News Release

River discharge and coastal sea-level changes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

A study suggests that river discharge can significantly influence coastal sea level. Despite its influence on coastal ocean circulation, river discharge has often been overlooked as a driving force behind sea-level change. Christopher Piecuch and colleagues examined the relationship between river discharge and sea level along the US Atlantic and Gulf coasts based on data from tide gauges and river stations collected during 1910-2017. Sea-level rise per km3 of annual river discharge varied from 0.01 to 0.08 cm, depending on the region. The authors formulated a theory that explains the dependence of sea level on river discharge in terms of Earth's rotation, river discharge, and the offshore density gradient resulting from freshwater-saltwater mixing. Predictions of sea level rise per unit river discharge based on this theory yielded lower values than those estimated from observations. However, the theoretical values were on the same order of magnitude as the observational values, suggesting a causal relationship between river discharge and sea level. The results highlight a significant but frequently overlooked driver of coastal sea-level change and carry implications for remote sensing and climate-driven modeling of sea-level changes, according to the authors.

Article #18-05428: "River-discharge effects on United States Atlantic and Gulf coast sea-level changes," by Christopher G. Piecuch et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Christopher G. Piecuch, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Falmouth, MA; tel: 508-289-2641, 401-644-5505; e-mail: <cpiecuch@whoi.edu>

###


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.