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Benjamin K Norris

My research interests span coastal, estuarine, and riverine settings, with a broad focus on the interplay of hydrodynamics (currents, waves, turbulence), morphodynamics (sediment transport), and coastal ecosystems (mangroves, coral reefs).

Dr. Benjamin Norris is a Mendenhall Postdoctoral Scholar and Research Oceanographer with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center. His expertise spans coastal, estuarine, and riverine settings, with a focus on nearshore processes, wave dissipation, turbulence, sediment transport, and the hydrodynamics of aquatic vegetation. His research interests include the development of “green infrastructure”, or nature-based solutions for mitigating coastal hazards and erosion. His Mendenhall project focuses on modeling wave dissipation across coral reefs at sub-meter scales, with the purpose of developing cost-effective coral reef restorations to enhance the protective capacity of degraded reef ecosystems. Benjamin is skilled in field observation, remote sensing (GIS), computer programming (Matlab, Bash/Linux, C++), and numerical modeling (OpenFOAM, Delft3D).

Professional Experience

  • 2020 – Present: Mendenhall Postdoctoral Scholar, U.S. Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, California USA

  • 2019 – 2020: Eco-Hydrologist I, cbec eco-engineering, Sacramento, California USA

  • 2018 – 2019: GIS Specialist, University of Waikato, Hamilton New Zealand

  • 2018: Lecturer, University of Waikato, Hamilton New Zealand

  • 2012 – 2014: Junior Specialist, U.S. Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, California USA

Education and Certifications

  • 2019: Ph.D. Earth Sciences – University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

  • 2017: B.S. Earth Sciences – UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California USA

Science and Products

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Coral head that looks like lettuce sits on sandy bottom in clear blue water and is surrounded by brightly colored fish.

Coral Reef Project

Explore the fascinating undersea world of coral reefs. Learn how we map, monitor, and model coral reefs so we can better understand, protect, and preserve our Nation's reefs.
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities
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Coral Reef Project

Explore the fascinating undersea world of coral reefs. Learn how we map, monitor, and model coral reefs so we can better understand, protect, and preserve our Nation's reefs.
Learn More
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Sun sets over a mountain ridge.

Science Seminar Series Archives

A list of past science seminars hosted by the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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Science Seminar Series Archives

A list of past science seminars hosted by the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California
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OpenFOAM models of low- and high-relief sites from the coral reef flat off Waiakane, Molokai, Hawaii

OpenFOAM Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models were developed to simulate wave energy dissipation across natural rough reef surfaces on the reef flat off Waiakane, Molokai, Hawaii, to understand this process in the context of reef restoration design. A total of 140 models were developed (70 per low- and 70 per high-bed-relief domains). Models were calibrated and validated with...
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

3D bathymetric surfaces of low- and high-relief sites from the coral reef flat off Waiakane, Molokai

3D bathymetric surfaces of low- and high-relief sites from the coral reef flat off Waiakane, Molokai, were created using structure-from-motion (SfM) techniques. The two study sites are located approximately 640 m from shore and approximately 20 m apart in the alongshore direction. At each site, an approximate 12-meter diameter area was imaged in three passes by a swimmer using a handheld...
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
A man stands on muddy ground carrying a piece of equipment in a forest.
Benjamin Norris in the Mekong Delta
Benjamin Norris in the Mekong Delta
A man stands on muddy ground carrying a piece of equipment in a forest.

Benjamin Norris in the Mekong Delta

Benjamin Norris in the Mekong Delta

Benjamin Norris in a mangrove forest on the southern edge of the island of Cù Lao Dung, situated in the lower Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Ben is carrying a Nortek Vectrino Profiler, a high-resolution velocity sensor, which is attached to a custom-made frame that can be driven by hand into the soft sediment of the mangrove forest to collect data.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
A man stands on muddy ground carrying a piece of equipment in a forest.

Benjamin Norris in the Mekong Delta

Benjamin Norris in the Mekong Delta

Benjamin Norris in a mangrove forest on the southern edge of the island of Cù Lao Dung, situated in the lower Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Ben is carrying a Nortek Vectrino Profiler, a high-resolution velocity sensor, which is attached to a custom-made frame that can be driven by hand into the soft sediment of the mangrove forest to collect data.

