Research interests

My research interests fall within the following main areas:

1. Earth surface processes and landform morphodynamics, with particular reference to estuarine and coastal systems, tidal wetlands, and sea-level rise.
2. Environmental system modelling, with particular reference to numerical simulation of hydrodynamics and fine sediment transport, complex system models, and data-driven modelling.
3. Environmental instrumentation, including measurement of suspended particulates in estuarine and coastal waters and large-scale PIV for shallow water flows.
4. Coastal and estuarine flood defence management, including the planning of national R&D programmes.
5. History and philosophy of the earth and environmental sciences, with particular reference to coastal geomorphology and the role of models for prediction and explanation.

Early work focused on hydrodynamics and sedimentation in tidal wetlands (French JR and Stoddart DR 1992. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms; French JR and Spencer T 1993. Marine Geology; French JR 1993. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms). This evolved into an interest in geophysical fluid dynamics, and research projects on turbulence characteristics in unsteady tidal flows (French and Clifford 1992. Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science; Clifford NJ, French JR and Hardisty J (Eds.) 1993. Turbulence: Perspectives on Sediment Transport, Chichester, John Wiley, 360pp) and in gravel bedded-rivers. More recent work has been concerned with tidal and meteorological forcing of estuarine fine sediment dynamics and potential sensitivity to climate change (French et al. 2008. Estuaries and Coasts), and the interaction between estuary inlets and coastal processes (Burningham and French, 2006. Marine Geology).

Work on environmental system modelling encompasses a broad range of methodologies. Numerical modelling ranges from aspatial mass balance modelling of tidal saltmarsh morphodynamics (French JR 2006. Marine Geology) to high spatial resolution hydrodynamic models are being applied to estuarine flood defence and sediment dynamics problems (e.g. French JR 2008. Journal of Coastal Research). A recent collaboration is with the School of Civil Engineering in La Coruna, Spain, which has led to work on the evaluation of a new finite volume model and its application to the hydrodynamics of the Crouch estuary, Essex, UK (Cea L, French JR, Váquez-Cendón M 2006. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering). At the same time, more qualitative mathematical approaches are used for the study of geomorphological system behaviour at larger temporal and spatial scales (e.g. Tyndall Centre-funded Coastal Simulator project; Defra-funded Estuary behavioural system simulator project; ESTSIM project; EA-funded Large-scale geomorphogical system behaviour project).

In addition to several large hydrodynamic monitoring campaigns within UK estuaries (Suffolk, Essex), the Coastal and Estuarine Research Unit has also been involved in the development of new instrumentation for in situ measurement of complex suspended the size distribution of suspended particulates in coastal and estuarine waters (Benson T and French JR 2007. Journal of Sea Research). Another recent project involved the development of a new large-scale PIV system for the quantitative analysis of shallow water flows using video imagery. Airborne remote sensing is also used to provide high spatial resolution data on coastal change and bathymetry (French JR 2003. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms).

4. Coastal and estuarine flood defence management

Much of the work undertaken by the Coastal and Estuarine Research Unit involves the application of engineering geomorphology to flood defence and estuary management problems. Recent projects include hydrodynamic assessments of the Crouch and Roach estuaries, Essex, UK (for EA); evaluation of the beneficial use of cohesive dredge material for foreshore recharge in the Orwell estuary, (for Harwich Haven Authority); investigation of the effectiveness of coastal saltmarshes in dissipating wave energy in front of sea defences (for EA, in collaboration with CCRU); and lead authorship of the DEFRA/EA UK Estuaries Research Programme – Phase 2 Science Plan.

5. History and research methodology of the earth and environmental sciences
Research on the history of and current trends in coastal geomorphological research is exemplified by JR French (Ed.) (2004) Critical Concepts in Coastal Geomorphology, London,  Routledge, 564pp; and French JR and Burningham H 2009. Progress in Physical Geography). Contributions to research methdology have included conceptual frameworks for model-based science (e.g. French JR and Clifford NJ 2000. Hydrological Processes) and criteria for the evaluation of complex numerical models against observational data (French JR 2009. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms).