Casey Dietrich

Area(s) of Expertise

Dr. Dietrich pursues research in the predictive modeling of coastal hazards, including how these hazards will change due to stronger storms and rising sea levels due to climate change. He develops computational models for wind waves, coastal circulation, and storm-driven erosion, and then applies these models to high-resolution simulations of ocean behavior. These
models have been used for the design of surge mitigation systems by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, for floodplain risk assessment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and to support operational forecasting for the Department of Homeland Security. He has also applied these models in forecasting of storm surge, as well as oil transport following the BP spill in 2010. His goals are to understand how coastlines are threatened during storms, how materials are transported in the coastal environment, and how to convey these hazard risks for use in decision support.