Cascadia CoPes Hub

Peter Ruggiero is Director and Principal Investigator of The Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub, a multi-institutional NSF-funded project focused on increasing resiliency among coastal communities in the Pacific Northwest.

Specialty

Coastal Geomorphology, Coastal Hazards, Nearshore Processes

Research Interests

1. Coastal Geomorphology: nearshore morphodynamics, modeling coastal evolution, large-scale coastal behavior;
2. Coastal Hazards: impact of climate change and variability on coastal change and flood hazards, modeling the coupled human natural system;
3. Nearshore Processes: swash processes, dynamics of high-energy dissipative beaches, nearshore morphodynamics

Education

BS Civil Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 1991
MS Civil Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 1993
PhD Civil Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 1997

Courses

GEO 433/533 - Coastal Geomorphology
GEO 550 - Coastal Hazards: Processes, Response, and Adaptation
OC 664 - Nearshore Sediment Transport

Graduate Students

Masters students – Jessica Cote (M.S., 1999, OSU), Renee Shadel (M.S., 2001, Evergreen State College), Jeremy Mull (M.Oc.E., 2010, OSU), Erica Harris (M.S., 2011, OSU), Heather Baron (M.S., 2011, OSU), Diana Di Leonardo (M.S., 2012, OSU), Michael Berry (M.S., 2013, OSU), Katherine Serafin (M.S., 2013, OSU), Eva Lipiec (M.S., 2015, OSU), Janan Evans-Wilent (M.S., exp. 2017); PhD. Students –Katherine Serafin (exp. 2017), Nick Cohn (exp. 2018), Dylan Anderson (exp. 2018).

Feature Story

Recipe for a dune: Sand, wind, water, plants (March, 2019)

Publications

(Selected Publications Since 2001)

Ruggiero, P., Kaminsky, G., Gelfenbaum, G., Cohn, N. 2016. Morphodynamics of prograding beaches: A synthesis of seasonal- to century-scale observations of the Columbia River littoral cell, Marine Geology, 376, 51-68, 10.1016/j.margeo.2016.03.012.

Elko, N., Brodie, K., Stockdon, H., Nordstrom, K., Houser, C., McKenna, K., Moore, L., Rosati, J., Ruggiero, P., Thuman, R., and Walker, I., 2016. Dune management challenges on developed coasts, Shore and Beach, 84, 1, 1-14.

Cohn, N. and Ruggiero, P., 2016. The influence of seasonal to interannual nearshore profile variability on extreme water levels: Modeling wave runup on dissipative beaches, Coastal Engineering, doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2016.01.006.

Jose Antonio A. Antolinez, Fernando J. Mendez, Paula Camus, Sean Vitousek, E. Mauricio Gonzalez, Peter Ruggiero, and Patrick Barnard, 2016. A Multi-scale Climate Emulator for Long-term Morphodynamics (MUSCLE-morpho), JGR- Oceans, DOI:10.1002/2015JC011107.

Moritz, H., Kate White, Ben Gouldby, William Sweet, Peter Ruggiero, Mark Gravens, Patrick O’Brien, Hans Moritz, Thomas Wahl, Norberto Nadal-Caraballo, Will Veatch, 2015. USACE Approach for Future Coastal Climate Conditions, Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Maritime Engineering, 168, 3, 111-117, DOI: 10.1680/jmaen.15.00015.

Barnard, P. et al. (including P. Ruggiero), 2015. Coastal vulnerability across the Pacific dominated by El Niño/Southern Oscillation, Nature Geosciences, 10.1038/ngeo2539.

Erikson, L.H., Hegermiller, C.A., Barnard, P.L., Ruggiero, P., and van Ormondt, M., 2015. Projected median and extreme deep water wave conditions along the Eastern North Pacific margin and Hawai’i forced by CMIP5 global climate models under two radiative forcing scenarios, Ocean Modelling, doi:10.1016/j.ocemod.2015.07.004

Pelletier, J. D. et al. (including P. Ruggiero), 2015. Forecasting the response of Earth's surface to future climatic and land-use changes: A review of methods and research needs, Earth's Future, 3, 00–00, doi:10.1002/2014EF000290.

Zarnetske PL, Ruggiero P, Seabloom EW, Hacker SD, 2015. Coastal foredune evolution: the relative influence of vegetation and sand supply in the US Pacific Northwest. J. R. Soc. Interface 20150017. doi:10.1098/rsif.2015.0017

David AS, Zarnetske PL, Hacker SD, Ruggiero P, Biel RG, Seabloom EW, 2015. Invasive Congeners Differ in Successional impacts across Space and Time. PLoS ONE 10(2): e0117283.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117283.

