{"id":869121,"date":"2026-10-03T06:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T06:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/869121\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T06:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T06:56:11","slug":"el-nino-causes-ocean-phenomenon-waves-to-raise-california-sea-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/869121\/","title":{"rendered":"El Ni\u00f1o causes ocean phenomenon waves to raise California sea levels"},"content":{"rendered":"

California\u2019s coast is bracing for a massive surge that could push sea levels up<\/a> by as much as a foot in the coming days, piling onto already battered beaches and raising the risk of flooding and erosion.<\/p>\n

The surge, known as a \u201ccoastal trapped wave\u201d or \u201cKelvin wave,\u201d is one of the effects of El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> that has been building along the California coast in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

And this is no ordinary wave.<\/p>\n

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Sea levels are expected to rise in California as a Kelvin wave makes it way up the coast. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The Kelvin wave<\/a> is a massive, sustained bulge of water that will raise ocean levels across an area stretching 12 to 18 miles offshore \u2014 with potentially serious consequences for California\u2019s coastline.<\/p>\n

It comes after a string of unusual ocean events battered coastal communities<\/a>, including waves that crashed over Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu last month.<\/p>\n

With California already facing a barrage of storms, the elevated seas could make flooding and erosion even worse<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While Kelvin waves are common, this one comes at a time where California\u2019s coast is already vulnerable. Just under a month earlier, Nicolas Cage had a sinkhole form at his Malibu home as a result of coastal erosion. Celeb Aerials \/ BACKGRID<\/p>\n

\u201cThe general rule of thumb is that every two to four inches of sea level rise that we see in that background state essentially doubles your flood risk,\u201d Dillon Amaya, an oceanographer at North Carolina State University, told AFP<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kelvin waves themselves are common. What makes the current situation particularly concerning is the combination of the wave with other factors already hammering the California coast.<\/p>\n

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People gather near erosion damage along a beach access road to Point Dume in Malibu, California, on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Getty Images<\/p>\n

With those conditions stacking up, California could soon see its highest sea levels ever recorded, Mark Merrifield<\/a>, director of the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla, told the New York Times. <\/p>\n

Sea temperatures are already elevated, while several Southern California beaches are dealing with erosion and recovering from the effects of recent hurricanes.<\/p>\n

The Kelvin wave is both a cause and a symptom of El Ni\u00f1o, Amaya said.<\/p>\n

As the enormous bulge of water moves across the Pacific, it suppresses the cold water that normally rises from the ocean depths, helping drive warmer surface temperatures \u2014 a hallmark of El Ni\u00f1o.<\/p>\n

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