About the Program

Andrew Tweel

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Address: SC Department of Natural Resources, 217 Ft. Johnson Rd, Charleston, SC 29412
Phone: 843.953.4269
E-mail: tweela@dnr.sc.gov


Education

Ph.D., 2013, Louisiana State University

Research Interests

  • Wetland and coastal landscape ecology and sustainability
  • Effects of stormwater and development on estuarine systems
  • Environmental impacts of beach nourishment
  • Spatial analysis/modeling
  • Restoration science

Current research projects

  • Modeling shorebird foraging habitats and prey resources
  • South Carolina Estuarine and Coastal Assessment Program (SCECAP)
  • Understanding the influence of drought, sea level, and other environmental
    factors on salt marsh
  • Characterizing runoff volume sensitivity in tidal headwaters through modeling
    and collaborative research 
  • Evaluating the suitability of living shorelines for erosion control as an alternative
    to bulkheads

Publications

  • Kingsley-Smith, P. R., Tweel, A. W., Johnson, S. P., Sundin, G. W., Hodges, M. S.,
    Stone, B. W., Sorg, G. D. and Sanger, D. M. (2023). Evaluating the ability of
    constructed intertidal Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs to address
    shoreline erosion in South Carolina, USA. Journal of South Carolina Water
    Resources.
  • Sanger, D.M., A.W. Tweel, S.P. Johnson, C.E. Parker, J.G. Cowan, N.R. Shea,
    D.E. Chestnut, B. Rabon, K.E. Wilson, E.F. Wirth, and M.E. DeLorenzo. 2022.
    The Condition of South Carolina’s Estuarine and Coastal Habitats During 2019-
    2020: Technical Report. Charleston, SC: South Carolina Marine Resources
    Division. Technical Report No. 112. 47 p.
  • Julien, A.R., Tweel, A.W., Hadley, N. and Kingsley-Smith, P.R., 2020.
    Demographics of the ribbed mussel Geukensia demissa (Dillwyn, 1817) and the
    effects of its simulated manual harvest on salt marsh health in South Carolina,
    USA. Journal of Shellfish Research, 39(1), pp.67-76.
  • Julien, A.R., Tweel, A.W., Mcglinn, D.J., Sundin, G.W., Hadley, N.H. and
    Kingsley-Smith, P.R., 2019. Characterization of ribbed mussel Geukensia
    demissa (Dillwyn, 1817) habitat in relation to tidal elevation and salinity in a
    South Carolina estuary. Journal of Shellfish Research, 38(1), pp.53-61.
  • Turner RE, G McClenachan, and AW Tweel. 2016. Islands in the oil: quantifying
    salt marsh shoreline erosion after the Deepwater Horizon oiling. Marine Pollution
    Bulletin 110: 316-323
  • Bodker JE, RE Turner, A Tweel, C Schultz, and C Swarzenski. 2015. Nutrient-
    enhanced decomposition of plant biomass in a freshwater wetland. Aquatic
    Botany 127: 44-52
  • Tweel AW and RE Turner. 2014. Contribution of tropical cyclones to the
    sediment budget for coastal wetlands in Louisiana, USA. Landscape Ecology 29:
    1083-1094
  • McClenachan G, RE Turner, and AW Tweel. 2013. Effects of oil on the rate and
    trajectory of Louisiana marsh shoreline erosion. Environmental Research
    Letters 8:8p
  • Tweel AW and RE Turner. 2012. Landscape-scale analysis of wetland sediment
    deposition from four tropical cyclone events. PLos ONE 7: e50528
  • Tweel AW and RE Turner. 2012. Watershed land use and river engineering drive
    wetland formation and loss in the Mississippi River birdfoot delta. Limnology and
    Oceanography 57: 18-28
  • Tweel AW and PJ Bohlen. 2008. Influence of soft rush (Juncus effusus) on
    phosphorus flux in grazed seasonal wetlands. Ecological Engineering 33: 242-
    251
  • Tweel, AW and ES Menges. 2008. Variation in tannin activity and leaf toughness
    of three xeromorphic oaks in Flordia scrub. Florida Scientist 71: 188-197