Kelvin waves are a well-known, planetary-scale ocean phenomenon, but this particular forecast has experts worried because it will likely amplify the damage from severe storms, storm surges, flooding and coastal erosion that the record-shattering El Niño is expected to bring this winter.
Internal Kelvin waves are triggered by changes in surface winds around the equator in the far-western Pacific Ocean. Specifically, westerly wind bursts weaken the background trade winds that blow from South America toward Asia, thereby allowing warm water and elevated sea states that occur in the far-western Pacific to slowly "slosh" eastward.
Once an internal Kelvin wave kicks off, researchers can track its advance along the equator and predict when it will hit the South American coastline. The wave can't go farther east than that, so it spreads into two branches — known as coastal trapped waves — that continue north and south for thousands of miles at a speed of around 6 mph (10 km/h). This means California is not uniquely exposed to the current wave; all of the countries and regions that border the eastern Pacific Ocean are vulnerable, Webb said.
A Kelvin wave is a disturbance characterized by higher-than-normal sea levels. Here, we see one hitting the northern tip of South America and propagating northward. (Image credit: Dillon Amaya/North Carolina State University)
The problem is that higher tides magnify the impacts of storms, which are more likely in some parts of the U.S. during an El Niño, Kate Huckelbridge, executive director of the California Coastal Commission, wrote in a Sept. 11 memo. The memo was sent to warn coastal California homeowners and residents to prepare for extreme conditions, such as flooding.
RELATED STORIES
The super El Niño could cause torrential rainstorms. Americans may need to stock up on food to prepare, experts say.'This is such a clear story': Climate change is supercharging El Niño to unprecedented strengths, study finds'At some point we're going to have to react': How El Niño, climate change, and crime are pushing the Amazon rainforest over the brink
Several internal Kelvin waves can occur within a single El Niño event, with the largest waves typically recorded in the winter. However, Webb said he doubts there will be more than one full wave this time.
Hence then, the article about powerful kelvin wave triggered by super el nino threatens to raise sea levels off the california coast for months was published today ( ) and is available on Live Science ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Powerful 'Kelvin wave' triggered by super El Niño threatens to raise sea levels off the California coast for months )
Also on site :
- Jimmy Fallon Just Dropped a Brutal Title for Karoline Leavitt’s Hypothetical Memoir, and the Internet Is Having a Field Day
- Six Flags Magic Mountain Permanently Closes World-Famous X2 Roller Coaster Following Mounting Safety Concerns
- ‘Heated Rivalry’ Star Hudson Williams Calls for Arrests of 7 Men Named in Cornell Sexual Assault Lawsuit