Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Publications
Assessing morphologic controls on atoll island alongshore sediment transport gradients due to future sea-level rise
Atoll islands’ alongshore sediment transport gradients depend on how island and reef morphology affect incident wave energy. It is unclear, though, how potential atoll morphologic configurations influence shoreline erosion and/or accretion patterns, and how these relationships will respond to future sea-level rise (SLR). Schematic atoll models...
Shope, James B.; Storlazzi, Curt D. Spatial and temporal variability in ripple formation and migration across a coral reef flat and lagoon
Sediment produced on fringing coral reefs that is transported along the bed or in suspension affects ecological reef communities as well as the morphological development of the reef, lagoon, and adjacent shoreline. This study quantified the physical process contribution and relative importance of sea‐swell waves, infragravity waves, and mean...
Rosenberger, Kurt J.; Storlazzi, Curt D.; Pomeroy, Andrew; Cheriton, Olivia; Lowe, Ryan J.; Hansen, Jeff
Rigorously valuing the role of U.S. coral reefs in coastal hazard risk reduction
The degradation of coastal habitats, particularly coral reefs, raises risks by increasing the exposure of coastal communities to flooding hazards. The protective services of these natural defenses are not assessed in the same rigorous economic terms as artificial defenses, such as seawalls, and therefore often are not considered in decision making...
Storlazzi, Curt D.; Reguero, Borja G.; Cole, Aaron D.; Lowe, Erik; Shope, James B.; Gibbs, Ann E.; Nickel, Barry A.; McCall, Robert T.; van Dongeren, Ap R.; Beck, Michael W. An economic evaluation of adaptation pathways in coastal mega cities: An illustration for Los Angeles
Sea level rise and uncertainty in its projections pose a major challenge to flood risk management and adaptation investments in coastal mega cities. This study presents a comparative economic evaluation method for flood adaptation measures, which couples a cost–benefit analysis with the concept of adaptation pathways. Our approach accounts for...
de Ruig, Lars T.; Barnard, Patrick L.; Botzen, W. J. Wouter; Grifman, Phyllis; Finzi Hart, Juliette; de Moel, Hans; Sadrpour, Nick; Aerts, Jeroen C.J.H. Shallow structure and geomorphology along the offshore northern San Andreas Fault, Tomales Point to Fort Ross, California
We mapped a poorly documented 35-km-long section of the northern San Andreas fault zone (NSAF) between Tomales Point and Fort Ross, California. Mapping is largely based on high-resolution seismic-reflection profiles (38 fault crossings), multibeam bathymetry, and onshore geology. NSAF strike in this section is nearly parallel to plate motion,...
Johnson, Samuel; Beeson Jeffrey W. Iron and sulfide nanoparticle formation and transport in nascent hydrothermal vent plumes
Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are a significant source of dissolved metals to the global oceans, producing midwater plumes enriched in metals that are transported thousands of kilometers from the vent source. Extensive particle precipitation upon emission of hydrothermal fluids, due to temperature and pH changes during mixing with ambient seawater,...
Findlay, Alyssa J.; Estes, Emily; Gartman, Amy; Kamyshny, Alexey; Yucel, Mustafa; Luther, George W. Coral skeleton δ15N as a tracer of historic nutrient loading to a coral reef in Maui, Hawaii
Excess nutrient loading to nearshore environments has been linked to declining water quality and ecosystem health. Macro-algal blooms, eutrophication, and reduction in coral cover have been observed in West Maui, Hawaii, and linked to nutrient inputs from coastal submarine groundwater seeps. Here, we present a forty-year record of nitrogen...
Murray, Joseph; Prouty, Nancy G.; Peek, Sara E.; Paytan, Adina The influence of shelf bathymetry and beach topography on extreme total water levels: Linking large-scale changes of the wave climate to local coastal hazards
Total water levels (TWLs) at the coast are driven by a combination of deterministic (e.g., tides) and stochastic (e.g., waves, storm surge, and sea level anomalies) processes. The contribution of each process to TWLs varies depending on regional differences in climate and framework geology, as well as local-scale variations in beach morphology,...
Katherine A. Serfain; Peter Ruggiero; Barnard, Patrick L.; Stockdon, Hilary F. Offshore landslide hazard curves from mapped landslide size distributions
We present a method to calculate landslide hazard curves along offshore margins based on size distributions of submarine landslides. The method analyzes ten different continental margins, that were mapped by high-resolution multibeam sonar with landslide scar areas measured by a consistent GIS procedure. Statistical tests of several different...
Geist, Eric L.; ten Brink, Uri S. Sources, timing, and fate of sediment and contaminants in the nearshore: insights from geochemistry
Rivers in Cascade watersheds carry sediment with a volcanic composition that is distinct from the plutonic composition of the Puget lowlands. Compositional properties (signatures) allow discrimination of river-sourced Cascade from lowland sediment, and inferences about transport pathways. Surface sediment on land contains atmospheric radionuclides...
Takesue, Renee K.; Conn, Kathleen E.; Dutch, Margaret Assessing patterns of annual change to permafrost bluffs along the North Slope coast of Alaska using high-resolution imagery and elevation models
Coastal permafrost bluffs at Barter Island, on the North Slope, Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska are among the most rapidly eroding along Alaska’s coast, having retreated up to 132 m between 1955 and 2015. Here we quantify rates and patterns of change over a single year using very-high resolution orthophotomosaics and co-registered surface elevation...
Gibbs, Ann E.; Nolan, Matt; Richmond, Bruce M.; Snyder, Alexander; Erikson, Li HyCReWW: A hybrid coral reef wave and water level metamodel
Wave-induced flooding is a major coastal hazard on tropical islands fronted by coral reefs. The variability of shape, size, and physical characteristics of the reefs across the globe make it difficult to obtain a parameterization of wave run-up, which is needed for risk assessments. Therefore, we developed the HyCReWW metamodel to predict wave run...
Rueda, Ana C.; Cagigal, Laura; Pearson, Stuart; Antolínez, Jose; Storlazzi, Curt D.; van Dongeren, Ap; Camus, Paula; Mendez, Fernando J.