James J. Guilinger
Assistant Professor, Director of Watershed Geology Lab
Highest degree
Environmental Science (Soil and Water Emphasis), PhD, University of California, Riverside
Expertise
Geomorphology, watershed hydrology, geological hazards, landslides, post-fire debris flows, remote sensing, topographic surveying, river restoration
Relevant bio
My teaching and research are centered around processes that shape the surface of the earth and their relevance to issues such as natural hazards, aquatic habitat restoration, and sustainable development. Some active areas of my team's research include: furthering our process-based understanding of post-wildfire debris flows, erosion, and downstream impacts to aquatic habitat through field studies, remote sensing, and modeling; long-term habitat and geomorphic changes to the Carmel River following a low-impact dam removal; quantifying coastal dune erosion dynamics at the littoral cell scale using repeat aerial photogrammetry; and long-term monitoring of slow-moving bedrock landslides in the Central Coast region. I also have a number of applied student-led projects with local clients including gully erosion and management projects in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management and Santa Lucia Preserve and hydrologic monitoring of sensitive stream habitat in Santa Lucia Preserve in collaboration with Dr. John Olson's research lab.