Earth Scientist
Earth Scientist

Biography

Gabriel García Medina is an Earth scientist in the Offshore Wind and Ocean Dynamics team at PNNL-Seattle. He specializes in coastal dynamics in the context of marine renewable energy, wave climate, coastal hazards, and offshore wind development. He primarily works on projects funded by Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office. He received his BS in civil engineering degree from the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez, and a MS and PhD from Oregon State University in civil engineering with emphasis on coastal and ocean engineering.

Research Interest

  • Marine renewable energy
  • Coastal hazards and climate change impacts on coastal communities
  • Wave runup
  • Wave-current interaction

Disciplines and Skills

  • Engineer in training (Washington)

Education

  • PhD in coastal and ocean engineering with oceanography minor, Oregon State University, 2018
  • MS in coastal and ocean engineering, Oregon State University, 2012
  • BS in civil engineering, Universidad de Puerto Rico – Mayagüez, 2010

Affiliations and Professional Service

  • Member, American Geophysical Union
  • Member, Pan-American Marine Energy Association
  • U.S. Subject Matter Expert, International Electrotechnical Commission TC-114 62000-101: Wave energy resource assessment and characterization
  • Courtesy Faculty at Department of Civil and Construction Engineering, Oregon State University

Awards and Recognitions

  • 2020 Early Career Researcher Award: Coastal Sciences Division, PNNL

Publications

2023

  • Li, Chuan, H. Tuba Özkan-Haller, Gabriel García Medina, Robert A. Holman, Peter Ruggiero, Treena M. Jensen, David B. Elson, and William R. Schneider. 2023. “Observations of Extreme Wave Runup Events on the US Pacific Northwest Coast.” Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 23 (1): 107–26. doi:10.5194/nhess-23-107-2023.

2022

  • Buenau K.E., L. Garavelli, L.G. Hemery, and G. Garcia Medina. 2022. "A review of modeling approaches for understanding and monitoring the environmental effects of marine renewable energy." Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 10, no. 1:Art. No. 94. PNNL-SA-156376. doi:10.3390/jmse10010094
  • Gaudet B.J., G. Garcia Medina, R. Krishnamurthy, W.J. Shaw, L.M. Sheridan, Z. Yang, and R.K. Newsom, et al. 2022. "Evaluation of coupled wind-wave model simulations of offshore winds in the Mid-Atlantic Bight using lidar-equipped buoys." Monthly Weather Review 150, no. 6:1377-1395. PNNL-SA-161940. doi:10.1175/MWR-D-21-0166.1
  • Sheridan L.M., R. Krishnamurthy, G. Garcia Medina, B.J. Gaudet, W.I. Gustafson, A.M. Mahon, and W.J. Shaw, et al. 2022. "Offshore Reanalysis Wind Speed Assessment Across the Wind Turbine Rotor Layer off the United States Pacific Coast." Wind Energy Science 7, no. 5:2059-2084. PNNL-SA-169723. doi:10.5194/wes-7-2059-2022

2021

  • Bhatnagar D., S. Bhattacharya, D.C. Preziuso, S. Hanif, R.S. O'Neil, M.E. Alam, and V.H. Chalishazar, et al. 2021. Grid Value Proposition of Marine Energy. PNNL-31123. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
  • Branch R.A., G. Garcia Medina, Z. Yang, T. Wang, F.M. Ticona Rollano, and L. Hosekova. 2021. "Modeling Sea Ice Effects for Wave Energy Resource Assessments." Energies 14, no. 12:3482. PNNL-SA-163118. doi:10.3390/en14123482
  • Branch R.A., Z. Yang, T. Wang, G. Garcia Medina, and J.M. Whiting. 2021. Sea Ice Collision Risk Assessment for Tidal Turbine Siting in Cook Inlet, Alaska. PNNL-32329. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
  • Garcia Medina G., Z. Yang, N. Li, K.F. Cheung, H. Wang, and F.M. Ticona Rollano. 2021. High-Resolution Regional Wave Hindcast for U.S. Pacific Island Territories. PNNL-31208. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
  • Garcia Medina G., Z. Yang, W. Wu, and T. Wang. 2021. "Wave resource characterization at regional and nearshore scales for the U.S. Alaska coast based on a 32-year high-resolution hindcast." Renewable Energy 170. PNNL-SA-157556. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2021.02.005
  • Krishnamurthy R., G. Garcia Medina, B.J. Gaudet, A.M. Mahon, R.K. Newsom, W.J. Shaw, and L.M. Sheridan. 2021. "Potential of Offshore Wind Energy Off the Coast of California." In OCEANS 2021, September 20-23, San Diego, CA, 1-6. Piscataway, New Jersey:IEEE. PNNL-SA-164552. doi:10.23919/OCEANS44145.2021.9705976
  • Li N., G. Garcia Medina, K.F. Cheung, and Z. Yang. 2021. "Wave energy resources assessment for the multi-modal sea state of Hawaii." Renewable Energy 174. PNNL-SA-158387. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2021.03.116
  • Robertson B., G. Dunkle, J. Gadasi, G. Garcia Medina, and Z. Yang. 2021. "Holistic Marine Energy Resource Assessments: A Wave and Offshore Wind Perspective of Metocean Conditions." Renewable Energy 170. PNNL-SA-158408. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2021.01.136

