The aim of this centre is to address the key coastal issues of climate change and sea level rise to inform management policy and practice. We do this by up-scaling our process-response research to engineering timescales. Our approach contributes to predictive modelling of coastal behaviour to assist end-users in adaptive management of the coastline. Our focus is to further understanding of coastal dynamics for sustainable development, engineering and adaptation through effective mitigation of natural hazards and risk.
Centre Director: Dr John Barlow
Our direct industrial link, via JACOBS is agenda setting and drives our development of industry-relevant research and consultancy.
Our key specialities are:
- Rock coast erosion dynamics
- Mixed sediment beach sustainability
- Climate change impacts on the coastal environment
Our research is of global significance, tackling key issues of:
- Coastal processes monitoring and modelling
- Forcing and predictive models of coastal change
- Hazard and risk assessment
- Hazard and risk mitigation
- Economics of adaptation, planning, management and engineering
with particular emphasis on climate, sea level change and management impacts on:
- cliff stability/instability
- shore platform erosion
- beach sustainability
- flooding risks
Our research has a significant impact on coastal management policy and practice. We are commissioned to undertake policy relevant research that contributes to best practice guides that are used by practitioners.
- Assessment of Coastal Erosion and Landsliding for the Funding of Coastal Risk Management Projects
- Understanding and Predicting Beach Morphological Change Associated with the Erosion of Cohesive Shore Platforms [PDF 7.31MB]
Our research is presented at international conferences for scientists, policy makers and practitioners. We contribute to policy discussions globally as well as nationally, via our involvement in UK Coastal Groups, European Marine and Oceanographic Data Network (EMODnet) and the United Nations’ International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). Researchers trained in the Centre go on to work in key positions in organisations, such as the Environment Agency, that develop strategic coastal policy.
We are asked to review research grant applications for a range of government research agencies, including the Canadian, French and British government research councils.
We also review scientific journal articles for a range of international journals including: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Geomorphology, Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, Marine Geology, Journal of Coastal Research, Environmental Geology, Technophysics, Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Geologia, Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Acta Carsologica. We review book proposals for publishers including Wiley, Pearson and Geological Society of London.
Our research has been funded by NERC, DEFRA, the Environment Agency and the European Union's Marine Area Science and Technology (MAST) and Interreg programmes.