Helping Pacific Northwest coastal communities prepare and adapt to coastal hazards through research and community engagement

The UW Sediment Dynamics Lab is one part of a multi-team, multi-university, multi-disciplinary effort to understand how coastal hazards and people interact in the Pacific Northwest. We are focusing on understanding how Sea Level Rise (SLR), both gradual (eustatic change) and rapid (earthquake-related subsidence or uplift), alters dynamics in sensitive coastal habitats.

Map of Willapa Bay, WA from Planet Satellite Images

We are focusing our work on Willapa Bay, WA – a coastal embayment on the outer coast that is responsible for the majority of food-grade oysters in the US. Changes in sea level and biota communities alter the sediment dynamics and therefore opportunities for the oyster farmers. Through this project, we aim to understand and predict these changes through field work and numerical modeling. More info coming soon – field work this summer!