Office: 211 Marine Centre Wales     Phone: 01248 382803

Email: m.austin@bangor.ac.uk

Web: Google Scholar     ResearchGate     ORCID

Twitter: @mart_austin

I am an observational oceanographer and specialise in the hydro- and morpho-dynamics of the inter-tidal and shallow sub-tidal regions of the coastal ocean. My present research at Bangor includes:

  • Increasing our understanding of gravel barrier dynamics and resilience in a changing climate. Through the NERC-funded project #gravelbeach, it will deliver new scientific advances through an integrated and comprehensive morphosedimentary evaluation, intense field observations, targeted laboratory experiments, and numerical model development/simulation. This research involves UK-wide collaboration with multiple academic and industry partners.
  • The turbulent flow dynamics around offshore infrastructure and sub-sea cables that result in changes to the seabed habitat, the vertical mixing of heat and nutrients through the water column and physical impacts to the infrastructure. This research is funded through NERC and ESPRC projects and involves significant collaboration with industry partners from the Marine Renewable Energy sector.  
  • The dynamics of large-scale turbulent motions in tidally energetic regions. This EPSRC- and NRN-funded work seeks to quantify large-scale turbulent motions and assess the impacts on tidal energy extraction and infrastructure. Observational field experiments are being undertaken in the Menai Strait and around north Wales, and include industry collaborators from UK, Europe and the USA.

I graduated from Plymouth University in 2002 with a BSc in Ocean Science and completed my PhD in gravel beach morphodynamics at Loughborough University in 2005. I have subsequently been a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at: Plymouth University (2005 - 2007, Cross-shore sediment transport on sandy beaches); Loughborough University (2007, Dust generation on an Arctic pro-glacial flood plain); before returning once again to Plymouth (2007 - 2010, Impacts of offshore wave energy arrays on seabed and shoreline processes; and 2010 - 2013, Dynamics of rip currents and implication for beach safety).  Research Areas

  • PhD: Swash-groundwater interactions on a natural gravel beach
    Loughborough University,
  • BSc: Ocean Sciences
    University of Plymouth,

PhD Students

  • Guy Walker-Springett
  • Natasha Lucas
  • Alex Virod

Masters Teaching

I offer both MSc and MSci research projects on shallow water physical oceanography and sediment dynamics processes, and contribute to several taught MSc modules.

Undergraduate Teaching

I am the progarmme organiser for the BSC Geological Oceanography degree and am the module organiser for OSX-3006 and OSX-3007, and contribute to OSX-1000, OSX-2000, OSX-2004, OSX-2006, DXX-2007, OSX-3000, DXX-3018 and OSX-4023.

Project 1:

I am keen to develop a PhD project with a student to investigate the sediment resuspension and scour that occurs when sub-sea cables are exposed by bedform migration on the energetic continental shelf.

It is hypothesised that wake effects from emplaced objects on the seabed modify bedform migration rates through increased turbulent velocities and lead to a higher incidence of cable damage.

This project links with the Marine Renewable Energy industry and at the finer scale aims to take field measurements of turbulent flows and sediment suspension over a section of free-spanning sub-sea cable.

Wider-scale observations will aim to link far-field changes in bedform migration (and hence cable exposure) rates to wake effects of emplaced objects. 

Project 2:

I am interested in developing a PhD project with a potential student to investigate the coupling between the sub-tidal and inter-tidal sections of the beachface and a dynamic aeolian sand dune field.

It is hypothesised that over-stabilised sand dunes minimise the exchange of sand between dunes and beachface, and combined with storm-driven offshore sand transport, result in a lowering the beach elevation and enhanced wave energy flux impacting the dune foot.

Long-term large-scale dyanmics of an extensive offshore sandbank system appear to exert a significant alongshore control on the wave impacts experienced by the dune foot.

This project is based in North Wales and could potentially collaborate with National Resources Wales.

