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Kai Parker

Coastal Oceanographer with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Kai Parker has been a coastal Oceanographer with the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz since 2020 as part of the Climate Impacts and Coastal Processes Team.  His research focuses on a wide variety of coastal hazards, including shoreline erosion, flooding, coastal processes, and the effects of climate change on coastlines. He is particularly interested in developing products, resources, and science that can help communities adapt to changing environments.

Professional Experience

  • 2020-present - Oceanographer, United States Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, CA. Research on all types of coastal hazards topics but primarily focused on climate change impacts to flooding.

  • 2019-2020 – Fulbright, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Valparaíso, Chile. Visiting researcher exploring Chilean shoreline erosion hazards as controlled by processes ranging from shifting wave climate to tectonic uplift.

  • 2013-2018 – Graduate Teaching Instructor, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. Teaching assistant and lecturer across a variety of courses. Development of evidence-based teaching practices through the Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching program.

  • 2012-2013 – Coastal Engineer, Moffatt & Nichol, San Diego, CA. Diverse analysis focused on quantification and engineering solutions to coastal hazards including shoreline erosion, river/estuary processes and sea-level rise.

  • 2011 – Research / Marine Tech Internship, University of California: Davis, Bodega Bay Marine Lab, CA.  Research primarily on estuarine processes and observational oceanography including deployment, repair, and data analysis for an assortment of oceanographic instruments

Education and Certifications

  • 2018: Ph.D., Coastal and Ocean Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

  • 2012: B.S., Civil Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

Science and Products

link
High coastal arctic bluff with broken chunks, some that are ready to fall into the crashing waves, and some that have fallen.

Coastal Climate Impacts

The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise around the Pacific and Arctic Oceans can vary tremendously. Thus far the vast majority of national and international impact assessments and models of coastal climate change have focused on low-relief coastlines that are not near seismically active zones. Furthermore, the degree to which extreme waves and wind will add further stress to coastal...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Coastal Climate Impacts

The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise around the Pacific and Arctic Oceans can vary tremendously. Thus far the vast majority of national and international impact assessments and models of coastal climate change have focused on low-relief coastlines that are not near seismically active zones. Furthermore, the degree to which extreme waves and wind will add further stress to coastal...
Learn More
link
An interactive mapping application in which the user can choose parameters from the menus to create a computer model of flooding

Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS)

The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions of storm-induced coastal flooding, erosion, and cliff failures over large geographic scales. CoSMoS was developed for hindcast studies, operational applications and future climate scenarios to provide emergency responders and coastal planners with critical storm-hazards information that can be used to increase public safety...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities
link

Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS)

The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions of storm-induced coastal flooding, erosion, and cliff failures over large geographic scales. CoSMoS was developed for hindcast studies, operational applications and future climate scenarios to provide emergency responders and coastal planners with critical storm-hazards information that can be used to increase public safety...
Learn More

Modeled nearshore wave parameters along the Columbia River littoral cell, Washington and Oregon, 2010-2023

Model hindcasts were performed with a spectral wave model to quantify nearshore wave parameters along the Columbia River littoral cell, Oregon and Washington. The spectral wave model SWAN was used to simulate nearshore wave dynamics at 1-hr intervals along the coast between 2014 and 2023. A second hindcast simulated wave dynamics between 2010 and 2011. This data release describes the development a
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Model input and projections of compound floodwater depths for the lower Nooksack River and delta, western Washington State

Model input and computed flood depths associated with the combined influence of sea level position, tides, storm surge, and streamflow under existing conditions and projected future higher sea level and peak stream runoff are provided for the lower (Reach 1) of the Nooksack River and delta in Whatcom County, western Washington State. The flood-depth projection data are provided in a series of rast
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Future coastal hazards along the U.S. Atlantic coast

This product consists of several datasets that map future coastal flooding and erosion hazards due to sea level rise (SLR) and storms for three States (Florida, Georgia, and Virginia) along the Atlantic coast of the United States. The SLR scenarios encompass a plausible range of projections by 2100 based on the best available science and with enough resolution to support a suite of different plann
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Future coastal hazards along the U.S. North and South Carolina coasts

