Christopher Amante

I'm a Geospatial Research Scientist collaborating with NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) through the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder. I develop integrated bathymetric-topographic digital elevation models (DEMs) to support the Consumer Option for an Alternative System to Allocate Losses (COASTAL) Act. My research interests include quantifying the uncertainty in coastal DEMs, and incorporating that uncertainty and uncertainty in sea-level rise projections and storm surge models in probabilistic, future flood risk assessments. My professional web map, UncertainSeas.com, highlights methods for modeling future flood risk for the southern tip of Staten Island, NYC. 

I earned a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross in Environmental Studies with a minor in Physics. I previously worked at NCEI through CIRES as a graduate research assistant, during which time I earned a M.A. in Geography from the University of Colorado Boulder. I earned a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2018.

Select Publications:

Amante, C.J., Love, M., Carignan, K., Sutherland, M.G., MacFerrin, M., Lim, E. 2023. Continuously Updated Digital Elevation Models (CUDEMs) to Support Coastal Inundation Modeling. Remote Sensing, 15, 1702. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15061702

Amante, C.J., 2019. Uncertain Seas: Probabilistic Modeling of Future Coastal Flood Zones. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 33:11, 2188 – 2217. 10.1080/13658816.2019.1635253

Amante, C.J., 2018. Estimating Coastal Digital Elevation Model Uncertainty. Journal of Coastal Research, 34(6), 1382 – 1397. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-17-00211.1

Amante, C.J. and Eakins, B.W., 2016. Accuracy of Interpolated Bathymetry in Digital Elevation Models. In: Brock, J.C., Parrish, C.E., Gesch, D., Wright, C.W., and Rogers, J. (eds.), Advances in Topobathymetric Mapping, Models, and Applications. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 76. 10.2112/SI76-011.

Hare, R., Eakins, B., Amante, C., 2011. Modelling Bathymetric Uncertainty. International Hydrographic Review, 31 – 42.