If you live in a low-lying area, the prospect of sea level rise is not a welcome one. But if you rely on a sandy shoreline to keep water at bay, new research says you could be facing a one-two punch that will make the future even more threatening.
Scientists with The Nature Conservancy recently published findings gleaned from looking at some 60 years of wave energy data, which found that waves have been getting stronger in recent years compared to decades past.
Much as with sea level rise, the increase in wave strength is not uniform, with greater increases in the southern hemisphere and more mixed results in the northern – less on the U.S. West Coast and Europe, more on the U.S. East Coast and Caribbean. These findings also note that other climatic events (such as the El Nino currently in force) can similarly affect wave energy, among other impacts.
As any coastal scientist will tell you, high water causes flooding and big waves carry sand away. So stronger waves and higher water levels presage the potential for more erosion.
There are three areas where this new research can come into play for coastal communities:
Obviously, more study of wave energy and its impact is necessary, as is a better understanding of how the variety of natural (and manmade) forces could interplay to create new challenges (and, we hope, opportunities). If we’re drastically remaking the oceans and consequent coastal impacts as so many predict (and data is supporting), we need sound science and engineering to help us understand what’s happening, to predict how it will change our coastal conditions and to prepare accordingly.
From the cliffs of California to the beaches of Florida, from low-lying cities such as New Orleans to the vulnerable subterranean infrastructure of, say, New York City, we have a lot at risk from strong waves and rising tides. Coastal scientists, engineers, advocates and residents need to be ready to make the changes necessary to manage those risks and protect our country’s invaluable shorelines.
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