Monitoring morphological variability of different gravel barrier typologies

Applications are invited for a 3.5 years PhD studentship. The studentship will start on 01 October 2024
Garcia Valiente – Torcross

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To apply please use the online application form. Simply search for PhD Marine Sciences (and select the entry point of October 2024), then clearly state that you are applying for a PhD studentship and name the project at the top of your personal statement.
Online application
Before applying, please ensure you have read the Doctoral College’s general information on applying for a research degree.
For more information on the admissions process, please contact research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk. 
Director of Studies: Dr Nieves G. Valiente
2nd Supervisor: Dr Chris Blenkinsopp (University of Bath)
3rd Supervisor: Dr Mark Davidson 
Applications are invited for a 3.5 years PhD studentship within the Environmental Intelligence doctoral training programme at the University of Plymouth. The studentship will start on 01 October 2024. 

Project description

Scientific background: 
Gravel barriers constitute a large proportion of the UK coastline. These systems represent critical natural capital as they act as a natural defence for coastal flooding and erosion (Figure 1). The most significant changes to gravel barrier morphology are likely to occur in response to large waves and high-water levels [1]. There are gravel-specific tools [2], equations (longshore sediment transport [2] and wave runup [4]), and numerical approaches [5] for predicting gravel barrier response to storms. However, these are specific to pure gravel settings, and there are at least three different gravel beach typologies with potentially three distinctive dynamic responses and resilience to environmental conditions. 
Waves during storm Emma
Waves during Storm Emma (March 2018)
Beesands gravel beach
Post-storm coastal damage at Beesands gravel beach
While some studies have focused on the decadal behaviour of different gravel embayments [6], fundamental hydrodynamic processes leading to rapid changes in the beachface of these environments are still poorly understood. A major challenge is to identify how the different gravel barrier typologies respond to the high-frequency swash/overwash processes during storms. The goal of this PhD is to better understand how beach morphodynamics differ in the different barrier typologies. This work will contribute to enhancing our knowledge of gravel barriers, and ultimately, help support coastal managers and stakeholders. 
Research methodology: 
The project will involve using novel and multidisciplinary approaches to combine remote sensing observations, data science techniques and numerical modelling for different UK gravel beaches. The student will deploy an emerging observational technology such as 2D LiDAR [7] to monitor high-frequency beachface morphological change and hydrodynamics at six different sites during winter periods and will use open-source water level and wave hindcast data [8] to provide boundary conditions. Tasks will include (i) analysis of the event-scale beachface morphological variability and swash/ overwash processes derived from the 2D LiDAR data using novel analysis techniques, (ii) numerical modelling, and (iii) investigate the linkages between offshore wave climate and runup processes.
Training: 
This multidisciplinary project will provide the student with training in: (i) field data collection, (ii) remote sensing; (iii) morphology and hydrodynamic data analysis; and (iv) numerical modelling. The student will become an active member of the internationally recognised University of Plymouth Coastal Processes Research Group and will be directly involved in the acquisition of coastal field observations. This PhD is integrated within the multi-institutional #gravelbeach project. The student will have the opportunity to participate in a research placement at the University of Bath and collaborate with scientists from a range of international institutions. The PhD project will equip the student for a career in coastal and climate research, data science and consultancy.
Person specification: 
This project is interdisciplinary and collaborative and will involve a combination of fieldwork, data analysis and numerical modelling. We seek an enthusiastic student with a good degree in a relevant physical, engineering or environmental science.
References
1. Masselink, G., Scott, T., Poate, T., Russell, P., Davidson, M. & Conley, D. The extreme 2013/2014 winter storms: hydrodynamic forcing and coastal response along the southwest coast of England. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 41 (3), 378-391 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3836  
2. Davidson, M. Forecasting coastal evolution on time-scales of days to decades. Coastal Engineering 168, 103928 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2021.103928 
3. McCarroll, R.J, Masselink, G., Wiggins, M., Scott, T., Bilson, O., Conley, D. & Valiente, N.G. High-efficiency longshore gravel transport and headland bypassing during an extreme event, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 13 (44), 2720-2727 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4692 
4. Poate, T., McCall, R.T. & Masselink, G. A new parameterisation for runup on gravel beaches, Coastal Engineering 117, 176-190 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2016.08.003 
5. McCall, R.T., Masselink, G., Poate, T., Roelvink, J.A. & Almeida L.P. Modelling the morphodynamics of gravel beaches during storms with XBeach-G, Coastal Engineering 103, 52-66 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2015.06.002
6. Wiggins, M., Scott, T., Masselink, G., Russell, P., & Valiente, N.G. Regionally-coherent embayment rotation: Behavioural response to bi-directional waves and atmospheric forcing, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 7, 116 (2019). https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse7040116
7. Blenkinsopp, C.E., Bayle, P.M., Martins, K., Foss, O.W., Almeida, L.P, Kaminsky, G., Schimmels, S., & Matsumoto, H. Wave runup on composite beaches and dynamic cobble berm revetments. Coastal Engineering 176, 104148 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2022.104148 
8. Valiente, N.G., Saulter, A., Gomez, B., Bunney, C., Li, J.-G., Palmer, T, & Pequignet, C. The Met Office operational wave forecasting system: the evolution of the Regional and Global models. Geo. Model Dev. Disc. 16, 2515–2538 (2023). https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2515-2023

Eligibility

Applicants should have a first or upper second class honours degree or a masters qualification in a relevant disciplinary area. 
If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum English requirements for the programme, IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (with no less than 5.5 in each component test area) or equivalent. 
The studentship is supported for 3.5 years and includes full home tuition fees plus a stipend of £19,088 2024/25 rate (TBC).  The studentship will only fully fund those applicants who are eligible for home fees with relevant qualifications.  Applicants normally required to cover international fees will have to cover the difference between the home and the international tuition fee rates approximately £12,697 per annum 2023/24 rate (2024/25 rate TBC).
NB: The studentship is supported for 3.5 years of the four-year registration period. The subsequent 6 months of registration is a self-funded ‘writing-up’ period.
If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Dr Nieves G. Valiente.
Please see our how to apply for a research degree page for a list of supporting documents to upload with your application.
For more information on the admissions process generally, please visit our how to apply for a research degree webpage or contact The Doctoral College at research.degree.admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.
The closing date for applications is 26 April 2024. 
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview after the deadline. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications.  Applicants who have not received a response within six weeks of the closing date should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.