Sustained coral reef growth in the critical wave dissipation zone of a Maldivian atoll

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul S. Kench ◽  
Edward P. Beetham ◽  
Tracey Turner ◽  
Kyle M. Morgan ◽  
Susan D. Owen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Reef Crest ◽  
Reef Growth ◽  
Wave Dissipation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Reef Accretion ◽  
Direct Measurements

AbstractSea-level rise is expected to outpace the capacity of coral reefs to grow and maintain their wave protection function, exacerbating coastal flooding and erosion of adjacent shorelines and threatening coastal communities. Here we present a new method that yields highly-resolved direct measurements of contemporary reef accretion on a Maldivian atoll reef rim, the critical zone that induces wave breaking. Results incorporate the suite of physical and ecological processes that contribute to reef accumulation and show growth rates vary from 6.6 ± 12.5 mm.y−1 on the reef crest, and up to 3.1 ± 10.2 mm.y−1, and −0.5 ± 1.8 mm.yr−1 on the outer and central reef flat respectively. If these short-term results are maintained over decades, the reef crest could keep pace with current sea-level rise. Findings highlight the need to resolve contemporary reef accretion at the critical wave dissipation zone to improve predictions of future reef growth, and re-evaluate exposure of adjacent shorelines to coastal hazards.

scholarly journals Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2151
Author(s):  
Gary Griggs ◽  
Borja G. Reguero
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
High Tide ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Short Term ◽  
And Sea Level

The Earth’s climate is changing; ice sheets and glaciers are melting and coastal hazards and sea level are rising in response. With a total population of over 300 million people situated on coasts, including 20 of the planet’s 33 megacities (over 10 million people), low-lying coastal areas represent one of the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change. Many of the largest cities along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. are already experiencing frequent high tide flooding, and these events will increase in frequency, depth, duration and extent as sea levels continue to rise at an accelerating rate throughout the 21st century and beyond. Cities in southeast Asia and islands in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean are also suffering the effects of extreme weather events combined with other factors that increase coastal risk. While short-term extreme events such as hurricanes, El Niños and severe storms come and go and will be more damaging in the short term, sea-level rise is a long-term permanent change of state. However, the effects of sea-level rise are compounded with other hazards, such as increased wave action or a loss of ecosystems. As sea-level rise could lead to the displacement of hundreds of millions of people, this may be one of the greatest challenges that human civilization has ever faced, with associated inundation of major cities, loss of coastal infrastructure, increased saltwater intrusion and damage to coastal aquifers among many other global impacts, as well as geopolitical and legal implications. While there are several short-term responses or adaptation options, we need to begin to think longer term for both public infrastructure and private development. This article provides an overview of the status on adaptation to climate change in coastal zones.

scholarly journals Using Virtual Reality in Sea Level Rise Planning and Community Engagement—An Overview

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1142
Author(s):  
Juliano Calil ◽  
Geraldine Fauville ◽  
Anna Carolina Muller Queiroz ◽  
Kelly L. Leo ◽  
Alyssa G. Newton Mann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Community Outreach ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Multidisciplinary Teams ◽  
Simple Task ◽  
Coastal Risks

As coastal communities around the globe contend with the impacts of climate change including coastal hazards such as sea level rise and more frequent coastal storms, educating stakeholders and the general public has become essential in order to adapt to and mitigate these risks. Communicating SLR and other coastal risks is not a simple task. First, SLR is a phenomenon that is abstract as it is physically distant from many people; second, the rise of the sea is a slow and temporally distant process which makes this issue psychologically distant from our everyday life. Virtual reality (VR) simulations may offer a way to overcome some of these challenges, enabling users to learn key principles related to climate change and coastal risks in an immersive, interactive, and safe learning environment. This article first presents the literature on environmental issues communication and engagement; second, it introduces VR technology evolution and expands the discussion on VR application for environmental literacy. We then provide an account of how three coastal communities have used VR experiences developed by multidisciplinary teams—including residents—to support communication and community outreach focused on SLR and discuss their implications.

scholarly journals Quantifying Uncertainty in Exposure to Coastal Hazards Associated with Both Climate Change and Adaptation Strategies: A U.S. Pacific Northwest Alternative Coastal Futures Analysis

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 545
Author(s):  
Alexis K. Mills ◽  
Peter Ruggiero ◽  
John P. Bolte ◽  
Katherine A. Serafin ◽  
Eva Lipiec
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Coastal Flooding ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Policy Decisions ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Quantifying Uncertainty

