Coastal Processes: Coastal processes include phenomena such as water level fluctuation, erosion, sediment transport, and wetland / dune creation and destruction. The coastal ocean is one of our most heavily utilized natural resources, and human activity has a very large impact on natural coastal processes. Beach erosion, contaminated sediment transport, ocean dumping and dredging are all examples of anthropogenic activities that adversely affect our coastal habitats. In order to best manage and preserve our national coasts, we need to fully understand the processes that affect these vital resources.

Benthic Boundary Layer Dynamics: The benthic boundary layer is the region that occurs within a few meters of the bed. The oceanographic processes in this region can have a wide-scale impact on processes that occur throughout the continental shelf. The benthic boundary layer plays a crucial role in ocean dynamics for two main reasons:

1. The benthic boundary layer serves as a transition region for the exchange of nutrients, chemicals, and biota between the overlying water column and the seabed.
2. The benthic boundary layer is a source of turbulent kinetic energy and strong dissipative shear stresses that modify the momentum and kinetic energy balance of shelf waters.

Primary objectives of our research are to better understand the dynamical processes controlling the resuspension and transport of particulate matter, to determine the role that intermediate scale topography plays in controlling circulation patterns, and to examine the generation and distribution of turbulence within the bottom boundary layer.

Sediment Transport in Coastal and Estuarine Environments: The fate of river-born toxins is of interest to scientists, environmentalists and lawmakers responsible for overseeing the ecological health of our national waterways. Toxins are often transported via fine sediments held in suspension in the water column or in easily erodible pools on the bottom. Therefore, understanding how contaminants are spread through natural bodies of water is closely linked with understanding sediment transport. Our research into this area of study involves field studies and mathematical modeling to predict the resuspension, transport, and depositional patterns of cohesive sediments in estuarine environments. Our work also involves modeling and measuring the resuspension and transport of non-cohesive sandy sediments in the context of better understanding micro-scale morphology, beach erosion and cross-shelf sediment transport.

Optical Properties of Suspended Particulates: The vitality of marine ecosystems can be measured in terms of their smallest constituents. The size, distribution, and abundance of planktonic organisms control the fate of higher trophic levels in an ecosystem. Our research focuses on examining the spatial distributions of ocean particulates (on a micron scale) in the context of physical and geographical controls. With collaborators from Rutgers University, we utilize a variety of optical instruments that measure absorption, attenuation, scattering and backscattering of light within the visible band, particle size distributions, and particle concentrations. These measurements are made in-situ from research vessels so that relatively large areas can be mapped in a short period of time. Our long-term goal is to establish accurate estimates of the particle size distribution and composition of suspended particulates in coastal regions.

View our Field Work Photo Gallery here.

Read more about current and past research projects here.