Study: Big Northwest waves get bigger
Oregon, Washington coasts see 10-foot spurt since '70s
Waves pound a beach between Depot Bay and Boiler Bay on the Oregon Coast.
Lots has been said about warming temperatures and rising sea levels, but a new study puts the spotlight on a more imminent threat to coastal communities: extreme waves that are growing taller in some parts of the world.
Data from buoys off the Pacific Northwest coast found that since the mid-1970s the height of the biggest waves has increased on average by nearly four inches a year. That's about 10 feet over that period.
"The waves are getting larger," said lead author Peter Ruggiero, an assistant geosciences professor at Oregon State University.
