Publications by Tim Carruthers

IAN is committed to producing practical, user-centered communications that foster a better understanding of science and enable readers to pursue new opportunities in research, education, and environmental problem-solving. Our publications synthesize scientific findings using effective science communication techniques.

Towards a framework to support coastal change governance in small islands (Page 1)

Towards a framework to support coastal change governance in small islands

Glaser M, Breckwoldt A, Carruthers T, Forbes DL, Costanzo S, Kelsey RH, Ramachandran R, and Stead S ·
2018

Small islands can guide visualization of the diverse information requirements of future context-relevant coastal governance. On small marine islands (<20 000 km2), negative effects of coastal challenges (e.g., related to population growth, unsustainable resource use or climate change) can develop rapidly, with high intensity and extreme impacts.

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“This is your shield… this is your estuary” Building community and coastal resilience to a changing Louisiana coastline through restoration of key ecosystem functions (Page 1)

“This is your shield… this is your estuary” Building community and coastal resilience to a changing Louisiana coastline through restoration of key ecosystem functions

Carruthers TJB, Hemmerling SA, Barra M, Saxby TA, Moss L ·
30 March 2017

The coastal communities of Louisiana are highly vulnerable to coastal change, and the potential benefits of protecting, restoring, and enhancing intact ecosystems are particularly important. However, there is a current lack of synthesized information on potential benefits of ecosystem-based restoration options at a parish, basin, or coastwide scale.

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Building community and coastal resilience to a changing Louisiana coastline through restoration of key ecosystem functions (Page 1)

Building community and coastal resilience to a changing Louisiana coastline through restoration of key ecosystem functions

This is your shield... this is your estuary

Carruthers TJB, Hemmerling SA, Barra M, Saxby TA, Moss L ·
1 March 2017

The coastal communities of Louisiana are highly vulnerable to coastal change, yet the population has remained steady in the midst of highly dynamic environmental, social, and economic conditions. Adaptations in the form of social networks, mobility, and ingenuity have enabled Louisiana’s coastal communities to remain viable, although changed over time. Much of Louisiana’s coastal zone is outside of the current system of hard infrastructure (primarily levee) protection.

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Oyster delta N-15 as a Bioindicator of Potential Wastewater and Poultry Farming Impacts and Degraded Water Quality in a Subestuary of Chesapeake Bay (Page 1)

Oyster delta N-15 as a Bioindicator of Potential Wastewater and Poultry Farming Impacts and Degraded Water Quality in a Subestuary of Chesapeake Bay

Fertig B, Carruthers TJB, and Dennison WC ·
2014

Anthropogenic nitrogen contributes to water quality degradation, but it is difficult to distinguish sources once they are mixed in coastal ecosystems. Natural abundances of stable nitrogen isotopes (delta N-15) were measured in oyster (Crassostrea virginica) tissues (muscle, gills, and mantle) during summer 2006 to summer 2008 to identify nitrogen sources in Monie Bay (a subestuary of Chesapeake Bay) receiving freshwater inputs from three tributary creeks. The creeks (estimated flushing times:

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An economic analysis of ecosystem-based adaptation and engineering options for climate change adaptation in Lami Town, Republic of the Fiji Islands (Page 1)

An economic analysis of ecosystem-based adaptation and engineering options for climate change adaptation in Lami Town, Republic of the Fiji Islands

Rao NS, Carruthers TJB, Anderson P, Sivo L, Saxby TA, Durbin, T, Jungblut V, Hills T and Chape S ·
14 February 2013

The narrow coastal area of Lami Town, Fiji, is surrounded by steep hills with three rivers flowing to the ocean, making it highly susceptible to flooding and erosion. This technical report provides greater detail of the cost-benefit assessment of four adaptation scenarios to reduce Lami Town's vulnerability to flooding and erosion, both of which are projected to increase due to climate change.

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A social and ecological imperative for ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change in the Pacific Islands (Page 1)

A social and ecological imperative for ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change in the Pacific Islands

Hills T, Carruthers TJB, Chape S, and Donohoe P ·
2013

Climate change is predicted to have a range of impacts on Pacific Island ecosystems and the services they provide for current and future development. There are a number of characteristics that can make adaptation approaches that utilise the benefits of ecosystems a compelling and viable alternative to other adaptation approaches.

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Elucidating terrestrial nutrient sources to a coastal lagoon, Chincoteague Bay, Maryland, USA (Page 1)

Elucidating terrestrial nutrient sources to a coastal lagoon, Chincoteague Bay, Maryland, USA

Fertig BM, O’Neil JM, Beckert KA, Cain CJ, Needham DM, Carruthers TJB, and Dennison WC ·
2013

Long-term non-linear ecosystem-scale changes in water quality and biotic communities in coastal lagoons have been associated with intensification of anthropogenic pressures. In light of incipient changes in Johnson Bay (an embayment of Chincoteague Bay, Maryland-Virginia, USA), examination of nitrogen sources was conducted through synoptic water quality monitoring, stable nitrogen isotope signatures (deltaN-15) of in situ bioindicators, and denitrification estimates.

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Improving management of a mid-Atlantic coastal barrier island through assessment of habitat condition (Page 1)

Improving management of a mid-Atlantic coastal barrier island through assessment of habitat condition

Carruthers TJB, Beckert K, Schupp CA, Saxby TA, Kumer JP, Thomas JE, Sturgis B, Dennison WC, Williams M, Fisher T, and Zimmerman CS ·
2013

To achieve desired environmental outcomes, environmental condition and trends need to be rigorously measured and communicated to resource managers, scientists, and a broader general audience. However, there is often a disconnect between responsive ecosystem monitoring and decision making for strategic long-term management. This project demonstrates how historical monitoring data can be synthesized and used for future planning and decision making, thereby closing the management feedback cycle.

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Oyster deltaN-15 as a Bioindicator of Potential Wastewater and Poultry Farming Impacts and Degraded Water Quality in a Subestuary of Chesapeake Bay (Page 1)

Oyster deltaN-15 as a Bioindicator of Potential Wastewater and Poultry Farming Impacts and Degraded Water Quality in a Subestuary of Chesapeake Bay

Fertig BM, Carruthers TJB, and Dennison WC ·
2013

Anthropogenic nitrogen contributes to water quality degradation, but it is difficult to distinguish sources once they are mixed in coastal ecosystems. Natural abundances of stable nitrogen isotopes (deltaN-15) were measured in oyster (Crassostrea virginica) tissues (muscle, gills, and mantle) during summer 2006 to summer 2008 to identify nitrogen sources in Monie Bay (a subestuary of Chesapeake Bay) receiving freshwater inputs from three tributary creeks. The creeks (estimated flushing times:

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Restoration of overwash processes creates piping plover (Charadrius melodus) habitat on a barrier island (Assateague Island, Maryland)

Schupp CA, Winn NT, Pearl TL, Kumer JP, Carruthers TJB, and Zimmerman CS ·
2013

On Assateague Island, an undeveloped barrier island along Maryland and Virginia, a foredune was constructed to protect the island from the erosion and breaching threat caused by permanent jetties built to maintain Ocean City Inlet. Scientists and engineers integrated expertise in vegetation, wildlife, geomorphology, and coastal engineering in order to design a habitat restoration project that would be evaluated in terms of coastal processes rather than static features.

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