Rate My Professor Mark Schuerch

Dr. Mark Schuerch is an Associate Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Lincoln, based in the School of Geography within the College of Health and Science. He holds the position of Honorary Professor in the College of Health and Science Executive Office. Schuerch's research focuses on coastal and estuarine sediment dynamics, climate change and sea-level rise, coastal ecosystems, coastal management, and adaptation strategies. As a coastal geographer, he specializes in the interactions between coastal storms and salt marshes, including the dissipation of extreme water levels and wind waves across marsh surfaces, geomorphic impacts of storms, preservation of hurricane signals in sedimentary records, sediment dynamics, marsh evolution, and responses to sea-level rise. He is actively involved in the Catchments and Coasts Research Group, where his expertise supports studies on biogeomorphology and coastal processes, and the Lincoln Climate Research Group, contributing to investigations of climate impacts on coastal environments.

Schuerch earned his PhD in Coastal Geography from Kiel University from 2008 to 2012. His key publications demonstrate substantial influence in the field. Notable works include "Future response of global coastal wetlands to sea-level rise" (Nature, 2018, over 1,100 citations), which models global wetland futures under varying sea-level scenarios; "Large-scale loss of Mediterranean coastal marshes under rising sea levels by 2100" (Communications Earth & Environment, 2025); "Managed realignment as a solution to mitigate coastal flood risks – optimizing success through knowledge co-production" (Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 2022); "Coupling between tidal mudflats and salt marshes affects marsh morphology" (Geomorphology, 2018); "Reconciling models and measurements of marsh vulnerability to sea level rise" (Limnology and Oceanography Letters, 2022); "Long-term impacts of embankments on coastal marsh vegetation and carbon sequestration" (Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 2024); and "Widespread retreat of coastal habitat is likely at warming levels above 1.5 °C" (Nature Climate Change, 2023). With over 3,700 citations on Google Scholar, his research shapes understandings of coastal resilience, informing protection strategies, restoration practices, and adaptation policies worldwide.