BIOGRAPHY:
Sara holds a degree in Oceanography from the University of Vigo (Spain, 2010) and a Master鈥檚 in Integrated Coastal Zone Management from the University of Cantabria (Spain, 2012). She completed her PhD in 2021 at the University of Kiel (Germany), where she investigated trends and variability in extreme water levels. Her work examined the temporal and spatial variability of storm-tide hydrographs, long-term tidal trends, and the dependence between extreme skew surges and tides. Following her PhD, she continued at the University of Kiel as a postdoctoral researcher, assessing coastal flooding in South Africa as part of the BMBF-funded CASISAC project (鈥淐hanges in the Agulhas System and its Impacts on Southern African Coasts鈥�).
RESEARCH:
Sara joined the CoRE Lab in Summer 2022 as a Postdoctoral Researcher. Her research focuses on advancing the modeling of coastal compound flooding caused by different combinations of drivers such as storm surge, tides, river discharge, and rainfall. Because these drivers vary widely in space and time, and often interact rather than act independently, her work emphasizes approaches that better capture their large variability and joint behavior. She uses statistical and numerical models and is particularly interested in developing new hybrid approaches that integrate machine learning. Her research aims to produce actionable tools and insights that help planners and decision-makers implement flexible, robust, and equitable climate adaptation strategies in coastal communities.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email: Sara.SantamariaAguilar@ucf.edu