COASTAL PROCESSES GROUP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Researcher / Research Interests
Adam Young's research focuses on coastal physical processes and quantitative coastal evolution on time scales important to modern society. He is specifically interested in coastal erosion, hazards, geomorphology, sea level rise, sediment budgets, and anthropogenic influences on the coastal system.
Young uses field based and remote sensing instrumentation including LiDAR, seismometers, ocean wave sensors, video monitoring, drones, photogrammetry, and micro-erosion meters to quantify coastal process interaction. His studies have focused intensively on the California coast, but he has also studied other coastlines including Australia, New Zealand, France, UK, Hawaii, and North Carolina. Young's research has received state and national awards, international media attention, and recognition by the California State Senate for excellence.
Angelica Rodriguez is a postdoctoral scholar with the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at SIO. Broadly, she is interested in the interaction between estuaries and the coastal ocean. Her doctoral work focused on the impacts of wave-current interaction on small scale buoyant coastal outflows and shoal-channel exchange in San Diego Bay. As a postdoc, Rodriguez is assessing how different meteorological and wave conditions in the San Diego region affect water levels and currents in SD Bay with the goal of informing shoreline protection and adaptation strategies.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Research Interests
Ashton earned his Bachelor's of Science in Oceanic and Atmospheric Science in June 2023 from UCSD. His interests peaked in Coastal Observation, which he now studies as a PhD student in Applied Ocean Science, with specific interests in the study and parameterization of Beach Terrace morphology and its impact on coastal flooding. He is currently using scores of LiDAR scans, GPS surveys, and Wave and Tide data to piece together the story of the Beach Terrace. He hopes to further investigate beach groundwater dynamics in its relation to terrace recovery. In his free time, Ashton enjoys observing the Coastal Zone with 10 toes on the nose.
Athina Lange grew up in San Diego, taking field trips to the Birch Aquarium at SIO, before moving to Europe, completing high school in Germany and her undergraduate degree in Theoretical Physics in Dublin, Ireland. Returning to San Diego after 8 years, Athina is completing her PhD in Oceanography with interests in wave runup, numerical modeling and reef dynamics. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, snowboarding, sailing and weaving.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Research Interests
Austin is beginning his SIO dissertation work on coastal impacts of sea level rise in Fall 2020. He most recently worked as a geospatial analyst with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Coastal Geology Group on forecasting coastal erosion hazard zones due to sea level rise for Maui County. Previous research includes using terrestrial LiDAR to investigate changes in coastal morphology during large swell events in Hawai‘i. Austin also worked for 5 years as a STEM workforce development and education program manager, focusing on equity and inclusive practices in STEM higher education both nationally and specifically within his home state of Hawai‘i with the Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators at UC Santa Cruz.
Job Titles:
- Research / Development Engineer
Carson is a Scripps Oceanic and Atmospheric science graduate from spring ‘21. Prior to his position at CPG, Carson worked with the Instrument Development Group at SIO, where he specialized in the testing, assembly, and improvement of Argo floats.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Research Interests
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Research Interests
Connor Mack received his Masters of Advanced Studies in Climate Science & Policy in June of 2022 from Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He now works as a research assistant for the Coastal Process Group on various fieldwork and data analysis projects.
Danghan Xie is a researcher in coastal geomorphology. His research is strongly related to the intricate interplay of water movement, wave propagation, sediment transport and vegetation growth within coastal systems. He aims to understand how the coastal system changes under the impacts of sea-level rise, storm waves, and anthropogenic interference. His research is mainly based on numerical simulations, supported by field data and remote sensing.
Job Titles:
- Project Scientist / Research Interests
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Research Interests
Holden Leslie-Bole is a physical oceanography PhD student at SIO with an interest in coastal dynamics and geomorphology. He is currently using sediment transport models, satellite imagery, and LiDAR surveys to understand patterns of beach erosion and recovery in order to help coastal communities with adaptation efforts. Holden's previous research experiences include modeling of AMOC variability and remote sensing of carbon monoxide production from forest fires. Before coming to Scripps, he worked in international climate policy and capacity development. Holden has a B.S. in Geology & Geophysics and Mechanical Engineering from Yale and an M.S. in Oceanography from Scripps. In his free time, he can be found cycling, skiing, camping, and baking bread.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Research Interests
Isidora works on a variety of data analysis and field measurement projects related to oceanographic processes, with an emphasis on how nature-based infrastructure can enhance coastal resiliency. Her current research focuses on employing data analysis methods and field techniques to measure the wave attenuation properties of reefs. Prior to becoming a PhD student, Isidora served as a meteorology and oceanography analyst in the U.S. Navy, where she gained extensive analyzing environmental data for operational planning. She has a B.S. in Oceanic and Atmospheric Science from the University of California, San Diego.