2020

  • Garcia Medina G., W.J. Shaw, Z. Yang, and R.K. Newsom. 2020. Mid-Atlantic Bight wave hindcast to support DOE lidar buoy deployments: model validation. PNNL-29814. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
  • Newsom R.K., L.M. Sheridan, B.J. Gaudet, G. Garcia Medina, Z. Yang, R. Krishnamurthy, and W.J. Shaw. 2020. A Study on Modeled Wind Speed Errors Using the U.S. Department of Energy Buoys. PNNL-30117. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
  • Preziuso D.C., G. Garcia Medina, R.S. O'Neil, Z. Yang, and T. Wang. 2020. "Evaluating the Potential for Tidal Phase Diversity to Produce Smoother Power Profiles." Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 8, no. 4:246. PNNL-SA-150809. doi:10.3390/jmse8040246
  • Shaw W.J., J. Draher, G. Garcia Medina, A.M. Gorton, R. Krishnamurthy, R.K. Newsom, and M.S. Pekour, et al. 2020. General Analysis of Data Collected from DOE Lidar Buoy Deployments Off Virginia and New Jersey. PNNL-29823. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. doi:10.2172/1632348.
  • Ticona Rollano F.M., T. Tran, Y. Yu, G. Garcia Medina, and Z. Yang. 2020. "Influence of Time and Frequency Domain Wave Forcing on the Power Estimation of a Wave Energy Converter Array." Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 8, no. 3:171. PNNL-SA-150553. doi:10.3390/jmse8030171
  • Wang T., Z. Yang, F.M. Ticona Rollano, W. Wu, and G. Garcia Medina. 2020. "A High-resolution Regional Wave Resource Characterization For The U.S. West Coast." In Proceedings of the Annual Offshore Technology Conference (OTC 2020), May 4-7, 20202, Houston;Texas, 2020. Richardson, Texas:Society of Petroleum Engineers. PNNL-SA-150962. doi:10.4043/30669-MS
  • Wu W., T. Wang, Z. Yang, and G. Garcia Medina. 2020. "Development and validation of a high-resolution regional wave hindcast model for U.S. West Coast wave resource characterization." Renewable Energy 152. PNNL-SA-150805. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2020.01.077
  • Yang Z., G. Garcia Medina, W. Wu, and T. Wang. 2020. "Characteristics and Variability of the Nearshore Wave Resource on the U.S. West Coast." Energy 203. PNNL-SA-153191. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2020.117818
  • Yang Z., R.A. Branch, G. Garcia Medina, and T. Wang. 2020. Sea-Ice Effects on the Alaskan Wave Climate. PNNL-30235. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
  • García-Medina, G., H. T. Özkan-Haller, P. Ruggiero, R. Holman, and C. Li, 2020: “Runups of unusual size: rogueness and variability of swash. Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 125 (2), doi:10.1029/2019JC015186.

2019

  • Garcia Medina G., Z. Yang, N. Li, K.F. Cheung, T. Wang, and W. Wu. 2019. High-Resolution Regional Wave Hindcast for Hawaii. PNNL-29370. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 
  • Parker K., D. Hill, G. Garcia Medina, and J. Beamer. 2019. "The effects of changing climate on estuarine water levels: a United States Pacific Northwest case study." Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 19, no. 8:1601-1618. PNNL-SA-147651. doi:10.5194/nhess-19-1601-2019
  • Preziuso D.C., G. Garcia Medina, R.S. O'Neil, and Z. Yang. 2019. "Evaluating the tidal energy resource for smooth power output and grid integration in the United States." In OCEANS 2019 MTS/IEEE, October 27-31, 2019, Seattle, WA. Piscataway, New Jersey:IEEE. PNNL-SA-147231. doi:10.23919/OCEANS40490.2019.8962815
  • Yang Z., G. Garcia Medina, W. Wu, T. Wang, L. Leung, L. Castrucci, and G. Mauger. 2019. "Modeling Analysis of the Swell and Wind-Sea Climate in the Salish Sea." Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 224. PNNL-SA-140307. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2019.04.043
  • Yang Z., W. Wu, T. Wang, G. Garcia Medina, and L. Castrucci. 2019. High-Resolution Regional Wave Hindcast for the U.S. Alaska Coast. PNNL-29479. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 

2018

  • García-Medina, G., H. T. Özkan-Haller, P. Ruggiero, R. Holman, and T. Nicolini. 2018. “Analysis and catalogue of sneaker waves in the US Pacific Northwest between 2005 and 2017”, Natural Hazards, 1 – 21, doi:10.1007/s11069-018-3403-z.

2017

  • García-Medina, G., H. T. Özkan-Haller, R. Holman, and P. Ruggiero. 2017. “Large runup controls on a gently sloping dissipative beach”, Journal of Geophysical Research – Oceans, 122 (7), 5998 – 6010, doi:10.1002/2017JC012862.

2015

  • Cheng, T. K., D. F. Hill, J. Beamer, and G. García-Medina. 2015. Climate change impacts on wave and surge processes in a Pacific Northwest (USA) estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, 120 (1), 182 – 200, doi: 10.1002/2014JC010268.
  • Parkinson, S., K. Dragoon, G. Reikard, G. García-Medina, H. T. Özkan-Haller, and T. K. A. Brekken. 2015. Integrating ocean wave energy at large-scales: A study of the US Pacific Northwest. Renewable Energy, 76, 551 – 559, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2014.11.038.

2014

  • García-Medina, G., H. T. Özkan-Haller, and P. Ruggiero. 2014. Wave resource assessment in Oregon and southwest Washington, USA. Renewable Energy, 64, 203 – 214, doi: 10.1016/j.renene.2013.11.014.

2013

  • García-Medina, G., H. T. Özkan-Haller, P. Ruggiero, and J. Oskamp. 2013. An Inner-Shelf Wave Forecasting System for the US Pacific Northwest. Weather and Forecasting, 28, 681 – 703, doi: 10.1175/WAF-D-12-00055.1.