scenic photo of coral reef

Upcoming seminar: Modeling Coral Reef Restoration to Reduce Coastal Hazards from Scales of Kilometers to Centimeters

Mark your calendars for an upcoming, in-person seminar with USGS scientist Dr. Curt Storlazzi on November 4th, 2022 at 3 p.m. in STEM 1218!

Seminar title: Modeling Coral Reef Restoration to Reduce Coastal Hazards from Scales of Kilometers to Centimeters

Talk abstract: Coral reefs are effective natural barriers that protect adjacent coastal communities from hazards such as erosion and storm-induced flooding. However, the degradation of coral reefs compromises their efficacy to protect against these hazards, making degraded reefs a target for restoration. At present, there is little guidance on how and where to restore coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction. I will present on physics-based numerical modeling at a series of scales from kilometers down to centimeters to help identify areas how and where coral reef restoration could potentially help reduce the risk to, and increase the resiliency of, coastal communities. TI will then discuss how optimization and quantification of coral reef restoration efforts to reduce coastal flooding may open hazard risk reduction funding for conservation purposes

Speaker bio: Curt Storlazzi, Ph.D.

Curt is a senior research geologist in the U.S. Geological Survey’s Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program that specializes in coastal hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics on tropical coastlines. He presently leads a team examining the geologic and oceanographic processes that affect the growth and vitality of coral reefs, the hazard risk reduction they provide adjacent coastlines, and how climate change and sea-level rise will increase flooding hazards to and reduce the resiliency of coral reef-lined coasts and their associated communities. Curt is currently a technical lead on DARPA’s Reefense Program, a US 5th National Climate Assessment chapter author, on the steering committee for the US Coral Reef Task Force, and regularly contributes scientific review for the Department of the Interior, Department of State, and Department of Defense along with the US’s and other countries’ National Science Foundations.

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