AWRA Alaska Northern-Region Meetings

March 13, 2013 Nicole Kinsman, Field Observations of the November 2011 Bering Sea Storm and An Introduction to Local Tidal Datums in Alaska Geologist - Coastal Hazards, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Field Observations of the November 2011 Bering Sea Storm and An Introduction to Local Tidal Datums in Alaska

Nicole Kinsman, Geologist - Coastal Hazards, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Field Observations of the November 2011 Bering Sea Storm

On November 8, 2011, an extra-tropical cyclone with a low pressure of 945 millibars developed over the Bering Sea and moved northeast across the western coast of Alaska. This large storm brought high winds (gusts of up to 85 mph) to the entire region and a storm surge of approximately 3 meters to parts of Norton Sound. In the week following the storm, a team of two DGGS scientists visited four communities in the Norton Sound region to document peak water levels, runup elevations, and inundation extents associated with the storm, and to revisit coastal profiles that were established in July 2011. This presentation will be a summary of the reconnaissance fieldwork that was conducted in Unalakleet, Shaktoolik, Nome, and Golovin November 10-15, 2011.

An Introduction to Local Tidal Datums in Alaska

Accurate vertical datums in the coastal environment are critical to the evaluation of natural hazard vulnerability in support of local and regional planning. Appropriate tidal data must be considered in the siting, design, construction, and operations of development projects to ensure protection of human life, property, and the coastal environment. This presentation will explain what tidal datums are, why they are important, and some of the unique issues associated with tidal datums in Alaska. We will also demonstrate a new online tool for datum transformations in coastal Alaska.