Determining Extreme Still Water Levels for Design and Planning Purposes Incorporating Sea Level Rise: Sydney, Australia

This paper provides an Extreme Value Analysis (EVA) of the hourly water level record at Fort Denison dating back to 1915 to understand the statistical likelihood of the combination of high predicted tides and the more dynamic influences that can drive ocean water levels higher at the coast. The analysis is based on the Peaks-Over-Threshold (POT) method using a fitted Generalised Pareto Distribution (GPD) function to estimate extreme hourly heights above mean sea level. The analysis highlights the impact of the 1974 East Coast Low event and rarity of the associated measured water level above mean sea level at Sydney, with an estimated return period exceeding 1000 years. Extreme hourly predictions are integrated with future projections of sea level rise to provide estimates of relevant still water levels at 2050, 2070 and 2100 for a range of return periods (1 to 1000 years) for use in coastal zone management, design, and sea level rise adaptation planning along the NSW coastline. The analytical procedures described provide a step-by-step guide for practitioners on how to develop similar baseline information from any long tide gauge record and the associated limitations and key sensitivities that must be understood and appreciated in applying EVA.

Effect of Summer Sea Level Rise on Storm Surge Analysis

Typhoons occur intensively between July and October, and the sea level is the highest during this time. In particular, the mean sea level in summer in Korea is higher than the annual mean sea level about 14.5cm in the west coast, 9.0 to 14.5cm in the south coast, and about 9.0 cm in the east coast. When the rising the sea level and a large typhoon overlap in summer, it can cause surges and flooding in low-lying coastal areas. Therefore, accurate calculation of the surge height is essential when designing coastal structures and assessing stability in order to reduce coastal hazards on the lowlands. In this study, the typhoon surge heights considering the summer mean sea level rise (SH_m) was calculated, and the validity of the analysis of abnormal phenomena was reviewed by comparing it with the existing surge height considering the annual mean sea level (SH_a). As a result of the re-analyzed study of typhoon surge heights for BOLAVEN (SANBA), which influenced in August and September during the summer sea level rise periods, yielded the differences of surge heights (cm) between SH_a and SH_m 7.8~24.5 (23.6~34.5) for the directly affected zone of south-west (south-east) coasts, while for the indirect south-east (south-west) coasts showed -1.0~0.0 (8.3~12.2), respectively. Whilst the differences between SH_a and SH_m of typhoons CHABA (KONG-REY) occurred in October showed remarkably lessened values as 5.2~ 14.2 (19.8~21.6) for the directly affected south-east coasts and 3.2~6.3 (-3.2~3.7) for the indirectly influenced west coast, respectively. The results show the SH_a does not take into account the increased summer mean sea level, so it is evaluated that it is overestimated compared to the surge height that occurs during an actual typhoon. Therefore, it is judged that it is necessary to re-discuss the feasibility of the surge height standard design based on the existing annual mean sea level, along with the accurate establishment of the concept of surge height.

Some climatological characteristics of mean sea level pressure in Bangladesh

On the basis of climatological data of 30 years (1951-1980) for 16 stations a climatological study of mean sea level pressure in Bangladesh has been accomplished. Spatial distribution and actual variation of mean sea level pressure have been studied. Attempt has been made to explain the cause of annual variation of mean sea, level pressure in Bangladesh from the point of view of synoptic meteorology. "Stability" of the meteorological stations of Bangladesh with respect to mean sea level pressure has been quired. The spatial variations of correlation of coefficients with regard to mean sea level pressure have been analysed. Finally, some characteristics of probabilities of mean sea level pressure at different materials for selected stations have been obtained.

Real-time mesoscale modeling for short range prediction of weather over Maitri region in Antarctica

The main objective of this paper is to implement Polar WRF model for the Maitri (Lat. 70° 45 S, Long. 11° 44 E) region at the horizontal resolution of 15 km using initial and boundary conditions of the Global Forecast System T-382 operational at the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The study evaluates the performance of the model using the conventional approach of case studies. The results of the case studies illustrated in this paper reveal that the model is capable of capturing synoptic and meso-scale weather systems. Forecast fields are consistent with the corresponding analysis fields. Synoptic charts of mean sea level pressure prepared by the Weather Service of South Africa at Pretoria are used for the model validation. The model derived meteograms of mean sea level pressure are compared against the corresponding observations. The study demonstrates the usefulness of the forecast products for short range forecasting of weather over the Maitri region. The forecast outputs are made available in the real-time mode in the national web site of IMD www.imd.gov.in. The study is expected to benefit weather forecasters at Maitri.

Coastal Floods Induced by Mean Sea Level Rise—Ecological and Socioeconomic Impacts on a Mesotidal Lagoon

Coastal floods are currently a strong threat to socioeconomic activities established on the margins of lagoons and estuaries, as well as to their ecological equilibrium, a situation that is expected to become even more worrying in the future in a climate change context. The Ria de Aveiro lagoon, located on the northwest coast of Portugal, is not an exception to these threats, especially considering the low topography of its margins which has led to several flood events in the past. The growing concerns with these regions stem from the mean sea level (MSL) rise induced by climate changes as well as the amplification of the impacts of storm surge events, which are predicted to increase in the future due to higher mean sea levels. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the influence of MSL rise on the inundation of Ria de Aveiro habitats and to assess the changes in inundation patterns resulting from frequent storm surges (2-year return period) from the present to the future, assessing their ecological and socioeconomic impacts. For this, a numerical model (Delft3D), previously calibrated and validated, was used to simulate the lagoon hydrodynamics under different scenarios combining MSL rise and frequent storm surge events. The numerical results demonstrated that MSL rise can change the vertical zonation and threaten the local habitats. Many areas of the lagoon may change from supratidal/intertidal to intertidal/subtidal, with relevant consequences for local species. The increase in MSL expected for the end of the century could make the lagoon more vulnerable to the effect of frequent storm surges, harming mostly agricultural areas, causing great losses for this sector and for many communities who depend on it. These extreme events can also affect artificialized areas and, in some cases, endanger lives.

Global Mean Sea Level. Time Trends and Persistence with Long Range Dependent Data

Global mean sea level data are examined in this work by looking at the presence of time trends in the context of long memory or long range dependent processes. By looking at both seasonal signals retained and seasonal signals removed data from 1992 to 2020, the results show that the two series display significant time trend coefficients and high levels of persistence.