About Dr Ana Vila-Concejo
I decided to be a Marine Scientist when I was 11 years old. When I found out that beaches were "alive" and moved and responded to incident energy, I knew that I had found what I really wanted to do.
I am a Marine Scientist specialised in field-based coastal studies and have done research on beaches, tidal inlets and estuaries.
Ana is interested in the processes and morphology of coastal systems. Her career started in Spain, where she did her undergraduate and MSc studying urban beaches; and Portugal, where she completed her PhD investigating the short and medium term evolution of tidal inlets in a barrier island system. At present, Ana is looking into the morphodynamics of flood-tide deltas in wave-dominated coasts within the framework of an ARC funded linkage project. Other areas of interest are coastal erosion and hazards including consequences of climate change. Ana is a keen fieldworker and has experience in acquiring and processing hydrodynamic, topographic and bathymetric data. Ana has also worked with fluorescent tracers for studying sediment transport processes. She is also using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a tool to analyse recent and present data.
Selected publications
- Matias, A., Ferreira, Ó, Vila-Concejo, A., Garcia, T., Dias, J.M.A., 2008 . Classification of washover dynamics in barrier islands. Geomorphology, 97 (3-4), 655-674.
- Pacheco, A., Vila-Concejo, A., Ferreira, Ó., Dias, J.M.A., 2008. Assessment of tidal inlet evolution and stability using sediment budget computations and hydraulic parameter analysis. Marine Geology, 247(1-2), 104-127.
- Vila-Concejo, A., Short, A.D., Hughes, M.G., Ranasinghe, R., 2007. Flood-tide delta morphodynamics and management implications, Port Stephens, Australia. Journal of Coastal Research, SI(50), 705-709 [PDF]
- Vila-Concejo, A., Matias, A., Pacheco, A., Ferreira, Ó., Dias, J.M.A., 2006. Inlet hazard determination in the Ria Formosa barrier island system (Portugal). Continental Shelf Research, 26/9, 1045-1060.
- Costas, S., Alejo, I., Vila-Concejo, A., Nombela, M.A., 2005. Persistence of storm induced morphology on a modal low-energy beach. A case study from NW Iberian Peninsula. Marine Geology, 224, 43-56.
- Matias, A., Ferreira, Ó., Mendes, I., Dias, J.M.A., Vila-Concejo, A., 2005. Artificial construction of dunes in the South of Portugal. Journal of Coastal Research, 21(3), 472-481.
- Vila-Concejo, A., Ferreira, Ó., Matias, A., Morris, B.D., Dias, J.M.A., 2004. Lessons from inlet relocation: Examples from Southern Portugal. Coastal Engineering, 51, 967-990.
- Vila-Concejo, A., Ferreira, Ó., Ciavola, P., Matias, A., Dias, J.M.A., 2004. Tracer studies on the updrift margin of a complex inlet system. Marine Geology, 208/1, 43-72.
- Matias, A., Ferreira, Ó., Dias, J.M.A., Vila-Concejo, A., 2004. Performance of dune recovery techniques: an example on the South Coast of Portugal. Coastal Engineering, 51: 261-276.
- Vila-Concejo, A., Ferreira, Ó., Matias, A., Dias, J.M.A., 2003. The two first years of an inlet: Sedimentary Dynamics. Continental Shelf Research, 23: 1425-1445.