This product consists of several datasets that map future coastal flooding and erosion hazards due to sea level rise (SLR) and storms along the North and South Carolina coast. The SLR scenarios encompass a plausible range of projections by 2100 based on the best available, science and with enough resolution to support a suite of different planning horizons. The storm scenarios are derived with the
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities

Ocean wave time-series data simulated with a global-scale numerical wave model under the influence of historical and projected CMIP6 wind and sea ice fields (ver. 2.0, October 2024)

Hourly time-series of waves at the 20m, 50m, and 100m isobaths, along all U.S. open coasts for the historical (1979-2014) and projected (2020-2050) period: Those data (estimates of historical and long-term future conditions) were developed by running the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) WaveWatch3 wave model forced with winds and sea ice extents from four separate high-reso
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Projections of multiple climate-related coastal hazards for the US Southeast Atlantic

Faced with accelerating sea level rise and changing ocean storm conditions, coastal communities require comprehensive assessments of climate-driven hazard impacts to inform adaptation measures. Previous studies have focused on flooding but rarely on other climate-related coastal hazards, such as subsidence, beach erosion and groundwater. Here, we project societal exposure to multiple hazards along
Authors
Patrick L. Barnard, Kevin M. Befus, Jeffrey J. Danielson, Anita C Engelstad, Li H. Erikson, Amy C. Foxgrover, Maya Kumari Hayden, Daniel J. Hoover, Tim Leijnse, Chris Massey, Robert T. McCall, Norberto Nadal-Caraballo, Kees Nederhoff, Andrea C. O'Neill, Kai Alexander Parker, Manoochehr Shirzaei, Leonard O. Ohenhen, Peter W Swarzenski, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Maarten van Ormondt, Sean Vitousek, Killian Vos, Nathan J. Wood, Jeanne M. Jones, Jamie Jones
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

The projected exposure and response of a natural barrier island system to climate-driven coastal hazards

Accelerating sea level rise (SLR) and changing storm patterns will increasingly expose barrier islands to coastal hazards, including flooding, erosion, and rising groundwater tables. We assess the exposure of Cape Lookout National Seashore, a barrier island system in North Carolina (USA), to projected SLR and storm hazards over the twenty-first century. We estimate that with 0.5 m of SLR, 47% of c
Authors
Jennifer Anne Thomas, Patrick L. Barnard, Sean Vitousek, Li H. Erikson, Kai Alexander Parker, Kees Nederhoff, Kevin M. Befus, Manoochehr Shirzaei
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Climate controls on longshore sediment transport and coastal morphology adjacent to engineered inlets

Coastal jetties are commonly used throughout the world to stabilize channels and improve navigation through inlets. These engineered structures form artificial boundaries to littoral cells by reducing wave-driven longshore sediment transport across inlet entrances. Consequently, beaches adjacent to engineered inlets are subject to large gradients in longshore transport rates and are highly sensiti
Authors
Andrew W. Stevens, Peter R Ruggiero, Kai Alexander Parker, Sean Vitousek, Guy Gelfenbaum, George M Kaminsky
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Tropical or extratropical cyclones: What drives the compound flood hazard, impact, and risk for the United States Southeast Atlantic coast?

Subtropical coastlines are impacted by both tropical and extratropical cyclones. While both may lead to substantial damage to coastal communities, it is difficult to determine the contribution of tropical cyclones to coastal flooding relative to that of extratropical cyclones. We conduct a large-scale flood hazard and impact assessment across the subtropical Southeast Atlantic Coast of the United
Authors
Kees Nederhoff, Tim Leijnse, Kai Alexander Parker, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Andrea O'Neill, Maarten van Ormondt, Robert T. McCall, Li H. Erikson, Patrick L. Barnard, Amy C. Foxgrover, Wouter Klessens, Norberto C. Nadal-Caraballo, Chris Massey
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities, Hurricanes

Relative contributions of water-level components to extreme water levels along the US Southeast Atlantic Coast from a regional-scale water-level hindcast

