Supervisors: Christine Gommenginger (NOC), Charlie Thompson (UoS + Channel Coastal Observatory), Paul Bell (NOC Liverpool), Clive Neil (NOC), Ben Gouldby (ONR), Aidan Parkes (ONR)
Contact email: cg1@noc@ac.uk
Location: Southampton
Project Rational: This project explores coastal transformations along the south coast of England linked to the combined impacts of storms, waves, and rising sea levels. The south coast is highly vulnerable to climate change because of its exposure to powerful weather systems originating from the North Atlantic. This region is densely populated and hosts important natural habitats and key infrastructure essential for economic activities, transportation, and energy security. Nuclear power facilities are an example of such infrastructure, as they are often located in coastal environments and face increasing risks of coastal flooding due to the growing frequency, intensity and duration of storms, which accelerate coastal erosion. The project will investigate the use of new observations from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission with advanced coastal monitoring methodologies to detect coastal changes along the south coast of England during successive winter storms. SWOT provides unparalleled high-resolution images of coastal water levels, winds and sea state day-and-night in all-weather, including heavy cloud cover. By leveraging diverse spaceborne data, the research aims to demonstrate how effectively dynamic coastal processes can be observed from space and how satellite data could enhance risk reduction strategies for critical coastal infrastructure amid evolving climate challenges.
Methodology: The student will use state-of-the-art high-resolution images from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite to analyse water levels, winds and sea state over the region of interest. Existing coastline detection and intertidal mapping algorithms based on microwave and optical satellite data will be combined with SWOT data, adapting and refining algortihms for testing and validation over various beach types along the south coast, including shingle beaches. Special emphasis will be placed on the satellites' capability to deliver reliable data on rapid coastal changes occurring over periods of days to weeks in response to successive storms. A key focus will be the April-July 2023 timeframe when SWOT provided daily images for 90 consecutive days from Chesil Beach to Christchurch Bay. In situ data from the Channel Coastal Observatory will provide validation benchmarks to determine the sensitivity and reliability of the satellite-derived information. In the later stages, the approach will be expanded to encompass the entire English Channel, allowing for an examination of how coastal changes correlate with shifting directional ocean wave spectra as observed by satellites offshore and closer to land.
Background Reading:
Jenkins, L. J., Haigh, I. D., Camus, P., Pender, D., Sansom, J., Lamb, R., & Kassem, H. (2023). The temporal clustering of storm surge, wave height, and high sea level exceedances around the UK coastline. Natural Hazards, 115(2), 1761-1797.
López Solano, C., Turki, E. I., Mendoza, E. T., Gutiérrez Barceló, A. D., Migaud, A., Hamdi, Y., ... & Lafite, R. (2024). Hydrodynamic modelling for simulating nearshore waves and sea levels: classification of extreme events from the English Channel to the Normandy coasts. Natural Hazards, 1-23.
Morrow, R., Fu, L. L., Ardhuin, F., Benkiran, M., Chapron, B., Cosme, E., ... & Zaron, E. D. (2019). Global observations of fine-scale ocean surface topography with the surface water and ocean topography (SWOT) mission. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, 232.
FLOOD-CDT
This PhD is being advertised as part of the Centre for Doctoral Training for Resilient Flood Futures (FLOOD-CDT). Further details about FLOOD-CDT can be seen here https://flood-cdt.ac.uk. Please note, that your application will be assessed upon: (1) Motivation and Career Aspirations; (2) Potential & Intellectual Excellence; (3) Suitability for specific project and (4) Fit to FLOOD-CDT. So please familiarise yourselves with FLOOD-CDT before applying. During the application process candidates will need to upload:
• a 1 page statement of your research interests in flooding and FLOOD-CDT and your rationale for your choice of project;
• a curriculum vitae giving details of your academic record and stating your research interests;
• name two current academic referees together with an institutional email addresses; on submission of your online application your referees will be automatically emailed requesting they send a reference to us directly by email;
• academic transcripts and degree certificates (translated if not in English) - if you have completed both a BSc & an MSc, we require both; and
• a IELTS/TOEFL certificate, if applicable.
Please upload all documents in PDF format. You are encouraged to contact potential supervisors by email to discuss project-specific aspects of the proposed prior to submitting your application. If you have any general questions please contact floodcdt@soton.ac.uk.
Apply
To apply for this project please click here: https://student-selfservice.soton.ac.uk/BNNRPROD/bzsksrch.P_Search. Tick programme type - Research, tick Full-time or Part-time, select Academic year – ‘2025/26, Faculty Environmental and Life Sciences’, search text – ‘PhD Ocean & Earth Science (FLOOD CDT)’.
In Section 2 of the application form you should insert the name of the project and supervisor(s) you are interested in applying for.
If you have any problems please contact: fels-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk.
