Coastal flooding and sediment transport during extreme storms in the northeastern USA in a changing climate

Qing Ping Zou, Dongmei Xie, Jean MacRae, Anthony Mignone

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

According to a recent OECD report, the population subject to coastal flood risk could grow more than threefold to nearly 150 million people and the asset exposure could reach more than ten times current levels. The fully-coupled wave and ocean circulation model SWAN+ADCIRC was used to investigate the characteristics of coastal flooding and sediment transport during extreme events in the Northeastern USA in a changing climate. The model predictions for 2015 North American blizzard and 2007 Patriot's Day storm compare well with the buoy, tidal gauge, water level staff and Lidar measurements. The tide-surge and wave interaction contributes significantly to the coastal flooding and sediment transport. The wave overtopping discharge at the Scituate Seawall in Massachusetts would almost double in a sea level rise scenario of 0.36 m by 2050 for a storm like the 2015 North American blizzard. Seawall crest needs to be raised by much more than sea level rise to cope with future storms since larger waves can arrive at the structure without breaking at larger water depth and the overtopping is dependent on both freeboard and wave height. The extent of coastal inundation at the Saco Bay, Maine would nearly double for a storm like the Patriot's Day storm for a sea level rise of 1.0 m.The SWAN+ADCIRC hydrodynamic model is coupled with the sediment transport model. The predicted sediment transport pattern is closely correlated with the wave induced nearshore circulation at Saco Bay, Maine and altered significantly by the sea level rise.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 21st IAHR-APD Congress
Subtitle of host publicationMulti-Perspective Water for Sustainable Development
PublisherDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada
Pages457-463
Number of pages7
Volume1
ISBN (Electronic)9786027176270
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2018
Event21st Congress of International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research-Asia Pacific Division: Multi-Perspective Water for Sustainable Development - Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Duration: 2 Sept 20185 Sept 2018

Conference

Conference21st Congress of International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research-Asia Pacific Division
Abbreviated titleIAHR-APD 2018
Country/TerritoryIndonesia
CityYogyakarta
Period2/09/185/09/18

Keywords

  • Climate change
  • Coastal flooding
  • Extreme storms
  • Sediment transport
  • Storm surge

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology
  • Environmental Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Coastal flooding and sediment transport during extreme storms in the northeastern USA in a changing climate'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this