Chuyan Zhao

Chuyan Zhao smiles while seated on a bench outside.

Background: 

I earned my Ph.D. and M.S. in Harbor, Coastal, and Offshore Engineering from Dalian University of Technology, where I developed numerical models to study wave attenuation by vegetation and conducted physical experiments to validate these models. My research broadened during my time as a Visiting Graduate Student at MIT, where I investigated the effects of vegetation on sediment transport. While at MTU, I developed a data assimilation strategy to improve water temperature simulations and contributed to ecosystem process simulations in the Great Lakes.

Current Projects: 

  • C-CHARM
  • Long-term data assimilative, temperature and currents database for Lake Superior
  • Comparative Evaluation of Biophysical Models for Predicting Phytoplankton Dynamics and Harmful Algal Blooms in the Great Lakes

Achievements/Contributions:

Publications:

[1] Tang, J., Zhao, C., Shen, Y., 2019. Numerical investigation of the effects of coastal vegetation zone width on wave run-up attenuation. Ocean Engineering. 189, 106395. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2019.106395

[2] Zhao, C., Zhang, Y., Tang, J., Shen, Y., 2020. Numerical investigation of solitary wave run-up attenuation by patchy vegetation. Acta Oceanologica Sinica. 39(5), 105-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13131-020-1572-6

[3] Zhao, C., Tang, J., Shen, Y., 2021. Experimental study on solitary wave attenuation by emerged vegetation in currents. Ocean Engineering. 220, 108414. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2020.108414

[4] Zhao, C., Tang, J., Shen, Y., Wang, Y., 2021. Study on wave attenuation in following and opposing currents due to rigid vegetation. Ocean Engineering. 236, 109574. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2021.109574

[5] Zhao, C., Tang, J., Shen, Y., 2022. Numerical investigation of the effects of rigid emergent vegetation on wave runup and overtopping. Ocean Engineering. 264, 112502. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2022.112502

[6] Ge, Z., Tang, J., Zhao, Z., 2022. Numerical study on influence of vegetation on bed shear stress under coastal waves. Haiyang Xuebao, 44(11)：111–120.

[7] Zhang, X., Zhao, C.,Nepf, H., 2024.A simple prediction of time-mean and wave orbital velocities in submerged canopy. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 982(10), A3. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2024.61

Presentations:
  • “Numerical study of the effect of Coastal Meadow Width on Wave Run-up Attenuation”
    • Evolution of wetland ecosystems in delta and bay areas: coupling of ecological processes and dynamic geomorphology
    • “River Delta and Coastal Area” Academic Conference, September 2019, Nanjing, China.
  • “Study on Influence of Currents on Regular Wave Attenuation due to Rigid Vegetation”
    • Hydraulics and River Dynamics, Marine Science and Engineering
    • The 594th Tsinghua University Doctoral Academic Forum, May 2020, Virtual.
  • “Study on Wave Attenuation in Following and Opposing Currents due to Rigid Vegetation”
    • Coastal hydrodynamics and coastal processes
    • The 8th International Conference on the Application of Physical Modelling in Coastal and Port Engineering and Science (COASTLAB2020), December 2020, Zhoushan, China.
  • “Experimental Study on Solitary Wave Attenuation by Emerged Vegetation in Currents”
    • Estuarine and Coastal Ecological Environment
    • Young and Middle-aged Academic Seminar on Port, Waterway, Coasts and Marine Engineering, June 2021, Qingdao, China
  • “Initiation of Sediment Resuspension by combined Wave-Current Conditions in an Artificial Seagrass Meadow”
    • Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics: Biophysical Interactions Across Scales in Natural and Engineered Aquatic Systems
    • AGU (American Geophysical Union) Fall Meeting, December 2022, Chicago, IL
  • “Improved thermal structure and lake surface temperature simulation for Lake Superior using a data assimilative model”
    • Advances in Hydroclimate Modeling and Data to Support Great Lakes Adaptive Management
    • IAGLR’s 67th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research, May 2024, Windsor, Canada
  • “Enhancing Short-Term Forecast Accuracy of Water Temperature in Lake Superior through Data Assimilation”
    • Ecological Forecasting as a Tool for Adaptation and Mitigation in Aquatic Ecosystems
    • ASLO (Association for the science of Limnology and Oceanography), June 2024, Madison, WI

Future Goals: 

My future goals include securing a tenure-track position where I can further explore the physical and ecological processes in both oceanic and lacustrine systems. I aim to deepen our understanding of these environments, focusing on how they respond to climate change and human impacts while contributing to the development of predictive models that support sustainable management and conservation efforts.