Beach Wrack & Dune Restoration
Natural infrastructure
Beach Wrack & Dune Restoration
Connecting wind flow, sediment retention, management strategies, and public perceptions.
This research involves a set of projects examining beach wrack (e.g., seaweed and organic debris) as a form of natural coastal infrastructure. The work focuses on how wrack presence, removal, or redistribution influences wind flow, sediment trapping, and beach–dune feedbacks.
Together, these projects link coastal geomorphology, process-based understanding, and human dimensions to provide empirical guidance for nature-based dune restoration and coastal hazard mitigation under increasing disturbance and sea-level rise.
Projects
PROJECT 01
Wrack Wind Flow Dynamics
Examine how wrack modifies near-surface airflow and sediment deposition under different wind conditions.
Manuscript in review (2026) · Aeolian Research
PROJECT 02
Wrack Management Treatments
Compare how leaving, removing, or redistributing wrack affects sediment retention and dune development via UAV change detection.
Thesis research · In progress (2026/27) · Gabby Westerfield
PROJECT 03
Public Perception of Beach Wrack
Explore how beach users weigh aesthetics, recreation, and the ecological function of wrack.
Thesis research · In progress (2026/27) · Gabby Westerfield