I am an environmental engineer and earth scientist specializing in morphodynamic modeling andremote sensing, with a focus on how human activities and climate change influence hydraulicand sediment transport in coastal systems and inland water bodies such as reservoirs.

My research spans collaborations with multiple institutions and agencies and involves severaldisciplines. During my master’s degree, I worked with EAWAG (Switzerland) on modeling lakeice formation and inverse stratification dynamics in Alpine lakes. I earned my Ph.D. in Earth andEnvironment at Boston University (2019–2024), where I investigated the accretion anddegradation dynamics of sinking microtidal marshes. As part of NASA’s Delta-X mission, Ideveloped Delft3D morphodynamic models to estimate long-term inorganic and organicsediment deposition in coastal marshes and wetlands, integrating numerical simulations withairborne remote sensing datasets from UAVSAR, AirSWOT, and AVIRIS-NG. My doctoral workcombined field measurements, remote sensing, and numerical modeling to quantify wetlandaccretion and storm-driven changes.

Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at Boston College in collaboration with the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers. My work focuses on developing and managing a Delft3D-FMmorphodynamic model of Lake Seminole (Georgia) to assess reservoir sedimentation and deltaformation processes.

Selected publications:

Cortese, L., Zhang, X., Simard, M., & Fagherazzi, S. (2024). Storm impacts on mineral massaccumulation rates of coastal marshes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 129(3),e2023JF007065. https://doi.org/10.1029/ 2023JF007065.

Cortese, L., Donatelli, C., Zhang, X., Nghiem, J. A., Simard, M., Jones, C. E., Denbina, M.,Fichot, C. G., Harringmeyer, J. P. & Fagherazzi, S. (2024). Coupling numerical models of deltaicwetlands with AirSWOT, UAVSAR, and AVIRIS-NG remote sensing data. Biogeosciences, 21,241–260. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-241-2024.

Nghiem, J. A., Li, G. K., Harringmeyer, J. P., Salter, G., Fichot, C. G., Cortese, L., & Lamb, M.P. (2024). Testing floc settling velocity models in rivers and freshwater wetlands. Earth SurfaceDynamics, 12(6), 1267-1294. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1267-2024.

Jensen, D. J., Cavanaugh, K. C., Thompson, D. R., Fagherazzi, S., Cortese, L., & Simard, M.(2022). Leveraging the historical Landsat catalog for a remote sensing model of wetlandaccretion in coastal Louisiana. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 127(6),e2022JG006794. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JG006794.

Toffolon, M., Cortese, L., & Bouffard, D. (2021). SELF v1. 0: a minimal physical model forpredicting time of freeze-up in lakes. Geoscientific Model Development Discussions, 2021, 1-26.https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-14-7527-2021.