopes. The highest elevation of the Majuro Atoll is estimated at only 3-meters above sea level, which is the island community of Laura located on the western part of the atoll. At the eastern edge of the atoll lies the capital...
Categories: Data; Tags: 3D Elevation Program, 3DEP, American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Base Maps, Bathymetric, All tags...
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Inundation Exposure Assessment for Select Islands in the Republic of the Marshall Islands
As a low-lying island nation, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is at the forefront of exposure to climate change impacts, including, primarily, inundation (coastal flooding). Increased water levels can stem from episodic events (storm surge, wave run-up, king tides) or from chronic conditions (long term sea-level rise). Land elevation is the primary geophysical variable that determines exposure to inundation in coastal settings. Accordingly, accurate coastal elevation data are a critical input for assessments of inundation exposure and vulnerability. Previous research has demonstrated that the quality of data used for elevation-based assessments must be well understood and applied to properly model potential...
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Collecting Elevation Data to Understand Climate Change Effects in the Marshall Islands
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that low-lying atolls (ring-shaped islands or island chains made of coral) in the Pacific Ocean are extremely vulnerable to high tide events (“king tides”), storm surge, tsunamis, and sea-level rise. The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) spreads over 29 atolls and has a population of over 50,000 people with homes and communities that may be threatened by these climate change-related events. Policy makers, planners, and others within RMI are faced with decisions about how to prepare for the future and need scientific data and information about the vulnerability of Pacific Islands to potential climate change impacts like sea-level rise. Topographic and bathymetric...
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