I am Mithun Deb, an Earth Scientist, working at the Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory under the Coastal Sciences Division of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. In my current projects, I am actively working on the numerical modeling of estuarine processes (e.g., tidal hydrodynamics, turbulence, and wake effects) to aid the marine renewable energy resource assessment and evaluate the impact of climate change on hurricane-induced flooding in the U.S. and around the world.

My work and research

I am passionate about estuarine hydro-environmental problems and natural hazards and am motivated to contribute to the field of coastal engineering. My areas of expertise are mainly numerical modeling of hydrodynamics and waves and field works that can help to mitigate coastal vulnerability and environmental and economic loss.

I joined the PNNL Ocean Dynamics & Modeling team as a Postdoctoral RA in August 2020 to conduct a modeling assessment of marine renewable energy in U.S. water. In my ongoing projects, we are simulating the changes in estuarine tidal processes induced by tidal energy extraction in large open water bodies like the Salish Sea, WA, and the Western Passage, ME. This tidal energy resource modeling project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Water Power Technologies Office. At the same time, I am also actively working on a multi-institutional project called Integrated Coastal Modeling (ICoM), led by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and funded by the DOE Office of Science. In this ICoM project, our coastal modeling team’s responsibility is to integrate multiple higher-resolution oceanic and atmospheric models to better project the impact of extreme flooding events in the future climate.

My background and history

I am originally from Bangladesh, a beautiful; however, extremely susceptible country to coastal disasters. It is one of the major factors that always drive my fascination toward coastal hazard-related studies. I dream about contributing my expertise and knowledge to the people living in disaster-prone areas.

I have worked at the Center for Applied Coastal Research, the University of Delaware as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. James Kirby and received a Doctoral degree in Civil Engineering (Coastal). My graduate research project involved field data processing, and hydrodynamic and wave modeling on the salt marshes in Delaware Bay. The study employed field measurements, data analysis, and numerical modeling to estimate the long-term potential for wind wave-driven shoreline erosion and resulting enlargement of the tidal flats. We also investigated the impact of historical modifications to the greater wetland system and a range of possible remedial steps to restore a healthier marsh environment. Simultaneously, I led a separate project that included a multi-scale and multi-model approach to identify the wave hazard zones in Bethany Beach, Delaware. At the beginning of my researcher life, I have worked with Dr. Celso Ferreira at George Mason University and received an MS degree in Civil Engineering (Water Resources). Our main interests included storm surge modeling in the Bay of Bengal (Bangladesh) and the Chesapeake Bay and assessing land cover effects on coastal inundation. Lastly, I am a proud alumnus of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, from where I started my journey and dream.

Mithun Deb - UDel Graduate Student Spotlight

Recent activities

Selected recent publications:

1. Deb, M., Benedict, J. J., Sun, N., Yang, Z., Hetland, R. D., Judi, D. and Wang, T., “Estuarine hurricane wind can intensify surge-dominated extreme water level in shallow and converging coastal systems”, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 24(7), 2461-2479 (2024).
2. Deb, M., Yang, Z., Haas, K. and Wang, T., “Hydrokinetic tidal energy resource assessment following international electrotechnical commission guidelines”, Renewable Energy 229, 120767 (2024).
3. Sun, N., Wigmosta, M. S., Yan, H., Eldardiry, H., Yang, Z., Deb, M. and Judi, D., “Amplified extreme floods and shifting flood mechanisms in the Delaware River Basin in future climates”, Earth’s Future 12(3), e2023EF003868 (2024).
4. Deb, M., Yang, Z., Wang, T. and Kilcher, L., “Turbulence modeling to aid tidal energy resource characterization in the Western Passage, Maine, USA”, Renewable Energy 219, 118694 (2023).
5. Chen, Y., Shi, F., Kirby, J. T., Liang, B., Wu, G. and Deb, M., “Reducing impacts of artificial ponding in modeling salt marshes using a conductivity-formulated subgrid model”, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 291, 108441 (2023).