Casey Dietrich
Associate Professor

- 919-515-5277
- jcdietri@ncsu.edu
- Mann Hall 319C
- Visit My Website
Dr. Dietrich has developed and validated high-resolution computational models of hurricane waves and storm surge along the Gulf coast, and these models have been used for levee design by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and for floodplain risk assessment by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He has also applied these models in an operational framework to forecast storms including Hurricane Isaac (2012) as well as oil transport following the BP spill in 2010.
Dr. Dietrich received three degrees from the University of Oklahoma before moving to Notre Dame for his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. Then he worked as a research associate for three years at the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.
At NC State, Dr. Dietrich teaches courses in fluid mechanics and coastal engineering, including the undergraduate course CE 282 Hydraulics, and the graduate courses CE 581 Fluid Mechanics in Natural Environments, CE 596 Coastal Hydrodynamics, and CE 596 Coastal Modeling.
Education
Civil Engineering
University of Notre Dame
Civil Engineering
University of Oklahoma
Civil Engineering
University of Oklahoma
Journalism
University of Oklahoma
Research Description
Dr. Dietrich develops computational models for wind waves and coastal circulation, and then applies these models to high-resolution simulations of ocean behavior. His goals are to understand how coastlines are threatened during storms, how materials are transported in the coastal environment, and how to convey these hazard risks for use in decision support. His research spans the disciplines of coastal engineering, numerical methods, computational mathematics, and high-performance computing.
Honors and Awards
- Outstanding Teacher Award, NC State University, 2018
Publications
- Binary Building Attribute Imputation, Evaluation, and Comparison Approaches for Hurricane Damage Data Sets
- Massarra, C. C., Friedland, C. J., Marx, B. D., & Dietrich, J. C. (2020), Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, 34(3), 04020036. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001433
- Multihazard Hurricane Fragility Model for Wood Structure Homes Considering Hazard Parameters and Building Attributes Interaction
- Massarra, C. C., Friedland, C. J., Marx, B. D., & Dietrich, J. C. (2020), FRONTIERS IN BUILT ENVIRONMENT, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2020.00147
- Storm-driven erosion and inundation of barrier islands from dune-to region-scales
- , (2020). Coastal Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2020.103674
- Wind and tide effects on the Choctawhatchee Bay plume and implications for surface transport at Destin Inlet
- , (2020). Regional Studies in Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2020.101131
- Advancing the Understanding of Storm Processes and Impacts
- Elko, N., Dietrich, J. C., Cialone, M., Stockdon, H., Bilskie, M. V., Boyd, B., … Wargula, A. (2019), Shore & Beach, 87(1), 37–51.
- Influence of storm timing and forward speed on tides and storm surge during Hurricane Matthew
- Thomas, A., Dietrich, J. C., Asher, T. G., Bell, M., Blanton, B. O., Copeland, J. H., … al. (2019), Ocean Modelling, 137, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2019.03.004
- Predictive multi-hazard hurricane data-based fragility model for residential homes
- Massarra, C. C., Friedland, C. J., Marx, B. D., & Dietrich, J. C. (2019), Coastal Engineering, 151, 10–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2019.04.008
- Subgrid theory for storm surge modeling
- Kennedy, A. B., Wirasaet, D., Begmohammadi, A., Sherman, T., Bolster, D., & Dietrich, J. C. (2019), Ocean Modelling, 144, 101491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2019.101491
- Sensitivity of Storm Surge Predictions to Atmospheric Forcing during Hurricane Isaac
- Dietrich, J. C., Muhammad, A., Curcic, M., Fathi, A., Dawson, C. N., Chen, S. S., & Luettich, R. A., Jr. (2018), Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering, 144(1), 04017035. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)ww.1943-5460.0000419
- Variability in Coastal Flooding predictions due to forecast errors during Hurricane Arthur
- Cyriac, R., Dietrich, J. C., Fleming, J. G., Blanton, B. O., Kaiser, C., Dawson, C. N., & Luettich, R. A. (2018), Coastal Engineering, 137, 59–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coastaleng.2018.02.008
Grants
- Sustainability of Barrier Island Protection Policies under Changing Climates
- Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit - Piedmont-South Atlantic Coast(10/18/19 - 10/17/21)
- Improving Predictions of Estuarine Flooding and Circulation during Storms
- NCSU Sea Grant Program(2/01/20 - 1/31/21)
- Coupling of Inlet-Scale Erosion and Region-Scale Flooding Predictions
- US Army - Corps of Engineers(9/24/18 - 12/31/19)
- PREEVENTS Track 2: Collaborative Research: Subgrid-Scale Corrections to Increase the Accuracy and Efficiency of Storm Surge Models
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(9/01/17 - 8/31/21)
- Mapping and Visualization of Coastal Flood Forecasts for Decision Support
- UNC - UNC Chapel Hill(7/01/16 - 12/30/17)
- Establishment of Remote-Sensing Based Monitoring Program for Performance Limit State Assessment of the Sacramento Delta Levees
- US Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS)(1/01/16 - 6/30/21)
- Interactions between Waves, Storm Surge and Beach Morphology during Storm Events
- NCSU Sea Grant Program(2/01/16 - 6/30/18)
- RADE: A Risk Analytics Discovery Environment for the North Carolina Data Sciences Analytics Initiative
- North Carolina Data Science and Analytics Initiative (NCDSA)(8/15/16 - 8/15/17)
- The Consortium for Advanced Research on Transport of Hydrocarbon in the Environment (CARTHE)
- Consortium for Ocean Leadership, Inc.(1/01/15 - 3/31/18)
- Strengthening the Hurricane Wave and Surge Forecast Guidance Provided to Coastal Communities in North Carolina
- NCSU Sea Grant Program(2/01/14 - 6/30/16)