Giulio Mariotti

Position: Professor, Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences
E-mail: gmariotti@lsu.edu 
Phone: 225-578-8046
Office: 2209 ECE Building
Lab: Follow the Mariotti Lab on Twitter @mariotti_lab

 

Degrees

Bachelor's, Environmental Engineering, University of Florence (Italy), 2005

Masters, Environmental Engineering, University of Florence (Italy), 2008

Ph.D., Boston University, 2013

 

 

 

 

Research Interests

Coastal processes, ecomorphodynamics, sediment transport

 

Classes Taught

OCS 7122: Gravity Waves in Shallow Water
OCS 2007: Introduction to Marine Sciences: Geological and Physical

Awards & Honors

(2014) Luna B. Leopold young scientist award, American Geophysical Union

(2014) Robert P. Sharp Capstone Lecture, American Geophysical Union

 

Research Projects

2025-2031 NSF, “LTER: Georgia Coastal Ecosystems”

2023-2028 National Academy of Science – Gulf Research Program “The Mississippi River Delta Transition Initiative”

2024-2029 US Army Engineer Research and Development Center. “Predicting Requirements and Enabling Ecosystem Design in Coastal Terrain”

2023-2027 NOAA-USCRP, “Developing a Framework for Assessing the Benefits and the Feasibility of Thin Layer Placement in South Carolina”

2022-2027 NSF, “Collaborative Research: Methane Dynamics Across Microbe-to-Landscape Scales in Coastal Wetlands”

 

Selected Publications

G. Mariotti, A. Canestrelli, (2026), Three ingredients for numerically efficient 2D delta morphodynamic modeling, JGR Earth Surface.

G. Mariotti, N K. Ganju,(2026), Predicting Long-Term Trajectories of Coastal Marshes: Processes, Models, and Uncertainty, Annual Review of Marine Science 19.

G. Mariotti, K. Boswell, N. Matherne, T. Quirk, (2026), Massive marsh loss by failure mechanism due to Hurricane Ida targets stressed Spartina patens, Wetlands.

M. Rabalais, T. Quirk, E. Elmer, G. Mariotti, (2026) Climate-driven black mangrove expansion reduces marsh edge erosion, Scientific Reports.

Mariotti, G., S. Pruss, T. Perron, T. Bosak, (2014), Microbial shaping of sedimentary wrinkle structures, Nature Geo., 7(10), 736-740.

Mariotti, G., T. Perron, T. Bosak, (2014) Feedbacks between flow, sediment motion and microbial growth on sand bars initiate and shape elongated stromatolite mounds, Earth and Planetary Surface Letter, 397, 93-100.

Mariotti, G., J.T., Carr, (2014), Dual role of salt marsh retreat: long term loss and short term resilience, Water Resources Research, 50 (4), 2963-2974.

Mariotti, G., F. Falcini, M. Guala, N. Geleynse, T. Sun, S. Fagherazzi, (2013), Sediment eddy diffusivity in meandering turbulent jets: implications for levee formation at river mouths, J. Geophys. Res., 118, 1908–1920.

Mariotti, G., S. Fagherazzi, (2013), A two-point dynamic model for the coupled evolution of channels and tidal flats, J. Geophys. Res., 118, 1387–1399.

Mariotti, G., S. Fagherazzi, (2013), Critical width of tidal flats triggers marsh collapse in the absence of sea level rise, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 110, 14.

Recent Publications
S Fagherazzi, G Mariotti, N Leonardi, A Canestrelli, W Nardin, W Kearney, (2020), Salt marsh dynamics in a period of accelerated sea level rise, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, e2019JF005200

Mariotti, G., (2020), Beyond marsh drowning: The many faces of marsh loss (and gain), Advances in Water Resources, 103710.

Mariotti, G., AC Spivak, SY Luk, G Ceccherini, M Tyrrell, ME Gonneea, (2020), Modeling the spatial dynamics of marsh ponds in New England salt marshes, Geomorphology, 107262

Mariotti, G., T Elsey‐Quirk, G Bruno, K Valentine, (2020), Mud‐associated organic matter and its direct and indirect role in marsh organic matter accumulation and vertical accretion, Limnology and Oceanography

Valentine, K., Mariotti, G. (2020). Does eutrophication affect the ability of biofilms to stabilize muddy sediments? Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 232, 106490.

Elsey-Quirk, T., Mariotti, G., Valentine, K., Raper, K. (2019). Retreating marsh shoreline creates hotspots of high-marsh plant diversity. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1--9.

Mariotti, G., Kearney, W., Fagherazzi, S. (2019). Soil creep in a mesotidal salt marsh channel bank: fast, seasonal, and water table mediated. Geomorphology.

Payandeh, A., Justic, D., Mariotti, G., Huang, H., Sorourian, S. (2019). Subtidal Water Level and Current Variability in a Bar-Built Estuary During Cold Front Season: Barataria Bay, Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124(10), 7226--7246.

Valentine, K., Mariotti, G. (2019). Wind-driven water level fluctuations drive marsh edge erosion variability in microtidal coastal bays. Continental Shelf Research, 176, 76--89.

