G51B-05
Coastal Surging Seas by Natural Decadal Variability
Friday, 18 December 2015: 09:00
2002 (Moscone West)
Veronica Nieves, University of California Los Angeles, Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering, Los Angeles, CA, United States, Josh K Willis, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States and Benjamin D Hamlington, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States
Abstract:
The natural variability of some important oceanographic processes, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation or the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, play a crucial role regulating the global Earth’s temperature and producing high sea level anomalies. Local sea level estimates are also closely tied to these large oscillations that modulate global warming, revealing differences of 10 to 20 cm relative to the global mean in many coastal locations. These differences are sufficient to alter decisions between soft and/or large protective measures on every coast. We analyzed satellite altimetry-based regional signatures of sea level changes associated with decadal climate variability along the U.S. coastline. Our case studies will provide the opportunity to bridge the gap between the model multi-decadal climate projections and the concrete applications at regional scale within an appropriate short-term (~20 years) planning horizon.
