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Observations and estimates of wave‐driven water level extremes at the Marshall Islands
Author(s) -
Merrifield M. A.,
Becker J. M.,
Ford M.,
Yao Y.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2014gl061005
Subject(s) - swell , hindcast , reef , water level , breaking wave , significant wave height , wave height , shore , waves and shallow water , geology , ridge , wave setup , environmental science , oceanography , wind wave , flooding (psychology) , infragravity wave , climatology , wave propagation , geography , physics , mechanical wave , paleontology , longitudinal wave , psychology , cartography , quantum mechanics , psychotherapist
Wave‐driven extreme water levels are examined for coastlines protected by fringing reefs using field observations obtained in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The 2% exceedence water level near the shoreline due to waves is estimated empirically for the study sites from breaking wave height at the outer reef and by combining separate contributions from setup, sea and swell, and infragravity waves, which are estimated based on breaking wave height and water level over the reef flat. Although each component exhibits a tidal dependence, they sum to yield a 2% exceedence level that does not. A hindcast based on the breaking wave height parameterization is used to assess factors leading to flooding at Roi‐Namur caused by an energetic swell event during December 2008. Extreme water levels similar to December 2008 are projected to increase significantly with rising sea level as more wave and tide events combine to exceed inundation threshold levels.