Pedro J. M. Costa

 
 

Profile

Research Group: RG2 – Ocean, coastal and land surface processes
Position at IDL: Researcher
Job: Associate Professor
Email: ppcosta@dct.uc.pt 
Academic Degree and field of specialization: 

Current positions – Associate Professor\ Professor Associado – Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal & Invited Lecturer Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil

2020-2021 - Visiting Research Fellow – UERJ (Brazil) and RWTH (Germany)

2012 PhD in Geology Departamento de Geologia, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

2006 Master in Geography and Earth Sciences, Dep. of Geography and Earth Sciences, School for the Environment, Brunel University, London, UK

2002 BSc in Geology, “Licenciatura pré-Bolonha” (5-year degree) Departamento de Ciências da Terra, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

 

Scientific Informations

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6573-0539

SCOPUS ID: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=35589428000

Web of Science: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/304368

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pedro_Costa10

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.pt/citations?hl=en&user=ACEzJQ8AAAAJ

Scientific Interests

Main Interests: 

Multidisciplinary research focused on the study of coastal and marine risks using field data (sedimentological, geomorphological, geophysical and geochemical) combined with empirical and numerical modelling to understand the impacts caused by natural disasters (tsunamis, storms, floods). Currently working of geophysical and geotechnical studies form the instalation of offshore wind farms.

Keywords:

Coastal and marine geology; Natural hazards; Tsunami and Storm deposits; Sedimentary dynamics; Adaptation to climate change; Provenance studies; Sediment transport modelling; Offshore Wind farms

Selected Publications:

Onshore Tsunami and storm deposits

  1. Costa, P.J.M., S. Dawson, R.S. Ramalho, M. Engel, F. Dourado, I. Bosnic, and C. Andrade. ‘A Review on Onshore Tsunami Deposits along the Atlantic Coasts’. Earth-Science Reviews 212 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103441.

  2. Costa, P.J.M., and C. Andrade. ‘Tsunami Deposits: Present Knowledge and Future Challenges’. Sedimentology 67, no. 3 (2020): 1189–1206. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12724

  3. Mitra, S., R. Paris, L. Bernard, R. Abbal, P. Charrier, S. Falvard, P. Costa, and C. Andrade. ‘X-Ray Tomography Applied to Tsunami Deposits: Optimized Image Processing and Quantitative Analysis of Particle Size, Particle Shape, and Sedimentary Fabric in 3D’. Marine Geology 470 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107247.

  4. Costa, P.J.M., S. Costas, R. González-Villanueva, M.A. Oliveira, D. Roelvink, C. Andrade, M.C. Dawson, A.G., S. Dawson, S. Bondevik, P.J.M. Costa, J. Hill, and I. Stewart. ‘Reconciling Storegga Tsunami Sedimentation Patterns with Modelled Wave Heights: A Discussion from the Shetland Isles Field Laboratory’. Sedimentology 67, no. 3 (2020): 1344–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12643.

  5. Dourado, F., P.J. Costa, M.A. Baptista, R. Omira, A.P. Cezario, A.V. Veloso, and F. Fatela. ‘Possible Evidence of the 1755 CE Transatlantic Tsunami in Brazil’. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 116 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2022.103823.

  6. Freitas, et al. ‘How Did the AD 1755 Tsunami Impact on Sand Barriers across the Southern Coast of Portugal?’ Geomorphology 268 (2016): 296–311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.06.019.

  7. Moreira, S., P.J.M. Costa, C. Andrade, C. Ponte Lira, M.C. Freitas, M.A. Oliveira, and G.-J. Reichart. ‘High Resolution Geochemical and Grain-Size Analysis of the AD 1755 Tsunami Deposit: Insights into the Inland Extent and Inundation Phases’. Marine Geology 390 (2017): 94–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2017.04.007.

Offshore Tsunami deposits

  1. Feist, L., P.J.M. Costa, J.I. Santisteban, S. Albers, P. Bellanova, I. Bosnic, M. De Batist, J.F. Duarte, A. Rodrigues, and K. Reicherter. ‘Shallow Seismic Stratigraphy of the Southwestern Algarve Shelf (Portugal) and Characteristics of Offshore Tsunami Deposits’. Marine Geology 480 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2024.107463.

  2. Feist, L., P.J.M. Costa, P. Bellanova, I. Bosnic, J.I. Santisteban, C. Andrade, H. Brückner, et al. ‘Holocene Offshore Tsunami Archive – Tsunami Deposits on the Algarve Shelf (Portugal)’. Sedimentary Geology 448 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2023.106369.

