Frequency Distributions of Storm Surge for Coastal Damage Prevention at Marseilles

This paper describes how the densely low-lying populated areas and sand beaches along the Mediterranean French coast are constantly threatened by extreme sea levels. In micro-tidal conditions, the long term hourly water level records available at Marseilles Endoume (1885–2003) has made possible the statistical analysis that is usually computed on continental hydrological parameters. Frequential analysis tools, applied to time series near to the million data, are implemented in order to provide a calculation method for the stochastic meteorological storm surge component to characterize coastal inundation and erosion risk. Surge probability distributions tested with an associated confidence interval (GEV, Jenkinson, Gamma) and extreme values of the data fitting (Maximum Annual and Peaks-Over-Threshold) are discussed with relative tests (stationarity, independence, homogeneity) in this paper. Surge stochastic results are compared with sea-levels of morphological significance correlated to coastal impact observations during storm events. The statistic methods and tools presented contribute to a better knowledge of intensity, frequency and duration of extreme sea levels associated with morphogenic storms and provide guidelines for coastal risk mitigation.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9781845640682
• Corporate Authors:

  WIT Press

  Computational Mechanics, 25 Bridge Street
  Billerica, MA  United States  01821
• Authors:
  • Gaufres, P
  • Sabatier, F
• Conference:
  • The Second International Conference on Safety and Security Engineering
  • Date: 2007-6-25 to 2007-6-27
• Publication Date: 2007-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 53-62
• Monograph Title: Safety and Security Engineering II

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Coast and river protective works; Coastal engineering; Coastal zone management; Erosion control; Risk analysis; Risk assessment; Sea level; Storm surges; Storms
• Uncontrolled Terms: Extreme value theory
• Subject Areas: Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Marine Transportation; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; I26: Water Run-off - Freeze-thaw;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01055591
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9781845640682
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 23 2007 3:10PM