Coastal bluffs and cliffs in California are subject to undercutting, erosion, and catastrophic failure. Coastal communities and resources are also subject to elevated water levels, storm surge, flooding and erosion. The specific conditions and thresholds that lead to bluff collapse are not fully understood. Flooding is better understood but advances in forecasting and interconnectedness are needed.
California Sea Grant works with partnering researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to advance monitoring and analysis of bluff erosion and coastal flooding. The analysis can provide information to help develop site specific and regional risk assessments that can inform coastal flooding and bluff failure hazard preparedness. This effort will focus on science translation/communication with the goals of disseminating the information provided by research to a wide variety of audiences.
Projects
FLOOD FORECASTING AND MODELING
In collaboration with the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (CCCIA), California Sea Grant is supporting outreach on research focused on understanding what conditions cause coastal and groundwater flooding hazards, providing enhanced flood forecasting to better prepare the community for sea-level rise.
- Resilient Futures: Imperial Beach
- Resilient Futures: San Diego Bay
- Coastal Processes Group Data Products
- Coastal Process Group: Cardiff Flood Forecast
BLUFF FAILURE EARLY WARNING RESEARCH
Working with the Coastal Process Group and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, this project seeks to provide data and analysis on environmental conditions and other factors that contribute to bluff erosion and failure. In an innovative approach, the project combines multiple state of the art monitoring techniques to collect high resolution data. This information can lead to better understanding of how and when failures may occur which can increase beach safety and inform coastal management. Learn more.
Resources
King Tides (link coming soon)
Laura Engeman