$7.5M Research Project Aims To Improve Safety on Hazardous Tidal Mudflats

A $7.5 million, five-year project funded by the Office of Naval Research is breaking new ground in tidal mudflats research.  

Led by Nina Stark, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Civil & Coastal Engineering, this ambitious initiative brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers from five universities across the country. The project focuses on understanding the geomechanical properties of tidal mudflats, which span vast coastal areas worldwide, pose navigation hazards and remain poorly understood. 

“A vital piece of this research is measuring the geomechanical properties of these environments such as their hardness or softness, and how they change over time,” explained Stark. “This will help us map out, through the use of field studies and satellite imagery, the safe navigation of these areas, which has been a major challenge for research, recreational, commercial and military activities.”