Research group

Nature-Based Ocean Solutions

A person with a fishing line standing in the sea with lots of sea kelp

We aim to address societal, economic, environmental and engineering challenges through effective nature-based ocean solutions.

About

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems to address societal, economic and environmental challenges. Increasingly, NbS feature in adaptation policies and national and international pledges on climate action, sustainable development, biodiversity management, environmental protection and coastal resilience.

Our network links a diverse community of researchers and experts with ocean or blue economy stakeholders: communities; policymakers; the public sector; regulators; non-governmental organisations; engineering consultancies; energy developers.

As a collective, we aim to improve understanding and generate the evidence base for nature-based solutions. NbS's are important in adaptation and mitigation policies that address climate emergencies and loss of biodiversity.

We want to inform adaptive nature-based solutions for ecosystem restoration and management. The aim is to alleviate coastal and marine hazards such as coastal flooding and erosion, habitat degradation and biodiversity loss and changing ocean biochemistry. This will provide healthy ecosystems for climate mitigation, carbon and nutrient management and sustainable food provision.

We want to inform engineering and management practices to enhance community resilience and embed nature-inclusivity in engineering technologies for scalable energy harvesting and renewable energy generation. This will inform the next generation of engineering designs, to be environmentally friendly and have minimal impact on marine and ocean environments. 

To find out more about the Nature-based Ocean Solutions Special Interest Group and what we do, get in touch with group champion Hachem Kassem (Hachem.Kassem@soton.ac.uk) and Vicky Dominguez Almela (V.Dominguez-Almela@soton.ac.uk).

Join the SMMI Community to sign up to this group and our other special interest groups.

People, projects and publications

People

Professor AbuBakr Bahaj

Professor of Sustainable Energy

Research interests

  • Renewable Energy (Solar photovoltaics, Marine energy, Wind energy)
  • Low carbon cities and infrastructure
  • Energy for Development
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Professor Adam Prugel-Bennett

Prof of Electronics & Computer Science
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Professor Adam Sobey

Professor of Data-Centric Engineering

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Mr Adrian Bodenmann

Senior Research Fellow

Research interests

  • High-resolution visual seafloor mapping for benthic habitat mapping and subsea infrastructure monitoring
  • Remote awareness for autonomous offshore mapping operations
  • Uncertainty characterisation in digital 3D reconstructions
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Dr Adrian Nightingale

Lecturer in Microfluidics&Sensor Design

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Alan J Murphy

Professor in Maritime Engineering

Research interests

  • Decarbonising shipping
  • Emission reduction from ships
  • Energy efficiency for maritime systems and ship propulsion

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Emeritus Professor Alan Kemp

Research interests

  • Diatom ecology and palaeoecology and the role of diatoms in biogeochmical cycling
  • High resolution records of palaeoclimatic and environmental change, especially from laminated sediments
  • Interannual to decadal scale climate variability
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Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato

Professor in Physical Oceanography

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Alessandro Silvano

NERC Independent Research Fellow

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Related research institutes, centres and groups

Related research institutes, centres and groups

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Enquiries

If you're interested in joining us or collaborating, get in touch with the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute.