Sea-level rise induced amplification of coastal protection design heights
Arns, A.; Dangendorf, S.; Jensen, J.; Talke, S.A.; Bender, J.; Pattiaratchi, C. (2017). Sea-level rise induced amplification of coastal protection design heights. NPG Scientific Reports 7(40171): 9 pp. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep40171
In: Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group). Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2045-2322; e-ISSN 2045-2322, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Arns, A.
- Dangendorf, S.
- Jensen, J.
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- Talke, S.A.
- Bender, J.
- Pattiaratchi, C.
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| Abstract |
Coastal protection design heights typically consider the superimposed effects of tides, surges, waves, and relative sea-level rise (SLR), neglecting non-linear feedbacks between these forcing factors. Here, we use hydrodynamic modelling and multivariate statistics to show that shallow coastal areas are extremely sensitive to changing non-linear interactions between individual components caused by SLR. As sea-level increases, the depth-limitation of waves relaxes, resulting in waves with larger periods, greater amplitudes, and higher run-up; moreover, depth and frictional changes affect tide, surge, and wave characteristics, altering the relative importance of other risk factors. Consequently, sea-level driven changes in wave characteristics, and to a lesser extent, tides, amplify the resulting design heights by an average of 48-56%, relative to design changes caused by SLR alone. Since many of the world's most vulnerable coastlines are impacted by depth-limited waves, our results suggest that the overall influence of SLR may be greatly underestimated in many regions. |
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