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Many of us have heard that climate change is causing sea level rise, an increase in ocean temperature and a decrease in sea ice. But stronger waves?
According to a new study from the University of Santa Cruz Institute of Ocean Sciences, UC, the waves are breaking down more forcefully than ever before on the shoreline – and this increase in wave strength is directly related to the warming of the ocean.
Posted in Nature Communications last month, the study found that wave power, which involves moving wind energy into wave motion, increased 0.4% annually from 1948 to 2017.
This may seem like an insignificant number, but it can mean big changes in terms of coastal damage and flooding.
"It's a new signal of climate change that was previously unknown," said Borja Reguero, a researcher at UC Santa Cruz and senior author of the study. "This has a significant impact on our adaptation and future planning in coastal regions."
The energy in most waves of the ocean comes from the wind. When the wind hits the surface of the ocean, it creates a ripple effect that eventually forms a wave. The stronger the wind, the bigger the wave.
Previous research has shown that wave height has increased in recent decades, particularly near the North and South Poles. In addition, scientists have discovered that the speed of the waves, or the time it takes to complete a complete cycle, has increased. The direction of the waves has also changed in some areas of the ocean. But scientists have paid much less attention to changing wave power around the world.
With this new study, researchers have found that rising sea-surface temperature has caused a change in wind patterns, resulting in stronger waves. This increase in wave power occurs both in the world and in distinct ocean basins, including the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
Although the team has noted a long-term trend of increased wave power, this increase is particularly evident during stormy seasons, such as the 2013-2014 winter in the summer. North Atlantic, which has severely damaged the west coast of Europe, and the catastrophic hurricane season of 2017 in the Caribbean.
Understanding this upward trend in wave power is very important for coastal communities. With stronger waves, coastal towns and villages risk losing key elements of their infrastructure. Dykes may no longer be able to fully protect harbors and the waters and waters will move further inland, increasing the risk of flooding.
In addition to providing new information on the effects of climate change, Reguero hopes that this research highlights the importance of taking wave energy into account when planning future coastal infrastructures.
"If we do not take this into account, we would probably underestimate the effects (of the waves) and the necessary adaptations," he said.
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