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"Coastal Natural Hazards: Storm Surge, Tsunami, and Sea Level Change" • George Maul, Ph.D. - Florida Institute of Technology About the Lecture Numerous natural hazards affect our coastlines. They range from rip currents on the finest scale, rogue waves on the intermediate scale, to generalized coastal erosion on the coarsest scale. The underlying physical causes are associated with events on different time scales such as tsunamis, hurricane storm surge, and sea level change. It is these latter events Ñ tsunamis, storm surge, and sea level Ñ that are discussed from the perspective of a physical oceanographer. This is not to marginalize other coastal natural hazards such as harmful algae blooms and anoxia, but to set the stage for the underlying forces that cause many such events. The North Atlantic Ocean and the western tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ñ especially Florida Ñ are the talk's focus. Hurricane Katrina's storm surge is discussed in detail, as is the general Atlantic and Caribbean tsunami risk, concluding with a discussion of the change of sea level over the last 150 years. A most important distinction between "hazard" (the probability or frequency of recurrence of an event) and "total risk" [the product of hazard, elements at risk (population and economies), and vulnerability] is drawn. Viewed in the light of "total risk", the heavily populated and rapidly developing Atlantic seashore has the potential for greater loss from coastal natural hazards than other coasts of the United States. About the Speaker Dr. George A. Maul is Professor of Oceanography and Head of the Department of Marine and Environmental Systems in the College of Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology. He earned a B.S. (with honors) in Marine Transportation from the State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler and was granted a U.S. Merchant Marine Officer's license. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science; his dissertation provided the first time-series of the eddy-shedding cycle of the Gulf Loop Current from ship and satellite. Dr. Maul held ranks from Ensign through Lieutenant Commander in the commissioned officer corps of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, and later was a Supervisory Oceanographer with the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami. He has been Chief Scientist on numerous oceanographic cruises, and has published over 120 refereed articles and book chapters on oceanography and meteorology, including 7 books. His current research includes coral reef temperature monitoring in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, numerical modeling of Atlantic tsunami run-up, and coastal Florida temperature trends. His many honors include being a Fellow of the Marine Technology Society, a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, three NOAA Distinguished Authorship Awards, Florida Tech College of Engineering Teacher of the Year, and the Faculty Senate Excellence Award for university teaching. |