Abstract
We investigate the storm impact associated with historical events in the northern Yucatan Peninsula. The study area is prone to coastal flooding due to both its geographical location and low-lying areas. Extreme events associated with tropical cyclones and Central American cold surge (CACS; locally known as Nortes) are ubiquitous in this region, and coastal development in the study area has exacerbated the erosion of the sand beach-dune system. This study aims to assess the impact on the northern coast of Yucatan associated with different types of storms and to investigate the role of the dune in its spatial variability. Nearshore hydrodynamics, associated with hurricanes (Gilbert: 14 September 1988; Isidore: 22 September 2002) and energetic Nortes (Norte A: 12 March 1993; Norte B: 25 December 2004), were computed using a numerical model. The beach and dune characteristics were extracted from a LIDAR flight with a spatial resolution of 1 m conducted in 2011. Furthermore, the extreme water levels and the spatiotemporal variability of the storm-impact regime (swash, collision, overwash, or inundation), along a 41.5 km stretch of coast, were derived using both runup parametrizations and the modeling results. On the one hand, the predominant storm impact regimes for Hurricanes Gilbert and Isidore were inundation and overwash, respectively. The flood that propagated from east to west in the northern Yucatan was due to westerly-directed hurricane tracks. On the other hand, for the Norte events, the predominant impact regimes were collision and overwash for Nortes A and B, respectively. This difference in the impact regime between Norte events can be ascribed to tidal differences. Moreover, during the passages of Nortes A and B, the flood was propagated from west to east in the northern Yucatan, consistent with cold-front paths. The results suggest that the western part of the study area presented a stronger impact regime due to the dune degradation caused by coastal infrastructure and settlements established in those areas. This work highlights the important role of sand dunes in providing natural coastal protection during Norte events.
Highlights
Extreme storm events, such as Central America cold surge and tropical cyclones, play an important role in coastal flooding [1,2] and beach erosion [3,4] on the northern Yucatan coast
The results suggest that the western part of the study area presented a stronger impact regime due to the dune degradation caused by coastal infrastructure and settlements established in those areas
Beach erosion in the Yucatan coast is critical at some locations [6] and is mainly associated with longshore transport gradients induced by coastal infrastructure [3,7,8]
Summary
Extreme storm events, such as Central America cold surge and tropical cyclones, play an important role in coastal flooding [1,2] and beach erosion [3,4] on the northern Yucatan coast. Net sand-transport directions and processes are argued to be unique, and the limits between them represent thresholds where processes and magnitudes of impact change significantly [9]. This approach provides a framework to forecast the impact of a storm and has been validated [10] and implemented in several studies showing satisfactory results at regional [13,14] and local levels [15,16]. Assessing the coastal response to tropical and extratropical storms [17,18] may be more useful for decision-makers than studying the intensity of these natural phenomena
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