Biography
Prof. dr. Roshanka (Rosh) Ranasinghe holds the AXA Chair in Climate Change Impacts and Coastal Risk at the Department of Coastal & Urban Risk & Resilience, IHE Delft and at the Department of Water Engineering and Management, University of Twente. He is also a Senior Specialist at Harbour, Coastal and Offshore department (Hydrualic Engineering Unit) at Deltares and holds an Honorary Professor position at the University of Melbourne (Australia).
Rosh obtained his Bachelor of Science Engineering (1st Class Honours) from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka in 1993 and his PhD in Coastal Engineering and Oceanography from the Centre for Water Research, University of Western Australia in 1998. Since then he has worked in the Academic and government sectors in Australia, USA and The Netherlands.
To date, Rosh has published over 200 peer reviewed articles and delivered numerous presentations around the world. He is regularly invited to provide expert advice on adaptation to climate change and coastal zone management by national and local governments and international agencies.
Rosh has supervised/co-supervised 10 Post-doctoral fellows, 20+ PhD candidates and numerous MSc students to date and has lead several capacity development projects in Sri Lanka, India, VietNam, Thailand, Sao Tome and Principe.
He actively contributes to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) process. Rosh is Coordinating Lead Author in Chapter 12, a lead author of the Summary for Policy Makers, and contributing author in Chapters 9, 11 and Atlas of the Working Group I contribution to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). He is also a Contributing Author in the IPCC Special report on Oceans and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC).
Publications
(Selected)
Tebaldi, C., Ranasinghe, R., Vousdoukas, M., Rasmussen, D. J., Vega-Westhoff, B., Kirezci, E., Kopp, R., Sriver, R, Mentaschi, L. Extreme Sea Levels at different global warming levels. Nature Climate Change, Vol 11, 746 -751.
Duong, T., Ranasinghe, R, Callaghan, D. 2021. Probabilistic projections of the stability of small tidal inlets at century time scale using a reduced complexity approach. Scientific Reports, Vol 11, 22921.
Almar, R., Ranasinghe, R., Bergsma, E., Diaz, H., Melet, A., Papa, F., Vousdoukas, M., Athanasiou, P., Dada, O., Almeida, L., Kestenare, E. 2021. A global analysis of extreme coastal water levels with implications for potential coastal overtopping. Nature Communications, Vol 12, 3775.
Bamunawala, J., Ranasinghe, R., Dastgheib, A., Nicholls, R. J., Murray, A.B., Barnard, P, Sirisena, J., Duong, T., Hulscher, S. J. M. H., van der Spek, A. 2021. Twenty-first-century projections of shoreline change along inlet-interrupted coastlines. Scientific Reports, Vol 11, 14038.
Vousdoukas, M., Ranasinghe, R., Mentaschi, L., Plomaritis, T., Athanasiou, P., Luijendijk, A., Feyen, L. 2020. Sandy coastlines under threat of erosion. Nature Climate Change, Vol 10(3), 260 -263.
Ranasinghe, R. 2020. On the need for a new generation of coastal change models for the 21st century. Scientific Reports, Vol 10, 2010.
Meucci, A., Young, I. R., Hemer, M., Kirezci, E., Ranasinghe, R. 2020. Projected 21st Century changes in extreme wind-wave events. Science Advances, Vol. 6, eaaz7295.
Udo, K., Ranasinghe, R., Takeda, Y. 2020. An assessment of measured and computed depth of closure around Japan. Scientific Reports, Vol 10, 2987.
Athanasiou, P., van Dongeren, A., Giardino, A, Vousdoukas, M., Ranasinghe, R., Kwadijk, J. 2020. Uncertainties in projections of sandy beach erosion due to sea level rise: an analysis at the European scale. Scientific Reports, Vol. 10, 11895.
Kirezci, E., Young, I.R., Ranasinghe, R., Muis, S., Nicholls, R.J., Lincke, D., Hinkel, J. 2020. Projections of global-scale extreme sea levels and resulting episodic coastal flooding over the 21st Century. Scientific Reports, Vol. 10, 11629.
