Changing Sea Levels: Effects of Tides, Weather and Climate

Front Cover
Cambridge University Press, 2004 - Nature - 265 pages
Flooding 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
References
251
Index
255
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