Mariko Polk

Bio

Mariko serves as the coastal processes specialist for NC Sea Grant and is positioned at UNCW Center for Marine Science. In her position, she serves as a resource for coastal processes and hazards.

She has expertise in shoreline erosion, natural and nature-based management, coastal ecology, and flooding in North Carolina. Mariko works with managers, communities, and individuals to help generate solutions and best practices to develop communities and habitats that are adaptive, resistant, and resilient.

Mariko holds a doctorate from UNC Wilmington in marine biology specializing in ecosystem and landscape ecology, focusing on how physical and biological components interact. There, her dissertation focused on analyzing the human and ecological implications of living shoreline techniques and nature-based management strategies in North Carolina.

She also holds a Master’s from UNC Wilmington in environmental studies and a Bachelor’s from California State University Bakersfield in environmental resource management.

In her free time, Mariko enjoys kayaking and block printing.