Research
My primary interests are seascape ecology, spatial analyses, benthic habitat mapping, coral reef fish ecology, and habitat
impact assessment and restoration. Over the last 5 years, I have created benthic habitat maps of the seafloor for Broward, Palm
Beach, and Miami-Dade counties, characterizing the seabed using a unique combined-technique approach in areas of deep or turbid
waters. This method utilizes LIDAR bathymetry to obtain an image of the sea floor which is then visually interpreted into
benthic habitats in GIS with the help of other data (e.g. aerial photography, subbottom profiling, etc.). Then acoustic ground
discrimination is conducted to determine the density of organisms within the larger features. I have recently been funded by a
state wildlife grant to map the benthic habitats in Martin County.
I am primary GIS support for many NSUOC/NCRI projects. I also perform visual reef fish assessments, coral reef impact
assessments and restoration, reef fish rotenone collection and ID, and radio telemetry tracking.
Current projects include Miami-Dade County benthic habitat mapping, Biscayne National Park LIDAR mapping, Martin County benthic
habitat mapping, Minimizing coral reef impacts from anchoring at Florida ports, NOAA Lower Keys benthic habitat mapping
accuracy assessment, and SECREMP coral reef monitoring.
Selected Publications
(Complete publication list)
Walker, B.K. A Model Framework for Predicting Reef Fish Distributions across the Seascape Using GIS Topographic
Metrics and Benthic Habitat Associations. Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef
Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7-11 July 2008. In press.
Gilliam D.S., Walker B.K., Saelens S.J., Fahy D.P., and Kosmynin V.N.. Recovery of injured giant barrel sponges,
Xestospongia muta, offshore southeast Florida. Proceedings of the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida, 7-11 July 2008. In press.
Fisher L., Banks K., Gilliam D., Dodge R. E., Stout D., Vargas-Angel B., and Walker B. K.. Real time coral stress
observations before, during, and after beach renourishment dredging offshore southeast Florida, USA. Proceedings of the 11th
International Coral Reef Symposium, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, 7-11 July 2008. In press.
Walker B.K., Jordan L.K.B., and Spieler R.S. Relationship of fish assemblages and topographic complexity on southeastern
Florida coral reef habitats. Journal of Coastal Research, special Coastal LIDAR edition. In press.
Foster G., Walker B.K., Riegl B.M. Interpretation of Single-Beam Acoustic Backscatter Using LIDAR-Derived Topographic
Complexity and Benthic Habitat Classifications in a Coral Reef Environment. Journal of Coastal Research, special Coastal
LIDAR edition. In press.
Walker B.K., Riegl B.M., and R.E. Dodge. 2008. Mapping Coral Reef Habitats in Southeast Florida Using a Combined Technique
Approach. Journal of Coastal Research, 24(5), 1138-1150.
Collier C., Ruzicka R., Banks K., Barbieri L., Beal B., Bingham D., Bohnsack J., Brooke S., Craig N., Dodge R., Fisher L.,
Gadbois N., Gilliam D., Gregg L., Kellison T., Kosmynin V., Lapointe B., McDevitt E., Phipps J., Poulos N., Proni J., Quinn P.,
Riegl B., Spieler R., Walczak J., Walker B. and Warrick D. 2008.The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of Southeast
Florida. In: J.E. Waddell and A.M. Clarke (eds.), The State of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the United States and Pacific
Freely Associated States: 2008. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 73. NOAA/NCCOS Center for Coastal Monitoring and
Assessment's Biogeography Team. Silver Spring, MD. 569 pp.
Banks K.W., Riegl B.M., Richards V.P., Walker B.K., Helmle K.P., Jordan L.K.B., Phipps J., Shivji M.S., Spieler R.E., and Dodge
R.E.. 2008. The reef tract of continental southeast Florida (Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, USA). In
Coral Reefs of the USA (eds. Riegl B.M. and Dodge R.E.), pp. 175-220, Springer.
Rangel Avalos M.A., Jordan L.K.B., Walker B.K., Gilliam D.S., Carvajal Hinojosa E., and Spieler R.E.. Fish and
Coral Reef Communities of the Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano (Veracruz Coral Reef System National Park)
Veracruz, Mexico: Preliminary Results. Proceedings of the 60th Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Meeting, Punta
Cana, Dominican Republic.
Click here to view the paper  (330Kb)
.
Riegl B., Moyer R.P., Walker B.K., Kohler K., Gilliam D., and Dodge R.E.. 2008. A tale of germs, storms, and bombs:
geomorphology and coral assemblage structure at Vieques (Puerto Rico) compared to St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands). Journal of
Coastal Research, 24(4), 1008-1021.
Walker B.K. and R.E. Dodge. 3D Visualization of Coral Reef Habitat. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference
on Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal Environments, 20-22 May 2002, Miami, Florida, USA.
Click here to view the paper (1Mb).
Moyer R.P., B. Riegl, R.E. Dodge, B.K. Walker, and D.S. Gilliam. Acoustic Remote-Sensing of Reef Benthos in Broward
County, Florida (USA). Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Remote Sensing for Marine and Coastal
Environments, 20-22 May 2002, Miami, Florida, USA.
Click here to view the paper (1Mb).
Riegl B., R.P. Moyer, and B.K. Walker. Integration of satellite remote-sensing of subtidal habitats with vessel-based
video survey (Dubai, UAE, Arabian Gulf) Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Remote Sensing for Marine and
Coastal Environments, 20-22 May 2002, Miami, Florida, USA.
Click here to view the paper (1Mb).
Walker B.K., Henderson, B. and R.S. Spieler. Biological Assessment of Artificial Reef Materials: Concrete Aggregates and Quarry
Stone. Aquatic Living Resources 15: (2002) 95-105.
Click here to view the paper (1Mb).
Walker B.K. and R.L. Sherman. Gross brain morphology in the Yellow Stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis. Florida
Scientist. Vol. 64, No. 4, Pp.246-249, 2001.
Click here to view the paper (1Mb).
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