• The Coastal Circulation and Hazards Research Group is located at the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS), an off-campus research unit of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that is located on the central North Carolina coast. This group, led by Dr. Rick Luettich, is actively involved in modeling and observational studies of physically driven processes in coastal / estuarine waters and in the hazards that result when coastal / estuarine waters respond to severe weather events. Recent or ongoing research projects include:
    • development and applications of the ADCIRC coastal circulation and storm surge model,
    • hindcast and forecast studies of storm surge / inundation, tides, hydrologic flow, surface waves,
    • Department of Homeland Security Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence
    • development and applications of an autonomous vertical profiling buoy for estuarine studies,
    • modeling studies of larval transport and connectivity in coastal / estuarine waters, and
    • observational studies of circulation, hydrography, sediment resuspension, dissolved oxygen  and water quality in coastal / estuarine waters.

    Further information on ongoing research projects can be found below.

    Group Members

    • Dr. Rick Luettich: Professor of Marine Sciences
    • Jana Haddad: PhD student
    • Taylor Asher: PhD student
    • John Ratcliff – PhD student
    • Dr. Brian Blanton: Senior Research Scientist and Director of Environmental Initiatives, Renaissance Computing Institute: Applications of ADCIRC for storm surge modeling, cyber-infrastructure to support large scale, distributed modeling applications
    • Anna Schwab: Program Manager – DHS Resilience Center of Excellence
    • Tony Whipple: Research Technician – autonomous profiler design and deployment, data analyses, wave-turbulence separation, sediment resuspension
    • Ryan Neve: Research Technician – autonomous profiler design and deployment
    • Crystal Fulcher: Research Technician – modeling, data analysis

    Current Projects