Job Titles:
- Professor
- Research Interests
Education
PhD, Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 1989
Julia Fiedler's thesis field work obtained quantitative observations of the wave runup and changing sand levels in response to large ocean waves. Existing field observations of wave transformation from offshore to wave runup in large conditions are somewhat limited, and reflect the difficulty of working in this harsh environment. Fiedler used the field observations to calibrate and improve a numerical model (SWASH) to evaluate its fitness for coastal planning and beach management in extreme conditions when shoreline infrastructure is most at risk. In her postdoctoral work she is enjoying focusing on the practical applications of modeled runup, with a focus on in-situ validation.
Job Titles:
- Director of Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaption / Research Interests
- Professor
Mark Merrifield has spent the past two decades studying global and regional sea-level change. A Scripps alumnus, Merrifield returned to campus from a 20-year stint as director of the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center to direct the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. Merrifield's research areas include sea-level rise and climate variability, coastal oceanography, and nearshore processes. He has a longstanding interest in linking basic and applied research outcomes to practical solutions for societal benefit.
Mele Johnson works on a variety of programming and data analysis projects related to oceanographic processes, ranging from website design and development to wave runup analysis and drone imagery processing. Prior to her current position at the Center, Mele worked as a research analyst at the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center, analyzing oceanographic, meteorological, and geodetic datasets to examine the causes and impacts of sea level variability over a range of time and space scales. Mele has BA in Chemistry and Computer Science from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Research / Development Engineer / Research Interests
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Research Interests
Noah Brown started out working with the CPG field crew and participated in LiDAR and pushcart surveys, gaining experience with data collection and LiDAR and drone data QC. He is currently working as an undergraduate student researcher and will pursue his masters in physical oceanography in the fall. He loves everything about the ocean and waves and is an avid surfer. He also participates on the club baseball and surf teams at UCSD.
Job Titles:
- Postdoctoral Researcher / Research Interests
Job Titles:
- Research Associate / Research Interests
- Staff Oceanographer and Oceanography Program Manager
Reinhard Flick retired as Staff Oceanographer and Oceanography Program Manager from California State Parks, Divisions of Boating and Waterways and Natural Resources in 2020. He is one of the founders of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Center for Coastal Studies, and continues as a Research Associate at SIO, and a consulting coastal oceanographer.
Flick began studying nearshore processes at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as an undergraduate in the summer of 1969. Studies include tidal flow-induced electric potentials, waves, tides, sea level, surfzone turbulence, coastal flooding, and beach and cliff erosion during a career of academic research, administration, program management, public and professional service, and consulting comprising theoretical, laboratory, sea-going, and field efforts, including deep-field camp on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. He has authored or co-authored over 80 scientific works including several book chapters, and the 1997 World Book Encyclopedia entry on Tides. He has lectured extensively and mentored and supported high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students.
Flick has served as an expert consultant and witness in dozens of matters involving sea level, waves, currents, tides, and coastal erosion. These include work for celebrities, numerous personal injury lawsuits, several murder cases, and two major tidal boundary disputes, including "United States versus Alaska" in the United States Supreme Court.
Flick was born in Germany and grew up in New York City. He earned a Ph.D. in Oceanography at SIO after obtaining his B.S. in Physics from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, NY. He is a certified SCUBA diver, sailing instructor, 100-ton Coast Guard licensed Master, and amateur radio operator (K6REF).
Job Titles:
- Research / Development Engineer
Job Titles:
- Professor Emeritus
- Research Interests
Education
PhD, Oceanography, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 1974
Job Titles:
- Graduate Student / Research Interests
Trenton obtained BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering, specializing in water resources and environmental fluid mechanics. Prior to starting the PhD program at SIO, Trenton was a research fellow at the ERDC Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, NC. Trenton is a San Diego native.
Job Titles:
- Research / Development Engineer / Research Interests / Co - Developer of Surfline 's LOLA Wave Modeling System With Sean Collins