Dr Mark Davidson

Mark is an Associate Professor (Reader) in Coastal Processes at the University of Plymouth. His work includes in-situ measurement, video remote sensing and numerical modelling of hydo- and morpho- dynamics. Past research topics have included infragravity oscillations on high-energy dissipative beaches, and wave reflection from a variety of different coastal structures. He has worked on two EPSRC projects looking at the storm response of gravel barriers and the resilience of UK coastlines fronting nuclear power plant installations. His main research focus currently is developing models for predicting shoreline change on time-scales of days-to-decades.

Present Roles

• Associate Head of School (SoBMS) Admissions and Marketing
• Lecturing on undergraduate and post graduate courses
• Ph.D. Supervision
• Coastal Processes Research Group Leader 2019 - Present Coastal Processes Research Group

Past Roles

• Leader of postgraduate taught programs (SoBMS)
  
• Co-ordinator of the European Framework V CoastView Project
• Line manager for postdoctoral researchers and research assistants
• Departmental Director of Research

Qualifications

• Associate Professor in Coastal Processes. School of Biology and Marine Science, Plymouth University: From 2017- Present
• Reader in Coastal Processes. School of Engineering and Marine Science, Univ. of Plymouth. From 2006 to 2017
• Principal Lecturer in Marine Science. School of Earth Ocean & Environmental Science, Univ. of Plymouth. From: 9/02 To: 2006.
• Senior Lecturer in Marine Science. Institute of Marine Studies, Univ. of Plymouth. From: 3/96 To: 9/02
• Lecturer In Marine Science. Institute of Marine Studies, Univ. of Plymouth. From: 30/11/94 To: 3/96
• Post Doctoral Research Associate. Dept. of Civil and Structural Eng., Univ. of Plymouth. Wave reflection from coastal structures. From: 1/11/91 To: 30/11/94
• Post Doctoral Research Associate. Univ. of Wales, Cardiff. The British Beach & Nearshore Dynamics Experiment. From: 1/05/90 To: 31/10/91
• Research Associate. Univ. of Wales, Cardiff. Investigation of waves, currents and sediment dynamics on coasts headed by sea walls. From: 1/01/88 To: 31/06/88
• Ph.D.University College of Swansea (1986-1990). Field investigations of infragravity oscillations on a high-energy dissipative beach. (Completed Jan. 1991)
• B.Sc. (Hons) Oceanography. University College of Swansea. From: 1983 To: 1986.

Teaching interests

• Advanced Surfzone Dynamics
  
• Waves and Beaches
• Estuaries and Shelf Seas
• Physical Oceanography
• Underwater Acoustics
• Scientific Diving
• Surf Science
• Applied Marine Science (MSc)

Staff serving as external examiners

External PhD Examiner:

• Judith Bosboom, 2020, Quantifying the quality of coastal morphodynamic predictions. Delft University
• Fang Yuan, 2017. Modelling Coastal Process for Long-term Shoreline Change. University of New South Wales.
• Oliver Way. 2013. University of Bangor
• Roger Phillips. 2010. University of East Anglia
• Mitchel Harley. 2009. University of New South Wales.
• Irene M.J. van Enckevort. 2001 Daily to yearly nearshore bar behaviour. University of Utrecht, Netherlands.
• Asuncion Baquerizo Azofra. 1995. Reflexion del Oleaje en Playas, University of Cantabria, Spain.

Internal Examiner:

• Erin King 2021. Wave and tide influence on headland bypassing and shelf scale sand transport.
• Ali Said Ali Saleh Almehrezi. 2017. Local meteorology and its effect on electromagnetic wave propagation over the southern coast of the Arabian Gulf.
• Guiomar Lopez. 2017. Investigating spatial variability of wave fields from HF radar measurements
• Claire Earlie. 2015. Coastal cliff erosion in Cornwall
• Ellie Woodwood. 2015. Rip current safety – changing behaviour to save lives
• Gabriela Garcia-Rubio 2012. Shoreline changes in the Yutacan Peninsula
• Tim Poate. 2012. Morphological change on high energy beaches in the lee of the Wave Hub
• Amaia Ruiz de Alegria Arzaburu. 2010. Measuring and modelling annual, seasonal and storm-induced morphological response on a gravel beach.
• Andrew N. Saulter. 2000. Analysis of infragravity frequency sediment transport on macrotidal beaches.

Research interests

I am an Associate Professor (Reader) in Coastal Processes within the School of Biology and Marine Science. My main research interests are in the fields of coastal and estuarine, hydo- and morpho- dynamics. My work in this area includes in-situ measurement, video remote sensing and numerical modelling. My PhD was in Physical Oceanography, focusing on infragravity oscillations on high-energy dissipative beaches.

Following this I was involved in two research programmes as a post-doctoral researcher. The first of these, the British Beach and Nearshore Dynamics (B-BAND) programme, focussed on improving our understanding of sediment transport processes on beaches of varied morphology through the application of in-situ measurements. The second programme also involved using full-scale in-situ measurements to examine the processes of wave reflection from a variety of different coastal structures.