Mariotti, G., Murshid, S. (2018). A 2D tide-averaged model for the long-term evolution of an idealized tidal basin-inlet-delta system. JMSE, 6(4), 154.

Mariotti, G., Huang, H., Xue, Z., Li, B., Justic, D., Zang, Z. (2018). Biased Wind Measurements in Estuarine Waters. JGR-Oceans, 1(11).

Mariotti, G., Pruss, S., Summons, R., Newman, S., Bosak, T. (2018). Contribution of benthic processes to the growth of ooids on a low-energy shore in Cat Island, The Bahamas. Minerals, 8(6), 1-22.

Carr, J., Mariotti, G., Fagherazzi, S., McGlathery, K., Wiberg, P. (2018). Exploring the impacts of seagrass on coupled marsh-tidal flat morphodynamics. Frontiers in Environmental Science.

Mariotti, G. (2018). Marsh channel morphological response to sea level rise and sediment supply. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 209(30), 89-101.

Lorenzo-Trueba, J., Mariotti, G. (2017). Chasing boundaries and cascade effects in a coupled barrier-marsh-lagoon system. Geomorphology.

Newman, S. A., Klepac-Ceraj, V., Mariotti, G., Pruss, S. B., Watson, N., Bosak, T. (2017). Experimental fossilization of mat‐forming cyanobacteria in coarse‐grained siliciclastic sediments. Geobiology.

Mariotti, G., Canestrelli, A. (2017). Long-term morphodynamics of muddy backbarrier basins: Fill in or Empty out? Water Resource Research, 53(8), 7029-7054.

Spivak, A., Gosselin, K., Howard, E., Mariotti, G., Forbrich, I., Stanley, R., Sylvia, S. (2017). Shallow ponds are heterogeneous habitats within salt marsh ecosystems. JGR-Biogeosciences.

Kearney, W. S., Mariotti, G., Fagherazzi, S. (2017). Stage-discharge relationship in tidal channels. L&O Methods.

Fagherazzi, S., Viggato, T., Vieillard, A. M., Mariotti, G., Fulweiler, R. W. (2017). The effect of evaporation on the erodibility of mudflats in a mesotidal estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science.

Newman, S. A., Mariotti, G., Pruss, S., Bosak, T. (2016). Insights into cyanobacterial fossilization in Ediacaran siliciclastic environments. Geology, 44(7), 579–582.

Mariotti, G., Pruss, S., Perron, T., Bosak, T. (2016). Microbial Origin of Early Animal Trace Fossils? Journal of Sedimentary Research, 86(4), 287–293.

O’Reilly, S. S., Mariotti, G., Winter, A. R., Newman, S. A., Matys, E. D., McDermott, F., Pruss, S. B., Bosak, T., Summons, R. E., Klepac-Ceraj, V. (2016). Molecular biosignatures reveal common benthic microbial sources of organic matter in ooids and grapestones from Pigeon Cay, The Bahamas. Geobiology, 15(1), 112-130.

Mariotti, G. (2016). Revisiting salt marsh resilience to sea level rise: Are ponds responsible for permanent land loss? Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 121(7), 1391–1407.

Mariotti, G., Kearney, W. S., Fagherazzi, S. (2016). Soil creep in salt marshes. Geology, 44(6), 459–462.

Priestas, A. M., Mariotti, G., Leonardi, N., Fagherazzi, S. (2015). Coupled Wave Energy and Erosion Dynamics along a Salt Marsh Boundary, Hog Island Bay, Virginia, USA. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 3(3), 1041–1065.

Fagherazzi, S., Edmonds, D. A., Nardin, W., Leonardi, N., Canestrelli, A., Falcini, F., Jerolmack, D. J., Mariotti, G., Rowland, J. C., Slingerland, R. L. (2015). Dynamics of river mouth deposits. Reviews of Geophysics, 53(3), 642–672.

Mariotti, G., Valentine, K., Fagherazzi, S. (2015). Time-dependent behavior of a placed bed of cohesive sediment subjected to erosion and deposition cycles. Ocean Dynamics, 65(2), 287–294.

Mariotti, G., Carr, J. T. (2014). Dual role of salt marsh retreat: Long-term loss and short-term resilience. Water Resources Research, 50(4), 2963–2974.

Mariotti, G., Perron, T., Bosak, T. (2014). Feedbacks between flow, sediment motion and microbial growth on sand bars initiate and shape elongated stromatolite mounds. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 397, 93–100.

Walters, D., Moore, L. J., Vinent, O. D., Fagherazzi, S., Mariotti, G. (2014). Interactions between barrier islands and backbarrier marshes affect island system response to sea level rise: Insights from a coupled model. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 119(9), 2013–2031.

Mariotti, G., Pruss, S., Perron, T., Bosak, T. (2014). Microbial shaping of sedimentary wrinkle structures. Nature Geoscience, 7(10), 736–740.

Valentine, K., Mariotti, G., Fagherazzi, S. (2014). Repeated erosion of cohesive sediments with biofilms. Advances in Geosciences, 39(39), 9–14.

Fagherazzi, S., Mariotti, G., Banks, A. T., Morgan, E. J., Fulweiler, R. W. (2014). The relationships among hydrodynamics, sediment distribution, and chlorophyll in a mesotidal estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 144, 54–64.