PhD in Environmental Science: Global assessment of coastal storm hazards on natural and engineered barriers in a changing climate using process-based indicators

We have an exciting opportunity for UK/EU applicants with earth, environmental, marine sciences, engineering or remote sensing background and motivated to undertake a PhD exploring global coastal environmental change.

This PhD project will evaluate storm-induced coastal hazards at global scale, specifically overwash/overtopping and inundation of natural/engineered coastal barriers using a range of process-based indicators. It will also explore potential changes due to rising sea levels and climate change.

To achieve this, the project’s specific objectives are to:

1) Characterize the morphology of natural and engineered barriers using global-scale remotely sensed topographic datasets, validated with high-resolution LIDAR data for a range of representative coastal locations, and determine relevant storm-induced hydrodynamic forcing conditions
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2) Implement a comprehensive set of process-based morphodynamic indicators to determine storm-induced overwash/overtopping potential and inundation extent in natural/engineered coastal barriers at global scale.

3) Explore the spatial variability and contrasted exposure to storm hazards in natural and engineered barriers, determining the relative contribution of different processes and considering potential impacts of a changing climate and rising sea levels.

This project will use a combination of remotely sensed data processing and modelling techniques, meteorological and oceanographic data, statistical and spatial analysis alongside field surveys in specific coastal areas, in order to generate novel understanding of storm-induced coastal hazards in natural and engineered barriers at a global scale. To characterize coastal barriers different remotely sensed global topographic datasets will be assessed against high-resolution LIDAR datasets and field data. Validation will be performed for a range of coastal barriers around the globe, including southern Portugal, Scotland and the US east coast.

To achieve this the student will be supervised by a multi-institutional team composed by scientists in the Universities of Stirling (Loureiro, Marino), Heriot-Watt (Zou) and Algarve (Ferreira).

If you are interested, check the full description and supplementary information at:
https://www.iapetus2.ac.uk/studentships/global-assessment-of-coastal-storm-hazards-on-natural-and-engineered-barriers-in-a-changing-climate-using-process-based-indicators/