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Iris Möller MPhil PhD

College Lecturer in Physical Geography, Fitzwilliam College, and Deputy Director of the Cambridge Coastal Research Unit

Coastal geomorphologist with a research focus on bio-physical interactions in the intertidal zone, the monitoring / prediction of long-term coastal morphodynamics, and the response of coastal systems to climate change.

Biography

Career:

Qualifications

Research

Dr Möller has developed a range of research interests that can be divided into three topic areas:

Bio-physical linkages in coastal wetlands and the function of wetlands as a natural sea defence

Through combining field observations, numerical modelling and scale-modelling approaches, Dr Möller's research addresses the varying energy dissipation capacity of saltmarshes in relation to inundation depths, incident wave conditions, vegetation cover, and meteorological conditions (Möller et al. (2009), Möller (2006), Möller et al. (2001) and Moeller et al. (1999)). This research has relevance to coastal management and, in particular, managed realignment schemes, that require the quantification of the sea-defence value of intertidal environments. The quantification of vegetation surface roughness using digital vegetation canopy imaging techniques has formed part of this work (Möller, 2006) as this is necessary for improved representation of vegetation effects in hydro- and morpho-dynamic models. Most recently, and in collaboration with Greifswald University, Dr Möller completed a large-scale field monitoring project on the Baltic shore of Germany to determine the wave buffering capacity of reed beds and salt meadows in these micro-tidal, surge-dominated, coastal settings. How such environments function under scenarios of climate and sea level change is critical in determining their future economic and social value. The monitoring of intertidal morphology and sedimentation in relation to biological activity on mudflats with the use of remote sensing techniques has also formed part of Dr Möller's research in this area in collaboration with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Monks Wood. Projects have attracted funding from the Royal Society, the UK Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the European Union (Hysens), as well as joint funding from the Royal Geographical Society and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

Long-term (1-10 year) coastal evolution

Over the past few decades, coastal geomorphology has been dominated, on the one hand, by process-based laboratory and modelling studies, and on the other hand, by conceptual models based on empirical relationships between wave and/or sedimentary parameters and coastal morphology. Due to the strongly non-linear behaviour of coastal morphological systems, neither of these approaches have succeeded in improving our ability to predict the long-term (1-10 year) evolution of coastal features at a variety of spatial scales. Although non-linear data-driven numerical modelling techniques have been widely used in other environmental disciplines (e.g. in the modelling of weather patterns or turbulence), they have only recently been used in the study of long-term coastal morphology. Analysis of beach profile data from Duck (Southgate and Möller, 2000) has shown that the long-term behaviour of coastal systems may be self-organised with less input from forcing parameters such as wave or tidal circulation than previously thought.

In this research area, Dr Möller, together with Dr Jonathan Cox, Research Assistant at the CCRU, completed a study of Winterton Ness on the UK East Coast as part of an EU-funded (Fifth Framework) project on 'Human interference with large-scale coastal morphological evolution' (HUMOR) (Kroon et al., 2008). Output from the project includes a computer visualisation of morphological changes of the 'ness' based on 10 years of annual aerial photographs and volumetric estimates of dune / beach erosion / accretion derived from Digital Elevation Models constructed from annual aerial photographs. A new conceptual model of long-term coastal change of the large-scale coastal features (such as tidal inlets, spits and nesses) on the UK East coast has also been developed as part of this project.

More recent work (in 2008) has included the visualisation of morphological change along the Hunstanton to Snettisham coastline using aerial photography spanning a period of more than 15 years.

Bridging the gap between coastal science, education, management, and planning

A communication gap currently exists between the academic community (i.e. the development of knowledge on coastal dynamics) and the various 'stakeholders' involved in the coastal management and decision-making process. The Sixth Report of the House of Commons Select Committee on Flood and Coastal Defence (1998) drew attention to this problem. Since 2000, Dr Möller has been actively involved in addressing this communication gap through the organisation of workshops (e.g. CoastNET workshop on 'Dealing with Risk and Uncertainty in Coastal Environments') and the production of animations of images that make an understanding of coastal morphological and ecological change over a range of time-scales accessible to the non-specialist (Smith et al., 2000).

More recently, Dr Möller's work in this area has focussed on comparing the ways in which managed realignment has been implemented within a range of EU countries (part of the project "Implementing Managed Retreat as a strategic flood and coastal defence option" funded by EA/DEFRA and in collaboration with Halcrow Ltd and the University of East Anglia). Dr Möller has also contributed to a study aimed at defining Suitability criteria for habitat creation (DEFRA/EA funded) through providing expert advice on physical (hydrodynamic / sedimentary) criteria for selection of sites for habitat creation in the intertidal zone and has been advising on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in the UK context.

Publications

Selected publications:

Teaching