Di Leonardo, D. and Ruggiero, P., 2015. Regional scale sandbar variability: Observations from the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Continental Shelf Research, 95,74-88, doi:10.1016/j.csr.2014.12.012i

Guannel, G., Ruggiero, P., Faries, J., Arkema, K., Pinsky, M., Gelfenbaum, G., Guerry, A., Choong-Ki, K., 2015, Quantification of the coastal protection benefits provided by vegetation, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 120, doi:10.1002/2014JC009821.

Baron, H.M., Ruggiero, P., Wood, N.J., Harris, E.L., Allan, J., Komar, P.D., and Corcoran, P., 2015. Incorporating climate change and morphological uncertainty into coastal change hazard assessments, Natural Hazards, 75:2081-2102, DOI: 10.1007/s11069-014-1417-8.

Susa, T.M., Ruggiero, P., Anderson, D.L., Cohn, N.T., 2014. Morphological Change and Sand Transport Mechanisms in the Dynamic Dune Complex of South Beach State Park, Oregon, Shore and Beach, 82(4), 24-34.

Serafin, K. and Ruggiero, P., 2014. Simulating extreme total water level events using a time-dependent, extreme value approach, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 119, 6305-6329, doi: 10.1002/2014JC010093.

Mull, J. and Ruggiero, P., 2014. Estimating storm-induced dune erosion and overtopping along U.S. West Coast beaches, Journal of Coastal Research, 30(6), 1173-1187, DOI: 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-13-00178.1.

Barnard, P.L., van Ormondt, M., Erikson, L.H., Eshleman, J., Hapke, C., Ruggiero, P., Adams, P.N. and Foxgrover, A.C., 2014. Development of the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) for predicting the impact of storms on high-energy, active-margin coasts. Natural Hazards, Volume 74 (2), p. 1095-1125, doi:10.1007/s11069-014-1236-y

Garcia-Medina, G., Ozkan-Haller, T., and Ruggiero, P., 2014. Wave resource assessment in Oregon and Southwest Washington, Renewable Energy, 64, 203-214, doi:10.1016/j.renene.2013.11.014.

Garcia-Medina, G. Ozkan-Haller, H.T., Ruggiero, P., and Oskamp, J., 2013. An Inner-Shelf Wave Forecasting System for the US Pacific Northwest, Weather and Forecasting, doi:10.1175/WAF-D-12-00055.1.

Ruggiero., P., 2013. Is the intensifying wave climate of the U.S. Pacific Northwest increasing flooding and erosion risk faster than sea level rise?, Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering. 10.1061/(ASCE)WW.1943-5460.0000172

Seabloom, E., P. Ruggiero, S. Hacker, J. Mull, P. Zarnetske, 2013. Invasive grasses, climate change, and flood risk in coastal ecosystems. Global Change Biology, doi:10.1111/gcb.12078.

Kruk, M.C., Marra, J.J., Merrifield, M., Ruggiero, P. Atkinson, D., Levinson, D., and Lander, M., 2013. Pacific Storms Climatology Products (PSCP): Understanding Extreme Events, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. doi: 10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00075.1

Zarnetske, Phoebe Lehmann, Sally D. Hacker, Eric W. Seabloom, Peter Ruggiero, Jason R. Killian, Timothy B. Maddux, and Daniel Cox, 2012. Biophysical feedback mediates effects of invasive grasses on coastal dune shape. Ecology. doi:10.1890/11-1112.1

Allan, J.C., Komar, P.D., Ruggiero, P., and Witter, R., 2012. The March 2011 Tohoku tsunami and its impacts along the U.S. West Coast, Journal of Coastal Research. DOI: 10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-11-00115.1

Guerry, A.D., MH Ruckelshaus, K Arkema, JR Bernhardt, G Guannel, CK Kim, M Marsik, M Papenfus, JE Toft, G Verutes, SA Wood, M Beck, F Chan, KMA Chan, G Gelfenbaum, BD Gold, BS Halpern, WB Labiosa, SE Lester, PS Levin, M McField, ML Pinsky, M Plummer, S Polasky, P Ruggiero, DA Sutherland, H Tallis, A Day, J Spencer, 2012. Modeling benefits from nature; using ecosystem services to inform coastal and marine spatial planning. International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, DOI:10.1080/21513732.2011.647835

Hacker, S., Zarnetske, P., Seabloom, E., Ruggiero, P., Mull, J., Gerrity, S., and Jones, C., 2012. Subtle differences in two non-native congeneric beach grasses significantly affect their colonization, spread, and impact, Oikos, doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.01887.x.

Revell, D., Battalio, R., Spear, B., Ruggiero, P., and Vandever, J., 2011. A Methodology for Predicting Future Coastal Hazards due to Sea level Rise on the California Coast, Climatic Change, DOI 10.1007/s10584-011-0315-2.

Komar, P.D., Allan, J.C., and Ruggiero, P., 2011. Sea level variations along the US Pacific Northwest coast: tectonic and climate controls, Journal of Coastal Research, (27) 5, 808-823, DOI:10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00116.1.

