Camille L Stagg

Ecologist
U.S. Geological Survey

Short Biography

Dr. Stagg completed an M.S. in Environmental Toxicology at Clemson University in 2004, and a Ph.D. in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences from Louisiana State University in 2009.  Camille began working for the National Wetlands Research Center in 2009, where she maintains an expertise in wetland ecology with specific interest in the impacts of climate change on ecosystem function and ecological restoration of affected wetlands.

Her research focuses on how ecosystem functions, such as elevation change, primary production and decomposition, are affected by global climate change. Her goal is to understand how these functions and processes respond to conditions such as rising sea level, providing guidance for management and restoration of these systems.

Publications

Stagg, Camille L. and Mendelssohn, Irving A. 2010. Restoring ecological function to a submerged salt marsh. Restoration Ecology, 18(s1): 10-17.

Stagg, Camille L. 2009. Remediating the effects of climate change-induced submergence on salt marsh ecosystem functions. Ph. D. Dissertation. Louisiana State University. Baton Rouge, LA.

Stagg, Camille L. 2004. The beneficial reuse of oilfield produced water. Masters Thesis. Clemson University. Clemson, South Carolina.

My Science Topics

My USGS Science Strategy Areas

Tidal Freshwater Forested Wetland Research:

The objective of our research is to characterize climate change-induced shifts in ecological functions among habitats in transition from tidal freshwater forest to oligohaline marsh, with particular interest in carbon cycling. Along with collaborators from other USGS science centers and universities, we are working to develop carbon budgets, understand nutrient shifts, quantify water use, and describe elevation dynamics and the role that microtopography plays in natural tidal swamps.

Salt Marsh Research:

The large-scale sudden die-back of Louisiana coastal salt marshes during the last decade is the focus of a great effort to determine causal mechanisms and restoration solutions for impacted marshes. My research focuses on soil elevation dynamics, vegetative growth and recovery, and hydrology in marshes affected by more than one sudden die-back event. This research provides insight into the ability of salt marshes to recover from multiple die-back events and whether or not a threshold level of dieback stress exists, above which marshes may not recover, in terms of both elevation gain and vegetative growth.