  3. Brill, D., A. Zander, P.J. Costa, L. Feist, H. Laermanns, K. Reicherter, and H. Brückner. ‘Luminescence Dating of Tsunami Deposits from the Algarve Shelf, Portugal’. Quaternary Geochronology 81 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2024.101513.

  4. Costa, P.J.M., L. Feist, A.G. Dawson, I. Stewart, K. Reicherter, and C. Andrade. ‘An Overview on Offshore Tsunami Deposits’. In Tsunamiites: Features and Implications, 183–92, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823939-1.00011-2.

  5. Quintela, M., P.J.M. Costa, F. Fatela, T. Drago, N. Hoska, C. Andrade, and M.C. Freitas. ‘The AD 1755 Tsunami Deposits Onshore and Offshore of Algarve (South Portugal): Sediment Transport Interpretations Based on the Study of Foraminifera Assemblages’. Quaternary International 408 (2016): 123–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.12.029.

Provenance studies

  1. Sikora, P., M. Kiac, P.J.M. Costa, A. Molinero-García, and M.E. Górska. ‘Automatic Image Analysis Applied to the Recognition of Quartz Surface Microtextures Using Neural Network’. Micron 182 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micron.2024.103638.

  2. Costa, P.J.M., Y.S. Park, Y.D. Kim, M. Quintela, W.C. Mahaney, F. Dourado, and S. Dawson. ‘Imprints in Silica Grains Induced during an Open-Channel Flow Experiment: Determination of Microtextural Signatures during Aqueous Transport’. Journal of Sedimentary Research 87, no. 7 (2017): 677–87. https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2017.39.

  3. Wang, G., J. Li, S. Ravi, R. Scott Van Pelt, P.J.M. Costa, and D. Dukes. ‘Tracer Techniques in Aeolian Research: Approaches, Applications, and Challenges’. Earth-Science Reviews 170 (2017): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.05.001.

  4. Costa, P.J.M., C. Andrade, J. Cascalho, A.G. Dawson, M.C. Freitas, R. Paris, and S. Dawson. ‘Onshore Tsunami Sediment Transport Mechanisms Inferred from Heavy Mineral Assemblages’. Holocene 25, no. 5 (2015): 795–809. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683615569322

  5. Costa, P.J.M., C. Andrade, W.C. Mahaney, F. Marques da Silva, P. Freire, M.C. Freitas, C. Janardo, M.A. Oliveira, T. Silva, and V. Lopes. ‘Aeolian Microtextures in Silica Spheres Induced in a Wind Tunnel Experiment: Comparison with Aeolian Quartz’. Geomorphology 180–181 (2013): 120–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2012.09.011.

Modeliling sediment transport

  1. Bosnic, I., P.J.M. Costa, F. Dourado, S. La Selle, and G. Gelfenbaum. ‘Onshore Flow Characteristics of the 1755 CE Lisbon Tsunami: Linking Forward and Inverse Numerical Modeling’. Marine Geology 434 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2021.106432.

  2. Dourado, F., P.J.M. Costa, S. La Selle, C. Andrade, A.N. Silva, I. Bosnic, and G. Gelfenbaum. ‘Can Modeling the Geologic Record Contribute to Constraining the Tectonic Source of the 1755 CE Great Lisbon Earthquake?’ Earth and Space Science 8, no. 4 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001109.

  3. Scardino, G., G. Scicchitano, M. Chirivì, P.J.M. Costa, A. Luparelli, and G. Mastronuzzi. ‘Convolutional Neural Network and Optical Flow for the Assessment of Wave and Tide Parameters from Video Analysis (LEUCOTEA): An Innovative Tool for Coastal Monitoring’. Remote Sensing 14, no. 13 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14132994.

Other topics

  1. Bellanova, P., L. Feist, P.J.M. Costa, S. Orywol, K. Reicherter, F. Lehmkuhl, and J. Schwarzbauer. ‘Contemporary Pollution of Surface Sediments from the Algarve Shelf, Portugal’. Marine Pollution Bulletin 176 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113410.

  2. Areia, N.P., P.J.M. Costa, and A.O. Tavares. ‘Social Engagement in Coastal Adaptation Processes: Development and Validation of the CoastADAPT Scale’. Environmental Science and Policy 133 (2022): 107–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.03.011.

  3. Johnson, M.E., A. Uchman, P.J.M. Costa, R.S. Ramalho, and S.P. Ávila. ‘Intense Hurricane Transports Sand Onshore: Example from the Pliocene Malbusca Section on Santa Maria Island (Azores, Portugal)’. Marine Geology 385 (2017): 244–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2017.02.002.

