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May19

Attn faculty: Strengthen Learning in Your STEM Courses

May 19, 2026, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Innovation Hall Rm 427

Jun9

4th Annual Air Quality Research and Development Consortium (AIRDC) Workshop 2026

Jun 9, 2026, 8:30 AM - 6:30 PM

George Mason University, 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030, Enterprise Hall, Room 178

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9 Oct (GEOL) Tal Ezer, Oceanography

Oct 9, 2025, 4:30 - 5:30 PM

Speaker: Tal Ezer, Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography, Department of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Old Dominion University

Title: On remote Atlantic Ocean impacts on the coasts of the Mid-Atlantic Bight

Time: Thu, 9 Oct, 4:30pm

Location: Exploratory 1309 and via Zoom (for link, email lhinnov@gmu.edu)

Host: Linda Hinnov

 

ABSTRACT: Recent studies (see references) indicated significant links between the dynamics of the coasts and bays of the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) and remote impacts from Atlantic Ocean variability. Variations in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the Gulf Stream (GS) can affect the regional weather, climate, and sea level along the US East Coast. These connections were examined using observations and numerical models. Studies show for example that the impact of hurricanes on the coast is more complex than previously recognized- in addition to the well-known short-term storm surges, hurricanes that do not make landfall can still disrupt the flow of the GS and cause a post-storm sea level rise and unexpected flooding for weeks after storms disappeared. Analysis of high-frequency radar observations (CODAR) of surface currents in the MAB shows that the dynamics is affected by a combination of local estuarine and coastal factors such as seasonal wind and river discharges, as well as by remote impacts from NAO and the GS that are difficult to predict. A better understanding of the interaction between coastal dynamics and the open ocean will improve predictions of the impacts of climate change on coastal communities, which are already affected by increased flooding due to sea level rise.

 

References:

https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-040224-120037  (Ann. Rev. Mar. Sci. 2025)

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1645286/   (Front. Mar. Sci. 2025)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-024-01605-y  (Ocean Dyn. 2024)

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10236-024-01656-1  (Ocean Dyn. 2024)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10236-022-01536-6  (Ocean Dyn. 2022)


 

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