Sea level anomalies exacerbate beach erosion

Theuerkauf, Ethan J.; Rodriguez, Antonio B.; Fegley, Stephen R.; Luettich, Richard A.

doi:10.1002/2014gl060544

Cited by 50 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Unlike storm surge, this event caused persistent and widespread coastal flooding 22 even without apparent weather processes. In terms of beach erosion, the impact of the 2009-2010 SLR event is almost as significant as some hurricane events 42 . For the twenty-first century, modelling results suggest that the increase in the greenhouse gas concentrations is likely to cause more extreme SLR events on the interannual time scale along this densely populated coast.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

An extreme event of sea-level rise along the Northeast coast of North America in 2009–2010

et al. 2015

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The coastal sea levels along the Northeast Coast of North America show significant yearto-year fluctuations in a general upward trend. The analysis of long-term tide gauge records identified an extreme sea-level rise (SLR) event during 2009-10. Within this 2-year period, the coastal sea level north of New York City jumped by 128 mm. This magnitude of interannual SLR is unprecedented (a 1-in-850 year event) during the entire history of the tide gauge records. Here we show that this extreme SLR event is a combined effect of two factors: an observed 30% downturn of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during 2009-10, and a significant negative North Atlantic Oscillation index. The extreme nature of the 2009-10 SLR event suggests that such a significant downturn of the Atlantic overturning circulation is very unusual. During the twenty-first century, climate models project an increase in magnitude and frequency of extreme interannual SLR events along this densely populated coast.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

An extreme event of sea-level rise along the Northeast coast of North America in 2009–2010

et al. 2015

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“…Much attention has been given in recent years to potential connections between SLR and long-term climatic changes in AMOC and the GS (Levermann et al 2005;Boon 2012;Ezer and Corlett 2012;Sallenger et al 2012;Ezer 2013Ezer , 2015Ezer et al 2013;Kopp 2013;Yin and Goddard 2013;Srokosz and Bryden 2015). Less attention was given to shortterm variations in the GS which may cause periods of days, weeks, or months with anomalously high water that increase the risk of tidal flooding (Sweet et al 2009;Ezer and Atkinson 2014;Goddard et al 2015) and beach erosion (Theuerkauf et al 2014). Currently, water level prediction models are driven mostly by tides and local winds, so they may not be able to accurately simulate those remote, unpredictable and sometimes coherent anomalies as seen in Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can the Gulf Stream induce coherent short-term fluctuations in sea level along the US East Coast? A modeling study

Ezer

2016

Ocean Dynamics

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Much attention has been given in recent years to observations and models that show that variations in the transport of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and in the Gulf Stream (GS) can contribute to interannual, decadal, and multi-decadal variations in coastal sea level (CSL) along the US East Coast. However, less is known about the impact of short-term (time scales of days to weeks) fluctuations in the GS and their impact on CSL anomalies. Some observations suggest that these anomalies can cause unpredictable minor tidal flooding in low-lying areas when the GS suddenly weakens. Can these short-term CSL variations be attributed to changes in the transport of the GS? An idealized numerical model of the GS has been set up to test this proposition. The regional model uses a 1/12°grid with a simplified coastline to eliminate impacts from estuaries and small-scale coastal features and thus isolate the GS impact. The GS in the model is driven by inflows/outflows, representing the Florida Current (FC), the Slope Current (SC), and the Sargasso Sea (SS) flows. Forcing the model with an oscillatory FC transport with a period of 2, 5, and 10 days produced coherent CSL variations from Florida to the Gulf of Maine with similar periods. However, when imposing variations in the transports of the SC or the SS, they induce CSL variations only north of Cape Hatteras. The suggested mechanism is that variations in GS transport produce variations in sea level gradient across the entire GS length and this large-scale signal is then transmitted into the shelf by the generation of coastal-trapped waves (CTW). In this idealized model, the CSL variations induced by variations of ∼10 Sv in the transport of the GS are found to resemble CSL variations induced by ∼5 m s −1 zonal wind fluctuations, though the mechanisms of wind-driven and GS-driven sea level are quite different. Better understanding of the relation between variations in offshore currents and CSL will help to improve the prediction of both short-term water level anomalies that cause flooding, as well as spatial variations in long-term sea level variability and coastal sea level rise.

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“…Monthly MSL data from 2009 to 2015 indicate that sea level in the study area was −0.028 ± 0.062 m NAVD88 (mean ± SD ) (Figure b). Prior to the start of scanning, the study area experienced prolonged levels of high water from frequent sea‐level anomalies during the fall and winter of 2009–2010 that persisted for 5 months (Theuerkauf et al., ). The sea‐level peak in 2009 corresponds to the November Mid‐Atlantic nor'easter that spawned from the remnants of Hurricane Ida (deemed Nor'Ida).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Losada et al (2013) demonstrated that interannual shifts in sea level in other areas of the Atlantic Ocean can be on the order of 4-12 cm, with ENSOinduced sea-level shifts exceeding historical RSLR and an increased frequency in sea-level extremes occurring in recent decades. Shortterm elevations in sea level are responsible for more frequent flooding along the U.S. East Coast (Ezer & Atkinson, 2014) and increased coastal erosion (Theuerkauf, Rodriguez, Fegley, & Luettich, 2014). These fluctuations in sea level may have a marked impact on coastal and estuarine habitats as their regularity and longevity are expected to increase (Ezer & Atkinson, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of exceptional oyster‐reef resilience to fluctuations in sea level

Ridge

Rodriguez

Fodrie

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Ecosystems at the land–sea interface are vulnerable to rising sea level. Intertidal habitats must maintain their surface elevations with respect to sea level to persist via vertical growth or landward retreat, but projected rates of sea‐level rise may exceed the accretion rates of many biogenic habitats. While considerable attention is focused on climate change over centennial timescales, relative sea level also fluctuates dramatically (10–30 cm) over month‐to‐year timescales due to interacting oceanic and atmospheric processes. To assess the response of oyster‐reef (Crassostrea virginica) growth to interannual variations in mean sea level (MSL) and improve long‐term forecasts of reef response to rising seas, we monitored the morphology of constructed and natural intertidal reefs over 5 years using terrestrial lidar. Timing of reef scans created distinct periods of high and low relative water level for decade‐old reefs (n = 3) constructed in 1997 and 2000, young reefs (n = 11) constructed in 2011 and one natural reef (approximately 100 years old). Changes in surface elevation were related to MSL trends. Decade‐old reefs achieved 2 cm/year growth, which occurred along higher elevations when MSL increased. Young reefs experienced peak growth (6.7 cm/year) at a lower elevation that coincided with a drop in MSL. The natural reef exhibited considerable loss during the low MSL of the first time step but grew substantially during higher MSL through the second time step, with growth peaking (4.3 cm/year) at MSL, reoccupying the elevations previously lost. Oyster reefs appear to be in dynamic equilibrium with short‐term (month‐to‐year) fluctuations in sea level, evidencing notable resilience to future changes to sea level that surpasses other coastal biogenic habitat types. These growth patterns support the presence of a previously defined optimal growth zone that shifts correspondingly with changes in MSL, which can help guide oyster‐reef conservation and restoration.

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Sea level anomalies exacerbate beach erosion

Cited by 50 publications

References 37 publications

An extreme event of sea-level rise along the Northeast coast of North America in 2009–2010

An extreme event of sea-level rise along the Northeast coast of North America in 2009–2010

Can the Gulf Stream induce coherent short-term fluctuations in sea level along the US East Coast? A modeling study

Evidence of exceptional oyster‐reef resilience to fluctuations in sea level

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