Modeling Groundwater Rise Caused by Sea-Level Rise in Coastal New Hampshire

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Jacobs ◽  
Jayne F. Knott ◽  
Jo S. Daniel ◽  
Paul Kirshen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Groundwater Rise

scholarly journals Compound Inundation Impacts of Coastal Climate Change: Sea-Level Rise, Groundwater Rise, and Coastal Precipitation

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 2776
Author(s):  
Reyhaneh Rahimi ◽  
Hassan Tavakol-Davani ◽  
Cheyenne Graves ◽  
Atalie Gomez ◽  
Mohammadebrahim Fazel Valipour
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Coastal Watershed ◽  
Drainage Capacity ◽  
Groundwater Rise ◽  
Compound Effect

The importance of considering the compound effects of multiple hazards has increased in recent years due to their catastrophic impacts on human lives and property. Compound effects correspond to events with multiple concurrent or consecutive drivers, e.g., heavy storms, coastal flooding, high tides, and sea level rise (SLR). There is a recent evidence on inundation caused by SLR-driven groundwater rise, and there is a distinct knowledge gap in understanding the compound inundation effects of this phenomenon considering the important hydrologic and hydraulic considerations under compound events. To fill this knowledge gap, we developed a novel analytical framework to understand the movements of the surface flow under typical precipitation events considering their interaction with uprising groundwater and SLR in a coastal watershed located in Oakland Flatlands, CA, USA, home to several disadvantaged communities. This modelling approach simulates the dynamics of compound flooding in two dimensions of the earth surface in a fine resolution, which is critical for devising proper flood management strategies. The reason to focus on disadvantaged coastal communities is that such communities typically encounter disproportionate environmental injustices due to the lack of sufficient drainage capacity in their infrastructure. Our results show that by considering the compound effect of SLR, groundwater inundation and precipitation flooding, the drainage capacity of infrastructure will be substantially exceeded, such that over 700 acres of the built infrastructure could be flooded. This is a considerable increase compared to scenarios that do not consider compound effect, or scenarios that consider inappropriate combinations of driving factors. In sum, our results highlight the significance of considering compound effects in the coastal inundation analyses, with a particular emphasis on the role of groundwater rise.

Adaptation Planning to Mitigate Coastal-Road Pavement Damage from Groundwater Rise Caused by Sea-Level Rise

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayne F. Knott ◽  
Jo Sias Daniel ◽  
Jennifer M. Jacobs ◽  
Paul Kirshen
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Service Life ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Groundwater Modeling ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Base Layer ◽  
Premature Failure ◽  
Groundwater Rise ◽  
Pavement Service Life

Sea level in coastal New England is projected to rise 3.9–6.6 ft (1.2–2.0 m) by the year 2100. Many climate-change vulnerability and adaptation studies have investigated surface-water flooding from sea-level rise (SLR) on coastal-road infrastructure, but few have focused on rising groundwater. Groundwater modeling in New Hampshire’s Seacoast Region has shown that SLR-induced groundwater rise will occur three to four times farther inland than surface-water flooding, potentially impacting 23% of the region’s roads. Pavement service-life has been shown to decrease when the unbound layers become saturated. In areas where groundwater is projected to rise with SLR, pavements with groundwater 5.0 ft (1.5 m) deep or less are at risk of premature failure as groundwater moves into the pavement’s underlying unbound layers. In this study, groundwater hydrology and multi-layer elastic pavement analysis were used to identify two case-study sites in coastal New Hampshire that are predicted to experience pavement service-life reduction caused by SLR-induced groundwater rise. Various pavement structures were evaluated to determine adaptation feasibility and costs to maintain the designed service-life in the face of rising groundwater. This investigation shows that relatively simple pavement structural modifications to the base and asphalt concrete (AC) layers of a regional corridor can eliminate the 80% to 90% service-life reduction projected with 1.0 ft SLR (year 2030) and will delay pavement inundation by 20 years. Pavements with adequate base-layer materials and thickness require only AC thickness modification to avoid premature pavement failure from SLR-induced groundwater rise.

Evidence for a Postglacial Low Relative Sea-Level Stand in the Drowned Delta of the Merrimack River, Western Gulf of Maine

1983 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. N. Oldale ◽  
L. E. Wommack ◽  
A. B. Whitney
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Relative Sea Level ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Late Wisconsinan

AbstractA submerged delta of the Merrimack River, located offshore between Cape Ann, Massachusetts, and the New Hampshire border, indicates a postglacial low relative see-level stand of about −47 m. The low stand is inferred to date to 10,500 yr B.P., but a lack of age control makes this assignment uncertain. A curve based on a late Wisconsinan, high relative sea-level stand of +32m at 13,000 yr B.P., a low stand of −47m at 10,500 yr B.P., and younger radiocarbon dates related to sea-level rise indicates an early postglacial crustal rise of at least 5 m per century.

Effects of Sea Level Rise on Storm Surge Flooding and Current Speeds in New Hampshire Estuaries

2021 ◽  
Vol 147 (2) ◽  
pp. 04020054
Author(s):  
Thomas C. Lippmann ◽  
Anna E. Simpson ◽  
Salme E. Cook ◽  
Paul Kirshen
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Surge Flooding

scholarly journals Assessing the Effects of Rising Groundwater from Sea Level Rise on the Service Life of Pavements in Coastal Road Infrastructure

2017 ◽  
Vol 2639 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jayne F. Knott ◽  
Mohamed Elshaer ◽  
Jo Sias Daniel ◽  
Jennifer M. Jacobs ◽  
Paul Kirshen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Service Life ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Adaptation Studies ◽  
Premature Failure ◽  
Road Infrastructure

Coastal communities with road infrastructure close to the shoreline are vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise caused by climate change. The sea level in coastal New Hampshire is projected to rise by 3.9 to 6.6 ft (1.2 to 2.0 m) by 2100. Climate change vulnerability and adaptation studies have focused on surface water flooding caused by sea level rise; however, little attention has been given to the effects of climate change on groundwater. Groundwater is expected to rise with sea level rise and will intersect the unbound layers of coastal road infrastructure, thus reducing the service life of pavement. Vulnerability studies are an essential part of adaptation planning, and pavement engineers are looking for methods to identify roads that may experience premature failure. In this study, a regional groundwater flow model of coastal New Hampshire was used to identify road infrastructure for which rising groundwater will move into the unbound materials during the design life of the pavement. Multilayer elastic theory was used to analyze typical pavement profiles in several functional classifications of roadway to determine the magnitude of fatigue and rutting life reduction expected from four scenarios of sea level rise. All the evaluation sites experienced service life reduction, the magnitude and timing of which depended on the current depth to groundwater, the pavement structure, and the subgrade. The use of this methodology will enable pavement engineers to target coastal road adaptation projects effectively and will result in significant cost savings compared with implementation of broad adaptation projects or the costs of no action.

Potential Effects of Sea-Level Rise on Salt Marsh Elevation Dynamics in a New Hampshire Estuary

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1405-1418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew R. Payne ◽  
David M. Burdick ◽  
Gregg E. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Marsh Elevation

Glacial Contributions to 21st Century Sea Level Rise

Eos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Wheeling
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Mass Change ◽  
Sources Of Uncertainty

Researchers identify the main sources of uncertainty in projections of global glacier mass change, which is expected to add about 8–16 centimeters to sea level, through this century.

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