Ranasinghe, R., Wu, C. S., Conallin, J., Duong, T.M., Anthony, E.J. 2019. Disentangling the relative impacts of climate change and human activities on fluvial sediment supply to the coast by the world’s large rivers: Pearl River Basin, China. Scientific Reports, Vol 9, 9236.
Le Cozannet, G., Bulteau, T., Castelle, B., Ranasinghe, R., Woppelmann, G., Rohmer, J., Bernon, N., Idier, D., Louisor, J., Salas-y-Melia, D. 2019. Quantifying uncertainties of sandy shoreline change projections as sea level rises. Scientific Reports, Vol 9, 42.
Luijendijk, A., Hagenaars, G., Ranasinghe, R., Baart, F., Donchyts, G., Aarninkhof, S., The State of the World’s Beaches. Scientific reports, Vol 8, 6641.
Ranasinghe, R. 2016. Assessing Climate change impacts on Coasts: A Review. Earth Science Reviews, Vol. 160, 320-332.
Ranasinghe, R., Duong, T., Uhlenbrook, S., Roelvink, D., Stive, M. 2013. Climate Change impact assessment for inlet-interrupted coastlines. Nature Climate Change, Vol. 3, 83-87.
Ranasinghe, R., Callaghan, D., Stive, M. 2012. Estimating coastal recession due to sea level rise: Beyond the Bruun Rule. Climatic Change, Vol. 110, 561-574.
Ranasinghe, R., Stive, M. 2009. Rising Seas and Retreating Coastlines. Climatic Change (Editorial Commentary), Vol 97, 465-468.
Ranasinghe, R., Symonds, G., Black, K., Holman, R. 2004. Morphodynamics of Intermediate Beaches: A Video Imaging and Numerical Modelling Study. Coastal Engineering, Vol. 51, 629-655.
Ranasinghe, R., McLoughlin, R., Short, A., Symonds,G. 2004. The Southern Oscillation Index, Wave Climate, and Beach Rotation. Marine Geology, Vol. 204, 273-287.
Ranasinghe, R., Pattiaratchi, C., Masselink, G. 1999. A Morphodynamic Model to Simulate the Seasonal Closure of Tidal Inlets. Coastal Engineering, Vol. 37(1), 1 - 36.
ISI Web of Science/Publons
Google Scholar
Scopus
ResearchGate
Other information
Research Interests
- Quantification of climate change impacts on coasts
- Development of quantitative coastal risk assessment techniques
- Development of reduced complexity and probabilistic models to simulate long term ( ~ 100 years) coastal change
- Strategic application of process based models to assess climate change impacts on coasts
- Understanding medium term coastal morphodynamic phenomena such as tidal inlet closure/migration, rip-bar morphodynamics, sand bar dynamics via numerical modelling, field data and video imaging
- Development of rapid assessment techniques to predict medium-long term coastline response to engineering interventions
Awards, Fellowships & Scholarships
- Best country coordinator award IHE Delft 2017
- Australan Research Council Future Fellow award 2012
- Delft University of Technology (Civil Engineering) award for outstanding research output 2011
- IHE Delft Rector's award for outstanding research output 2009
- NSW Premier’s Senior Research Scientist Award 2006
- STINT Fellowship (Govt. of Sweden) for innovative collaborative research 2004
- NSW Premier’s Research Scientist Award 2003
- Overseas Post-graduate Research Scholarship, University of Western Australia 1994
- University Research Scholarship, University of Western Australia 1994
- Award best performance in Geotechnics, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 1993
- Award most outstanding Civil Engineering student, University of Peradeniya 1992
Online products
Coastal Futures: A one stop viewer for 21st century projections of climatic impact-drivers (CIDs) leading to coastal impacts and risk
Rosh Ranasinghe in the media
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/cop26-ihe-delft-experts-take-part-water-related-events
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/cop26-time-act-now
https://issuu.com/insurancenewsmagazine/docs/magazine_273c100b62b846?mode=window
https://www.dutchwatersector.com/news/launch-online-global-viewer-on-changing-coastlines
https://smartwatermagazine.com/news/ihe-delft/new-interactive-tool-shows-how-climate-change-could-affect-coastal-areas
https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2021/10/24/interactive-map-shows-what-will-happen-to-coastlines-over-time-as-climate-change-continues-to-impact-sea-levels/
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/coastal-futures-ihe-delft-launches-interactive-tool-showing-how-climate-change-could-affect
https://www.dailymirror.lk/news-features/Only-29-years-left-for-Sri-Lanka-to-implement-climate-change-adaptation-measures-Expert/131-221323
https://www.un-ihe.org/stories/small-window-opportunity-keep-our-planet-liveable
