Beaches on the southeast coast of Australia narrow during prolonged La Niña, while they widen – or accrete – during El Niño periods. Credit: Water Research Laboratory.
Researchers from UNSW Sydney have analyzed millions of satellite photos to observe changes in beaches across the Pacific Ocean. The findings, published in Nature Geoscience today (Feb. 10), reveal for the first time how coastlines respond to different phases of the El-Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle.
ENSO is a natural climate phenomenon that causes variations in sea surface temperatures over the Pacific Ocean. The warming phase, known as El Niño, and the cooling phase, known as La Niña, affect weather patterns across different coastlines depending on the cycle.
During these periods, coastal erosion can also intensify, shifting sand away from beaches and threatening beachfront homes and habitats. But scientists haven’t been able to study this broadly using conventional coastal monitoring techniques, which have been limited to on-ground observations on just a few beaches.
“Scientists have known beaches respond to ENSO cycles for decades, but we’ve only been able to paint a small picture of this from a few sporadic beach monitoring sites,” says Dr. Mitchell Harley, co-author of the study from UNSW’s Water Research Laboratory at the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering. “For this research, we were able to take a completely different angle to complete the bigger picture of how climate cycles impact entire Pacific coasts.”
Observing coastal changes from the cosmos
Satellites orbiting the Earth have captured images of the world’s coastlines at regular intervals for almost forty years. The researchers developed a new open-source tool called CoastSat, which combines image processing and…
2023-02-11 04:30:01
Article from phys.org
The role of satellites and their incredible importance to monitor fluctuations in the global climate is gaining attention. A recent study has revealed previously unseen patterns in the world’s coastlines showing how climate change is affecting them.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, was conducted by researchers from China and the UK. Using data from high-resolution satellites, the researchers were able to detect minute fluctuations in coastlines in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The high-resolution data allowed them to measure changes in land features as small as a few meters.
The findings of the study showed that sea levels are rising and cyclonic storms are becoming more frequent, leading to an increase in coastal erosion. The study also found that the areas most affected by the changes are those located closest to cyclonic storms, a phenomenon that is becoming increasingly common.
The researchers argue that their study is a strong example of how satellites and their data can be used to track subtle changes in the environment and help to inform decision-makers on how to manage and protect ecosystems. Given the sensitive nature of coasts, such precise monitoring is essential for preserving the environment and allowing for meaningful coastal management.
The findings of the study further highlight how valuable satellite data can be for understanding our changing climate. With the growing number of satellites in orbit, researchers and decision-makers are better equipped to monitor changes over time and make more informed decisions regarding resource management.
Ultimately, the study shows that satellites provide an invaluable tool for monitoring the environment and the effects of climate change. As the world continues to face the looming threat of climate change, it is essential that we have precise data of the changes taking place on the ground and in our oceans in order to save life on our planet.