Coastal and Estuarine Adaptation Lab
The Coastal and Estuarine Adaptation Lab (CEA Lab) is led by Dr Rebecca Morris at the School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne.
We research on natural, restored and artificial coastal and estuarine habitats. We work in interdisciplinary teams of ecologists, engineers and social scientists in close collaboration with end users to produce stakeholder-focused science for coastal management. The lab has a particular focus on adapting to changes in coastal hazards using ‘nature-based coastal defence’ or ‘living shorelines’.
Dell Eco Reef for coastal resilience and habitat restoration.
This project offers an alternative to traditional coastal protection structures. A novel modular reef cast from 3D printed moulds aims to mitigate erosion while providing a habitat for oysters and other organisms. Oysters were once abundant along coastal Victoria.
Indigenous Australians used oyster reefs as a food source for thousands of years. Now functionally extinct, restoration projects seek to bring back these lost oyster habitats and recover the ecosystem services they once provided like coastal protection, biodiversity and fisheries enhancement, water quality improvement, and social and cultural value.
News and media
Contact
For honours, post-graduate, or volunteering/internship opportunities
Please get in touch with Dr Rebecca Morris - rebecca.morris@unimelb.edu.au
Meet the academics and researchers in the Coastal and Estuarine Adaptation Lab.
(Back) Brendan, Kenneth, Kathy, Rebecca (team lead), Andrew.
(Front) Amanda, Sophie, Ryan, James.
Academic staff
Dr Rebecca Morris
I am a marine scientist and senior lecturer in the School of BioSciences at the University of Melbourne. I lead the Coastal and Estuarine Adaptation Lab with more than 10 years of experience in coastal ecological engineering. I am interested in interdisciplinary science on nature-based solutions for managing erosion and flooding in a sustainable and resilient way. I work on a diversity of habitats that includes shellfish, mangroves, seagrass, saltmarsh and dunes. I work with ecologists, engineers, economists and social scientists in close collaboration with end users to produce stakeholder-focused science for coastal management.
rebecca.morris@unimelb.edu.auDr Brendan Lanham
I am a Research Fellow in marine ecology and joined the lab from Sydney in April 2022. My research background is in community ecology in a habitat spatial context. My PhD used applied and theoretical approaches to understand predator-prey interactions in different habitat configurations. Since completing my PhD, I dabbled in microplastics before moving to Macquarie University and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science to work in oyster reef restoration of the Sydney Rock Oyster and ecological engineering. My current research area remains in shellfish restoration, with a focus on incorporating shellfish restoration into nature-based solutions for coastal protection.
brendan.lanham@unimelb.edu.auDr Andrew Pomeroy
I am a dynamic professional and research engineer with more than 15 years of coastal oceanographic, physical process and engineering experience. I have worked across sectors as well as led projects in construction, consulting and research organisations. I am focused on improving the integration between research, industry and government to better understand our coastal waters, develop evidence-based policy and strategies as well as innovative solutions to complex problems that affect our coasts and communities now and in the future.
a.pomeroy@unimelb.edu.auGraduate researchers
Amanda Hsiung
I previously worked on the use of ecological engineering to improve biodiversity on Singapore’s seawalls. My interests lie in understanding human interactions with marine and coastal systems and testing methods to mitigate current and potential impacts. For my PhD, I am researching the use of hybrid mangroves as a form of nature-based coastal defence in both Singapore and Victoria. I experiment with mangrove planters and monitor the survival and growth of the mangroves I plant in them. I also look at their co-benefits, as well as social and environmental barriers to their implementation.
cheukyanc@student.unimelb.edu.au
Sophie Cheuk Yan Chan
I’m interested in the adaptation and resilience of organisms and habitats to changing environments. I completed my master’s studying ecotoxicology with oysters in coastal and estuarine environments. My current research looks at nature-based solutions to promote coastal resilience. I study the use of rock-fillets, a hybrid shoreline stabilising technique to facilitate mangrove colonisation and reduce bank erosion, and the potential of ecological services provision in these novel habitats.
cheukyanc@student.unimelb.edu.au
James Barclay
I am a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne whose focus is on restoring oyster reefs, with an emphasis on utilizing them for shoreline stabilization. My research investigates the relationship between oyster larvae recruitment, substrate complexity and the surrounding hydrodynamic characteristics with the goal being to help inform and improve future oyster reef restoration efforts.
jbbarcl@student.unimelb.edu.au
Ryan Schoenbaum
My research aims to advance methods in conservation planning to account for processes that connect terrestrial and marine ecosystems in the context of climate change. My PhD project in the Burdekin region promotes the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef by integrating multiple objectives (water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration) into a spatial optimization framework. The collaborative nature of his research links efforts from a variety of institutions and stakeholders to guide management actions that maximize mutual benefit across land and sea realms.
rschoenbaum@student.unimelb.edu.au
Thea Bradford
I was inspired to study marine ecology by the beauty and biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef and took on restoration work in Hong Kong in 2017 after graduating from the University of Queensland. I helped grow eco-engineering projects in Hong Kong from initial participation in the World Harbour Project to the multiple restoration projects running today. Now earning my PhD at the City University of Hong Kong, co-supervised by Dr Morris, I hope to be part of the global team using eco-engineering for ecosystem management in cities and artificial shores.
thea.bradford@my.cityu.edu.hkAlumni
| Year | Alumni |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Kathy Overton (PhD, co-supervised), Kyal Accurso (MSc) |
| 2023 | Kenneth Chan (MSc) |
| 2022 | Eloise Cater (MSc), Laura Solly (MSc), Nyree Campion (MSc), Roma Bodycomb (MSc) |
The CEA lab research focuses on habitat restoration and living shorelines.
We investigate novel solutions that combine biodegradable and non-biodegradable engineered structures with the creation and restoration of natural habitats to improve restoration success through producing more suitable hydrodynamic or geomorphic conditions.
Our research takes place across a variety of habitats, such as oyster reefs, coastal and estuarine mangroves, and in both tropical and temperate climates.
Check out our current research projects below.
Research projects
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Reefs for resilience
There is increasing interest in restoring biogenic reefs to improve resilience to erosion, storms and flooding.
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Vegetated living shorelines
While there is increasing interest in the use of living shorelines to enhance resilience to coastal hazards, restoring soft-sediment habitats like seagrass, mangroves and saltmarsh in erosional environments is challenging.
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Living shoreline mosaics
A greater evidence base for the benefits of multi-habitat living shorelines is required to support their increased implementation.
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Living Shorelines Australia
We created Living Shorelines Australia to be a space for knowledge-sharing and the development of tools that can help living shorelines become standard practice in coastal management.