June 4, 2026 - Cascadia CoPes Hub Virtual Seminar Series

Cascadia CoPes Hub Research Roundup: Faults, Floods, and Failing Infrastructure

Speakers:

Madeleine Lucas (UW), Bering Tse (UW), Ryan Chiu (UW), Kailin Sepp (Cal Poly Humboldt), Erick Velasco Reyes (OSU), and Amina Meselhe (OSU)

Speakers, Abstracts, and Bios:

Madeleine Lucas, University of Washington PhD Recipient

• Title: Characterizing offshore faulting at the Cascadia subduction zone
• Abstract: Slip on offshore accretionary wedge splay faults during Cascadia megathrust earthquakes has the potential to significantly increase vertical seafloor displacement and subsequent tsunami size. However, little is known about which of these faults are currently active and most likely to slip in the next megathrust earthquake. We use new high-resolution seismic reflection and bathymetric datasets of the Cascadia accretionary wedge to characterize offshore fault locations, geometry, and activity and inform the next-generation of megathrust earthquake and tsunami modeling for the region.
• Bio:  Madeleine Lucas, Ph.D., recently defended her Ph.D. in Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. She is now working as a Washington Sea Grant Coastal Resilience Fellow with the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe in Tokeland, Washington to support the community in preparing for Cascadia earthquakes and tsunamis. Inspired by CoPes, Madeleine is pursuing a career at the intersection of science and people.

Bering Tse, University of Washington MS Candidate

• Title: Describing a sediment record of paleotsunami inundation at Lagoon Creek, CA
• Abstract: Understanding past tsunami characteristics, including recurrence and inland extent of flooding allows us to investigate previous Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) events. Our field site, Lagoon Creek, is a rare location in the southern CSZ with good stratigraphic records of tsunami events. In this project we mapped sand deposits from the 1700 tsunami and further constrained the ages of five tsunami sand layers with new radiocarbon dates.
• Bio:  Bering Tse is a second-year Master's student at the University of Washington department of Earth and Space Sciences. Bering will be completing this project in the upcoming summer quarter, and is excited to pursue future opportunities in coastal science and community resilience.

 Ryan Chiu, University of Washington, PhD Candidate 

• Title: Characterizing the transition zone during historic compound flooding events.
• Abstract: Many low-lying coastal communities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest are threatened annually by tidally- and storm-driven flooding events. Converging signals from tides, storm surge, and high river discharge generates compound flooding in upper estuaries and lower rivers, which have proven difficult to predict due to their nonlinear interactions and influence from complex hydrography. Our team’s current research uses a 2D hydrodynamic model focused on Washington state’s Grays Harbor estuary to characterize this transition zone  and better understand the governing dynamics for historic atmospheric river events.
• Bio: Ryan Chiu is a PhD student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at University of Washington. His research with the Cascadia CoPes Hub focuses on understanding the dynamics of compound flooding within two estuaries in Washington state using physics-based modeling and field observations.

  Kailin Sepp, Cal Poly Humboldt MS Degree recipient 

• Title:  Living with Water in Fields Landing & King Salmon: Community Knowledge of Flooding & Adaptation Strategies in Coastal California.
• Abstract: Fields Landing and King Salmon in Humboldt, CA are low-lying communities who experience chronic flooding. My thesis explores the community's knowledge of local flooding and reports on their opinions of different adaptation strategies.
• Bio: Kailin Sepp is a recent master's graduate of Cal Poly Humboldt from the Department of Environmental Science and Management. 

Erick Velasco-Reyes, Former Oregon State University Postdoctoral Scholar

• Title: Tsunamis Beyond the Wave
• Abstract: A great Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake will generate near-field tsunamis that not only inundate Pacific Northwest coastal communities but also scour foundations and seabed sediments around critical port and building infrastructure. Using tsunami sediment transport modeling, we map erosion and deposition around exposed infrastructure and trace how these morphodynamic impacts cascade into structural damage and response outcomes. Preliminary results show that accounting for scour shifts expected damage patterns, elevates risk for key lifeline assets, and reshapes resilience priorities for exposed communities.
• Bio:  Erick R. Velasco-Reyes, Ph.D., recently joined Exponent as a Scientist. The work presented here was carried out during his Postdoctoral position at OSU, within the CoPes Hub. He earned his Ph.D. from Tohoku University in Japan and brings operational disaster response experience from Colombia, bridging research with field-level risk practice.

 Amina Mesehle, Oregon State University PhD Candidate

• Title: Modeling Islanding After the Big One
• Abstract: Following The Big One, a large-scale rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the subsequent tsunami, coastal communities in the Pacific Northwest will be tasked with dealing with major initial damages and long-term recovery. This work focuses on evaluating these impacts and recovery trajectories for a series of communities along the Oregon coast to better understand the way in which communities may lose access to one another and inland areas. A coupled infrastructure damage and recovery model are used to quantify these changes.
• Bio: Amina Meselhe is a PhD student and Graduate Research Fellow in the School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University with a concentration in Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Before completing her MS at Oregon State, she received her BS at Louisiana State University where Meselhe was born, raised, and developed her interest in coastal hazards and community resilience.