Centre for Coastal and Ocean Science and Engineering (CCOSE)

Our mission is to understand and predict the functioning of coastal and ocean systems in support of appropriate management of resources and activities
PerranporthMarine ScienceExperiments
Our mission is to understand and predict the functioning of coastal and ocean systems in support of appropriate management of resources and activities.As the largest coastal science and engineering grouping in Europe, we bring together a coherent group of internationally recognised research staff. Our staff come from across the marine physical sciences, coastal geography and coastal engineering to further Plymouth's international research reputation in these areas.
The Centre is led by Professor Paul Russell and comprises three research groups:

Coastal Processes Research Group

The Coastal Processes Research Group is an internationally recognised group of researchers, specialising in field studies of coastal processes and seeking to understand and predict the behaviour of coastal and estuarine systems. Research topics include:

  • beach morphodynamics and nearshore sediment transport
  • coastal erosion and storm impacts
  • video monitoring of coastal systems
  • coastal process modelling
  • estuarine processes and evolution.

The group operates a research-informed consultancy Coastal Marine Applied Research.

Coastal Processes Research Group Perranporth beach

COAST Engineering Research Group

We are a leading team of coastal and ocean engineering researchers in the UK. Our members carry out both fundamental and applied research, funded from both European and national sources. Our research disciplines include:

  • Marine renewable energy
  • Offshore ocean engineering
  • Coastal and estuarine processes
  • Flood risk and coastal protection
  • Hydrodynamics

COAST lab

Marine Physics Research Group

Our marine physics group study fundamental physical processes occurring within marine systems, from microscopic to oceanic scale. The group has particular specialisms in: 

  • dynamical physical oceanography 
  • flocculation dynamics of cohesive sediments 
  • particle imaging methods 
  • turbulence microstructure measurements and visualisation 
  • non-linear internal waves. 

SMILES project

CCOSE seminar series

An exciting array of international speakers is visiting the University of Plymouth as part of the Centre for Coastal and Ocean Science and Engineering (CCOSE) seminar series.

Seminars usually last one hour with time for questions.

Have a look at this year's seminar programme
The Coastal Processes Research GroupHartland Quay - North DevonResearchers Survey wave impact on shore platform

Our team