Revista de Gestão Costeira Integrada
Volume 11, Número 3, Setembro 2011, Páginas 307-314

DOI: 10.5894/rgci277
Submission: April 12, 2011; Evaluation: May 27, 2011; Reception of revised version: June 13, 2011; Accepted: June 29, 2011; Available on-line: August 2, 2011

Sea-level rise and local tidal range changes in coastal embayments: An added complexity in developing reliable sea-level index points

Elevação do nível do mar e variações locais da amplitude da maré em reentrâncias costeiras: uma complexidade suplementar no estabelecimento de pontos fidedignos indicativos do nível do mar

Eduardo Leorri ^{@, 1}, Ryan Mulligan ², David Mallinson ¹, Alejandro Cearreta ³

---

@ - Corresponding author: leorrie@ecu.edu
1 - Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, Graham Building, Room 101, Greenville, NC  27858-4353, USA.
2 - Department of Geological Sciences, East Carolina University, Graham Building, Room 101, Greenville, NC  27858-4353, USA. Current address: Department of Civil Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6 Canada.
3 - Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco/EHU, Apartado 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain.

---

ABSTRACT
This paper re-evaluates the late Holocene sea-level reconstructions from Delaware Bay and assesses the possible effect of tidal range changes over the last 4000 years. Previous work suggested that the differences found between the northern and southern areas of the Delaware Bay (USA) could be explained by isostatic rebound. However, our results derived from tidal modeling suggest that at least 25% of this difference could be explained by changes in the tidal range due to amplification or attenuation of tidal waves over shallower bathymetry. Furthermore, indications of large changes of the tidal range over short distances might suggest that integration of sea-level index points from different areas should be performed with caution. New sea-level trend estimates have been calculated at 1.17±0.2 mm yr-1 in the southern area, and 1.55±0.2 mm yr-1 in the north.

Keywords: Holocene, sea level, tidal range, estuary, Atlantic Ocean.

 

RESUMO
Neste trabalho reavalia-se a reconstituição da subida do nível médio do mar, em Delaware Bay (EUA), e o possível efeito das variações da amplitude das marés ao longo dos últimos 4000 anos. Vários autores consideram que as diferenças registadas entre as zonas norte e sul desta baía, podem ser explicadas por um fenómeno de ressalto isostático. No entanto os nossos resultados, obtidos a partir de modelação das marés, sugerem que pelo menos 25% desta diferença pode ser explicada por alterações da amplitude das marés, devido à amplificação ou à atenuação das ondas de maré contra uma batimetria pouco profunda. Além do mais, as grandes variações da amplitude das marés obtidas, quando estabelecidas em distâncias curtas, sugerem que a integração dos marcadores do nível do mar de áreas diferentes deve de ser feita com precaução. As estimativas agora obtidas para a subida do nível do mar em Delaware Bay, correspondem a 1,17 ± 0,2 mm ano-1 na zona sul e a 1,55 ± 0,2 mm ano-1 na zona norte da baía.

Palavras chave: Holocénico, nível do mar, amplitude das marés, estuário, Oceano Atlântico.

 

Austin, R.M. (1991) - Modeling holocene tides on the nw european continental-shelf. Terra Nova, 3(3):276-288. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3121.1991.tb00145.x.

Cearreta, A.; Alday, M.; Freitas, M.C.; Andrade, C. (2007) - Postglacial foraminifera and paleoenvironments of the melides lagoon (sw portugal): Towards a regional model of coastal evolution. Journal of Foraminiferal Research, 37(2):125-135. DOI:10.2113/gsjfr.37.2.125

Culver, S.J.; Grand Pre, C.A.; Mallinson, D.J.; Riggs, S.R.; Corbett, D.R.; Foley, J.; Hale, M.: Metger, L.; Ricardo, J.; Rosenberger, J.; Smith, C.G.; Smith, C.W.; Snyder, S.W.; Twamley, D.; Farrell, K.; Horton, B. (2007) - Late Holocene barrier island collapse: Outer Banks, North Carolina, U.S.A. The Sedimentary Record, 5(4):4-8. http://www.sepm.org/CM_Files/SedimentaryRecord/SR_5-4Final.pdf

Elias, E.P.L.; van der Spek, A.J.F. (2006) - Long-term morphodynamic evolution of texel inlet and its ebb-tidal delta (the netherlands). Marine Geology, 225(1-4):5-21. DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2005.09.008.

