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Kelvin Wave to Lift California Sea Levels by Up to a Foot as El Niño Builds
Key Takeaways
- A Kelvin wave, or coastal trapped wave, is expected to raise California sea levels by as much as 30 centimeters (one foot) in the coming days.
- The wave is a sustained bulge of excess water up to 30 kilometers (18 miles) wide that hugs the coastline as it travels as far north as Alaska.
- It is not a tsunami and does not crash onto beaches; instead it elevates baseline sea levels for days.
- Oceanographer Dillon Amaya says combining the wave with storm surge, large swells or astronomically high tides sharply increases flood and erosion risk.
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DT Editorial Team··via phys.org