Andrea Hawkes

Dr. Andrea D. Hawkes is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), affiliated with the Center for Marine Science. She supervises the Sea Level Research Laboratory, focusing on coastal evolution through geological evidence of

• megathrust earthquakes
• tsunami deposits
• hurricane/storm impacts
• long-term glacial isostatic adjustment

patterns.

Her research integrates microfossil analysis (foraminifera, ostracods), stable isotope geochemistry, and sediment dynamics to reconstruct relative sea level changes and extreme environmental events. Key methodologies include

• laser total station mapping
• YSI/HOBO sensor networks
• CHIRP coring systems
• microscope imaging
• multi-proxy calibration

in coastal wetlands and marine environments.

Recent publications highlight her expertise in Cascadia subduction zone earthquakes (2013-2018), Atlantic/Gulf Coast hurricane chronologies (2011, 2014), and international collaborations on tsunami deposits in Indonesia (2007, 2008) and Argentina (2015). The Sea Level Research Lab maintains extensive field equipment (520 sq. ft. lab space + storage facilities) for sediment analysis and paleoenvironmental reconstruction.