Storm Patterns and Climatic Trends Based on Water Level Fluctuations: Duck, North Carolina, USA

A twenty-year (1978–1998) record of open-coast atmospherically-induced water level fluctuations at the US Army Engineer Field Research Facility (FRF) at Duck, NC has been analyzed and correlated to the occurrence of both cyclonic and frontal storms. The time-series and statistical clustering of water level excursions from the predicted tide have been analyzed. The analytical technique and findings presented here reveal significant information on the characteristics of individual storm surge hydrographs and on both short and long-term climatic trends. A classification model for characterizing storm hydrographs is presented along with selected statistical summaries of water level and storm trends. The techniques presented here provide a simple method for assessing climatic variability and storm cycle trends using frequently available continuous tide records. A Storm Intensity Index parameter, bases solely on water level deviations is presented. This study suggests an approach to link shoreline evolution to metrological patterns.