2025

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2025

  • National Trust meeting - Porthdillaen flooding & community

    Initial meeting to explore collaboration with the National Trust Wales at Porthdillaen linked to flood prevention, community engagement, and harbour/seagrass preservation.

    18 Mar 2025

    Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Work on advisory panels for social community and cultural engagement (Contributor)
  • Nortek - SOS meeting: future instruments and collaboration

    Meeting to discuss recent applications of Nortek instruments within SOS, what Nortek have on the horizon and how we can continue to work together moving forwards.

    7 Mar 2025

    Activity: Types of Business and Community - Hosting of external, non-academic visitor (Organiser)
  • RNLI NW Region Annual Water Safety Workshop

    Updates on tidal cut off collaboration and employability/community engagement exploring how SOS students can work with the RNLI

    29 Jan 2025

    Activity: Participation in Academic workshop, seminar, course (Organiser)

2024

2023

  • BU-IIA Funded Project: Translating Sand waves: a new evidence register for sustainable sand bank recoveries

    In the process of consenting for new wind farms, regulators will set the terms for what evidence industry needs to deliver. This includes information on sand bank and sand wave mobility, as well as their recovery post construction. However the current level of understanding of these processes at regulator level is insufficient, and the proposed reduction in consenting timescales add pressure onto regulators to be fast, accurate and consistent in delivering advice. This proposal focusses on how we can help regulators to better inform industry of what evidence to present for the consenting process to be successful, appropriate, and robust.

    Funding awarded through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award (Research Wales Innovation Funding). Value = £29,613

    1 Aug 2023 – 31 Jul 2024

    Activity: Other (Contributor)
  • Warning to beach goers about the threat of tidal cut off

    Initial findings of a UK and Irish survey of public understanding of the tide, found that 38% of the British public were unaware that the tide typically comes in twice a day. A surprising 15% of the public have some experience of being cut off by the tide.

    Bangor University and RNLI press releases, aiming to warn people about tidal cut off around the extreme tides over Easter weekend were picked up by several TV and radio outlets.

    BBC Wales news (audio) MediaView (tveyes.com)

    S4C News (video) MediaView (tveyes.com)

    ITV News (video uploaded here)

    BBC Radio Cymru (interview with Prof Thora Tenbrink)

    5 Apr 2023

    Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation (Contributor)

2022

  • BU-IIA Funded Project: Cut Off By Tide

    Project abstract: Every year, hundreds of lifeboat and lifeguard operations occur to rescue coastal users who have become cut off by tide. Despite the RNLI’s best efforts there are still multiple fatalities.

    Ultimately, to reduce the number of emergencies a deeper understanding of the reasons why coastal users become exposed to this hazard is required. This project will address this by looking at people’s concepts and understanding of the tide. Our goal is to help the RNLI develop precautionary measures in a more targeted way, responding directly to coastal users’ conceptual needs.

    For instance, people will naturally generalise from previous experiences with the tide, not realising that tidal movements can differ radically between places and at different times. Furthermore, they will normally expect that the water will come in straight to the shore, not diagonally or in a curved or irregular fashion; they expect tide to come in quite slowly, and to be able to simply walk back on the sandbanks to the shore. However, the tide rarely just uniformly advances and retreats across a beach. Instead, it will initially flow laterally along channels and around sandbanks, cutting them off from the mainland and removing any safe route back to land.

    Funding awarded through the Bangor University Innovation and Impact Award (Research Wales Innovation Funding). Value = £11,514

    1 Apr 2022 – 31 Mar 2023

    Activity: Other (Contributor)

  • Cable Scour from fluid-seabed interactions in regions of mobile sedimentary bedforms

           Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

  • Measurable metrics for characterisation of large-scale turbulent structures in tidal races for the marine tidal energy industry

    Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council 

  • Waves Across Shore Platforms

    Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

  • BU-IIA Tidal Cut off with RNLI S28904