Whilst still involved in in-situ measurements, I have also led the introduction of remote sensing of the coastal zone using video techniques in the UK. I have been the principal investigator for the University of Plymouth on the EU funded I.N.D.I.A. project, which utilised the coastal video systems to examine the morphodynamic evolution of a coastal inlet in southern Portugal. An interest in coastal remote sensing and large-scale, long-term coastal evolution has also facilitated my involvement in the US Office of Naval Research, NICOP project that that centred on intermediate scale coastal behaviour. I lead the coastal video research in the University of Plymouth and co-ordinated the £1.3M European (CoastView) project aimed at developing coastal video systems in support of coastal zone management. This project involved 13 institutions form six countries, including universities and national-scale coastal managers. Since the successful completion of the CoastView project coastal video research continues to be strongly supported by the scientific community and was recently co-investigator on two EPSRC programmes which investigated a Risk-based Framework for Predicting Beaches in the Long term (RF PEBL), and the large-scale morphodynamic impacts of shore parallel breakwaters in areas of high tidal range (LEACOAST2).

I was co-investigator on two EPSRC projects looking at the storm response of gravel barriers and the resilience of UK coastlines fronting nuclear power plant installation. My main research focus currently is developing models for predicting shoreline change.

Research groups

• Coastal Processes Research Group

Other research

NB For Journal Publications - see Selected Publications 

Consultancy:

• Sea defence design at Fistral beach.
• Bournemouth DC - Boscombe artificial surfing reef
• Environment Agency - Coastal video monitoring project
• Valeport Ltd, Dartmouth – Design of wave recorder software for the analysis of wave statistics
• Peterhead Port Authority – Modification of Peterhead Harbour
• Brixham Port Authority – Modification of Brixham Harbour

Research degrees awarded to supervised students

Successful Ph.D. Completions:

• Suzana Ilic. 1999. Transformation of Multidirectional Seas (EPSRC)
• Ken Kingston. 2003. Application of complex adaptive systems approaches to coastal systems. (Office of Naval Research USA)
• Ismael Marino Tapia. 2003. Cross-shore sediment transport processes on natural beaches and their relation to sandbar migration patterns. (Brazilian Government)
  
• Eduardo Siegle. 2003. Sediment transport and morphodynamics at an estuary mouth: A study using remote sensing and numerical modelling. (Brazilian Government)
• Marcos Bernardes. 2005. Modelling the long-term morphodynamic evolution of estuaries. (Brazilian Government)
• Richard Thain. 2005. Understanding and prediction of tidal intrusion fronts. (Britannia Royal Naval College)
  
• Daniel Buscombe. 2008. Shingle beach morphodynamics. (UoP)
  
• Nigel Aird 2009. Coastal sediment dynamics. (EU)
  
• Iain Failey 2010- Video monitoring of shoreline response to offshore segmented breakwaters (EPSRC)
  
• Emma Rendle 2016 - Artificial surfing reefs (UoP)
• Luis Melo de Almeida 2016 - Applications of LIDAR to the measurement and understanding of coastal processes (EPSRC)
• Erwin Bergsma 2017 - Morphodynamic modelling (UoP)
• Kris Inch 2017 - Infragravity wave dissipation during storms (Int. Coastal Symposium Studentship)
• Melissa Mole 2017 - Monitoring and modelling of coastal evolution (Australian Research Council)
• Sam Prodger 2018. Sediment variability and beach morphodynamics (WCE Ltd Studentship)
• Oliver Bilson 2019. Infragravity oscillations on natural beaches.

• Emily Hunt. Modelling coastal evolution on time-scales of days-to-decades (School funded PhD)

Grants & contracts

• Australian Research Council (Co-investigator) Observation Network: monitoring and forecasting coastal erosion in a changing climate, (£199,788). 
  
• EU THESEUS (Co-investigator) (approx £500,00). 
• E.P.S.R.C. A Risk-based Framework for Predicting Long-term Beach Evolution (RF PEBL). (Value: £423,123)
• E.P.S.R.C. Large scale morphodynamic impacts of segmented shore-parallel breakwaters on coasts and beaches (LEACOAST2). (Value: £345,203)
• EU Framework V CoastView Project (Co-ordinator). The development of coastal video monitoring systems in support of Coastal Zone Management (current). (Value: £1.34M)
• EU INDIA, (Principal Investigator). Inlet Dynamics Initiative Algarve. (Value: £130,000)
• EU SWAMIEE (Co-investigator). Sediment & Water Movements in Industrialised Estuarine Environments. (Value: £167,000)
• NICOP, Naval International Co-operative Opportunities in Science & Tech. Programme, (Co-investigator). Intermediate-scale coastal behaviour. (Value: £740,000)

Conferences organised

International Coastal Symposium, Plymouth, 8-12 April 2013.

Links

Interests:

Surfing, Snowboarding, Diving (H.S.E. V Professional Diver), Triathlon, Long Distance Running (www.eastcornwallharriers.com),