  4. St-Onge, G., E. Chapron, S. Mulsow, M. Salas, M. Viel, M. Debret, A. Foucher, et al. ‘Comparison of Earthquake-Triggered Turbidites from the Saguenay (Eastern Canada) and Reloncavi (Chilean Margin) Fjords: Implications for Paleoseismicity and Sedimentology’. Sedimentary Geology 243–244 (2012): 89–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sedgeo.2011.11.003.

  5. Leroy, S.A.G., M.J. Schwab, and P.J.M. Costa. ‘Seismic Influence on the Last 1500- Year Infill History of Lake Sapanca (North Anatolian Fault, NW Turkey)’. Tectonophysics 486, no. 1–4 (2010): 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2010.02.005

 

Projects (10 most relevant): 

• Set 2018 – August 2021 – PI- OnOff – Coupling onshore and offshore tsunami record: complementary tools for a broader perspective on tsunami events. Budget: 236 520 euros. Participating institutions: Instituto D.Luiz (FCUL), Instituto Hidrográfico, Universidade do Algarve, Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente, Aachen University (Alemanha) and United States Geological Survey. Funded by FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. Project website http://onoff.rd.ciencias.ulisboa.pt/

 

• August 2018 – July 2021 – Research team member – UNTIeD: UNlocking the megaTsunamI Deadlock: using the near-source impacts to constrain tsunami generation by volcanic flank collapses. Budget: 239 800 euros. Participating institutions: Instituto D.Luiz (FCUL), Instituto Hidrográfico, etc. (PI – Ricardo Ramalho). Funded by FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.

 

• Novembro 2017 – Co-chief Scientist – “Geological and geophysical data offshore the Algarve – Oceanographic campaign on board of Navio Research Vessel METEOR – Mission M152″. Funded Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaf (DFG; German Research Foundation (PI – Klaus Reicherter).

 

• September 2017  to present – Task leader- “Die offshore Ablagerungen des Lissabon-Tsunamis von 1755 (Algarve, Portugal): Erhaltung, sedimentgeochemische Charakterisierung und palökologische Auswirkungen eines extremen Naturereignisses” Financiado pela Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaf (DFG; German Research Foundation (PI – Klaus Reicherter).

 

• September 2016 to present – Task leader – “Desastres Naturais: Tsunamis no Rio de Janeiro: Pensando o impensável” Financiado pelo Governo do Estado do Rio de Janeiro e a Secretaria de Ciência e Tecnologia e Inovação (Secti), por meio da FAPERJ, Brazil (PI – Francisco Dourado). Budget: 273 000 reais

 

• September 2016 to present –  – “Protocolo de Colaboração com Câmara Municipal de Vila do Bispo” Colaborating in sedimentological and archeological studies and member of the local museum scientific board

 

• October 2014 to present – Collaboration with the United States Geological Survey in the sedimentological and geomorphological characterization of Hurricane Sandy Washover in Fire Island (New Jersey)

 

• October  2012 to present – Research team member – “Will climate change in the Arctic increase the landslide-tsunami risk to the UK?” Funded by Natural Environment Research Council – UK. (PI – Pete Talling, Task leader – Sue Dawson). Budget: £2.3 million

 

• September 2007 to present – Collaboration in scientific projects in the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa. Projectos including: coastal monitoring programs, tracer experiments, holocene paleoenvironmental studies (Projects funded by FCT, Câmaras Municipais, Direcções Gerais, etc.)

 

January 2015 to December 2018 – Task leader – “Eventos de oleaje extremo en el area atlantica ibero-magrebi: el registro geologico de tsunamis y ciclones durante el holoceno”. Funded by Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación of the Ministerio de Economía Y Competitividad (Spain) (PI – Javier Lario Gomez). Total amount funded: 45 000 euros

 

Books & Chapters (up to 10): 

·          2022         Costa, P.J.M., Lario, J., Reicherter, K. (2022). Tsunami Deposits in Atlantic Iberia: A Succinct Review. In: Álvarez-Martí-Aguilar, M., Machuca Prieto, F. (eds) Historical Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Archaeology in the Iberian Peninsula. Natural Science in Archaeology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1979-4_5 LINK

·          2022         Costa, P.J.M and Dawson, S. (2022). Tsunami Sedimentology. Page 135-151. In: Tilling R.I. (eds) Complexity in Tsunamis, Volcanoes, and their Hazards. Encyclopedia of Complexity and Systems Science Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1705-2_646 LINK

·          2020            Costa, P.J.M, Feist, L., Dawson, A., Stewart, I., Reicherter, K., Andrade, C. (2020). Chapter 11 - An overview on offshore tsunami deposits. Page 202-212. Book: Tsunamiites – Features and Implications, 2nd Edition. Edited by Shiki, T. Tsuji, Y., Yamazaki, T. and Nanayama, F. Published by Elsevier. Paperback ISBN: 9780128239391. eBook ISBN: 9780128239407 482 pp. LINK

