scholarly journals An extreme event of sea-level rise along the Northeast coast of North America in 2009–2010

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul B. Goddard ◽  
Jianjun Yin ◽  
Stephen M. Griffies ◽  
Shaoqing Zhang
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
Northeast Coast

A radiocarbon chronology of Holocene climate change and sea-level rise at the Delmarva Peninsula, US Mid-Atlantic Coast

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110482
Author(s):  
Kelvin W Ramsey ◽  
Jaime L. Tomlinson ◽  
C. Robin Mattheus
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North America ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Eastern North America ◽  
Delmarva Peninsula ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Cool Climate ◽  
And Sea Level

Radiocarbon dates from 176 sites along the Delmarva Peninsula record the timing of deposition and sea-level rise, and non-marine wetland deposition. The dates provide confirmation of the boundaries of the Holocene subepochs (e.g. “early-middle-late” of Walker et al.) in the mid-Atlantic of eastern North America. These data record initial sea-level rise in the early Holocene, followed by a high rate of rise at the transition to the middle Holocene at 8.2 ka, and a leveling off and decrease in the late-Holocene. The dates, coupled to local and regional climate (pollen) records and fluvial activity, allow regional subdivision of the Holocene into six depositional and climate phases. Phase A (>10 ka) is the end of periglacial activity and transition of cold/cool climate to a warmer early Holocene. Phase B (10.2–8.2 ka) records rise of sea level in the region, a transition to Pinus-dominated forest, and decreased non-marine deposition on the uplands. Phase C (8.2–5.6 ka) shows rapid rates of sea-level rise, expansion of estuaries, and a decrease in non-marine deposition with cool and dry climate. Phase D (5.6–4.2 ka) is a time of high rates of sea-level rise, expanding estuaries, and dry and cool climate; the Atlantic shoreline transgressed rapidly and there was little to no deposition on the uplands. Phase E (4.2–1.1 ka) is a time of lowering sea-level rise rates, Atlantic shorelines nearing their present position, and marine shoal deposition; widespread non-marine deposition resumed with a wetter and warmer climate. Phase F (1.1 ka-present) incorporates the Medieval Climate Anomaly and European settlement on the Delmarva Peninsula. Chronology of depositional phases and coastal changes related to sea-level rise is useful for archeological studies of human occupation in relation to climate change in eastern North America, and provides an important dataset for future regional and global sea-level reconstructions.

Preventing local extinctions of tidal marsh endemic Seaside Sparrows and Saltmarsh Sparrows in eastern North America

The Condor ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel G Roberts ◽  
Rebecca A Longenecker ◽  
Matthew A Etterson ◽  
Chris S Elphick ◽  
Brian J Olsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Jersey ◽  
North America ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Population Persistence ◽  
Vital Rates ◽  
Saltmarsh Sparrow ◽  
Management Actions

Abstract Globally limited to 45,000 km2, salt marshes and their endemic species are threatened by numerous anthropogenic influences, including sea-level rise and predator pressure on survival and nesting success. Along the Atlantic coast of North America, Seaside (Ammospiza maritima) and Saltmarsh (A. caudacuta) sparrows are endemic to salt marshes, with Saltmarsh Sparrows declining by 9% annually. Because vital rates and factors affecting population persistence vary for both species, local estimates are necessary to best predict population persistence in response to management actions. We used a metapopulation model to estimate the population viability of the breeding Seaside and Saltmarsh sparrow populations in coastal New Jersey over a 42-yr period. We incorporated empirical data on the vital rates and abundances of these populations and simulated the effect of low (0.35 m) and high (0.75 m) levels of sea-level rise. We found that the Seaside Sparrow population persisted under both sea-level rise scenarios; however, the Saltmarsh Sparrow population reached a quasi-extinction threshold within 20 yr. Using the same framework, we modeled potential management scenarios that could increase the persistence probability of Saltmarsh Sparrows and found that fecundity and juvenile survival rates will require at least a 15% concurrent increase for the local population to persist beyond 2050. Future field research should evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of management actions, such as predator control, for increasing Saltmarsh Sparrow vital rates in order to maintain the species in coastal New Jersey.

The Climate Vulnerabilities of Global Nuclear Power

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Jordaan ◽  
Afreen Siddiqi ◽  
William Kakenmaster ◽  
Alice C. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Extreme Event ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
And Sea Level

Nuclear power—a source of low-carbon electricity—is exposed to increasing risks from climate change. Intensifying storms, droughts, extreme precipitation, wildfires, higher temperatures, and sea-level rise threaten supply disruptions and facility damage. Approximately 64 percent of installed capacity commenced operation between thirty and forty-eight years ago, before climate change was considered in plant design or construction. Globally, 516 million people reside within a fifty mile (80 km) radius of at least one operating nuclear power plant, and 20 million reside within a ten mile (16 km) radius, and could face health and safety risks resulting from an extreme event induced by climate change. Roughly 41 percent of nuclear power plants operate near seacoasts, making them vulnerable to increasing storm intensity and sea-level rise. Inland plants face exposure to other climate risks, such as increasingly severe wildfires and warmer water temperatures. No entity has responsibility for conducting risk assessments that adequately evaluate the climate vulnerabilities of nuclear power and the subsequent threats to international energy security, the environment, and human health. A comprehensive risk assessment by international agencies and the development of national and international standards is necessary to mitigate risks for new and existing plants.

