The 3rd November 2005 – long period waves hit the south coast

Ten years ago, on 3rd November 2005, regions on the English south coast were impacted by long period Atlantic swell waves (period >18s) which overtopped and eroded defences. There were incidences of flooding despite that the sea level (for example at one of the impacted locations Eastoke, Hayling Island) was only of an annual return period. This event highlighted how energetic swell waves can cause relatively high run-up compared to shorter waves.

Further reading:

Mason, T., Bradbury, A.P., Poate, T., Newman, R., 2009. Nearshore wave climate of the English Channel — evidence for bi-modal seas. In: Proceedings of the 31st International Conference on Coastal Engineering. USA, American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, pp. 605–616

Palmer, T., Nicholls, R. J., Wells, N. C., Saulter, A., & Mason, T. (2014). Identification of ‘energetic’ swell waves in a tidal strait. Continental Shelf Research, 88, 203-215.