Abstract

Global sea level rise understanding is critical for coastal zones, and estuaries are particularly vulnerable to water level changes. Sea level is increasing worldwide due to several climactic factors, and tidal range may also change in estuaries due to sea level rise and anthropogenic harbor improvements that may modify friction and resonance, increasing risks to population centers. Tidal range changes may further complicate the risks of sea level rise, increasing the frequency of nuisance flooding, and may affect tide-sensitive ecosystems. Higher total water levels threaten to increase flood zone areas in estuarine regions, which can impact the infrastructure, industry, and public health of coastal populations, as well as disrupting sensitive biological habitats. Therefore, it is of critical interest to analyze how tidal range changes under sea level changes. This chapter describes the tidal anomaly correlation (TAC) methodology which can quantify the tidal evolution related to sea level changes. A basin-wide survey of Pacific and Atlantic Ocean tide gauges is detailed, showing that tidal changes due to sea level rise is present at most locations surveyed. A focused regional study of Hong Kong is also described as an example of how tidal evolution can impact high population density coastal zones.

Keywords: ocean tides, tidal variability, sea level rise, coastal flooding, nuisance flooding