Spatio-temporal decomposition of geophysical signals in North America

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aoibheann Brady ◽  
Jonathan Rougier ◽  
Bramha Dutt Vishwakarma ◽  
Yann Ziegler ◽  
Richard Westaway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Bayesian Hierarchical ◽  
Isostatic Adjustment ◽  
Modelling Framework ◽  
Vertical Land Motion ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Spatio Temporal

<p>Sea level rise is one of the most significant consequences of projected future changes in climate. One factor which influences sea level rise is vertical land motion (VLM) due to glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), which changes the elevation of the ocean floor. Typically, GIA forward models are used for this purpose, but these are known to vary with the assumptions made about ice loading history and Earth structure. In this study, we implement a Bayesian hierarchical modelling framework to explore a data-driven VLM solution for North America, with the aim of separating out the overall signal into its GIA and hydrology (mass change) components. A Bayesian spatio-temporal model is implemented in INLA using satellite (GRACE) and in-situ (GPS) data as observations. Under the assumption that GIA varies in space but is constant in time, and that hydrology is both spatially- and temporally-variable, it is possible to separate the contributions of each component with an associated uncertainty level. Early results will be presented. Extensions to the BHM framework to investigate sea level rise at the global scale, such as the inclusion of additional processes and incorporation of increased volumes of data, will be discussed.</p>

Biogeographic shifts in a transgressive succession: the Cambrian (Furongian, Jiangshanian; Latest Steptoean–earliest Sunwaptan) agnostoid arthropodsKormagnostellaRomanenko andBiciragnostusErgaliev in North America

2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 804-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Westrop ◽  
Jonathan M. Adrain
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
North America ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Local Extinction ◽  
Faunal Turnover ◽  
Upper Cambrian ◽  
Extinction Event ◽  
Stratigraphic Interval

The first records of the upper Cambrian agnostoid generaKormagnostella, E. Romanenko,inRomanenko and Romanenko, 1967, andBiciragnostusF. Ergaliev,inEraliev and Ergaliev, 2001, in Laurentian North America are from a narrow stratigraphic interval in the Steptoean–Sunwaptan boundary interval (Furongian, Jiangshanian) of Nevada and Utah. In Nevada, both genera occur in a condensed bioclastic lag below a major flooding surface, andKormagnostellaalso appears in a transgressive interval in Utah. Immigration of these genera is associated with sea level rise, and also with faunal turnover.Biciragnostusis confined to the latestElviniaZone, immediately below the onset of a trilobite and agnostoid extinction event at the base of theIrvingella majorZone (basal Sunwaptan).Kormagnostellais present in the latestElviniaZone, and has its highest occurrence in theI. majorZone. Stratigraphic data from the Karatau-Naryn Terrane, Kazakhstan indicate that both genera disappear near the local extinction ofIrvingella, suggesting that faunal turnover in that region may have been broadly correlative with the more profound extinction in Laurentia. New species areKormagnostella advena,K. insolitaandBiciragnostus viator.

scholarly journals An Ancient Meltwater Pulse Raised Sea Levels by 18 Meters

Eos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Hornyak
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Last Deglaciation ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
The Last Deglaciation ◽  
New Research

Meltwater pulse 1A, a period of rapid sea level rise after the last deglaciation, was powered by melting ice from North America and Scandinavia, according to new research.

Revision of selected North American and Eurasian Late Devonian (Frasnian) species of Cyrtospirifer and Regelia (Brachiopoda)

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueping Ma ◽  
Jed Day
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Phylogenetic Species ◽  
Shell Width ◽  
Species Groups

Study of the shell features of Givetian and Frasnian spiriferid brachiopods attributed to the genus Cyrtospirifer shows that the type species C. verneuili has micro-ornament consisting of fine concentric growth lines, radial capillae, with microspines arising from some capillae, spine bases appear to extend into the primary shell layer. Its dorsal interior features a pseudoseptum supporting the cardinalia. Micro-ornament of Cyrtospirifer varies widely and is a useful criterion for characterization of species of the genus. Most Frasnian species retained in the genus have micropustulate shells. Two late Givetian and Frasnian phylogenetic species groups of Cyrtospirifer are recognized based on similarities of shell form and external and internal shell features. Species of the verneuilisyringothyriformis group have transverse alate shells, and are the most abundant and widespread group in Frasnian deposits worldwide. The verneuiliformis group includes the oldest known species of Cyrtospirifer with narrow hinges and more inflated ventral valves where shell width is close to or equal to length. The oldest Cyrtospirifer originated in western Europe during the late Givetian, and subsequently migrated at different times during the Frasnian into other shelf areas of Eurasia, North America and China. The initial migration of Cyrtospirifer into tropical and subtropical shelf settings in North America coincided with the middle Frasnian eustatic sea level rise of Devonian Transgressive-Regressive (T-R) cycle IIc of Johnson and others. A second late Frasnian dispersal from western Canada to subtropical carbonate and clastic shelves in the southwestern and central U.S. coincided with the initial sea level rise of T-R cycle IId of Johnson and others. The Frasnian species Cyrtospirifer glaucus Crickmay, 1952a (middle Frasnian of western Canada) is the type species for Regelia Crickmay, 1952b, and is considered a valid genus, and is not a synonym of C. chemungensis (Conrad, 1842) as previously interpreted by some authors. Regelia differs from Cyrtospirifer in the absence of a delthyrial plate, complete in-filling of the delthyrial cavity by secondary shell material, its simpler rod-like teeth, and its fewer medial sinal shell plications. Species of Regelia are restricted to the middle to late Frasnian of North America.

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