An Oregon Sea Grant-supported researcher’s discovery that record-breaking wave heights have the potential to do more damage to the Oregon coast than rising sea levels – and a Sea Grant Extension specialist’s efforts to help make coastal communities more resilient to such hazards – are featured on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Web site.
The feature spotlights the work of Peter Ruggiero, an assistant professor at Oregon State University, who recently published the results of his Sea Grant-sponsored study in the journal Coastal Engineering. Ruggiero’s team found that while all waves off the Oregon Coast are taller on average than they were 35 years ago, the highest waves during winter storms are gaining height faster than the low waves of summer.
That could mean bad news for coastal communities and their residents, says Patrick Corcoran, the program’s Astoria-based coastal hazards specialist, who said, “Increased development on borderline sites along the Oregon coastline puts homes and other stationary structures at risk.”
The feature story (available in full here) is one of several illustrating the accomplishments of NOAA and its sub-agencies – including Sea Grant – in four key thematic areas:
- Protecting lives and property
- Promoting economic vitality
- Conserving and restoring natural resources
- Monitoring and understanding our changing planet.
