It's Me!
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where I'm using the SWASH model to understand the physics of infragravity waves from the breaker zone to wave runup. My primary research interests include observational coastal oceanography, infragravity waves, wave runup, science communication and education.
Other fascinating science: tides, beach-groundwater interaction, and sea level rise. When do I have the most fun? When I'm coding up elegant data displays and figures, and thinking up new ways to process and understand brand new observational data.

Research

runup
Agate Beach, Oregon
As beach vulnerability to erosion and associated coastal flooding increases with rising sea levels and more intense coastal storms, our understanding of storm waves and the resulting wave runup (e.g., waves generated by large North Pacific storms, hurricanes, tropical Storm Sandy) is still limited. My thesis field work obtained quantitative observations of the wave runup and changing sand levels in response to large ocean waves. Existing field observations of wave transformation from offshore to wave runup in large conditions are very sparse, reflecting the difficulty of working in this harsh environment. These observations were used to calibrate and improve a numerical model (SWASH) to evaluate its fitness for coastal planning and beach management in extreme conditions when shoreline infrastructure is most at risk.

Curriculum Vitae PDF

Peer Reviewed Publications

Fiedler, J.W., P.B. Smit, K.L. Brodie, J.E. McNinch, and R.T. Guza, The offshore boundary condition in surf zone modeling, Coast. Eng., In press. 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2018.10.014

Fiedler, J.W., P.B. Smit, K.L. Brodie, J.E. McNinch, and R.T. Guza, Numerical modeling of wave runup on steep and mildly sloping natural beaches, Coast. Eng., 131, 2018. 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2017.09.004

Fiedler, J.W., K.L. Brodie, J.E. McNinch, and R.T. Guza, Observations of runup and energy flux on a low slope beach with high-energy, long-period ocean swell, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 2015. 10.1002/2015GL066124

Fiedler, J.W., M.A. McManus, M.S. Tomlinson, E.H. De Carlo, G.R. Pawlak, G.F. Steward, O.D. Nigro, R.E. Timmerman, P.S. Drupp, and C.E. Ostrander, Real-time observations of the February 2010 Chile and March 2011 Japan tsunamis recorded in Honolulu by the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System. Oceanography, 27(2), 186-200, 2014.10.5670/oceanog.2014.34

Fiedler, J.W. and C.P. Conrad, Spatial variability of sea level rise due to water impoundment behind dams. Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L12603, 2010. 10.1029/2010GL043462

Education

Ph.D. Physical Oceanography May 2018
M.S. Physical Oceanography August 2013
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA
Advisor: Bob Guza, Committee: Falk Feddersen, Sarah Giddings, Geno Pawlak, Jerry Smith

B.S. Global Environmental Science, Mathematics Minor June 2011
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Advisors/Mentors: Margaret McManus, Clint Conrad

B.A. Fine Art June 2003
Yale University, New Haven, CT

Awards

UC Ship Funds, GOTOSEE Cruise, Summer 2016
Teaching Assistant Excellence Award, SIO, Fall 2015
National Defense Science and Engineering Fellowship, 2012-2015
Wiegel Scholarship for Coastal Studies, CSBPA, 2014
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Award Offered 2012, Honorable Mention 2011
UH Manoa SOEST Achievement Tuition Scholarship, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010
UH Manoa Summer Undergraduate Research Award, Summer 2009

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant, SIO 30: The Oceans, Fall 2015
Ran and designed two one-hour discussion sections per week for an introductory-level oceanography lecture course (20 instruction hours), with approximately 20 students per section.

Co-Instructor, SIO: Physics of the Ocean World , Summer 2015, 2016
Designed and taught a 3-week curriculum (75 instruction hours) for an introductory college-level physical oceanography course for high school students through the Academic Connections program at UCSD.

Co-Instructor, Upward Bound, with University of San Diego: July 2015, 2016
Designed 2 days of lecture and lab for high school seniors focusing on nearshore processes

Figures and Stuff