A 38-year hindcast water level product is developed for the U.S. Southeast Atlantic coastline from the entrance of Chesapeake Bay to the southeast tip of Florida. The water level modelling framework utilized in this study combines a global-scale hydrodynamic model (Global Tide and Surge Model, GTSM-ERA5), a novel ensemble-based tide model, a parameterized wave setup model, and statistical correcti
Authors
Kai Alexander Parker, Li H. Erikson, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Patrick L. Barnard, Sanne Muis
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Rapid modeling of compound flooding across broad coastal regions and the necessity to include rainfall driven processes: A case study of Hurricane Florence (2018)

In this work, we show that large-scale compound flood models developed for North and South Carolina, USA, can skillfully simulate multiple drivers of coastal flooding as confirmed by measurements collected during Hurricane Florence (2018). Besides the accuracy of representing observed water levels, the importance of individual processes was investigated. We demonstrate that across the area of inte
Authors
Tim Leijnse, Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Kai Alexander Parker, Maarten van Ormondt, Li H. Erikson, Robert T. McCall, Ap van Dongeren, Andrea C. O'Neill, Patrick L. Barnard
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten Barrier Island Systems

Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten Barrier Island Systems

A new study led by USGS models projected overland flooding, groundwater depth, shoreline change, and vertical land motion at Cape Lookout National...

Read Article
Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast

Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast

A study led by USGS outlines a multifaceted climate-driven crisis facing communities along the Southeast Atlantic coast of the United States. As sea...

Read Article
Effects of Climate Variability on Coastal Erosion in the Pacific Northwest

Effects of Climate Variability on Coastal Erosion in the Pacific Northwest

New research finds that subtle shifts in wave direction, driven by multi-annual climate variability, are causing significant patterns in coastal...

Read Article
The Complex Dynamics of Coastal Flooding along the Southeast U.S. Atlantic Coast

The Complex Dynamics of Coastal Flooding along the Southeast U.S. Atlantic Coast

New research led by Deltares, USGS, and USACE investigates the interplay between tropical and extratropical cyclones in driving coastal flooding along...

Read Article
Modeling Coastal Flooding Dynamics Along the U.S. Southeast Atlantic Coast

Modeling Coastal Flooding Dynamics Along the U.S. Southeast Atlantic Coast

Researchers have developed a comprehensive model to hindcast nearly four decades of water-level data for the Southeast Atlantic coastline of the...

Read Article
Cutting-Edge Storm Modeling System Forecasts Future Coastal Hazards in the Salish Sea

Cutting-Edge Storm Modeling System Forecasts Future Coastal Hazards in the Salish Sea

Three new studies from USGS and partners use an advanced coastal-storm modeling system to deliver fine-scale projections of wave behavior, flood...

Read Article

Science and Products

link
High coastal arctic bluff with broken chunks, some that are ready to fall into the crashing waves, and some that have fallen.

Coastal Climate Impacts

The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise around the Pacific and Arctic Oceans can vary tremendously. Thus far the vast majority of national and international impact assessments and models of coastal climate change have focused on low-relief coastlines that are not near seismically active zones. Furthermore, the degree to which extreme waves and wind will add further stress to coastal...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
link

Coastal Climate Impacts

The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise around the Pacific and Arctic Oceans can vary tremendously. Thus far the vast majority of national and international impact assessments and models of coastal climate change have focused on low-relief coastlines that are not near seismically active zones. Furthermore, the degree to which extreme waves and wind will add further stress to coastal...
Learn More
link
An interactive mapping application in which the user can choose parameters from the menus to create a computer model of flooding

Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS)

The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions of storm-induced coastal flooding, erosion, and cliff failures over large geographic scales. CoSMoS was developed for hindcast studies, operational applications and future climate scenarios to provide emergency responders and coastal planners with critical storm-hazards information that can be used to increase public safety...
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities
link

Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS)

The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions of storm-induced coastal flooding, erosion, and cliff failures over large geographic scales. CoSMoS was developed for hindcast studies, operational applications and future climate scenarios to provide emergency responders and coastal planners with critical storm-hazards information that can be used to increase public safety...
Learn More

