POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE ON STORM SURGE AND WAVES IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA

The potential impacts of sea rise on hurricane storm surge and waves in southeast Louisiana are evaluated based on nine simulated hurricanes that produce approximately 100-yr water levels. A suite of models is applied, including a planetary boundary layer wind model, the ADCIRC surge model, and the WAM and STWAVE wave models. Peak surge levels increase nearly linearly with sea level rise, but moderate surges can more than double (with increases of as much as 2.5 to 3.5 times the sea level rise). The areas experiencing the greatest response to sea level rise are those fronted by wetlands and/or backed by levees. Waves also increase with sea level rise, but the increases are less dramatic than the surge increases.