·          2020         Costa, P.J.M. (2020). Chapter 19 - Microtextures in tsunami deposits: a useful sediment fingerprinting tool. Pages 403-425. Editor(s): Max Engel, Jessica Pilarczyk, Simon Matthias May, Dominik Brill, Ed Garrett. Book: Geological Records of Tsunamis and Other Extreme Waves. Published by Elsevier. ISBN 9780128156865. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815686-5.00019-5. LINK

·          2020         Dawson, S., Costa, P.J.M., Dawson, A., Engel, M. (2020). Chapter 6 - Onshore archives of tsunami deposits. Pages 95-111. Editor(s): Max Engel, Jessica Pilarczyk, Simon Matthias May, Dominik Brill, Ed Garrett. Book: Geological Records of Tsunamis and Other Extreme Waves. Published by Elsevier. ISBN 9780128156865. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815686-5.00006-7. LINK

·          2019         Freitas, M.C., Cascalho, J., Costa, P.J.M., Inácio, M., Leira, M., Lira, C.P., Silva, A.N. and Taborda, R. (2019). MEC2019 - 5ª Conferência sobre Morfodinâmica Estuarina e Costeira – Livro de Resumos. 107 páginas. ISBN: 978-989-20-9612-4 LINK

·          2017         Costa, P.J.M., and Andrade, C. (2017). 5th International Tsunami Field Symposium - Field Guide. 97 pages. ISBN: 978-989-20-7817-5_2 LINK

·          2017         Costa, P.J.M., Andrade, C. and Freitas, M.C. - Editors - (2017). 5th International Tsunami Field Symposium - Volume of Abstracts. 131 pp. LINK

·          2016         Costa, P.J.M., Oliveira, M. A., González-Villanueva, R., Andrade, C. and Freitas, M. C., (2016). Imprints of the AD 1755 Tsunami in Algarve (South Portugal) Lowlands and Post-impact Recovery. In: V. Santiago-Fandiño, H. Tanaka, M. Spiske (Eds.), Tsunamis and Earthquakes in Coastal Environments: Significance and Restoration. Springer International Publishing, 17-30. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-28528-3_2 LINK

·          2016         Andrade, C., Freitas, M. C., Oliveira, M. A. and Costa, P.J.M., (2016). On the sedimentological and historical evidences of seismic-triggered tsunamis on the Algarve coast of Portugal. Natural Hazards and Plate Tectonics. 29 pp. Edited by Duarte, J. Published by AGU/Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-119-05397-2. LINK

·          2014         Costa, P.J.M., Andrade, C. and Dawson, S., (2014). Geological recognition of onshore tsunami deposits. Series: Coastal Research Library, Vol. 8 Advances in Coastal and Marine Resources Environmental Management and Governance, 28 pp. Edited by Finkl, C. W., Makowski, Christopher Published by Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-06305-8_1 LINK

·          2013         Aarup, T., Baptista, M. A., Costa, P.J.M., Matias, L. M., Pires, P., Santini, M., Santoro, F., Soddu, P.L., (2013). Tsunami Preparedness Civil Protection - Good Practices Guide. 73 pp. Published by IOC/UNESCO. LINK

·          2004         Leroy, S. A. G. C., Costa, P.J.M. (2004). Volume of abstracts and field guide - ICSU Dark Nature - IGCP 490. Mauritania January 2004- 1st joint meeting. Mauritania. 173 pp. LINK

 

Awards: 

2018 • Projecto – OnOff – Coupling onshore and offshore tsunami record: complementary tools for a broader perspective on tsunami events – FCT – Portuguese Science Foundation.

 2015 • Arthur Holmes Travel Grant – Geological Society of London.

 2013 • Ranked 1st on the top 25 annual list of most downloaded articles (Sciencedirect) for Sedimentary Geology – January to December 2013 full year. – P. Costa et al. (2012) Microtextural characteristics of quartz grains transported and deposited by tsunamis and storms.

 2013 • Ranked 20th on top 25 annual list of most downloaded articles (Sciencedirect) for Geomorphology – January to December 2013 full year. P. Costa et al. (2013) Aeolian microtextures in silica spheres induced in a wind tunnel experiment: comparison with aeolian quartz.

 2013 • Post-Doctoral Fellowship (3+3 years). FCT.

 2010 • 2nd prize Geography short-paper – Tsunamis: interpreting the past to inform the future. Looking at tsunami deposits to unravel catastrophic events. Atomium Culture – The permanent platform for European excellence. Brussels, Belgium

 2008 • PhD Scholarship (4 anos). FCT.

 2007 • Conference attendance Award. IUGG 2007 LOC Secretariat.