My research focuses on the large-scale geologic and modern evolution of coastal environments with a particular interest in understanding the impacts of climate change on modern coastal systems. Given that the majority of the world’s population lives along the coast, sea level is rising, and hurricane frequency and intensity are predicted to increase with global warming, it has become more important than ever to understand large-scale coastal behavior and the mechanisms driving it.There are three primary themes within my research program: 1)understanding linkages between coastal evolution and climate variability, 2) quantifying and understanding patterns of shoreline change, and 3) deciphering sedimentological proxies for extreme coastal events. Recent projects include modeling the Holocene and potential future evolution of barrier islands in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, exploring a possible threshold crossing in the Chandeleur Islands of Louisiana resulting from Hurricane Katrina and a pilot effort to distinguish storm overwash deposits from tsunami deposits on the island of St. Croix, USVI. To carry out my research I use a combination of geophysical tools, sedimentological field and lab methods, remote sensing, geographic information systems and computational modeling.

Selected Recent Publications