Unveiling the global influence of tropical cyclones on extreme waves approaching coastal areas

Swen Jullien (), Jérôme Aucan, Elodie Kestenare, Matthieu Lengaigne and Christophe Menkes
Additional contact information
Swen Jullien: LOPS
Jérôme Aucan: Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie)
Elodie Kestenare: LEGOS (IRD/CNES/CNRS/UT3)
Matthieu Lengaigne: IRD
Christophe Menkes: Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie)

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Tropical and extra-tropical storms generate extreme waves, impacting both nearby and remote regions through swell propagation. Despite their devastating effects in tropical areas, the contribution of tropical cyclones (TCs) to global wave-induced coastal risk remains unknown. Here, we enable a quantitative assessment of TC’s role in extreme waves approaching global coastlines, by designing twin oceanic wave simulations with and without realistic TC wind forcing. We find that TCs substantially contribute to extreme breaking heights in tropical regions (35-50% on average), reaching 100% in high-density TC areas like the North Pacific. TCs also impact remote TC-free regions, such as the equatorial Pacific experiencing in average 30% of its extreme wave events due to TCs. Interannual variability amplifies TC-induced wave hazards, notably during El Niño in the Central Pacific, and La Niña in the South China Sea, Caribbean Arc, and South Indian Ocean coastlines. This research offers critical insights for global risk management and preparedness.

Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-50929-2 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-50929-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50929-2

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().