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Research group

Nature-Based Ocean Solutions

A person with a fishing line standing in the sea with lots of sea kelp

We aim to address societal, economic, environmental and engineering challenges through effective nature-based ocean solutions.

About

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal, economic and environmental challenges. Increasingly, NbS feature in adaptation policies and national and international pledges on climate action, sustainable development, biodiversity management, environmental protection and coastal resilience.

Our network links a diverse community of researchers and experts with ocean or blue economy stakeholders: communities; policymakers; the public sector; regulators; non-governmental organisations; engineering consultancies; energy developers.

As a collective, we aim to improve understanding and generate the evidence base for nature-based solutions. NbS's are important in adaptation and mitigation policies that address climate emergencies and loss of biodiversity.

We want to inform adaptive nature-based solutions for ecosystem restoration and management. The aim is to alleviate coastal and marine hazards such as coastal flooding and erosion, habitat degradation and biodiversity loss and changing ocean biochemistry. This will provide healthy ecosystems for climate mitigation, carbon and nutrient management and sustainable food provision.

We want to inform engineering and management practices to enhance community resilience and embed nature-inclusivity in engineering technologies for scalable energy harvesting and renewable energy generation. This will inform the next generation of engineering designs, to be environmentally friendly and have minimal impact on marine and ocean environments. 

To find out more about the Nature-based Ocean Solutions Special Interest Group and what we do, get in touch with group champion Hachem Kassem.

Join the SMMI Community to sign up to this group and our other special interest groups.

People, projects and publications

People

Dr Crystal El Safadi

Associate Professor Maritime Archaeology

Research interests

  • Ancient Mediterranean Seafaring
  • Maritime Cultural Heritage
  • Geospatial Data and Mapping

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: c.el-safadi@soton.ac.uk

Address: B65a, Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, SO17 1BF

Professor Damon Teagle

Director of SMMI

Research interests

  • • Formation and evolution of the ocean crust
  • • Fluid-rock interactions and Ore mineralisation
  • • Geochemical analysis

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: damon.teagle@southampton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Professor Emma Tompkins

Prof of Geog, Environment & Development

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: e.l.tompkins@soton.ac.uk

Address: B44, West Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ

Miss Fiona Woods

Research interests

  • Restoration ecology
  • Ecosystem functions and services
  • Nutrient remediation

Email: f.woods@soton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Dr Giulia Champion PhD

Research Fellow (Anniversary Fellowship)

Research interests

  • Blue, Energy and Environmental Humanities
  • Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies
  • Marine and Maritime Cultural Productions

Dr Hachem Kassem

Lecturer

Research interests

  • Nearshore hydrodynamics and coastal sediment dynamics
  • Coastal and ocean engineering and flow-structure-seabed-biota interactions
  • Adaptive, nature-inclusive solutions to climate-mediated geohazards, including flooding, erosion and habitat degradation

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: hachem.kassem@soton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Dr Hector Marin Moreno

Lecturer in Climate Sciences

Research interests

  • Smart and cost-effective solutions for joint processing and interpretation of geophysical and geotechnical data from renewable energy developments offshore
  • Geological storage of CO2 and hydrogen 
  • Climate and human-induced methane emissions in the marine environment 

Accepting applications from PhD students

Email: h.marin-moreno@soton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Dr Ka-Kin Cheuk

Lecturer in Anthropology

Accepting applications from PhD students

Ken Collins

Email: kjc@soton.ac.uk

Address: National Oceanography Centre, Waterfront Campus European Way, SO14 3ZH

Dr Lindsay-Marie Armstrong

Associate Professor

Email: l.armstrong@soton.ac.uk

Address: B7, East Highfield Campus, University Road, SO17 1BJ

Related research institutes, centres and groups

Related research institutes, centres and groups

Connect with us

Enquiries

If you're interested in joining us or collaborating, get in touch with the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.