Coastal Group

South Florida is an ideal location to study coastal processes and sedimentation. We have an extremely active research program throughout the region in cooperation with a variety of agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers, State, and Local government. This group is led by Dr. Ping Wang, with the active participation of Emeritus Professor Richard Davis. Our current research concentrates on near-shore sediment transport processes, beach and inlet morphodynamics, and measures of shore protection. Graduate students in the Coastal Group can expect to spend time gathering data in the near-shore environment, diving Florida waters, and modeling coastal processes.

Current graduate students and their projects include:

• Kyle Kelso (MS candidate): Sediment characteristics of Dona-Roberts Bay.
• Jame Kirby (MS candidate): Regional-scale morphological impact caused by Hurricane Ivan along the Florida Panhandle barrier islands.
• Tiffany Roberts (MS candidate): Measurement and prediction of wave setup and swash runup.
• Tanya Beck (MS candidate): Hydrodynamics and morphodynamics of Big Sarasota Pass and New Pass: interactions of two closely-spaced tide inlets.
• Mark Horwitz (MS candidate): Sedimentological characteristics of regional-scale overwash caused by multiple hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

For more information about the USF Coastal Group, see our Coastal Group Website. For more information about graduate student projects, contact Ping Wang.