Our Kennedy Space Center research in the news (02/25/2013:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130225185919.htm
Downloadable 2010 Prospectus (.pdf): Influence of Wave Energy Dissipation on the Geomorphic Behavior of Rocky and Sandy Coasts
Downloadable 2010 Committee Meeting Presentation (.pdf): Committee Meeting #1: Influence of Wave Energy Dissipation on the Geomorphic Behavior of Rocky and Sandy Coasts
Difficulty with the above links? Try to download the desired files from the links located at the bottom of the page.
An abstract of my dissertation research follows.
(adapted from my 2010 Dissertation Prospectus)
The world's coastlines fluctuate on a scale unmatched by other geological processes and represent a constant struggle between marine and terrestrial processes. The high density of human population located near the coastline (more than half of the US population live within 50 miles of the coast), as well as the infrastructure and natural resources there, make ascertaining the behavior of the coast a vital economic and societal exercise. Sandy coasts have the added onus of being major tourist destinations, further expanding their financial and communal significance. Although lacking the direct economic implications of their sandy brethren, understanding rocky coast morphology is also significantly important - rocky coasts comprise four-fifths of the world's coastlines.
Many variables control coastline evolution, such as eustatic sea levels, tectonic motion, and sediment characteristics and availability. Still, waves are the dominate factor of coastal evolution. They are obviously erosive - breaking nearshore and delivering their remaining energy to the sand or rock beneath with every impact. Yet, waves (along with nearshore currents) also transport sediment that builds beaches and dunes, and they can reorganize sediment to adjust beach profiles. This feedback becomes more complicated on rocky coasts: either shore platform beaches can aide erosion by providing abrasive tools or they can buffer the cliff base from wave assault. Eastabilishing the threshold between this erosive and constructive behavior is not trivial. Rather, understanding the transformation of waves from deep to shallow water, and how this transformation relates to the dissipation of energy - the driving force or erosion and accretion - is paramount to coastal evolution.
My investigation into wave energy dissipation and the corresponding geomorphic response will delve into three sectors. The first will be a general exploration of wave energy transformation and dissipation on a set of "natural" scenarios. The second part will be numerical modeling of rocky platform and sea cliff evolution. Lastly, I will use an Argus Beach Monitoring System (ABMS) coupled with nearshore wave data at Cape Canaveral, Florida, to determine 1) how waves transform from deep to shallow water over a complex bathymetry and 2) how the nearshore wave climate (wave height, period, and direction) correlates to the beaches' morphologic response (i.e. slope, width, shoreline position). This research will provide a better insight into how wave transformation and energy dissipation relates to the short- and long-term morphology of rocky and sandy coasts.