Distinguished Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, UC Santa Cruz
A beach is never just a beach to Gary Griggs. It is a place to explore, a record of the Earth’s history, and a window into the forces shaping our future.
For more than five decades, Gary has studied coastlines and helped others understand them. His work brings together careful scientific research, engaging writing, and a teacher’s instinct for making complicated ideas accessible. Through research, mentoring, writing, and public talks, he connects science with the places and questions people care about.
Why do some beaches shrink while others grow? What happens when we build a seawall? How will rising seas change the communities along our shores?
These questions are central to Gary’s research. He studies the movement of sand, the retreat of coastal cliffs, the effects of storms, and the consequences of coastal development. His work examines both the forces changing the shoreline and the choices available to people living beside it.
Gary’s research helps communities understand coastal hazards and make informed decisions about their future. His contributions have earned recognition including California Coastal Hero, election to the California Academy of Sciences, and the Robert Dean Coastal Academic Award.
Gary joined UC Santa Cruz in 1968. Through generations of students, teaching and mentoring have remained among the accomplishments he values most.
His influence often begins with taking someone’s curiosity seriously. As a young student considering a change from languages to science, Kathryn Sullivan asked Gary what oceanographers actually did. He invited her to his laboratory and spent much of a Saturday answering her questions. Sullivan went on to become an oceanographer, the first American woman to walk in space, and the administrator of NOAA.
That generosity is a recurring theme in former students’ accounts: Gary makes time, encourages questions, and helps people believe in what they can accomplish. His teaching has been recognized with UC Santa Cruz’s Alumni Distinguished Teaching Award.
Gary’s classroom extends well beyond the university.
Through his books, public talks, interviews, and Our Ocean Backyard newspaper column, he invites readers to understand the landscapes around them. He connects scientific evidence with familiar experiences—a walk on the beach, a damaged shoreline, a storm—and with the larger questions those experiences raise.
His books range from California’s beaches to the challenges facing coastlines worldwide. In California Catastrophes, he explores the state’s natural hazards and the lessons that can help us prepare for a safer future.
Explore California Catastrophes
Gary has also helped create places where discovery and education happen together. During his 26 years directing UC Santa Cruz’s Institute of Marine Sciences, he helped develop the Coastal Science Campus, strengthen partnerships with public research agencies, and establish the Seymour Marine Discovery Center’s connection between marine science and the community.
Gary has spent virtually his entire life close to the shoreline. Its constant change and energy continue to inspire and intrigue him. The shoreline remains both the subject of his research and a source of pleasure and discovery.
As Gary puts it:
“there is always more to observe, study, and enjoy.”
Books — Discover the coast, the ocean, and the natural forces shaping our lives.
Papers — Explore Gary’s research on beaches, coastal hazards, and shoreline change.
Videos — Hear Gary explain the science and the decisions facing coastal communities.
News — Find interviews, articles, and updates about his work.
Contact — Get in touch about research, interviews, and speaking.