A groundbreaking new study that tracked the increasing height using historical data acquired over the past 90 years found that as the world warms, waves are growing larger, and surf at least 13 feet (nearly 4 meters) higher is becoming more frequent off the coast of California.
To estimate the change in wave height, oceanographer Peter Bromirski at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography employed the uncommon technique of examining seismic data going all the way back to 1931, as reported by The Associated Press.
Seismographs used to identify earthquakes can pick up the energy ripple that occurs when waves ricochet off the shore and collide with approaching waves. The height of the wave increases with impact.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a network of buoys to collect data on wave height along U.S. coasts, however, the data along the California coast only dates back to 1980.
Measuring Daily Seismic Measurements From Decades of Winters
Bromirski assembled a group of undergraduate students to examine daily seismic measurements spanning decades of winters in order to go back deeper. Years were spent in a lengthy, laborious procedure that required scanning drums of paper records. But he said that it was crucial to understand how life has altered along California's coast over the past almost a century.
Bromirski was astounded to discover prolonged intervals of unusually low wave heights before around 1970 and none subsequently. Wave changes can also be seen in various ways.
The study, which was released on Tuesday in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, provides more proof that global oceanic changes brought on by climate change are significant. Other research has revealed that waves are growing in height and strength.
The effects of the powerful storms and enormous surf are already being felt. This winter's violent storms and enormous waves in California caused bluffs to crumble, piers to be damaged, and portions of the state's scenic Highway 1 to flood.
Read also: Florida Ocean Triple-Digit Temperature Recorded, Setting Potential World Record
Greater Things to Come?
That, according to Bromirski, is a sign of things to come. According to scientists, global warming may possibly be speeding, bringing about ever more powerful waves.
Bigger waves will increase floods in coastal areas, tear away beaches, start landslides, and destabilize existing bluffs as sea levels rise and storms get stronger, he said.
These problems are especially concerning along the California coast where sea cliffs have recently started to collapse and have destroyed homes. According to the study, forecasts show that by the end of the twenty-first century, even moderate waves may cause damage on a par with that caused by major weather events.
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