What to Know About the Kelvin Wave Raising the Sea Level Along the West Coast
The slow-moving pulse could lift sea levels by a half-foot or more and bring flooding and erosion to coastal communities, NOAA said.
- A pulse of warm water known as a Kelvin wave is surging toward the West Coast, expected to lift sea levels by up to a foot this month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .
- Kelvin waves are a "fact of life" during El Niño, said Dillon Amaya, an assistant professor at North Carolina State University, forming when equatorial trade winds weaken and push warm water bulges toward the Americas.
- Dillon Amaya noted that "people are on edge" as coastal communities like San Clemente already grapple with erosion, while Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley's deputy chief of staff, Alyssa Napuri, warned the wave could send water levels between six to 12 inches higher.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to mobilize resources, while National Weather Service meteorologist Logan Howard said impacts will reach Oregon and Washington state within days as the surge moves north at 150 miles per day.
- Michael Jacox, a research oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries' Ecosystem Science Division, warned the wave itself won't flood areas but "raises the baseline," amplifying future high tides and storm surges across the region.
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What to know about the Kelvin wave raising the sea level along the West Coast
SEATTLE (AP) — Sea levels along the West Coast will begin to rise by up to a foot this month as a series of pulses of warm water called Kelvin waves hit the shoreline and move north, sparking concerns about beach erosion and flooding in areas already impacted by climate change and El Niño. Kelvin [...]
Freak ocean phenomenon takes hold of California coast with seas surging
California’s coast is bracing for a surge that could lift sea levels by as much as a foot in the coming days, stacking onto already battered beaches and raising the risk of flooding and erosion. The surge, known as a coastal trapped wave or Kelvin wave, is one of the effects of an El Niño […]
A pulse of warm water hitting the Pacific coast could mean erosion and flooding – WTOP News
SEATTLE (AP) — Sea levels along the West Coast will begin to rise by up to a foot this month as a series of pulses of warm water called Kelvin waves hit the shoreline and move north, sparking concerns about beach erosion and flooding in areas already impacted by climate change and El Niño. Kelvin...
Sea levels along the West Coast will begin to rise up to 30 centimeters (1 foot) this month, as a series of warm water pulses called Kelvin waves hit the coastline and move northwards, raising concern over beach erosion and flooding in areas already affected by climate change and El Niño.
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