Changing Sea Levels: Effects of Tides, Weather and ClimateFlooding of coastal communities is one of the major causes of environmental disasters world-wide. This textbook explains how sea levels are affected by astronomical tides, weather effects, ocean circulation and climate trends. Based on courses taught by the author in the UK and the USA, this book is aimed at undergraduate students at all levels, with non-basic mathematics being confined to Appendices and a website (http://publishing.cambridge.org/resources/0521532183/). Changing Sea Levels will also interest professionals in many fields including hydrography, coastal engineering, geology, biology, coastal planning and economics. |
Contents
Introduction and measurements | 1 |
12 Changing sea levels | 2 |
13 Historical ideas | 7 |
14 Measuring sea levels | 9 |
Further reading | 28 |
Tidal forces and patterns | 29 |
22 Gravitational attraction | 33 |
a fuller description | 37 |
63 Responses to atmospheric pressure | 134 |
64 Responses to wind | 136 |
65 Some regional examples of surges | 141 |
66 Seiches | 147 |
67 Tsunamis | 149 |
Further reading | 155 |
Questions | 156 |
Mean sea level | 157 |
232 Solar tides | 39 |
25 The geoid | 43 |
Further reading | 48 |
Analysis and prediction | 50 |
31 Nonharmonic methods | 51 |
32 Basic statistics | 52 |
33 Harmonic analysis | 55 |
34 Response analysis | 67 |
35 Analysis of currents | 69 |
Further reading | 74 |
Questions | 75 |
Tidal dynamics | 76 |
42 Characteristics of long waves | 78 |
43 Ocean tides | 86 |
44 Shelf tides | 93 |
45 Internal tides | 100 |
46 Tidal energy | 103 |
Further reading | 106 |
Questions | 107 |
Tides near the coast | 108 |
51 Hydrodynamic distortions | 109 |
52 Representation by higher harmonics | 112 |
53 Southampton tides | 114 |
54 Currents in channels | 117 |
55 Tides in estuaries and rivers | 119 |
turbulence and dissipation | 122 |
Further reading | 128 |
Weather and other effects | 129 |
61 Background | 130 |
62 Some statistics of meteorological residuals | 131 |
71 Calculating mean sea level | 159 |
72 Spatial changes in mean sea level | 161 |
73 Observed annual and interannual changes | 163 |
734 Nodal MSL changes | 167 |
75 Changes of water volume | 171 |
753 Other effects | 175 |
Further reading | 178 |
Questions | 179 |
Extreme sea levels | 180 |
82 Ways of estimating flooding risks | 182 |
824 Other methods | 188 |
84 Responses to changing flooding risks | 195 |
Further reading | 206 |
Questions | 207 |
Tidal influences | 208 |
92 Tidal asymmetry and sediment movements | 212 |
93 Salt marshes and mangroves | 213 |
94 Zonation of coastal plants and animals | 214 |
95 Behaviour adaptation | 221 |
the geological record | 222 |
97 Tides past | 224 |
98 Legal definitions of tidal boundaries | 226 |
Further reading | 229 |
Questions | 230 |
Tidal potential | 233 |
Answers to selected questions | 236 |
Glossary | 241 |
251 | |
255 | |
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Common terms and phrases
air pressure altimeter altimetry amphidrome amplitude Atlantic average basin Bay of Fundy channel Chapter coast coastal datum density diurnal diurnal tides earth effects Ekman transport Equation Equilibrium Tide estuaries extreme factors flooding flow geoid global gravitational harmonic constituents increase Island Kelvin wave long-term low water M₂ maximum mean sea level metres Minas Basin MSL changes MSL rise neap tides Newlyn nodal observed occur orbit oscillations phase propagation resonance response return period risks River rotation satellite sea bed sea level changes sea level measurements sea level rise sea surface Section sediment seiches semidiurnal tides shallow water shelf shown in Figure shows solar species spring tides spring-neap storm surge tidal amplitudes tidal analysis tidal constituents tidal currents tidal cycle tidal forces tidal levels tidal predictions tidal ranges tidal waves tide gauge TOPEX/Poseidon trends tsunami values variations water depth water level wind zero