MsMyriam Prasow-Emond

I recently completed my PhD in Earth Science funded by Imperial's President PhD Scholarship. I was aligned with the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet Doctoral Training Program at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change. I received a BSc degree in Physics and a MSc degree in Astrophysics at the Université de Montréal. I contributed to many publications in astronomy, which can be found here. I am passionate about research, teaching, coding, and outreach, topped by a deep desire for social justice (namely climate change, neurodiversity, feminism, ecology, and mental health).

Thesis title:

Multi-scale Spatiotemporal Patterns of Low-lying Island Morphodynamics from Satellite Imagery

Thesis abstract:
Low-lying coral reef islands are dynamic landforms that respond to met-ocean variability across multiple temporal scales, yet their behaviour is often interpreted using spatially or temporally limited observations. This thesis addresses the lack of multi-scale and large-scale understanding of reef island morphodynamics by developing scalable methods based on open-source multispectral satellite imagery (Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8/9) to monitor coastline change at monthly resolution and disentangle modes of variability. The framework is applied to 784 reef islands across the Maldives and Chagos archipelagos, enabling a large-scale assessment of seasonal and inter-annual morphodynamic variability together with net decadal outcomes of island behaviour within a unified approach. Results show that seasonal morphodynamics are widespread and exhibit structured spatiotemporal patterns of variability linked to dominant wave regimes, while inter-annual climate variability associated with the Indian Ocean Dipole modulates their spatial expression. No relationship is observed between short-term variability and net decadal outcomes in the vegetated core, indicating that morphodynamic processes are not linearly coupled across timescales. Reef island behaviour is further characterised by strong spatial heterogeneity, with geomorphic characteristics and island position within reef systems controlling how forcing is expressed. Identical environmental forcing can therefore produce contrasting morphodynamic outcomes across islands. Reef island morphodynamics emerge from non-linear, state-dependent interactions between forcing, geomorphic controls, and variability across both space and time. Understanding and predicting future island change therefore requires explicitly resolving variability across multiple temporal and spatial scales and must consider the role of wave climate and environmental variability alongside sea level rise.

Supervisors
Dr. Yves Plancherel
Prof. Matthew D. Piggott
Dr. Philippa J. Mason
Education
PhD - Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London (2022-2026) 
MSc - Physics, Université de Montréal (2020-2022)
BSc - Physics, Université de Montréal (2017-2020)