Summary
Dr. Andres Payo is a distinguished Coastal Geomorphologist affiliated with the British Geological Survey. Internationally recognized for his expertise in coastal geoscience, Andres specializes in quantitative geomorphology as applied to long-term coastal protection strategies against flooding and erosion, focusing on decadal and longer time scales. Employing a systems-of-systems approach, he is dedicated to leveraging long-term analytical capacity to mitigate the risk of maladaptation in the design and management of enduring coastal infrastructure systems.
Collaborating with both academic and non-academic partners, Andres has pioneered the development of several quantitative tools crucial for supporting spatial planning initiatives among coastal stakeholders. For instance, his groundbreaking systems approach to addressing soil salinization in low-lying agricultural areas has been embraced by the government of Bangladesh as a cornerstone in exploring diverse interventions aimed at poverty alleviation.
Additionally, Andres has significantly contributed to advancing the sediment transport module within the Cross Shore model, a pivotal tool utilized by the US Army Corps of Engineers for assessing beach and dune dynamics during storm events and subsequent recovery phases.
Furthermore, as the lead developer of the Coastal Modelling Environment (CoastalME) software, Andres has engineered a sophisticated platform integrating sub-bottom properties and highly detailed digital terrain models. This innovative tool empowers comprehensive assessments of coastal flooding and erosion risks across timescales spanning from decades to centuries.
With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Andres actively seeks and welcomes collaborations with esteemed academic institutions, leading consultants, and government agencies both in the UK and abroad.
Andres Payo Garcia’s Biography
- 2024 – ongoing : Principal Scientist, Coasts & Estuaries
- 2016 – 2024: Coastal Geomorphologist & system modeller
- 2015 –2016 : PDRA Southampton University, UK
- 2012 –2015 : PDRA Oxford University, UK
- 2008 –2012 : Senior Coastal Engineer and Principal investigator, Met-ocean consultant
- 2007 –2008 : PDRA Kumamoto University, Japan
- 2005 –2007 : Fulbright Research Fellow, Centre for Applied Coastal Research, Delaware USA
- 2001 –2005 : PhD (Hons) Granada University, Modelling Decadal Coastal Morphodynamics
- 1999 –2001 : MSc (Hons) Granada University, Reliability and Risk on Civil Engineering
- 1995 –1999 : BSc, Marine Sciences, Cadiz University, Spain
Research interests
BGS coasts and estuaries geohazards team provides independent and expert geoscientific tools and advice for collaborative decision making to assess different adaptation options for coastal flooding and erosion.
- Decadal coastal morphodynamics in the Anthropocene
- Coastal flooding and coastal erosion
- Nearshore processes
Current projects and collaborations
- 2024-2028: Understanding coastal protection by gravel barriers in a changing climate
- 2016 –2019 : Physical and biological dynamic coastal processes and their role in coastal recovery
- 2014 –2019 : Deltas, Vulnerability & Climate Change: Migration & Adaptation
- 2012 –2016 : Assessing Health, Livelihoods, Ecosystem Services & Poverty Alleviation In Populous Deltas
- 2012 –2016 : integrating COASTal Sediment Systems
- 2008 –2012 : Automated system for desalination plant dilution control
- 2001 –2004 : Human interaction with large scale coastal morphological evolution
Collaboration:
Visiting Research Associates
Mike Walkden (Moffat & Nichols, UKGravelBarriers)
Paul Sayers (Sayers & Partners LLP, Risk assessment)
David Favis Mortlock (CoastalME development)
ORCID: 0000-0001-5596-3953
Publications
Books
- Villasante, S R, K, Bailey, J, Blenckner, T, Farrell, E, Mongruel, R, Timmermann, K, Bouma, T, Melaku Canu, D and M L, Chen, L, Payo, A, Pinto, I S. 2023. Building Coastal Resilience in Europe.
