19.9083° N    155.0916° W

Morgan
Youngblood

Marine Scientist  ·  Geospatial Analyst  ·  Big Island Field Operator

235 PIRAT receivers mapped
11 years telemetry data
7 predator species tracked
277 transmitters analyzed
View Portfolio Download CV
Morgan Youngblood — coastal fieldwork, Big Island of Hawaiʻi

Big Island of Hawaiʻi  ·  2024

About

Marine Scientist &
Geospatial Analyst

I am a marine scientist and geospatial analyst based on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, specializing in acoustic telemetry, remote sensing, and coastal ecosystem monitoring. My work sits at the intersection of field operations and computational analysis — translating raw sensor data into actionable insights for fisheries management and conservation science.

I hold a B.S. in Marine Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (2025) and completed a NOAA Hollings Internship at the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, where I processed an 11-year longitudinal acoustic telemetry dataset tracking seven threatened and vulnerable marine predator species. My thesis modeled fish community dynamics across the California Current's Point Conception biogeographic break using multi-decadal climate and survey data.

I am an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention recipient (2025) and am actively developing a research agenda focused on closing the data gap in east Big Island coastal monitoring through integrated acoustic and remote sensing infrastructure.

Degree B.S. Marine Science, UH Hilo — 2025
Fellowship NOAA Hollings Scholar — 2023
Award NSF GRFP Honorable Mention — 2025
License USCG Master 25GT with Towing Endorsement & OUPV — Issued May 2026
Location Ninole / Hilo, Hawaiʻi (Big Island)
Availability Big Island, Remote & International

Research & Portfolio

Field Science,
Computational Analysis

Climate Modeling · Fisheries

Predictive Climate Modeling & Ecological Forecasting

Evaluated how multi-variable environmental shifts — SST, wind velocity, chlorophyll-a — alter fish community structures across the Point Conception biogeographic break in the California Current ecosystem. Developed GLMs on >20 years of subtidal survey data, quantifying warm- vs. cool-affinity species density responses. Models optimized for integration with GFDL-ESM2M and ROMS-NEMUCSC to forecast ecological shifts through 2100.

→ github: thesis

Acoustic Telemetry · CINMS

Predator Habitat Fidelity & Movement Analysis

Assessed movement, connectivity, and habitat fidelity of 7 threatened and vulnerable marine predator species within the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Processed an 11-year longitudinal dataset across 277 transmitters and 13 Innovasea receivers. Identified critical aggregation sites for White Sharks, Giant Sea Bass, and Leopard Sharks. Foundation for a pending NOAA Technical Conservation Series report.

→ github: WCO_Tag_Analysis

Geospatial · Water Quality

Coastal Water Quality & Infrastructure Analysis

Mapped Enterococcus faecalis concentrations across 12 coastal sites in West Hawaiʻi to identify high-risk zones requiring wastewater infrastructure upgrades. Executed spatial correlations between fecal indicator bacteria and environmental parameters against legacy cesspool density. Identified four zones temporarily exceeding state health standards. Supported a published inter-agency mitigation project with the County of Hawaiʻi and DLNR.

→ publication: hdl.handle.net

Live Applications

Google Earth Engine Apps

PIRAT Receiver Network — Hawaiian Archipelago

Interactive map of 235 PIRAT acoustic receiver stations across the Hawaiian Archipelago with 6 proposed east Big Island deployment sites. Built with the GEE JavaScript API and live ui.Panel deployment.

→ Launch App

Marine Habitat Suitability — Santa Cruz Island

Multi-variable habitat suitability index for the Southern California Bight, built in Google Earth Engine. Combines SST, chlorophyll-a, and bathymetry into a composite 0–1 suitability score with an interactive deployable UI panel.

→ Launch App

Source Code

GitHub Repositories

sci-youngblood /

SCB_HabitatSuitability

Combined SST, chlorophyll-a, and bathymetry map showing the interaction between productivity and upwelling around Point Conception.

JavaScript · GEE

sci-youngblood /

WCO_Tag_Analysis

R-based acoustic telemetry pipeline for CINMS multi-species predator movement data. 11 years · 277 transmitters · QA/QC automation.

R · Innovasea

sci-youngblood /

PIRAT_GEE

Live GEE application mapping the Pacific Islands Regional Acoustic Telemetry network across the Hawaiian Archipelago with proposed deployment sites.

JavaScript · GEE
→ github.com/sci-youngblood

Presentations & Contributions

Talks & Publications

  • 2025

    Fish Assemblages in Wind-Driven Upwelling Zones in California: A Long-Term Perspective

    AFS Inaugural Pacific Islands Chapter Meeting — Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

    Presenter
  • 2025

    Fidelity and Flux: Comparative Analysis of Marine Predator Residency

    AAUS Diving for Science Symposium — Seattle, Washington

    Presenter
  • 2024

    Fidelity and Flux: Comparative Analysis of Marine Predator Residency

    Western Society of Naturalists 105th Annual Meeting — Portland, Oregon

    Presenter
  • 2024

    Fidelity and Flux: Comparative Analysis of Marine Predator Residency

    NOAA Office of Education Science and Education Symposium — Silver Spring, Maryland

    Presenter
  • 2024

    Investigating Environmental Health and Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure in Kailua-Kona, Hawaiʻi

    UH Marine Option Program Symposium — Hilo & Kahului, Hawaiʻi

    Presenter
  • 2024

    Satellite and Acoustic Telemetry Reveals Deep Dives and Long Range Movements of the Bat Ray (Myliobatis californica)

