Today's story
Kelvin waves from El Niño could worsen West Coast erosion and flooding
West Coast sea levels may rise up to a foot this month as El Niño Kelvin waves move north at about 6 mph, amplifying erosion and flood risk with tides and storms.
Environment · 8 sources · 2dRead itThe journal
Open the journal →The conversation starts in the journal — be the first to post.
About Kelvin wave
A Kelvin wave is a wave in the ocean, a large lake or the atmosphere that balances the Earth's Coriolis force against a topographic boundary such as a coastline, or a waveguide such as the equator. A feature of a Kelvin wave is that it is non-dispersive, i.e., the phase speed of the wave crests is equal to the group speed of the wave energy for all frequencies. This means that it retains its shape as it moves in the alongshore direction over time.
Everything about Kelvin wave →