- B. M. P. Alexander, A and P R P, Kellett, A, Van Elslander, J, Bayo Ruiz, F, Heymans, J J, Ostend, Belgium, European Marine Board. Position Paper N°. 27: 126pp. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8224055
Key papers
- Payo, A. Innovative Representation of the Coastal Topo-Bathymetry and Subsurface for Flooding and Erosion Risk Reduction. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023. 11, 1933. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11101933
- Payo, A, Walkden, M, Ellis, M, Barkwith, A, Favis-Mortlock, D, Kessler, H, and Lee, J. 2018. A quantitative assessment of the annual contribution of platform downwearing to beach sediment budget: Happisburgh, England, UK. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 6(4), 113. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse6040113
- Payo, A, Favis-Mortlock, D, Dickson, M, Hall, J W, Hurst, M D, Walkden, M J A, Townend, I, et al. 2017. “Coastal Modelling Environment Version 1.0: A framework for Integrating Landform-Specific Component Models in Order to Simulate Decadal to Centennial Morphological Changes on Complex Coasts.” Geosci. Model Dev. 10, no. 7: 2715-40. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-2715-2017
Chapters
- Kobayashi, N, Payo, A, and Johnson, B D. 2009. Suspended Sand and Bedload Transport on Beaches. Handbook of Coastal and Ocean Engineering, World Scientific, Singapore, Chapter 28, 807-823. DOI:10.1142/9789812819307_0028
- Nicholls, R J, Hutton, C W, Lázár, A N, Adger, W N, Allan, A, Whitehead, P G, Wolf, J, Rahman, Md. M, Salehin, M, Hanson, S E and Payo, A. 2018. An integrated approach providing scientific and policy-relevant insights for south-west Bangladesh. In: Nicholls, R J, Hutton, C W, Adger, W N, Hanson, S E, Rahman, Md. M, and Salehin, M (Eds.) Ecosystem services for well-being in deltas. Integrated assessment for policy analysis. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-71093-8
- Mukhopadhyay, A, Payo, A et al. 2018. Dynamics of the Sundarbans Mangroves in Bangladesh Under Climate Change. In: Nicholls, R J, Hutton, C W, Adger, W N, Hanson, S E, Rahman, Md. M and Salehin, M (Eds.) Ecosystem services for well-being in deltas. Integrated assessment for policy analysis. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-71093-8
- Lázár, A N, Payo, A, et al. 2018. Integrative Analysis Applying the Delta Dynamic Integrated Emulator Model in South-West Coastal Bangladesh. In: Nicholls, R J Hutton, C W, Adger, W N, Hanson, S E, Rahman, Md. M and Salehin, M (Eds.) Ecosystem services for well-being in deltas. Integrated assessment for policy analysis. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-71093-8
- Payo, A, Kessler H, Wood, B, Ellis, M A, Turner, A K. 2020. Case study #4: role of 3-d geological models in evaluation of coastal change, Trimingham, Norfolk, UK. In: Turner, A K, Kessler, M and Meulen, V D (Eds.) Applied Multidimensional Geological Modelling: Enabling the Sustainable Use of the Shallow Subsurface. Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-119-16312-1
Published outputs
Skills
- Coastal morphodynamics analysis
- Modelling decadal coastal morphodynamics
- Nearshore field work (design, implementation, QAQC, analysis, reporting)
- Nearshore sediment transport fluxes analysis
- Operational oceanography (real time data acquisition, early warning system, sea level continuous monitoring)
- Modelling coastal morphology change during storm events
- Review Editor for Coastal Ocean Processes, Frontiers in Marine Science
- Associate Editor for Coastal and Offshore Science and Engineering, an international open-access journal
- Member of the British Society for Geomorphology
- Recipient of
- 100th Anniversary Program fellowship, Kumamoto Univ., Japan [2007-2008]
- Fulbright fellowship from Ministry of Science and Education, Spain [2005-2007]
- National Research Council fellowship, Climate Change Program, Spain [2001-2004]
- Cadiz Univ. senior researchers of recognized prestige award, Spain [2019]