| Abstract: | Barrier islands of the Pacific coast of Colombia repeatedly experience severe washover even when breaking waves in the eastern Pacific are low and onshore winds are calm. On the barrier island of El Choncho, recent non-storm washover events have breached a new inlet, caused rapid beach retreat, destroyed a shoreline protection structure, and flooded a small village of indigenous people so frequently that it had to be relocated. Barrier washover may be augmented by lowered land elevations associated with earthquake-induced subsidence or long-term beach retreat, but temporally it is most closely associated with a 20 to 30 cm regional increase in sea level caused by El Nino. The contradiction of a tranquil tropical island scene simultaneously disturbed by hostile turbulent washover may be unique at present, but it exemplifies how coastal plains throughout the world would be affected if sea level were to rise rapidly as a result of global warming. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70022245 |
| Citation Author: | Morton, R. A.; Gonzalez, J. L.; Lopez, G. I.; Correa, I. D. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | |
| Citation Datum: | |
| Citation Day: | |
| Citation Edition: | |
| Citation Editor: | |
| Citation End Page: | 87 |
| Citation Issue: | 1 |
| Citation Keywords: | |
| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Journal of Coastal Research |
| Citation LatN: | |
| Citation LatS: | |
| Citation LonE: | |
| Citation LonW: | |
| Citation Month: | |
| Citation No Pagination: | |
| Citation Number Of Pages: | 6 |
| Citation Online Only Flag: | |
| Citation Phsyical Description: | |
| Citation Projection: | |
| Citation Public Comments: | |
| Citation Publisher: | |
| Citation Series: | |
| Citation Series Code: | |
| Citation Series Number: | |
| Citation Search Results Text: | Frequent non-storm washover of barrier islands, Pacific coast of Colombia; 2000; Article; Journal; Journal of Coastal Research; Morton, R. A.; Gonzalez, J. L.; Lopez, G. I.; Correa, I. D. |
| Citation Start Page: | 82 |
| Citation Volume: | 16 |
| Citation Year: | 2000 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | Frequent non-storm washover of barrier islands, Pacific coast of Colombia; 2000; Article; Journal; Journal of Coastal Research; Morton, R. A.; Gonzalez, J. L.; Lopez, G. I.; Correa, I. D. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| Date Other: | Sat, 1 Jan 2000 00:00 -0600 |
| Publisher: | |
