Ash Oh

Tidal flats are valuable carbon stores and habitats for commercially and culturally important species that have been worked by shellfish harvesters in the Northeast for generations. However, shellfish landings in many tidal flats have plummeted since the early-2010s, a change that coincides with harvester observations of changing sediment characteristics and reduced tidal flat access time. In partnership with local harvesters in Maine and Massachusetts, I combine field, lab, and remote sensing techniques to detect changes in tidal flat sediment characteristics over the past 40 years. We focus especially on organic content, grain size, and elevation with the aim of understanding how modern climate changes and sea level rise are impacting sedimentation, with implications for shellfish success, coastal resilience, and carbon sequestration.

Other Interests include science outreach and education, cloud computing for spatial analysis, coarse clastic deposits, permafrost carbon storage, and community-centered climate adaptation.

B.A.: Geoscience and Psychology, Williams College, Williamstown, MA, 2023