Corey Garza
- Professor, SAFS
- Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence, College of the Environment
Research areas
My research integrates questions and techniques from the fields of marine and landscape ecology to study the marine environment across multiple scales of organization. My group uses autonomous technologies (e.g., drones), GIS modeling, and spatial statistics to study the relationship between habitat complexity and patterns of species distribution and abundance in marine communities. Though our research group has primarily studied the ecology of marine invertebrates, we have also studied the foraging ecology of shorebirds and the landscape genetics of black surfperch in Monterey Bay. More recently, we have begun studies that aim to understand spatial and temporal dynamics in patterns of kelp forest distribution and persistence in the face of climate change. In general, we are more interested in studying interesting research topics where spatial dynamics play a central role as opposed to a particular organism or system.
We conduct field work, primarily along the U.S. West Coast, coupled with GIS and statistical modeling to understand the spatial dynamics that underly the distribution and structure of coastal ecosystems. Though our work contributes to the basic understanding of the ecology of coastal ecosystems, it also has applications in the management and conservation of coastal systems. For individuals interested in conducting work in our lab, we suggest they have some quantitative coursework (e.g., statistics), experience working with computers and programming, coursework in ecology and some research experience.
Engaging and training the next generation of scientists is also a critical focus area of our group. Reaching out to and providing opportunities to groups that have historically been underrepresented in the sciences, is a central activity of the lab. Our group is committed to these goals and supports active participation in broadening participation activities by all members of the lab.
For my availability, please contact me at cgarza2@uw.edu.
Areas of Expertise
- Marine Ecology
- Landscape Ecology
- Drones
- GIS
- Statistics
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Community Engagement and Awards
Advisory Boards
- Board of Directors, American Geophysical Union
- Council of Experts, NSF Center for Advancing Research Impacts in Society
- Board of Trustees, California Academy of Sciences
Awards
- 2020 Elected Fellow, California Academy of Sciences
- 2017 INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine, Inspiring Leader in STEM
Selected publications
Saccomanno, V., Bell, T., Pawlak, C., Stanley, C., Cavanaugh, K., Hohman, R., Klausmeyer, K., Cavanaugh, K., Nickels, A., Hewerdine, W., Garza, C., Fleener, G., Gleason, M. Using Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to map and monitor changes in emergent kelp canopy after an ecological regime shift. 2022. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.295
Garza, C. 2021. Diversifying the ocean sciences: Thoughts on the challenge ahead. Oceanography, 34(2). https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.204
Dundas, S.J., Levine, A.S., Lewison, R.L., Doerr, A.N., White, C., Galloway, A.W., Garza, C., Hazen, E.L., Padilla‐Gamiño, J., Samhouri, J.F. and Spalding, A., 2020. Integrating oceans into climate policy: Any green new deal needs a splash of blue. Conservation Letters, p.e12716.
Garza, C. 2019. Landscape Ecology in the Rocky Intertidal: Opportunities for Advancing Discovery and Innovation in Intertidal Research. Current Landscape Ecology Reports, 4 (3): 83-90.
Flanagan, A., Flood, R.D., Frisk, M.G., Garza, C., Lopez, G.R., Maher, N.P., and Cerrato, R.M. 2018. The relationship between observational scale and observed variance in biological communities. PLOS-One, 13(1), e0189313.
Garza, C. 2016. Landscape structure effects on fisheries and fisheries management. Current Landscape Ecology Reports. Special Issue, Interaction of landscape structure and natural resource management, 1 (1): 1-9.
Saccomanno, V., Bell, T., Pawlak, C., Stanley, C., Cavanaugh, K., Hohman, R., Klausmeyer, K., Cavanaugh, K., Nickels, A., Hewerdine, W., Garza, C., Fleener, G., Gleason, M. Using Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to map and monitor changes in emergent kelp canopy after an ecological regime shift. 2022. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.295
Garza, C. 2021. Diversifying the ocean sciences: Thoughts on the challenge ahead. Oceanography, 34(2). https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2021.204
Dundas, S.J., Levine, A.S., Lewison, R.L., Doerr, A.N., White, C., Galloway, A.W., Garza, C., Hazen, E.L., Padilla‐Gamiño, J., Samhouri, J.F. and Spalding, A., 2020. Integrating oceans into climate policy: Any green new deal needs a splash of blue. Conservation Letters, p.e12716.
Garza, C. 2019. Landscape Ecology in the Rocky Intertidal: Opportunities for Advancing Discovery and Innovation in Intertidal Research. Current Landscape Ecology Reports, 4 (3): 83-90.
Flanagan, A., Flood, R.D., Frisk, M.G., Garza, C., Lopez, G.R., Maher, N.P., and Cerrato, R.M. 2018. The relationship between observational scale and observed variance in biological communities. PLOS-One, 13(1), e0189313.
Garza, C. 2016. Landscape structure effects on fisheries and fisheries management. Current Landscape Ecology Reports. Special Issue, Interaction of landscape structure and natural resource management, 1 (1): 1-9.