Nicole Khan

The overarching theme of my research is the use of sedimentary, microfossil and geochemical indicators to produce and synthesize records of present and past storms, floods and sea levels, and their extent of geological and ecological impacts. These records provide means to assess future risk, reveal the spatial and temporal variability of coastal inundation and decipher the relationship of these events to global climatic changes. My current research interests fall into, but are not limited to, the following three broad areas of investigation: (1) local to global drivers of relative sea-level change to improve future projections; (2) the impact of extreme events (storms, floods, tsunamis) on coastal systems and evolution, and (3) quantifying processes of coastal change.

Teaching area

• Natural hazards and mitigation
• Coastal systems

Research Interest

• Coastal processes
• Sea-level change
• Environmental change
• Climate change

Publications

• Khan, N.S., Horton, B.P. Engelhart, S.E., Rovere, A., Vacchi, M., Ashe, E.L., Törnqvist, T.E., Dutton, A., Hijma, M.P., Shennan, I., 2019. Inception of a global atlas of sea levels since the Last Glacial Maximum. Quaternary Science Reviews.
• Khan, N.S., Ashe, E., Horton, B.P., Dutton, A., Kopp, R.E., Brocard, G., Engelhart, S.E., Hill, D.F., Peltier, W.R., Vane, C.H. and Scatena, F.N., 2017. Drivers of Holocene sea-level change in the Caribbean. Quaternary Science Reviews, 155, pp.13-36.
• Khan, N.S., Ashe, E., Shaw, T.A., Vacchi, M., Walker, J., Peltier, W.R., Kopp, R.E. and Horton, B.P., 2015. Holocene relative sea-level changes from near-, intermediate-, and far-field locations. Current Climate Change Reports, 1(4), pp.247-262.
• Khan, N.S., Vane, C.H. and Horton, B.P., 2015. Stable carbon isotope and C/N geochemistry of coastal wetland sediments as a sea‐level indicator. Handbook of Sea‐Level Research, pp.295-311.
• Falcini, F., Khan, N.S., Macelloni, L., Horton, B.P., Lutken, C.B., McKee, K.L., Santoleri, R., Colella, S., Li, C., Volpe, G. and D’Emidio, M., 2012. Linking the historic 2011 Mississippi River flood to coastal wetland sedimentation. Nature Geoscience, 5(11), p.803.