Ian Walker

Biography

Ian Walker is a Professor of Geography with expertise in sediment transport and erosion, aeolian and coastal geomorphology, environmental fluid dynamics, sand dunes, beach-dune interaction, and climatic variability and change impacts in the coastal zone. He holds a BSc from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. from the University of Guelph, Canada. Professor Walker’s research explores sedimentary processes in coastal and inland landscapes using a variety of field- and lab-based methods to study sediment transport and flow dynamics over complex terrain, coastal erosion and beach recovery, restoration of coastal dunes, sea-level rise mitigation strategies, sedimentological signatures of human activities, reconstruction of sea-level changes and coastal landscape evolution, and planetary geology. Methods used include spatial-temporal change detection using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and unpiloted aerial systems (UAS), field experiments of sediment transport, high-resolution microscopy, and sedimentological investigation of relict landforms and archaeological sites.

Research

Professor Walker’s research explores sedimentary processes in coastal and inland landscapes using a variety of field- and lab-based methods to study sediment transport and flow dynamics over complex terrain, coastal erosion and beach-dune recovery, restoration of coastal dunes, sea-level rise mitigation strategies, sedimentological signatures of human activities, reconstruction of sea-level changes and coastal landscape evolution, and planetary geology. Methods used include spatial-temporal change detection using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and unpiloted aerial systems (UAS), field experiments of sand transport and flow dynamics over beach and/or dune systems, high-resolution microscopy, and sedimentological investigation of relict landforms and archaeological sites.

Selected Publications

Hilgendorf, Z, Marvin, MC, Turner, CM, Walker, IJ. in press. Assessing geomorphic change in restored coastal dune ecosystems using a multi-platform aerial approach. Remote Sensing. (ID: 1060545).

Walker, IJ. 2020. Aeolian (windblown) sand transport over beaches. Chapter 10. In Jackson, DWJ, and Short, A (eds). Sandy Beach Morphodynamics. 55 p. Elsevier. ISBN: 9780081029275 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102927-5.00010-2).

Grilliot, MJ, Walker, IJ, Bauer, BO. 2019. The role of large woody debris in beach-dune interaction. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. (https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005120).

Smyth, TA, Hesp, PA, Walker, IJ, Wasklewicz, T, Gares, P, Smith, AB. 2019. Topographic change and numerically modelled near surface wind flow in a bowl blowout. Earth Surface Processes & Landforms. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.4625).

Lausanne, A, Fedje, D, Mackie, Q, Walker, IJ. 2019. Identifying potential geoarchaeological sites with high prospecting potential using aerial LIDAR imaging and GIS on Quadra Island, Canada. Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology. (https://doi.org/10.1080/15564894.2019.1659884).

Rader, AM, Pickart, A, Walker, IJ, Hesp, PA, Bauer, BO. 2018. Foredune morphodynamics and sediment budgets at seasonal to decadal scales: Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, California, USA. Geomorphology 318: 69-87 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2018.06.003).

Walker, IJ, Davidson-Arnott, RGD, Bauer, BO, Hesp, PA, Ollerhead, J, Delgado-Fernandez, I, Smyth, TAG. 2017. Scale-dependent perspectives on the geomorphology of beach-dune systems. Earth Science Reviews, 171: 220-253. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.04.011).

Eamer, JBR, Shugar, DH, Walker, IJ, Lian, O, Neudorf, CM. 2017. Distinguishing depositional setting for sandy deposits in coastal landscapes using grain shape. Journal of Sedimentary Research 87: 1-11. (http://dx.doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2016.92)

Darke, IB, Walker, IJ, Hesp, PA. 2016. Beach-dune sediment budgets and dune morphodynamics following coastal dune restoration, Wickaninnish Dunes, Canada. Earth Surface Processes & Landforms, 41(10): 1370-1385 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.3910)

Barnard P, Short A, Harley M, Splinter K, Vitousek S, Turner I, Allan J, Banno M, Bryan K, Doria A, Hansen J, Kato S, Kuriyama Y, Randall-Goodwin E, Ruggiero P, Walker IJ, Heathfield D. Coastal vulnerability across the Pacific dominated by El Niño/Southern Oscillation. 2015. Nature Geoscience 8: 801–807. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/NGEO2539).