Hello everyone, do you know what a storm surge is? They are a big concern in many coastal communities including Barrow. A storm surge is an abnormal rise in sea level, over and above the regular astronomical tide. Large waves form when you have high wind speed, long wind duration, and a large fetch. Fetch is the distance of open water that the wind blows across. So when the landfast ice breaks up and moves far off shore, it opens up a bigger fetch. This is why Barrow’s deadly storm surges occur during late summer and fall - it's because the ice is far off shore and can’t act as a barrier to the incoming waves. Large storm surges can lead to coastal inundation. In 1963 Barrow was hit with a storm surge that produced 12 foot waves flooding parts of the town and destroying buildings. The longshore current sweeps down the coastline eroding the land and moving sediment in the process. Barrow spends millions of dollars each year trying to protect the coastline and the cities infrastructure. Berms and revetments are the main form of defense to protect the coastline from eroding and the city from flooding. But changes in climate is enabling bigger waves and increased storm frequency. This is one reason why we are here - to work with the local emergency management office to study the coastline and to increase community awareness to this growing danger. To learn more about storm surges and coastal inundation check out this NOAA website: http://www.stormsurge.noaa.gov/
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