Peter Cowell
Research interests are in the geomorphology of coasts and continental shelves; or more specifically, the nature of change in coastal landforms and the processes responsible for such change (known formally as the field of coastal morphodynamics). The research involves the combined use of field data and computer modeling to yield information that is otherwise unattainable, with the application of formal methods for managing uncertainty. This approach is applied to estimation of sediment transport and coastal change relevant to coastal management and coastal impacts of climate change, as well as to geological exploration. Research is being undertaken on four continents in collaboration with other coastal scientists from Australia, Europe and the Americas. This work has focused on clastic coasts (sand and mud deposits), and was expanded recently to include the morphodynamics of coral atolls (in collaboration with other coastal scientists from Australia and New Zealand).