A Spatially Variable Time Series of Sea Level Change Due to Artificial Water Impoundment
Abstract The artificial impoundment of water behind dams causes global mean sea level (GMSL) to fall as reservoirs fill but also generates a local rise in sea level due to the increased mass in the reservoir and the crustal deformation this mass induces. To estimate spatiotemporal fluctuations in se...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2020-07-01
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| Series: | Earth's Future |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001497 |
| _version_ | 1811344223877726208 |
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| author | William B. Hawley Carling C. Hay Jerry X. Mitrovica Robert E. Kopp |
| author_facet | William B. Hawley Carling C. Hay Jerry X. Mitrovica Robert E. Kopp |
| author_sort | William B. Hawley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The artificial impoundment of water behind dams causes global mean sea level (GMSL) to fall as reservoirs fill but also generates a local rise in sea level due to the increased mass in the reservoir and the crustal deformation this mass induces. To estimate spatiotemporal fluctuations in sea level due to water impoundment, we use a historical data set that includes 6,329 reservoirs completed between 1900 and 2011, as well as projections of 3,565 reservoirs that are expected to be completed by 2040. The GMSL change associated with the historical data (−0.2 mm yr−1 from 1900–2011) is consistent with previous studies, but the temporal and spatial resolution allows for local studies that were not previously possible, revealing that some locations experience a sea level rise of as much as 40 mm over less than a decade. Future construction of reservoirs through ~2040 is projected to cause a GMSL fall whose rate is comparable to that of the last century (−0.3 mm yr−1) but with a geographic distribution that will be distinct from the last century, including a rise in sea level in more coastal areas. The analysis of expected construction shows that significant impoundment near coastal communities in the coming decades could enhance the flooding risk already heightened by global sea level rise. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T19:43:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1a2497da2c34484cae50480382e76c60 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2328-4277 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T19:43:58Z |
| publishDate | 2020-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth's Future |
| spelling | doaj.art-1a2497da2c34484cae50480382e76c602022-12-22T02:32:47ZengWileyEarth's Future2328-42772020-07-0187n/an/a10.1029/2020EF001497A Spatially Variable Time Series of Sea Level Change Due to Artificial Water ImpoundmentWilliam B. Hawley0Carling C. Hay1Jerry X. Mitrovica2Robert E. Kopp3Department of Earth and Planetary Science University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA USADepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences Boston College Chestnut Hill MA USADepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences Harvard University Cambridge MA USADepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences Rutgers University New Brunswick NJ USAAbstract The artificial impoundment of water behind dams causes global mean sea level (GMSL) to fall as reservoirs fill but also generates a local rise in sea level due to the increased mass in the reservoir and the crustal deformation this mass induces. To estimate spatiotemporal fluctuations in sea level due to water impoundment, we use a historical data set that includes 6,329 reservoirs completed between 1900 and 2011, as well as projections of 3,565 reservoirs that are expected to be completed by 2040. The GMSL change associated with the historical data (−0.2 mm yr−1 from 1900–2011) is consistent with previous studies, but the temporal and spatial resolution allows for local studies that were not previously possible, revealing that some locations experience a sea level rise of as much as 40 mm over less than a decade. Future construction of reservoirs through ~2040 is projected to cause a GMSL fall whose rate is comparable to that of the last century (−0.3 mm yr−1) but with a geographic distribution that will be distinct from the last century, including a rise in sea level in more coastal areas. The analysis of expected construction shows that significant impoundment near coastal communities in the coming decades could enhance the flooding risk already heightened by global sea level rise.https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001497sea levelreservoirs |
| spellingShingle | William B. Hawley Carling C. Hay Jerry X. Mitrovica Robert E. Kopp A Spatially Variable Time Series of Sea Level Change Due to Artificial Water Impoundment Earth's Future sea level reservoirs |
| title | A Spatially Variable Time Series of Sea Level Change Due to Artificial Water Impoundment |
| title_full | A Spatially Variable Time Series of Sea Level Change Due to Artificial Water Impoundment |
| title_fullStr | A Spatially Variable Time Series of Sea Level Change Due to Artificial Water Impoundment |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Spatially Variable Time Series of Sea Level Change Due to Artificial Water Impoundment |
| title_short | A Spatially Variable Time Series of Sea Level Change Due to Artificial Water Impoundment |
| title_sort | spatially variable time series of sea level change due to artificial water impoundment |
| topic | sea level reservoirs |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001497 |
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