Modeled nearshore wave parameters along the Columbia River littoral cell, Washington and Oregon, 2010-2023

Model hindcasts were performed with a spectral wave model to quantify nearshore wave parameters along the Columbia River littoral cell, Oregon and Washington. The spectral wave model SWAN was used to simulate nearshore wave dynamics at 1-hr intervals along the coast between 2014 and 2023. A second hindcast simulated wave dynamics between 2010 and 2011. This data release describes the development a
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Model input and projections of compound floodwater depths for the lower Nooksack River and delta, western Washington State

Model input and computed flood depths associated with the combined influence of sea level position, tides, storm surge, and streamflow under existing conditions and projected future higher sea level and peak stream runoff are provided for the lower (Reach 1) of the Nooksack River and delta in Whatcom County, western Washington State. The flood-depth projection data are provided in a series of rast
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Future coastal hazards along the U.S. Atlantic coast

This product consists of several datasets that map future coastal flooding and erosion hazards due to sea level rise (SLR) and storms for three States (Florida, Georgia, and Virginia) along the Atlantic coast of the United States. The SLR scenarios encompass a plausible range of projections by 2100 based on the best available science and with enough resolution to support a suite of different plann
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Future coastal hazards along the U.S. North and South Carolina coasts

This product consists of several datasets that map future coastal flooding and erosion hazards due to sea level rise (SLR) and storms along the North and South Carolina coast. The SLR scenarios encompass a plausible range of projections by 2100 based on the best available, science and with enough resolution to support a suite of different planning horizons. The storm scenarios are derived with the
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities

Ocean wave time-series data simulated with a global-scale numerical wave model under the influence of historical and projected CMIP6 wind and sea ice fields (ver. 2.0, October 2024)

Hourly time-series of waves at the 20m, 50m, and 100m isobaths, along all U.S. open coasts for the historical (1979-2014) and projected (2020-2050) period: Those data (estimates of historical and long-term future conditions) were developed by running the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) WaveWatch3 wave model forced with winds and sea ice extents from four separate high-reso
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Projections of multiple climate-related coastal hazards for the US Southeast Atlantic

Faced with accelerating sea level rise and changing ocean storm conditions, coastal communities require comprehensive assessments of climate-driven hazard impacts to inform adaptation measures. Previous studies have focused on flooding but rarely on other climate-related coastal hazards, such as subsidence, beach erosion and groundwater. Here, we project societal exposure to multiple hazards along
Authors
Patrick L. Barnard, Kevin M. Befus, Jeffrey J. Danielson, Anita C Engelstad, Li H. Erikson, Amy C. Foxgrover, Maya Kumari Hayden, Daniel J. Hoover, Tim Leijnse, Chris Massey, Robert T. McCall, Norberto Nadal-Caraballo, Kees Nederhoff, Andrea C. O'Neill, Kai Alexander Parker, Manoochehr Shirzaei, Leonard O. Ohenhen, Peter W Swarzenski, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Maarten van Ormondt, Sean Vitousek, Killian Vos, Nathan J. Wood, Jeanne M. Jones, Jamie Jones
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

The projected exposure and response of a natural barrier island system to climate-driven coastal hazards

Accelerating sea level rise (SLR) and changing storm patterns will increasingly expose barrier islands to coastal hazards, including flooding, erosion, and rising groundwater tables. We assess the exposure of Cape Lookout National Seashore, a barrier island system in North Carolina (USA), to projected SLR and storm hazards over the twenty-first century. We estimate that with 0.5 m of SLR, 47% of c
Authors
Jennifer Anne Thomas, Patrick L. Barnard, Sean Vitousek, Li H. Erikson, Kai Alexander Parker, Kees Nederhoff, Kevin M. Befus, Manoochehr Shirzaei
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Climate controls on longshore sediment transport and coastal morphology adjacent to engineered inlets

Coastal jetties are commonly used throughout the world to stabilize channels and improve navigation through inlets. These engineered structures form artificial boundaries to littoral cells by reducing wave-driven longshore sediment transport across inlet entrances. Consequently, beaches adjacent to engineered inlets are subject to large gradients in longshore transport rates and are highly sensiti
Authors
Andrew W. Stevens, Peter R Ruggiero, Kai Alexander Parker, Sean Vitousek, Guy Gelfenbaum, George M Kaminsky
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Tropical or extratropical cyclones: What drives the compound flood hazard, impact, and risk for the United States Southeast Atlantic coast?

