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Remote sensing can be helpful in defining the dynamic of a high-latitude coastal environment where the role of cryogenic processes like sea-ice or permafrost are the main drivers together with storm surge and wind action. Here we examined the geomorphological dynamics of a beach located at Edmonson Point (74° S) not far from the Italian Antarctic Station “Mario Zucchelli” between 1993 and 2019 using different remote sensing techniques and field measurements. Our data demonstrate that the average rate of surficial increase of the beach (0.002 ± 0.032 m yr−1) was slightly higher than the uplift rate determined by previous authors (0–1 cm yr−1) in case of pure isostatic rebound. However, we suggest that the evolution of EPNB is likely due to the couple effect of vertical uplift and high wave-energy events. Indeed, the coastline accumulation could be related to the subsurface sea water infiltration and annually freezing at the permafrost table interface as aggradational ice as suggested by the ERT carried out in 1996. This ERT suggests the occurrence of saline frozen permafrost or hypersaline brines under the sea level while permafrost with ice occurred above the sea level. The beach also revealed areas that had quite high subsidence values (between 0.08 and 0.011 m yr−1) located in the area where ice content was higher in 1996 and where the active layer thickening and wind erosion could explain the measured erosion rates. Here, we also dated at the late morning of 15 February 2019 coastal flooding and defined a significant wave height of 1.95 m. During the high oceanic wave event the sea level increased advancing shoreward up to 360 m, three times higher than the previous reported storm surge (81 m) and with a sea level rise almost five times higher than has been previously recorded in the Ross Sea.

Coastal management often relies on large-scale flood mapping to produce sea level rise assessments where the storm-related surge is considered as the most important hazard. Nearshore dynamics and overland flow are also key parameters in coastal flood mapping, but increase the model complexity. Avoiding flood propagation processes using a static flood mapping is less computer-intensive, but generally leads to overestimation of the flood zone, especially in defended urban backshore. For low-lying communities, sea level rise poses a certain threat, but its consequences are not only due to a static water level. In this paper, the numerical process-based model XBeach is used in 2D hydrodynamic mode (surfbeat) to reproduce an observed historical flood in Maria (eastern Canada). The main goal is to assess the impacts of a future storm of the same magnitude in the horizon 2100 according to an increase in sea level rise. The model is first validated from in situ observations of waves and water levels observed on the lower foreshore. Based on field observations of a flood extent in 2010, the simulated flooded area was also validated given a good fit (59%) with the actual observed flood. Results indicate that the 2010 storm-induced surge generated overwash processes on multiple areas and net landward sediment transport and accumulation (washover lobes). The flood was caused by relatively small nearshore waves (Hs < 1 m), but despite small water depth (>1.2 m), high flow velocities occurred in the main street (U > 2 m/s) prior to draining in the salt marsh. The impact of sea level rise on the low-lying coastal community of Maria could induce a larger flood area in 2100, deeper floodwater, and higher flow velocities, resulting in higher hazard for the population.

The highly urbanized estuary of San Francisco Bay is an excellent example of a location susceptible to flooding from both coastal and fluvial influences. As part of developing a forecast model that integrates fluvial and oceanic drivers, a case study of the Napa River and its interactions with the San Francisco Bay was performed. For this application we utilize Delft3D-FM, a hydrodynamic model that computes conservation of mass and momentum on a flexible mesh grid, to calculate water levels that account for tidal forcing, storm surge generated by wind and pressure fields, and river flows. We simulated storms with realistic atmospheric pressure, river discharge, and tidal forcing to represent a realistic joint fluvial and coastal storm event. Storm conditions were applied to both a realistic field-scale Napa river drainage as well as an idealized geometry. With these scenarios, we determine how the extent, level, and duration of flooding is dependent on these atmospheric and hydrologic parameters. Unsurprisingly, the model indicates that maximal water levels will occur in a tidal river when high tides, storm surge, and large fluvial discharge events are coincident. Model results also show that large tidal amplitudes diminish storm surge propagation upstream and that phasing between peak fluvial discharges and high tide is important for predicting when and where the highest water levels will occur. The interactions between tides, river discharge, and storm surge are not simple, indicating the need for more integrated flood forecasting models in the future.