Coastal communities face heightened risk to coastal flooding and erosion hazards due to sea-level rise, changing storminess patterns, and evolving human development pressures. Incorporating uncertainty associated with both climate change and the range of possible adaptation measures is essential for projecting the evolving exposure to coastal flooding and erosion, as well as associated community vulnerability through time. A spatially explicit agent-based modeling platform, that provides a scenario-based framework for examining interactions between human and natural systems across a landscape, was used in Tillamook County, OR (USA) to explore strategies that may reduce exposure to coastal hazards within the context of climate change. Probabilistic simulations of extreme water levels were used to assess the impacts of variable projections of sea-level rise and storminess both as individual climate drivers and under a range of integrated climate change scenarios through the end of the century. Additionally, policy drivers, modeled both as individual management decisions and as policies integrated within adaptation scenarios, captured variability in possible human response to increased hazards risk. The relative contribution of variability and uncertainty from both climate change and policy decisions was quantified using three stakeholder relevant landscape performance metrics related to flooding, erosion, and recreational beach accessibility. In general, policy decisions introduced greater variability and uncertainty to the impacts of coastal hazards than climate change uncertainty. Quantifying uncertainty across a suite of coproduced performance metrics can help determine the relative impact of management decisions on the adaptive capacity of communities under future climate scenarios.

National guidance for adapting to coastal hazards and sea-level rise: Anticipating change, when and how to change pathway

2018 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 100-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy Lawrence ◽  
Rob Bell ◽  
Paula Blackett ◽  
Scott Stephens ◽  
Sylvia Allan
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
National Guidance ◽  
And Sea Level

scholarly journals Tipping points of Mississippi Delta marshes due to accelerated sea-level rise

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (21) ◽  
pp. eaaz5512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjörn E. Törnqvist ◽  
Krista L. Jankowski ◽  
Yong-Xiang Li ◽  
Juan L. González
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Mississippi Delta ◽  
Time Windows ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Tipping Points ◽  
Coastal Marshes ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Global Sea Level ◽  
Coastal Louisiana

Coastal marshes are threatened by relative sea-level (RSL) rise, yet recent studies predict marsh survival even under the high rates of RSL rise expected later in this century. However, because these studies are mostly based on short-term records, uncertainty persists about the longer-term vulnerability of coastal marshes. We present an 8500-year-long marsh record from the Mississippi Delta, showing that at rates of RSL rise exceeding 6 to 9 mm year−1, marsh conversion into open water occurs in about 50 years. At rates of RSL rise exceeding ~3 mm year−1, marsh drowning occurs within a few centuries. Because present-day rates of global sea-level rise already surpass this rate, submergence of the remaining ~15,000 km2 of marshland in coastal Louisiana is probably inevitable. RSL-driven tipping points for marsh drowning vary geographically, and those for the Mississippi Delta may be lower than elsewhere. Nevertheless, our findings highlight the need for consideration of longer time windows in determining the vulnerability of coastal marshes worldwide.

scholarly journals Divergence of seafloor elevation and sea level rise in coral reef ecosystems

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1739-1772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly K. Yates ◽  
David G. Zawada ◽  
Nathan A. Smiley ◽  
Ginger Tiling-Range
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Carbonate Production ◽  
Coral Reef Ecosystems ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract. Coral reefs serve as natural barriers that protect adjacent shorelines from coastal hazards such as storms, waves, and erosion. Projections indicate global degradation of coral reefs due to anthropogenic impacts and climate change will cause a transition to net erosion by mid-century. Here, we provide a comprehensive assessment of the combined effect of all of the processes affecting seafloor accretion and erosion by measuring changes in seafloor elevation and volume for five coral reef ecosystems in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean over the last several decades. Regional-scale mean elevation and volume losses were observed at all five study sites and in 77 % of the 60 individual habitats that we examined across all study sites. Mean seafloor elevation losses for whole coral reef ecosystems in our study ranged from −0.09 to −0.8 m, corresponding to net volume losses ranging from 3.4  ×  106 to 80.5  ×  106 m3 for all study sites. Erosion of both coral-dominated substrate and non-coral substrate suggests that the current rate of carbonate production is no longer sufficient to support net accretion of coral reefs or adjacent habitats. We show that regional-scale loss of seafloor elevation and volume has accelerated the rate of relative sea level rise in these regions. Current water depths have increased to levels not predicted until near the year 2100, placing these ecosystems and nearby communities at elevated and accelerating risk to coastal hazards. Our results set a new baseline for projecting future impacts to coastal communities resulting from degradation of coral reef systems and associated losses of natural and socioeconomic resources.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic and environmental predictors of estuarine shoreline hard armoring