Engelhart, S.E.; Horton, B.P.; Douglas, B.C.; Peltier, W.R.; Tornqvist. T.E. (2009) - Spatial variability of late holocene and 20th century sea-level rise along the atlantic coast of the united states. Geology, 37(12):1115-1118. DOI: 10.1130/G30360A.1

Galperin, B.; Mellor, G.L. (1990) - A time-dependent, 3-dimensional model of the delaware bay and river system .1. Description of the model and tidal analysis. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 31(3):231-253.
DOI:10.1016/0272-7714(90)90103-X.

Gehrels, W.R. (2010) - Late holocene land- and sea-level changes in the british isles: Implications for future sea-level predictions. Quaternary Science Reviews, 29(13-14):1648-1660.
DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.09.015.

Hinton, A.C. (1996) - Tides in the northeast atlantic: Considerations for modelling water depth changes, Quaternary Science Reviews, 15(8-9):873-894. DOI:10.1016/S0277-3791(96)00061-3

Lentz, S.; Carr, M.; Herbers, T.H.C. (2001) - Barotropic tides on the north carolina shelf. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 31(7):1843-1859. DOI:10.1175/1520-0485(2001)031<1843:BTOTNC>2.0.CO;2

Leorri, E.; Cearreta, A. (2009) - Anthropocene versus holocene relative sea-level rise rates in the southern bay of biscay, Geogaceta, 46:127-130. http://www.sociedadgeologica.es/archivos/geogacetas/
geo46/art32.pdf

Leorri, E.; Martin, R.; McLaughlin, P. (2006) - Holocene environmental and parasequence development of the st. Jones estuary, delaware (USA): Foraminiferal proxies of natural climatic and anthropogenic change. Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology, 241(3-4):590-607. DOI:10.1016/j.palaeo.2006.04.011

Leorri, E.; Horton; B.P.; Cearreta, A. (2008) - Development of a foraminifera-based transfer function in the basque marshes, N. Spain: Implications for sea-level studies in the bay of biscay. Marine Geology, 251(1-2):60-74. DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2008.02.005.

Lesser, G.R.; Roelvink, J.A.; Kester, J.A.T.M. van; Stelling, GS. (2004) - Development and validation of a three-dimensional morphological model, Coastal Engineering, 51(8-9):883-915. DOI:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2004.07.014.

Mallinson, D.J., Culver, S.J.; Riggs, S.R.; Ames, D.; Leorri, E.; Mulligan, R. (2011) - Evidence for rapid coastal changes during the holocene: The roles of climate, sea level and thresholds. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 43(2):80.

Massey, A.C.; Gehrels, W.R.; Charman, D.J.; Milne, G.A.; Peltier, W.R.; Lambeck, K.; Selby, K.A. (2008) - Relative sea-level change and postglacial isostatic adjustment along the coast of South Devon, United Kingdom, Journal of Quaternary Science, 23(5):415-433. DOI:10.1002/jqs.1149

McKinnell, S.M.; Crawford, W.R. (2007) - The 18.6-year lunar nodal cycle and surface temperature variability in the northeast pacific. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 112(C2). DOI:10.1029/2006JC003671.

Milne, G.A.; Long, A.J.; Bassett, S.E. (2005) - Modelling Holocene relative sea-level observations from the Caribbean and South America. Quaternary Science Reviews, 24(10-11):1183-1202. DOI:10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.10.005

Mulligan, R.P.; Hay, A.E.; Bowen, A.J. (2008) - Wave-driven circulation in a coastal bay during the landfall of a hurricane. Journal of Geophysical Research-Oceans, 113(C5). DOI:10.1029/2007jc004500.

Mulligan, R.P.; Perrie, W.; Solomon, S. (2010) - Dynamics of the mackenzie river plume on the inner beaufort shelf during an open water period in summer. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 89(3):214-220.
DOI:10.1016/j.ecss.2010.06.010.

NOAA (2011) - U.S. Coastal Relief Model, Vol. 2, U.S. South East Atlantic Coast. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) / National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), Boulder, CO, U.S.A.
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/coastal/crm.html.

Peltier, W.R. (2002) - On eustatic sea level history: Last glacial maximum to holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews, 21(1-3):377-396. DOI:10.1016/S0277-3791(01)00084-1.

Pugh, D.T. (ed.) (1987) - Tides, surges, and mean sea level. 472 pp., John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 047191505x

Shaw, J.; Amos, C.L.; Greenberg, D.A.; O’Reilly, C.T.; Parrott, D.R.; Patton, E. (2010) - Catastrophic tidal expansion in the bay of fundy, Canada. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 47(8):1079-1091.
DOI:10.1016/S0277-3791(01)00084-1.

Shennan, I.; Horton, B. (2002) - Holocene land- and sea-level changes in great britain, Journal of Quaternary Science, 17(5-6):511-526. DOI:10.1002/jqs.710.

em construção