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Ocean model resolution dependence of Caribbean sea-level projections

Journal Article (2020)
Author(s)

René M. van Westen (Universiteit Utrecht)

Henk A. Dijkstra (Universiteit Utrecht)

Carine G. van der Boog (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Caroline A. Katsman (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Rebecca K. James (Universiteit Utrecht)

Tjeerd J. Bouma (NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Universiteit Utrecht)

Olga Kleptsova (Universiteit Utrecht)

Roland Klees (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Riccardo E.M. Riva (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

D. Cornelis Slobbe (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Marcel Zijlema (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Julie D. Pietrzak (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)

Research Group
Environmental Fluid Mechanics
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71563-0 Final published version
More Info
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Publication Year
2020
Language
English
Research Group
Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Journal title
Scientific Reports
Issue number
1
Volume number
10
Article number
14599
Downloads counter
462
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Abstract

Sea-level rise poses severe threats to coastal and low-lying regions around the world, by exacerbating coastal erosion and flooding. Adequate sea-level projections over the next decades are important for both decision making and for the development of successful adaptation strategies in these coastal and low-lying regions to climate change. Ocean components of climate models used in the most recent sea-level projections do not explicitly resolve ocean mesoscale processes. Only a few effects of these mesoscale processes are represented in these models, which leads to errors in the simulated properties of the ocean circulation that affect sea-level projections. Using the Caribbean Sea as an example region, we demonstrate a strong dependence of future sea-level change on ocean model resolution in simulations with a global climate model. The results indicate that, at least for the Caribbean Sea, adequate regional projections of sea-level change can only be obtained with ocean models which capture mesoscale processes.