Speaker: Micah A. Wyssmann
When: Feb. 6th, 2026 at 11:00AM
Where: KH A445 (Lincoln) and 160 PKI (Omaha)
Title: How big will the dunes be? Seeking answers to the decades-old question in the age of data
Abstract: Dunes form and evolve dynamically at the bottom of large sand-bed rivers and play an important role in river processes. Despite decades of research, field-scale prediction of dune dimensions remains challenging, which is heavily influenced by the sparsity of data. Our research is leveraging the growing availability of multibeam bathymetric data that maps riverbed elevations and is aiming to expand by several folds the database of reliable dune dimensions. Toward this end, we are developing both advanced analysis techniques and practical software workflows to facilitate rapid quantification of dune dimensions from multibeam bathymetric surveys. This research aims to provide the data needed to answer the decades-old question: How big will the dunes be?