    Contributing author · Speaker: Dr. Ryan Freedman

    Contributor
  • 2024

    Predicting Sea Level Rise Impacts on Coastal Wastewater Infrastructure and Water Quality for Adaptive Planning and Increased Coastal Habitat Resilience

    Published — UH Hilo · Mentors: Dr. Tracy Wiegner, Dr. Steven Colbert, Ihilani Kamau
    hdl.handle.net/10790/43924

    Data Contributor

Curriculum Vitae

Full Record

Federal resume available upon request  ·  youngblmr@gmail.com

Download PDF

Education

Bachelor of Science in Marine Science

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo

  • STEM Research Honors Certificate Program
  • Marine Option Program Certificate — Specialty in Water Quality Research
  • College of Natural and Health Sciences Excellence Award in Marine Science (2024)
  • Dean's List 2023–2025
Aug 2021 – May 2025

Associate of Science

Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado Springs

Aug 2019 – May 2021

Honors & Awards

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program — Honorable Mention

National Science Foundation

2025

Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

2023

President, Marine Technology Society — UH Hilo Chapter

2025

Research Experience

Modeling Fish Community Structure in Upwelling Driven Systems

UH Hilo Senior Thesis Capstone

  • Architected automated R scripts to synthesize multi-decadal biogeophysical datasets
  • Implemented GLMs to forecast fish community dynamics in response to environmental variables
  • Applied geospatial techniques to visualize community distribution patterns
  • Models integrated with GFDL-ESM2M and ROMS-NEMUCSC for forecasts through 2100
Aug 2024 – May 2025

Apex and Mesopredator Habitat Fidelity and Movement Analysis

NOAA Hollings Internship — Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

  • Processed 11-year longitudinal Innovasea acoustic telemetry dataset (2013–2024)
  • Analyzed 277 transmitters across 224 distinct individuals, 7 species
  • Engineered R-based data pipelines for inter-organizational big data management
  • Managed cross-sector data sharing with West Coast species monitoring networks
  • Authored technical manuscript for the National Marine Sanctuary network
May 2024 – May 2025

Kona Coast Water Quality Assessment Project

Marine Option Program — UH Hilo

  • Spatiotemporal water quality data collection across 12 coastal sites
  • Spatial correlation of FIB concentrations against legacy cesspool density mapping
  • Geospatial analysis in ArcGIS; regulatory compliance analysis against State of Hawaiʻi standards
  • Identified four zones temporarily exceeding public health standards
Jan 2023 – May 2024

Work Experience

Ocean Guide

Hilo Ocean Adventures — Hilo, Hawaiʻi

  • Execute commercial maritime operations and safety protocols for high-cadence marine excursions
  • Manage complex deck operations and deployment logistics for multi-passenger payloads
Aug 2022 – May 2026

Pelagic Methods and Analysis — Field Lab Assistant

UH Hilo Marine Science Department

  • Prepared and calibrated sampling equipment; aided students in boat, lab, and field work
  • Transported students and gear to/from field sites; maintained department facilities
Aug 2023 – May 2025

Instructional / Research Assistant

UH Hilo Boat Program

  • Assisted captain during instructional and research cruises
  • Deployed sampling gear: YSI, Plankton Net, Niskin Bottle, CTD, PacIOOS Monitoring Buoy
Nov 2022 – Aug 2025

Technical Skills

DATA ANALYSIS & SOFTWARE

R / tidyverse mgcv · FSSgam · MuMIn Python / geopandas Google_Earth_Engine ArcGIS Pro acoustic_telemetry Git / GitHub sf · terra · ncdf4 Quarto HTML5 · CSS3 · JavaScript

FIELD & MARINE OPERATIONS

Powerboat Ops ROV · USV Survey CTD · YSI · Niskin receiver_deployment water_quality_sampling PacIOOS / PIRAT

CERTIFICATIONS

USCG Master 25GT w/ Towing & OUPV — Issued May 2026 PADI Advanced Open Water Wilderness First Responder CPR/AED — Red Cross

Consulting

Moana Consulting LLC

End-to-end field and analytical services for marine and coastal research programs operating in Hawaiʻi. Based on the Big Island.

  • 01

    Scientific Field Services & Logistics

    End-to-end planning and execution of marine and coastal field programs, including vessel coordination, equipment mobilization, and on-site safety management.

  • 02

    Field Sampling & Data Collection

    Acoustic receiver deployment and retrieval, water quality profiling, biological surveys, and structured data collection protocols for regulatory and research programs.

  • 03

    Geospatial & Scientific Analysis

    Remote sensing, spatial data integration, and statistical modeling delivered through ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Engine, and reproducible R and Python workflows.

Technical Capabilities

  • Acoustic Telemetry (Innovasea VR2X)
  • Google Earth Engine App Deployment
  • ArcGIS Pro / Remote Sensing
  • ROV & USV Survey Operations
  • Vessel Operations (USCG Master 25GT)
  • R & Python Data Pipelines
  • Water Quality Sampling & Analysis

INQUIRIES

morgan@moanasci.com
moanasci.com →

Contact

Get in Touch

Available for federal science positions, research collaborations, and consulting engagements on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi or remote.

Federal & Research Inquiries

I am actively seeking federal science positions with NOAA and USGS, as well as remote geospatial and data science roles. A federal-format resume is available upon request. For academic collaborations and graduate research inquiries, please reach out directly.


Consulting

For field services, data analysis, and scientific logistics in Hawaiʻi, contact Moana Consulting LLC at morgan@moanasci.com or visit moanasci.com.

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