 Richard L. Miller, Ph.D.Estuarine and Coastal Processes Program Head
Professor, Department of Geological Science, ECU
Office:
425 Health Center Drive
Nags Head, NC 27959
Phone: (252) 480-8582 Ext 230
Fax: (252) 480-0719
Rick Miller began as the Estuarine and Coastal Processes Program Head in August 2008. Prior to this, he was a NASA scientist for 21 years at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi where he held several positions including oceanographer, Office Chief, Chief Scientist, and Senior Scientist.
Education
1984 Ph.D., Marine Science, North Carolina State University, North Carolina, USA
1980 Master of Applied Statistics, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
1980 M.S. in Marine Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
1977 B.S. in Zoology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
Research Interests
My general research interests are centered on the role that estuaries and coastal margins play in global biogeochemical cycles. Specifically, I am interested in determining whether coastal margins, especially river-dominated coastal margins, are short or long-term repositories of carbon and terrestrially-derived materials such as nutrients, sediments, and particle-bound contaminants. Although coastal margins are some of the most productive areas of the world's oceans, it is unclear whether large estuaries and shallow coastal margins are a source or sink of CO2. This uncertainty is due, in part, to the dynamic nature of these environments. In addition, coastal aquatic systems can be significantly influenced by human activities. Since rivers are the major conduits for transporting materials from land to the ocean, human impacts are most evident in coastal margins directly influenced by rivers. Therefore, human, as well as natural, impacts on coastal waters frequently result from landscape changes (i.e., land-cover, land-use) expressed as changes in the mobilization and transport of material from the landscape to estuaries and coastal margins.
I am also interested in developing innovative remote sensing technologies that support coastal research. Remote sensing provides a unique synoptic view of the dynamic coastal (both land and ocean) environment. Moreover, remote sensing often serves as an important tool that helps integrate multidisciplinary research of dynamic coastal processes. The coastal aquatic environment is optically complex and therefore requires considerable research to develop semi-analytical to analytical bio-optical algorithms that can be applied beyond the local domain. Similarly, the development of effective remotely sensed algorithms requires dedicated research to develop innovative in-water optical instruments (i.e., for sea-truthing). I am interested in conducting research to address the technological needs for the application of remote sensing to coastal environments to support basic science, applied research, and operational measurements.
Recent Publications - Refereed
D’Sa E. J., R.L. Miller and C.E. Del Castillo. 2006. An Assessment of Short-term Physical Influences on the Bio-optical Properties and Ocean Color Algorithms in Coastal Waters Influenced by the Mississippi River. Applied Optics, 45(28), 7410-7428.
Liu, C-C, R.L. Miller, K.L. Carder, Z. Lee, E.J. D'Sa, J.E. Ivey and I-I Lin. 2006. Estimating the underwater light field from remote sensing of ocean color. Journal of Oceanography, 62, 235-248.
Yuan, J. and R.L. Miller. 2002. Seasonal Variation in Precipitation Patterns to the Global Ocean: An Analysis of the GPCP Version 2 Data Set. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 16(4), doi: 10.1029/2001GB001458, 2002.
Miller, R.L., Belz, M., C. Del Castillo and R. Trzaska. 2002. Determining CDOM Absorption Spectra in Diverse Coastal Environments Using a Multiple Pathlength, Liquid Core Waveguide System. Continental Shelf Research, 22(9), 1301-1310.
Liu, C-C., K. Carder, R.L. Miller andJ. Ivey. 2002. A Fast and Efficient Model for Simulating Underwater Scalar Irradiance. Applied Optics, 41(24), 4962-4974.
Personal Interests
Rick has a deep love for baseball. His passion is to sit at a game with family and friends and enjoy the spirit of tradition and purity of the game. Rick makes a pilgrimage each year to Omaha with Professor Bob to watch the Men’s College World Series and indulge in another passion – photography. Rick can often be seen carrying a camera and “a mighty long lens.”
|
.jpg)