The coast : hazardous interactions within the coastal environment

Contents Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xv 1 Characteristic Landforms and Environments of the Coastal Zone 1 Coastal Environments 1 Should People Live on Barrier Islands? 6 Conclusion 32 2 Origin of Coastal Hazards: Coastal Processes 34 Waves 34 Wave Erosion of Coastal Cliffs at Plymouth, Massachusetts 38 Rogue Waves 39 Tides 40 Tides in Turnagain Arm, Alaska 44 Storms 45 Formation and Characteristics of Hurricanes 46 Extratropical Cyclones 50 Effects of Storms and Hurricanes 51 Storm Surges 52 Human-Induced Changes to the Shoreline 53 Longshore Sediment Transport and Management: Santa Barbara, California 56 Conclusion 57 3 Effects of Rising Sea Levels and Coastal Subsidence 58 Causes of Changing Sea Levels 61 Short-Term Climate Changes 61 El Niño, La Niña, and the Southern Oscillation 62 Long-Term Climate Effects 63 Changes in Water/Ice Volume 66 Plate Tectonics, Supercontinent Cycles, and Sea Level 68 Changes in Mid-Ocean Ridge Volume 70 Changes in Continental Area 72 Subsidence of Coastal Environments 72 Types of Surface Subsidence and Collapse 74 Human-Induced Subsidence 75 Ground Water Extraction 75 Sea Water Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers 78 Tectonic Subsidence 79 Compaction-Related Subsidence on Deltas and Passive Margins 82 Conclusion 86 4 Examples of Coastal Hazards and Disasters (1900–2007) 87 Galveston Island Hurricane, Texas, 1900 89 Netherlands Storm Surge, 1953 92 Rethinking Coastal Living 94 Bangladesh, a Recurring Disaster 96 Hurricane Andrew, Florida, 1992 97 Hurricane Hugo, South Carolina, 1989 98 Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2004 99 What Can Be Done to Reduce Coastal Hazards? 101 Personal Safety During Coastal Disasters 102 Conclusion 104 5 New Orleans: The City Most at Risk for Coastal Disaster in the United States 105 Louisiana Coastal Subsidence and Disappearing Coastal Marsh 109 Hurricane History of New Orleans 111 Hurricane Katrina Chronology 113 Warnings before Hurricane Katrina 118 Secondary Effects of Hurricane Katrina 119 Hurricane Rita 121 Rebuilding or Moving New Orleans 121 Conclusion 123 Summary 124 Glossary 129 Further Reading and Web Sites 139 Index 147