Sean Vitousek
Research Oceanographer, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 52
Multiscale assessment of shoreline evolution in the US Pacific Northwest via a process-based model Multiscale assessment of shoreline evolution in the US Pacific Northwest via a process-based model
Prediction of shoreline evolution in coastal environments is critical to aid adaptation strategy planning for coastal communities. To perform reliable predictions, process-based shoreline change models have recently gained popularity in many applications. The study region here, Tillamook County, Oregon, on the US Pacific Northwest coast, has recently been experiencing elevated shoreline...
Authors
Mohsen Taherkhani, Meredith Leung, Peter Ruggiero, Sean Vitousek, Jonathan Allan
Earth science looks to outer space Earth science looks to outer space
Satellite data are revolutionizing coastal science. A study revealing how the El Niño/Southern Oscillation impacts coastal erosion around the Pacific Rim shows what is possible.
Authors
Patrick L. Barnard, Sean Vitousek
Understanding uncertainties in contemporary and future extreme wave events for broad-scale impact and adaptation planning Understanding uncertainties in contemporary and future extreme wave events for broad-scale impact and adaptation planning
Understanding uncertainties in extreme wind-wave events is essential for offshore/coastal risk and adaptation estimates. Despite this, uncertainties in contemporary extreme wave events have not been assessed, and projections are still limited. Here, we quantify, at global scale, the uncertainties in contemporary extreme wave estimates across an ensemble of widely used global wave...
Authors
Joao Morim, Thomas Wahl, Sean Vitousek, Sara Santamaria, Ian Young, Mark Hemer
The future of coastal monitoring through satellite remote sensing The future of coastal monitoring through satellite remote sensing
Satellite remote sensing is transforming coastal science from a “data-poor” field into a “data-rich” field. Sandy beaches are dynamic landscapes that change in response to long-term pressures, short-term pulses, and anthropogenic interventions. Until recently, the rate and breadth of beach change have outpaced our ability to monitor those changes, due to the spatiotemporal limitations of...
Authors
Sean Vitousek, Dan Buscombe, Kilian Vos, Patrick L. Barnard, Andrew C. Ritchie, Jonathan A. Warrick
Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event
Wildfire and post-fire rainfall have resounding effects on hillslope processes and sediment yields of mountainous landscapes. Yet, it remains unclear how fire–flood sequences influence downstream coastal littoral systems. It is timely to examine terrestrial–coastal connections because climate change is increasing the frequency, size, and intensity of wildfires, altering precipitation...
Authors
Jonathan A. Warrick, Kilian Vos, Amy E. East, Sean Vitousek
Reinterpreting the Bruun Rule in the context of equilibrium shoreline models Reinterpreting the Bruun Rule in the context of equilibrium shoreline models
Long-term (>decades) coastal recession due to sea-level rise (SLR) has been estimated using the Bruun Rule for nearly six decades. Equilibrium-based shoreline models have been shown to skillfully predict short-term wave-driven shoreline change on time scales of hours to decades. Both the Bruun Rule and equilibrium shoreline models rely on the equilibrium beach theory, which states that...
Authors
Maurizio D’Anna, Deborah Idier, Bruno Castelle, Sean Vitousek, Goneri Le Cozannet
Global-scale changes to extreme ocean wave events due to anthropogenic warming Global-scale changes to extreme ocean wave events due to anthropogenic warming
Extreme surface ocean waves are often primary drivers of coastal flooding and erosion over various time scales. Hence, understanding future changes in extreme wave events owing to global warming is of socio-economic and environmental significance. However, our current knowledge of potential changes in high-frequency (defined here as having return periods of less than 1 year) extreme wave...
Authors
Joao Morim, Sean Vitousek, Mark Hemer, Borja Reguero, Li H. Erikson, Merce Casas-Prat, Xiaolan L. Wang, Alvaro Semedo, Nobuhito Mori, Tomoya Shimura, Lorenzo Mentaschi, Ben Timmerman
The application of ensemble wave forcing to quantify uncertainty of shoreline change predictions The application of ensemble wave forcing to quantify uncertainty of shoreline change predictions
Reliable predictions and accompanying uncertainty estimates of coastal evolution on decadal to centennial time scales are increasingly sought. So far, most coastal change projections rely on a single, deterministic realization of the unknown future wave climate, often derived from a global climate model. Yet, deterministic projections do not account for the stochastic nature of future...
Authors
Sean Vitousek, Laura Cagigal, Jennifer Montano, Ana Rueda, Fernando J. Mendez, Giovanni Coco, Patrick L. Barnard
Sediment connectivity: A framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways Sediment connectivity: A framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways
Connectivity provides a framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways, building on conceptual advances in graph theory from other scientific disciplines. Connectivity schematizes sediment pathways as a directed graph (i.e., a set of nodes and links). This study presents a novel application of graph theory and connectivity metrics like modularity and centrality to coastal...