Barnard, P., Allan, J., Hansen, J., Kaminsky, G.M., Ruggiero, P., and Doria, A., 2011. The impact of the 2009-10 El Niño on U.S. West Coast beaches. Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2011GL047707.

Kaminsky, G.K., Ruggiero, P., Buijsman, M.C., and Gelfenbaum, G., 2010. Historical evolution of the Columbia River littoral cell, Marine Geology, DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2010.02.006.

Ruggiero, P., Buijsman, M.C., Kaminsky, G., and Gelfenbaum, G., 2010. Modeling the effect of wave climate and sediment supply variability on large-scale shoreline change, Marine Geology, 273, 127-140, DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2010.02.008.

Ruggiero, P., Komar, P.D., Allan, J.C., 2010. Increasing wave heights and extreme-value projections: the wave climate of the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Coastal Engineering, 57, 539-552,doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2009.12.005.

Warrick, J., Rubin, D.M., Ruggiero, P., Harney, J., Draut, A., and Buscombe, D., 2009. Cobble Cam: Grain-size measurements of sand to boulder from digital photographs and autocorrelation analyses, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 34(13), 1811-1821, doi: 10.1002/esp.

Ruggiero, P., Walstra, D.J., Gelfenbaum, G., and Ormont, M.V., 2009. Seasonal scale nearshore morphological evolution: Field observations and modeling, Coastal Engineering, (56) 1153-1172, DOI:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2009.09.003.

Ruggiero, P. and List, J.H., 2009. Improving Accuracy and Statistical Reliability of Shoreline Position and Change Rate Estimates, Journal of Coastal Research, 25(5), 1069-1081.

Warrick, J., George, D., Gelfenbaum, G., Ruggiero, P., Kaminsky, G.M., and Beirne, M., 2009. Beach morphology and change along the mixed grain-size delta of the dammed Elwha River, Washington, Geomorphology, 111, 136-148.

Adams, P. N., Ruggiero, P., Schoch, G.C., and Gelfenbaum, G. 2007. Intertidal sand body migration along a megatidal coast, Kachemak Bay, Alaska, J. Geophys. Res., 112, F02007, doi:10.1029/2006JF000487.

Moore, L.J., Ruggiero, P., and List, J.H., 2006. Comparing mean high water and high water line shorelines: Should proxy-datum offsets be incorporated in shoreline change analysis? Journal of Coastal Research, 22(4), 894-905.

Jaffe, B.E., Borrero, J.C., Prasetya, G.S., Peters, R., McAdoo, B., Gelfenbaum, G., Morton, R., Ruggiero, P., Higman, B., Dengler, L., Hidayat, R., Kingsley, E., Kongko, W.,, Lukijanto, Moore, A., Titov, V., and Yulianto, E., 2006. Northwest Sumatra and Offshore Islands Field Survey after the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2006. Earthquake Spectra, Volume 22, No. S3, pages S105–S135.

Ruggiero, P., Kaminsky, G.M., Gelfenbaum, G., and Voigt, B., 2005. Seasonal to interannual morphodynamics along a high-energy dissipative littoral cell, Journal of Coastal Research, 21(3), 553-578.

Ruggiero, P., Holman, R.A., and Beach, R.A., 2004. Wave runup on a high-energy dissipative beach, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 109, C06025, doi:10.1029/2003JC002160, 2004.

Ruggiero, P., Kaminsky, G.M., and Gelfenbaum, G., 2003. Linking proxy-based and datum-based shorelines on high-energy coastlines: Implications for shoreline change analyses, Journal of Coastal Research, SI-38, 57-82.

Ruggiero, P. and McDougal, W.G., 2001. An analytic model for the prediction of wave setup, longshore currents and sediment transport on beaches with seawalls, Coastal Engineering, (43) 161-182.

Ruggiero, P., Komar, P.D., McDougal, W.G., Marra, J.J., and Beach, R.A., 2001. Wave runup, extreme water levels and the erosion of properties backing beaches, Journal of Coastal Research, 17(2), 407-419.

Kaminsky, G., Daniels, R., Huxford, B., McCandless, D. and Ruggiero, P., 1999. Mapping erosion hazard areas in Pacific County, Washington, Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue #28, 158-170.

Komar, P.D., McDougal, W.G., Marra, J.J, and Ruggiero, P., 1999. The rational analysis of setback distances: Applications to the Oregon coast, Shore and Beach, 67, (1), 41-49.

Kaminsky, G., Ruggiero, P. and Gelfenbaum, G., 1998. Monitoring coastal change in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon during the 1997/98 El Niño, Shore and Beach, 66 (3), 42-51.

Komar, P.D., McDougal, W.G. and Ruggiero, P., 1996, Beach erosion at Brookings, Oregon, Causes and Mitigation, Shore and Beach, 11 pp.