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Peterson ◽  
Craig E. Landry ◽  
Clark R. Alexander ◽  
Kevin Samples ◽  
Brian P. Bledsoe
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
Environmental Predictors ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Shoreline Armoring ◽  
Rising Sea Levels ◽  
Estuarine Shoreline ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Rising sea levels and growing coastal populations are intensifying interactions at the land-sea interface. To stabilize upland and protect human developments from coastal hazards, landowners commonly emplace hard armoring structures, such as bulkheads and revetments, along estuarine shorelines. The ecological and economic consequences of shoreline armoring have garnered significant attention; however, few studies have examined the extent of hard armoring or identified drivers of hard armoring patterns at the individual landowner level across large geographical areas. This study addresses this knowledge gap by using a fine-scale census of hard armoring along the entire Georgia U.S. estuarine coastline. We develop a parsimonious statistical model that accurately predicts the probability of armoring emplacement at the parcel level based on a set of environmental and socioeconomic variables. Several interacting influences contribute to patterns of shoreline armoring; in particular, shoreline slope and the presence of armoring on a neighboring parcel are strong predictors of armoring. The model also suggests that continued sea level rise and coastal population growth could trigger future increases in armoring, emphasizing the importance of considering dynamic patterns of armoring when evaluating the potential effects of sea level rise. For example, evolving distributions of armoring should be considered in predictions of future salt marsh migration. The modeling approach developed in this study is adaptable to assessing patterns of hard armoring in other regions. With improved understanding of hard armoring distributions, sea level rise response plans can be fully informed to design more efficient scenarios for both urban development and coastal ecosystems.

Impacts of Binary-interacted Typhoons Tembin and Bolaven in 2012 on Surges and Waves over the East China Sea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Yang ◽  
Yong Li ◽  
Meixiang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
East China Sea ◽  
Coastal Hazards ◽  
The Yellow Sea ◽  
East China ◽  
Altimeter Data ◽  
The East China Sea ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Hurricane Wind

<p>Typhoon-induced storm surges and waves are highly related with typhoon track and associated wind stresses and atmospheric pressures at sea surface. The effects of binary interaction may alter typhoon tracks and even forward speed, which might influence waves and surge heights in the ocean. In the present study, we execute a series of numerical experiments to investigate how isolated and binary typhoons would impact the ocean waves and generated surges offshore and nearshore. The responses of binary typhoons to sea level rise and land subsidence are also discussed. The Typhoon Tembin and Typhoon Bolaven influenced the East China Sea with equivalent intensity of tropical storm and Category 2, respectively, on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is utilized to hindcast the layered wind and atmospheric pressure fields above sea/land surface. Two synthetic scenarios isolating these individual typhoons are designed to investigate the potential impacts of the binary-interacted typhoons. By coupling with the SCHISM–WWMIII modelling system, the corresponding surge–tide–wave processes are solved and validated with measurements at tidal gauge and wave buoy stations. At the same time, The spatial-varied future relative sea level rise (RSLR) by the end of the century is projected from satellite altimeter data-based sea level analysis and is adjusted for the influence of the Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) using the ICE-6G/VM5a model. The results indicate that the surge and wave heights induced by these two typhoons were not exacerbated significantly, as the hours influencing the Yellow Sea by Typhoon Tembin were about 30 hours later than Typhoon Bolaven. We also present the spatial distribution of nonlinear responses of storm surge induced extreme sea levels to RSLR, implicating the regions of exacerbation and attenuation, respectively, due to future sea level trend. The present study helps identifying distribution patterns by binary-interacted typhoons and enhancing assessment accuracy of potential coastal hazards and flood risk.</p>

scholarly journals Role of Future Reef Growth on Morphological Response of Coral Reef Islands to Sea-Level Rise

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerhard Masselink ◽  
Robert McCall ◽  
Edward Beetham ◽  
Paul Simon Kench ◽  
Curt D. Storlazzi
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Reef Growth ◽  
Morphological Response ◽  
Reef Islands
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