Overview
Background
I am primarily interested in the interaction between the ocean and the coast and how past changes in coastal form and process can inform predictions for the future. My goals involve investigating gaps in our knowledge regarding coastal geomorphology and nearshore to shelf processes, paritcularly in the tropics and subtropics. I have a specific focus on ocean wave climate analysis, numerical wave modelling, coastal sediment budgets, coastal vulnerability and risk, and coastal and shallow marine monitoring using both field and earth observation datasets.
I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow working across the Marine Ecosystem Monitoring Lab and the Earth Observation Research Centre. I am also an affiliated researcher at the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science.
Availability
- Dr Dylan Cowley is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy of Marine Science, The University of Queensland
Research interests
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Tropical Coastal Geomorphology
The main focus of my research is the effects of hydrodynamics, sea level changes, and sediment movements on coastal geomorphology, with a particular focus on tropical and subtropical environments. This includes a range of topics from shelf wave transformation and coastal response to multidecadal shoreline adjustments and beach change.
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Shelf and Nearshore Waves
My research includes the analysis of ocean waves across the continental shelf towards the coast. This work involves the combined use of observational datasets (both in situ and via earth observation data) and numerical modelling to better understand the movement of waves for the purposes of assessing coastal exposure, changes in geomorphology, and predicting coastal stability.
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Coastal and Shallow Water Monitoring
I am interested in monitoring changes in coastal landforms, nearshore processes, and shallow marine environments using a combination of data collected in the field and earth observation datasets. Work here attempts to quantify coastal and nearshore features over a variety of spatial scales to assist planning for a resilient future.
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Continental Sediment Budgets
The monitoring and prediction of sediment budgets on continental coastlines and how sediment transport and circulation processes can modulate shoreline change into the future is one of my key interests. This work focuses on coastal risk and vulnerability to climate and sea level induced changes sediment production and supply along continental margins, and how these patterns change across time and space.
Works
Search Professor Dylan Cowley’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
Wave-driven sediment transport potential on a tropical coast: Implications for the northeastern Australian sediment budget
Cowley, Dylan and Harris, Daniel L. (2023). Wave-driven sediment transport potential on a tropical coast: Implications for the northeastern Australian sediment budget. Marine Geology, 463 107104, 1-15. doi: 10.1016/j.margeo.2023.107104
2023
Other Outputs
Coastal change in an uncertain future: historic geomorphic change in tropical northeastern Australia and implications for the next century
Cowley, Dylan (2023). Coastal change in an uncertain future: historic geomorphic change in tropical northeastern Australia and implications for the next century. PhD Thesis, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/0d0c520
2023
Conference Publication
Tropical wave transformation through the Great Barrier Reef: Cairns, Australia
Cowley, Dylan and Harris, Daniel L. (2023). Tropical wave transformation through the Great Barrier Reef: Cairns, Australia. Australasian Coasts & Ports 2023, Twin Waters, QLD, Australia, 15-18 August 2023. Brisbane, QLD, Australia: Engineers Australia.
2022
Other Outputs
Why some beaches, including in Queensland, are getting bigger despite rising sea levels
Harris, Daniel, Cowley, Dylan and Mao, Yongjing (2022, 05 02). Why some beaches, including in Queensland, are getting bigger despite rising sea levels The Conversation
2022
Journal Article
Beach narrowing on prograding coasts: examples from the tropics to subtropics of eastern Australia
Cowley, D., Harris, D. L., Moss, P. T. and Shulmeister, J. (2022). Beach narrowing on prograding coasts: examples from the tropics to subtropics of eastern Australia. Geomorphology, 401 108110, 108110. doi: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108110
2022
Other Outputs
SMMBAS Question Sets by Category
Scott, Joel, Cowley, Dylan and Bell, Rianna (2022). SMMBAS Question Sets by Category. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/ac0af91
2020
Journal Article
A review of wave climate trends for the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, from 1976-2018
Cowley, Dylan and Harris, Daniel L. (2020). A review of wave climate trends for the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, from 1976-2018. Journal of Coastal Research, 95 (sp1), 1401-1405. doi: 10.2112/SI95-270.1
Funding
Current funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Dylan Cowley is:
- Available for supervision
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Available projects
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Sediment Compartment Connectivity in SEQ
There are projects available for Honours or Masters students in identifying sediment transport pathways and volumes across the various coastal compartments of south east Queensland (and beyond). These projects would include investigation into headland bypassing mechanisms and sediment transport regimes under varying ocean wave conditions through both numerical modelling and analysis of earth observation datasets. An understanding of GIS software and MATLAB/Python is beneficial to assist in data processing of satellite and aerial imagery to track sediment movements in the nearshore.
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Queensland Sediment Budgets
Projects in site to large scale assessments of sediment production and supply to the coast of Queensland and how this might change in the future, given different climate and sea level change scenarios. These assessments could be combined with additional data (e.g., population density, land use, coastal geomorphology) to determine coastal vulnerability and erosion risk under a variety of scenarios. An understanding of GIS software and MATLAB/Python is beneficial to assist in data processing.
Media
Enquiries
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