Article on Climate-fuelled wave patterns pose an erosion risk for developing countries by Prof. Nobuhito Mori et.al.

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Article on “Climate-fuelled wave patterns pose an erosion risk for developing countries” by Prof. Nobuhito Mori et.al. was published in The Conversation in June 2022.

In addition to sea level rise and coastal climate change due to global warming, there is a risk that the coastal environment will change significantly due to changes in global wave characteristics. Therefore, predicting future changes in waves is important for adapting to coastal climate change.

Previous studies have shown that waves can be classified into several global wave climate types. This study analysed future ocean waves climate reproduced by global climate models used by IPCC, and revealed the types of waves and regional hotspots that are susceptible to global warming.

With warming, the power of waves in the polar regions and the Southern Ocean increases, and the frequency of waves propagating from the east on the coasts located in the western part of the ocean such as the Pacific Ocean, and the wave climate propagating from the south on the eastern coast.

In Japan, it was predicted that the frequency of wave climate types propagating from the west in high latitudes would increase. In addition to rising sea levels, this will further intensify the effects of warming in coastal areas and will be a factor in changing coastal environment.

The results of this research are expected to expand into future changes and adaptation measures for coastal vulnerability due to global warming, especially changes in beaches and marine ecosystems.

The results of this research were published online in the international academic journal “Nature Climate Change” on June 16, 2022.