Authors
Stuart Pearson, Bram C. van Prooijen, Edwin P.L. Elias, Sean Vitousek, Zheng Bing Wang
Large-scale erosion driven by intertidal eelgrass loss in an estuarine environment Large-scale erosion driven by intertidal eelgrass loss in an estuarine environment
Seagrasses influence local hydrodynamics by inducing drag on the flow and dampening near-bed velocities and wave energy. When seagrasses are lost, near-bed currents and wave energy can increase, which enhances bottom shear stresses, destabilizes sediment, and promotes suspension and erosion. Though seagrasses are being lost rapidly globally, the magnitude of change in sediment...
Authors
Ryan K. Walter, Jenifer K. O’Leary, Sean Vitousek, Mohsen Taherkhani, Carolyn Geraghty, Ann Kitajima
Sea-level rise exponentially increases coastal flood frequency Sea-level rise exponentially increases coastal flood frequency
Sea-level rise will radically redefine the coastline of the 21st century. For many coastal regions, projections of global sea-level rise by the year 2100 (e.g., 0.5–2 meters) are comparable in magnitude to today’s extreme but short-lived increases in water level due to storms. Thus, the 21st century will see significant changes to coastal flooding regimes (where present-day, extreme-but...
Authors
Mohsen Taherkhani, Sean Vitousek, Patrick L. Barnard, L Neil Frazer, Tiffany Anderson, Charles Fletcher
Steps to develop early warning systems and future scenarios of wave-driven flooding along coral reef-lined coasts Steps to develop early warning systems and future scenarios of wave-driven flooding along coral reef-lined coasts
Tropical coral reef-lined coasts are exposed to storm wave-driven flooding. In the future, flood events during storms are expected to occur more frequently and to be more severe due to sea-level rise, changes in wind and weather patterns, and the deterioration of coral reefs. Hence, disaster managers and coastal planners are in urgent need of decision-support tools. In the short-term...
Authors
Gundula Winter, Curt D. Storlazzi, Sean Vitousek, Ap van Dongeren, Robert T. McCall, Ron Hoeke, William Skirving, John Marra, Johan Reyns, Jerome Aucan, Matthew J. Widlansky, Janet Becker, Chris Perry, Gerd Masselink, Ryan Lowe, Murray Ford, Andrew Pomeroy, Fernando J. Mendez, Ana C. Rueda, Moritz Wandres
Filter Total Items: 22
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 52
Multiscale assessment of shoreline evolution in the US Pacific Northwest via a process-based model Multiscale assessment of shoreline evolution in the US Pacific Northwest via a process-based model
Prediction of shoreline evolution in coastal environments is critical to aid adaptation strategy planning for coastal communities. To perform reliable predictions, process-based shoreline change models have recently gained popularity in many applications. The study region here, Tillamook County, Oregon, on the US Pacific Northwest coast, has recently been experiencing elevated shoreline...
Authors
Mohsen Taherkhani, Meredith Leung, Peter Ruggiero, Sean Vitousek, Jonathan Allan
Earth science looks to outer space Earth science looks to outer space
Satellite data are revolutionizing coastal science. A study revealing how the El Niño/Southern Oscillation impacts coastal erosion around the Pacific Rim shows what is possible.
Authors
Patrick L. Barnard, Sean Vitousek
Understanding uncertainties in contemporary and future extreme wave events for broad-scale impact and adaptation planning Understanding uncertainties in contemporary and future extreme wave events for broad-scale impact and adaptation planning
Understanding uncertainties in extreme wind-wave events is essential for offshore/coastal risk and adaptation estimates. Despite this, uncertainties in contemporary extreme wave events have not been assessed, and projections are still limited. Here, we quantify, at global scale, the uncertainties in contemporary extreme wave estimates across an ensemble of widely used global wave...
Authors
Joao Morim, Thomas Wahl, Sean Vitousek, Sara Santamaria, Ian Young, Mark Hemer
The future of coastal monitoring through satellite remote sensing The future of coastal monitoring through satellite remote sensing
Satellite remote sensing is transforming coastal science from a “data-poor” field into a “data-rich” field. Sandy beaches are dynamic landscapes that change in response to long-term pressures, short-term pulses, and anthropogenic interventions. Until recently, the rate and breadth of beach change have outpaced our ability to monitor those changes, due to the spatiotemporal limitations of...
Authors
Sean Vitousek, Dan Buscombe, Kilian Vos, Patrick L. Barnard, Andrew C. Ritchie, Jonathan A. Warrick
Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event Fire (plus) flood (equals) beach: Coastal response to an exceptional river sediment discharge event
Wildfire and post-fire rainfall have resounding effects on hillslope processes and sediment yields of mountainous landscapes. Yet, it remains unclear how fire–flood sequences influence downstream coastal littoral systems. It is timely to examine terrestrial–coastal connections because climate change is increasing the frequency, size, and intensity of wildfires, altering precipitation...
