Response of a fringing reef coastline to the direct impact of a tropical cyclone

Tropical cyclones generate extreme hazards along coastlines, often leading to losses of life and property. Although coral reefs exist in cyclone‐prone regions globally, few studies have measured the hydrodynamic conditions and morphological responses of reef‐fringed coastlines to tropical cyclones....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inLimnology and oceanography letters Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 31 - 38
Main Authors Cuttler, M. V. W., Hansen, J. E., Lowe, R. J., Drost, E. J. F.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hoboken John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.04.2018
Wiley
Subjects
Atmospheric pressure
Beaches
Coastal zone management
Coasts
Coral reefs
Cyclones
Environmental protection
Fourier transforms
Lagoons
Morphology
Offshore
Sensors
Shoreline protection
Soil erosion
Studies
Topographic surveys
Tropical cyclones
Water levels
Wave power
Wind
Wind waves
Australia
Western Australia Australia
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Summary:Tropical cyclones generate extreme hazards along coastlines, often leading to losses of life and property. Although coral reefs exist in cyclone‐prone regions globally, few studies have measured the hydrodynamic conditions and morphological responses of reef‐fringed coastlines to tropical cyclones. Here, we examine the impact of Tropical Cyclone Olwyn on a section of Australia's largest fringing reef (Ningaloo Reef) using in situ wave and water level observations, topographic surveys, and numerical modeling. Despite forereef significant wave heights reaching 6 m and local winds of 140 km h−1, average beach volume change was only −3 m3 m−1. The results indicate that this erosion was due to locally generated wind waves within the lagoon rather than the offshore waves that were dissipated on the reef crest. A comparison of these volume changes to observations of tropical cyclone impacts along exposed sandy beaches quantitatively demonstrates the substantial coastal protection reefs can provide against extreme storms.
Bibliography:Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article.
Author Contribution Statement
Data Availability Statement
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1162945
MVWC collected and analyzed the field data, developed and analyzed the numerical model, and wrote the manuscript. JEH helped with data analysis and interpretation, model development and analysis, and provided critical review of the manuscript. RJL helped with experimental design, data and model interpretation, and provided critical review of the manuscript. EJFD developed the regional‐scale model and helped with development and validation of the local model.
The metadata and specific data files used in the analyses described in the text and Supporting Information are accessible at
ISSN:2378-2242
2378-2242
DOI:10.1002/lol2.10067