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An extreme event of sea-level rise along the Northeast coast of North America in 2009–2010

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  • Paul B. Goddard

    (University of Arizona)

  • Jianjun Yin

    (University of Arizona)

  • Stephen M. Griffies

    (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, NOAA)

  • Shaoqing Zhang

    (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, NOAA)

Abstract

The coastal sea levels along the Northeast Coast of North America show significant year-to-year fluctuations in a general upward trend. The analysis of long-term tide gauge records identified an extreme sea-level rise (SLR) event during 2009–10. Within this 2-year period, the coastal sea level north of New York City jumped by 128 mm. This magnitude of interannual SLR is unprecedented (a 1-in-850 year event) during the entire history of the tide gauge records. Here we show that this extreme SLR event is a combined effect of two factors: an observed 30% downturn of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation during 2009–10, and a significant negative North Atlantic Oscillation index. The extreme nature of the 2009–10 SLR event suggests that such a significant downturn of the Atlantic overturning circulation is very unusual. During the twenty-first century, climate models project an increase in magnitude and frequency of extreme interannual SLR events along this densely populated coast.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul B. Goddard & Jianjun Yin & Stephen M. Griffies & Shaoqing Zhang, 2015. "An extreme event of sea-level rise along the Northeast coast of North America in 2009–2010," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-9, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms7346
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7346
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    Cited by:

    1. Leah H Beckett & Andrew H Baldwin & Michael S Kearney, 2016. "Tidal Marshes across a Chesapeake Bay Subestuary Are Not Keeping up with Sea-Level Rise," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(7), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Julie Milovanovic & Tripp Shealy & Leidy Klotz & Eric J. Johnson & Elke U. Weber, 2022. "Pictures Matter: How Images of Projected Sea-Level Rise Shape Long-Term Sustainable Design Decisions for Infrastructure Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, March.

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