Authors
Jonathan A. Warrick, Kilian Vos, Amy E. East, Sean Vitousek
Reinterpreting the Bruun Rule in the context of equilibrium shoreline models Reinterpreting the Bruun Rule in the context of equilibrium shoreline models
Long-term (>decades) coastal recession due to sea-level rise (SLR) has been estimated using the Bruun Rule for nearly six decades. Equilibrium-based shoreline models have been shown to skillfully predict short-term wave-driven shoreline change on time scales of hours to decades. Both the Bruun Rule and equilibrium shoreline models rely on the equilibrium beach theory, which states that...
Authors
Maurizio D’Anna, Deborah Idier, Bruno Castelle, Sean Vitousek, Goneri Le Cozannet
Global-scale changes to extreme ocean wave events due to anthropogenic warming Global-scale changes to extreme ocean wave events due to anthropogenic warming
Extreme surface ocean waves are often primary drivers of coastal flooding and erosion over various time scales. Hence, understanding future changes in extreme wave events owing to global warming is of socio-economic and environmental significance. However, our current knowledge of potential changes in high-frequency (defined here as having return periods of less than 1 year) extreme wave...
Authors
Joao Morim, Sean Vitousek, Mark Hemer, Borja Reguero, Li H. Erikson, Merce Casas-Prat, Xiaolan L. Wang, Alvaro Semedo, Nobuhito Mori, Tomoya Shimura, Lorenzo Mentaschi, Ben Timmerman
The application of ensemble wave forcing to quantify uncertainty of shoreline change predictions The application of ensemble wave forcing to quantify uncertainty of shoreline change predictions
Reliable predictions and accompanying uncertainty estimates of coastal evolution on decadal to centennial time scales are increasingly sought. So far, most coastal change projections rely on a single, deterministic realization of the unknown future wave climate, often derived from a global climate model. Yet, deterministic projections do not account for the stochastic nature of future...
Authors
Sean Vitousek, Laura Cagigal, Jennifer Montano, Ana Rueda, Fernando J. Mendez, Giovanni Coco, Patrick L. Barnard
Sediment connectivity: A framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways Sediment connectivity: A framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways
Connectivity provides a framework for analyzing coastal sediment transport pathways, building on conceptual advances in graph theory from other scientific disciplines. Connectivity schematizes sediment pathways as a directed graph (i.e., a set of nodes and links). This study presents a novel application of graph theory and connectivity metrics like modularity and centrality to coastal...
Authors
Stuart Pearson, Bram C. van Prooijen, Edwin P.L. Elias, Sean Vitousek, Zheng Bing Wang
Large-scale erosion driven by intertidal eelgrass loss in an estuarine environment Large-scale erosion driven by intertidal eelgrass loss in an estuarine environment
Seagrasses influence local hydrodynamics by inducing drag on the flow and dampening near-bed velocities and wave energy. When seagrasses are lost, near-bed currents and wave energy can increase, which enhances bottom shear stresses, destabilizes sediment, and promotes suspension and erosion. Though seagrasses are being lost rapidly globally, the magnitude of change in sediment...
Authors
Ryan K. Walter, Jenifer K. O’Leary, Sean Vitousek, Mohsen Taherkhani, Carolyn Geraghty, Ann Kitajima
Sea-level rise exponentially increases coastal flood frequency Sea-level rise exponentially increases coastal flood frequency
Sea-level rise will radically redefine the coastline of the 21st century. For many coastal regions, projections of global sea-level rise by the year 2100 (e.g., 0.5–2 meters) are comparable in magnitude to today’s extreme but short-lived increases in water level due to storms. Thus, the 21st century will see significant changes to coastal flooding regimes (where present-day, extreme-but...
Authors
Mohsen Taherkhani, Sean Vitousek, Patrick L. Barnard, L Neil Frazer, Tiffany Anderson, Charles Fletcher
Steps to develop early warning systems and future scenarios of wave-driven flooding along coral reef-lined coasts Steps to develop early warning systems and future scenarios of wave-driven flooding along coral reef-lined coasts
Tropical coral reef-lined coasts are exposed to storm wave-driven flooding. In the future, flood events during storms are expected to occur more frequently and to be more severe due to sea-level rise, changes in wind and weather patterns, and the deterioration of coral reefs. Hence, disaster managers and coastal planners are in urgent need of decision-support tools. In the short-term...
Authors
Gundula Winter, Curt D. Storlazzi, Sean Vitousek, Ap van Dongeren, Robert T. McCall, Ron Hoeke, William Skirving, John Marra, Johan Reyns, Jerome Aucan, Matthew J. Widlansky, Janet Becker, Chris Perry, Gerd Masselink, Ryan Lowe, Murray Ford, Andrew Pomeroy, Fernando J. Mendez, Ana C. Rueda, Moritz Wandres
Filter Total Items: 22