Subtropical coastlines are impacted by both tropical and extratropical cyclones. While both may lead to substantial damage to coastal communities, it is difficult to determine the contribution of tropical cyclones to coastal flooding relative to that of extratropical cyclones. We conduct a large-scale flood hazard and impact assessment across the subtropical Southeast Atlantic Coast of the United
Authors
Kees Nederhoff, Tim Leijnse, Kai Alexander Parker, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Andrea O'Neill, Maarten van Ormondt, Robert T. McCall, Li H. Erikson, Patrick L. Barnard, Amy C. Foxgrover, Wouter Klessens, Norberto C. Nadal-Caraballo, Chris Massey
By
Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities, Hurricanes

Relative contributions of water-level components to extreme water levels along the US Southeast Atlantic Coast from a regional-scale water-level hindcast

A 38-year hindcast water level product is developed for the U.S. Southeast Atlantic coastline from the entrance of Chesapeake Bay to the southeast tip of Florida. The water level modelling framework utilized in this study combines a global-scale hydrodynamic model (Global Tide and Surge Model, GTSM-ERA5), a novel ensemble-based tide model, a parameterized wave setup model, and statistical correcti
Authors
Kai Alexander Parker, Li H. Erikson, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Patrick L. Barnard, Sanne Muis
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

Rapid modeling of compound flooding across broad coastal regions and the necessity to include rainfall driven processes: A case study of Hurricane Florence (2018)

In this work, we show that large-scale compound flood models developed for North and South Carolina, USA, can skillfully simulate multiple drivers of coastal flooding as confirmed by measurements collected during Hurricane Florence (2018). Besides the accuracy of representing observed water levels, the importance of individual processes was investigated. We demonstrate that across the area of inte
Authors
Tim Leijnse, Cornelis M. Nederhoff, Jennifer Anne Thomas, Kai Alexander Parker, Maarten van Ormondt, Li H. Erikson, Robert T. McCall, Ap van Dongeren, Andrea C. O'Neill, Patrick L. Barnard
By
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten Barrier Island Systems

Rising Seas and Stronger Storms Threaten Barrier Island Systems

A new study led by USGS models projected overland flooding, groundwater depth, shoreline change, and vertical land motion at Cape Lookout National...

Read Article
Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast

Intensified Coastal Hazards from Climate Change on U.S. Southeast Coast

A study led by USGS outlines a multifaceted climate-driven crisis facing communities along the Southeast Atlantic coast of the United States. As sea...

Read Article
Effects of Climate Variability on Coastal Erosion in the Pacific Northwest

Effects of Climate Variability on Coastal Erosion in the Pacific Northwest

New research finds that subtle shifts in wave direction, driven by multi-annual climate variability, are causing significant patterns in coastal...

Read Article
The Complex Dynamics of Coastal Flooding along the Southeast U.S. Atlantic Coast

The Complex Dynamics of Coastal Flooding along the Southeast U.S. Atlantic Coast

New research led by Deltares, USGS, and USACE investigates the interplay between tropical and extratropical cyclones in driving coastal flooding along...

Read Article
Modeling Coastal Flooding Dynamics Along the U.S. Southeast Atlantic Coast

Modeling Coastal Flooding Dynamics Along the U.S. Southeast Atlantic Coast

Researchers have developed a comprehensive model to hindcast nearly four decades of water-level data for the Southeast Atlantic coastline of the...

Read Article
Cutting-Edge Storm Modeling System Forecasts Future Coastal Hazards in the Salish Sea

Cutting-Edge Storm Modeling System Forecasts Future Coastal Hazards in the Salish Sea

Three new studies from USGS and partners use an advanced coastal-storm modeling system to deliver fine-scale projections of wave behavior, flood...

Read Article
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