Dr. Robert Twilley - Coastal Resilience Center

Louisiana State University

Project Name:

Integrating ADCIRC Prediction System Tools to Support Hazus Damage Assessments and Planning: Evaluating Mitigation Alternatives using Ecosystem Design for Surge/Wave Attenuation

Other Research Participants/Partners:

Carol Friedland, Associate Professor, Construction Management, LSU

Project Description:

We will build on previous research integrating ADCIRC Prediction System results with Hazus flood exposure and damage modeling techniques to evaluate the impact of natural hazards to improve planning. The final phase of this effort considers ecosystem design as a mitigation alternative, yielding new information about the value of mangrove ecosystems and further illustrating the decision-support capability of the improved Hazus estimates using ADCIRC input. Collaborative ecosystem design strategies support mitigation alternatives by defining the value of coastal greenbelts in reducing storm surge and wave effects.

Project Abstract

Research Interests:

Dr. Twilley is Executive Director of Louisiana Sea Grant, one of 32 university-based programs in the National Sea Grant College Program, based at LSU. Most of Dr. Twilley’s research has focused on coastal wetlands both in the Gulf of Mexico, throughout Latin America, and in the Pacific Islands. Dr. Twilley has published extensively on global climate change, coastal restoration, and ecosystem ecology. He has been involved in developing ecosystem models coupled with engineering designs to forecast the rehabilitation of coastal and wetland ecosystems.

http://www.laseagrant.org | http://resiliency.lsu.edu | https://twitter.com/rrtwilley