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/extreme-sea-levels-become-much-more-common-worldwide-earth-warms
https://www.deltares.nl/en/blog/a-small-window-of-opportunity-to-keep-our-planet-liveable/
https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/extreme-sea-levels-to-become-much-more-common-worldwide-as-earth-warms/
https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/climate-proof-sandy-coasts/
https://www.un-ihe.org/wef-2020-global-risk-report-climate-matters-0
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/scientists-reach-unequivocal-consensus-on-human-caused-warming
https://theconversation.com/climate-change-has-already-hit-australia-unless-we-act-now-a-hotter-drier-and-more-dangerous-future-awaits-ipcc-warns-165396
https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/seven-take-aways-from-the-ipcc-wg-i-report-on-global-climate-change/
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/still-in-the-control-cabin-time-running-out-to-limit-warming-ipcc-says-20210809-p58h9j.html
https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/australian-weather-extremes-to-get-more-extreme-as-climate-heats-ipcc-20210809-p58h6h.html
https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/better-projections-of-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-coasts-in-the-coming-century/
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/study-shoreline-change-along-inlet-interrupted-coastlines-published-nature-scientific-reports
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/acceleration-coastal-overtopping-around-world
https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/an-acceleration-of-coastal-overtopping-around-the-world/
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/launch-second-world-ocean-assessment
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/developing-risk-transfer-mechanism-vulnerable-coastal-ecosystems-and-communities
https://www.dailymirror.lk/news-features/Managing-coastal-and-marine-resources-for-sustainable-development/131-203781
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/two-ihe-delft-staff-members-invited-take-eminent-positions
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/am/12000-km-australian-beaches-under-threat-climate-change/12019864
https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/03/02/klimaatverandering-bedreigt-zandstranden-a3992342
https://www.dailymirror.lk/news-features/Half-of-the-world-beaches-including-Sri-Lankas-to-disappear-by-21st-century/131-184839
https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/half-worlds-beaches-disappear-2100/
https://www.deltares.nl/en/news/coastal-flood-risks-set-increase-climate-warms-new-study-combines-recent-advances-global-modelling/
https://www.axa.com/en/spotlight/story/how-to-protect-coastal-areas-from-the-impacts-of-climate-change
http://www.un-ihe.org/news/prof-ranasinghe-appointed-director-new-think-tank-sri-lanka
http://www.un-ihe.org/news/article-natures-scientific-reports-state-worlds-beaches
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/unesco-ihe-professor-publishes-%E2%80%98one-stop%E2%80%99-review-article-likely-climate-change-driven-coastal-3
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/sydney-storms-and-coastal-risk
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/counting-the-costs-of-major-storm-events-before-they-hit-our-beaches-20160617-gplh4j.html
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/hague-roundtable-climate-and-security
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/axa-research-fund-climate-risks-workshop-fostering-role-science-climate-change-debate
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/study-finds-great-barrier-reef-effective-wave-absorber
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/mission-india-collaboration-coastal-engineering-and-sanitation-initiatives
https://www.un-ihe.org/news/axa-funds-chair-climate-change-impacts-and-coastal-risks
http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120905-coastline-erosion-due-to-rise-in-sea-level-greater-than-previously-thought
http://tudelft.nl/en/current/latest-news/article/detail/nieuw-delfts-model-kusterosie-door-zeespiegelstijging-groter-dan-gedacht/
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/climate/climate-change-to-mean-fewer-cyclones-and-smaller-waves-says-csiro-research/story-e6frg6xf-1226033322365
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/risks-for-coastal-communities-are-inevitable-says-csiro-report/2007/08/05/1186252546983.html
