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Comments on “Reconsidering the Relationship Between Gulf Stream Transport and Dynamic Sea Level at U.S. East Coast” by Chi et al.
  • Tal Ezer
Tal Ezer
Old Dominion University

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Numerous recent studies found significant correlations between weakening of the Gulf Stream (GS) and rising coastal sea level (CSL) along the U.S. East Coast. Based on monthly altimeter data and Florida Current transport, Chi et al. (2023; here, CH23) argued that geostrophic adjustment of the GS is unlikely to drive variations in CSL in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). It is argued here that this conclusion cannot be universally applicable to all cases, since the monthly data disregard correlations previously found for short time scales based on hourly and daily data; the impact of GS variability on time scales of decades and longer as well as potential time lags between the GS and CSL variability were also not considered by CH23. Examples are given here to demonstrate the important role of the GS in post hurricane coastal flooding.
08 Jun 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
08 Jun 2023Published in ESS Open Archive