Long term analysis of meteorological-oceanographic extreme events for the Baixada Santista region

Abstract

This chapter presents a database of extreme events, including storm surges (SS) and coastal inundation/flooding (CI/F) that caused injuries and economic/ environmental losses in cities from Baixada Santista Metropolitan Region between 1928 and 2016 (hemerographic method). A group of seven indicators describes the boundary conditions of each event: duration/evolution interval, lunar phase, meteorological tide height, precipitation, wind direction and intensity, significant wave height and direction, and ENSO phases. They were listed 115 SS (76.5% only in the current century) and 123 CI/F (47.2%). Around 76.5% of SS occurred between April and September, while 50.4% of CI/F between January and April. Spring tides influenced 52.2% of SS and 65.6% of CI/F. Accumulated rainfall volume during the duration interval was 227.1 mm in SS and 277.8 mm in CI/F. Maximum height of meteorological tides was 0.78 m for both types. Wind intensity reached 20.6 m/s in SS and 17 m/s in CI/F events, both with predominant SW-SSW directions. Significant waves reached 7 and 5.5 m respectively in SS and CI/F, being S-SSE directions predominant. ENSO phenomenon seems to control these extreme events, once 54.8% of SS and 46.3% of CI/F occurred during EN, and 40% of SS and 37.4% of CI/F during LN phases.