Publications

Wave runup observations are important for coastal management providing data to validate predictive models of inundation frequencies and erosion rates, which are vital for assessing the vulnerability of coastal ecosystems and infrastructure. Automated algorithms to extract the instantaneous water line from video imagery struggle under dissipative conditions, where the presence of a seepage face and the lack of contrast between the sand and the swash impede proper extraction, requiring time-intensive data quality control or manual digitization. [Read more…] about Wave runup extraction on dissipative beaches: New video-based methods

Bio-cementation is a process by which microbes within the sediment produce bonds between individual particles through biochemical reactions that can occur naturally under the right conditions or can be induced artificially by supplying microbes and needed nutrition. [Read more…] about Bio-Cementation of Coastal Sediment Features and Rock Revetments to Reduce Erosion and Flood Risk

The Houston-Galveston area is conceptualizing some of the largest flood defense systems on the planet. The Coastal Texas Study and the Harris County Flood Control District’s proposed tunneling program are both estimated to be in the +$30 billion, first cost, range. Solutions of this large a scale are desperately needed, and we are at the point where we have the political resolve and now need to obtain the financial investment to construct “Texas sized” coastal resilience solutions prior to another devastating event. [Read more…] about Holistic Coastal Resiliency in the Galveston Bay Area

Sea turtles depend on sandy beaches around the World for their nesting habitat. They face a major challenge due to flooding and erosion of their nesting beaches. Turtle nests incubate under the sand surface for six to eight weeks until hatching. [Read more…] about Predicting Sea Turtles Nest Flooding on Sandy Beaches

Periodic sediment patterns have been observed on Earth in riverbeds and sand and snow deserts, but also in other planetary environments. One of the most ubiquitous patterns, familiar wind or ‘impact’ ripples, adorns sand beaches and arid regions on Earth. [Read more…] about Emergence of wind ripples controlled by mechanics of grain–bed impacts

Large vessels traversing waterways and bays generate wakes that influence near- and far-field hydrodynamics as well as erosion and sedimentation. A better understanding of these dynamics is important for optimized ship channel management, erosion control, and smaller vessel safety. This study presents data analysis and numerical simulation results based on two field measurement campaigns conducted along the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) in Galveston Bay (GB), Texas, to investigate the far-field hydrodynamics of ship wakes in a shallow-bay system. [Read more…] about Field Measurements and Numerical Simulations of Deep-Draft Vessel-Wake Hydrodynamics in a Shallow-Bay System

Coastal dunes are the highest natural features on a barrier island, where they protect beach communities, infrastructure and low-energy back-barrier ecosystems from flooding and erosion during storms and other high-water events. [Read more…] about Modelling the Influence of Vegetation on the Stochastic Dynamics of Coastal Dunes

Beach groundwater and nearshore hydrodynamic data were collected during a field experiment along two dissipative beach transects on Galveston Island, Texas, in the fall of 2023. The monitored beaches serve as nesting habitat for the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Conditions ranged from calm to stormy, with two storms occurring during the experiment, inundating the entire beach up to the dune toe. [Read more…] about Measurements of groundwater, hydrodynamics, and sand characteristics at a dissipative sea turtle nesting beach

Projected sea level rise (SLR) and associated storm intensity will cause an increase in total water levels (TWL) at coastal US military facilities over the coming decades. Total water levels consist of the mean sea level, high tide, storm surge, and wave-induced runup. [Read more…] about Modeling Total Water Levels for Military Installation Readiness

Barrier islands cover a large fraction of US coasts and support unique ecosystems and coastal infrastructure. The ‘barrier’ function of a barrier island depends on coastal dunes that can prevent storm flooding and widespread ecosystem loss. [Read more…] about Permanent loss of barrier island resilience due to a critical transition in dune ecosystems