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Under-estimated wave contribution to coastal sea-level rise

Author

Listed:
  • Angélique Melet

    (Mercator Ocean)

  • Benoit Meyssignac

    (Université de Toulouse, CNES, CNRS, IRD, UPS)

  • Rafael Almar

    (Université de Toulouse, CNES, CNRS, IRD, UPS)

  • Gonéri Le Cozannet

    (BRGM / French Geological Survey)

Abstract

Coastal communities are threatened by sea-level changes operating at various spatial scales; global to regional variations are associated with glacier and ice sheet loss and ocean thermal expansion, while smaller coastal-scale variations are also related to atmospheric surges, tides and waves. Here, using 23 years (1993–2015) of global coastal sea-level observations, we examine the contribution of these latter processes to long-term sea-level rise, which, to date, have been relatively less explored. It is found that wave contributions can strongly dampen or enhance the effects of thermal expansion and land ice loss on coastal water-level changes at interannual-to-multidecadal timescales. Along the US West Coast, for example, negative wave-induced trends dominate, leading to negative net water-level trends. Accurate estimates of past, present and future coastal sea-level rise therefore need to consider low-frequency contributions of wave set-up and swash.

Suggested Citation

  • Angélique Melet & Benoit Meyssignac & Rafael Almar & Gonéri Le Cozannet, 2018. "Under-estimated wave contribution to coastal sea-level rise," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(3), pages 234-239, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:8:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1038_s41558-018-0088-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-018-0088-y
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kai Parker & Li Erikson & Jennifer Thomas & Kees Nederhoff & Patrick Barnard & Sanne Muis, 2023. "Relative contributions of water-level components to extreme water levels along the US Southeast Atlantic Coast from a regional-scale water-level hindcast," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 117(3), pages 2219-2248, July.
    2. Rafael Almar & Julien Boucharel & Gregoire Ondoa Abessolo & Fabrice Papa & Erwin W. J. Bergsma, 2024. "Reply to: Coastal shoreline change assessments at global scales," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-3, December.
    3. Claudia Tebaldi & Roshanka Ranasinghe & Michalis Vousdoukas & D. J. Rasmussen & Ben Vega-Westhoff & Ebru Kirezci & Robert E. Kopp & Ryan Sriver & Lorenzo Mentaschi, 2021. "Extreme sea levels at different global warming levels," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(9), pages 746-751, September.
    4. Gao, Meng & Zhang, Aidi & Zhang, Han & Pang, Yufei & Wang, Yueqi, 2022. "Multifractality of global sea level heights in the satellite altimeter-era," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 604(C).
    5. D. J. Rasmussen & Scott Kulp & Robert E. Kopp & Michael Oppenheimer & Benjamin H. Strauss, 2022. "Popular extreme sea level metrics can better communicate impacts," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 170(3), pages 1-17, February.
    6. Rafael Almar & Julien Boucharel & Marcan Graffin & Gregoire Ondoa Abessolo & Gregoire Thoumyre & Fabrice Papa & Roshanka Ranasinghe & Jennifer Montano & Erwin W. J. Bergsma & Mohamed Wassim Baba & Fei, 2023. "Influence of El Niño on the variability of global shoreline position," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.

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