By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Combining field observations and high-resolution numerical modeling to demonstrate the effect of coral reef roughness on turbulence and its implications for reef restoration design

Coral reefs are effective natural barriers that protect adjacent coastal communities from hazards such as erosion and storm-induced flooding. However, the degradation of coral reefs compromises their ability to protect against these hazards, making degraded reefs a target for restoration. There have been limited field and numerical modeling studies conducted to understand how an increase...
Authors
Benjamin K Norris, Curt Storlazzi, Andrew W. M. Pomeroy, Kurt J. Rosenberger, Joshua B. Logan, Olivia Cheriton
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Hindcast storm events in the Bering Sea for the St. Lawrence Island and Unalakleet Regions, Alaska

This study provides viable estimates of historical storm-induced water levels in the coastal communities of Gambell and Savoonga situated on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, as well as Unalakleet located at the head of Norton Sound on the western coast of Alaska. Gambell, Savoonga, and Unalakleet are small Native Villages that are regularly impacted by coastal storms but where...
Authors
Li H. Erikson, Robert T. McCall, Arnold van Rooijen, Benjamin Norris
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

The influence of grain size, grain color, and suspended-sediment concentration on light attenuation: why fine-grained terrestrial sediment is bad for coral reef ecosystems

Sediment has been shown to be a major stressor to coral reefs globally. Although many researchers have tested the impact of sedimentation on coral reef ecosystems in both the laboratory and the field and some have measured the impact of suspended sediment on the photosynthetic response of corals, there has yet to be a detailed investigation on how properties of the sediment itself can...
Authors
Curt D. Storlazzi, Benjamin Norris, Kurt J. Rosenberger
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Measurements of slope currents and internal tides on the Continental Shelf and slope off Newport Beach, California

An array of seven moorings housing current meters and oceanographic sensors was deployed for 6 months at 5 sites on the Continental Shelf and slope off Newport Beach, California, from July 2011 to January 2012. Full water-column profiles of currents were acquired at all five sites, and a profile of water-column temperature was also acquired at two of the five sites for the duration of...
Authors
Kurt J. Rosenberger, Marlene A. Noble, Benjamin Norris
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Norris, B.K., Mullarney, J.C., Bryan, K.R., Henderson, S.M., 2020, Relating Millimeter-scale Turbulence to Meter-scale Subtidal Erosion and Accretion across the Fringe of a Coastal Mangrove Forest: Earth Surfaces Processes and Landforms. DOI: 10.1002/esp.5047.
Norris, B.K., Mullarney, J.C., Bryan, K.R., Henderson, S.M., 2019, Turbulence within Natural Mangrove Pneumatophore Canopies: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124, 2263–2288. DOI: 10.1029/2018JC014562.
Norris, B.K., Mullarney, J.C., Bryan, K.R., Henderson, S.M., 2017, The effect of pneumatophore density on turbulence: a field study in a Sonneratia-dominated mangrove forest, Vietnam: Continental Shelf Research, 147, 114–127. DOI: 10.1016/j.csr.2017.06.002.
Mullarney, J., Henderson, S.M., Norris, B.K., Bryan, K.R., Fricke, A.T., Sandwell, D.R., 2017, A question of scale: How turbulence around aerial roots shapes the seabed morphology in mangrove forests of the Mekong Delta: Oceanography, 30, 34–47. DOI: 10.5670/oceanog.2017.312.
Mullarney, J.C., Henderson, S.M., Reyns, J.A.H., Norris, B.K., Bryan, K.R., 2017, Spatially varying drag within a wave-exposed mangrove forest and on the adjacent tidal flat: Continental Shelf Research, 147, 102–113. DOI: 10.1016/j.csr.2017.06.019.
Henderson, S.M., Norris, B.K., Mullarney, J.C., 2017, Wave-frequency flows within a near-bed vegetation canopy: Continental Shelf Research, 147, 91–101. DOI: 10.1016/j.csr.2017.06.003.
Liénard, J., Lynn, K., Strigul, N., Norris, B.K., Gatziolis, D., Mullarney, J.C., Bryan, K.R., Henderson, S.M., 2016, Efficient three-dimensional reconstruction of aquatic vegetation geometry: Estimating morphological parameters influencing hydrodynamic drag: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 178, 77–85. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2016.05.011.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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