Faculty Research

Anna Wargula
Professor, Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering Department

Anna Wargula's research goals are to better understand the coastal ocean physics that drive the flooding of coastal communities, the erosion of marshes and beaches, and the mixing and transport of pollutants and nutrients that control the health of inland bays. Wargula mainly uses field observations and has experience working in a variety of environments (e.g., the beaches of Duck, NC; estuaries in MA, WA, and CT; inlets and bays on Martha's Vineyard, MA, and New River Inlet, NC). Her previous work at New River Inlet, NC, showed that large waves during a storm play a role in increasing flooding into inlets. Currently she is developing an analytical tool to better predict the lifespan of beach nourishment projects, in collaboration with Dr. David Kriebel (NAOE) and Dr. Tori Johnson (NAOE). Wargula has a Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from the MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program.