The Impact of Typhoon Pamela (1976) on Guam's Coral Reefs and Beaches
| dc.contributor.author | Ogg, James G. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Koslow, J Anthony | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2008-05-07T22:23:07Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2008-05-07T22:23:07Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1978-04 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Located on a main typhoon corridor, Guam receives approximately one tropical cyclone per year. Typhoon Pamela, Guam's third most intense typhoon of this century, generated 8-meter waves, but these had little direct effect on Guam's coral reefs, even on the exposed northern and eastern sides of the island. Damage to the reefs was isolated and in the form of breakage due to extraneous material being worked over the reef by the surf and surge. These findings are contrasted with reports of typhoon-induced, large-scale reef destruction, mostly from areas off the major storm tracks. Guam's reef formations have developed in a way that enables them to withstand intense wave assault. Pamela caused significant modification of Guam's northern and eastern beaches, however. Most vegetation was removed to an elevation of 3 to 4 meters above mean lower low water, and the beach profiles were reduced from pretyphoon 8°-5° slopes to 3°-5° slopes through the transport of sand seaward. The first stage of recovery is the retreat and steepening of the lower beach. Longshore transport of sand during the typhoon yielded net erosion or deposition of up to 25 m3 per meter of beach face. The maximum height of the wave surges along the coast was linearly related to the width of reef flat and beach traversed. A 1-meter drop in maximum surge height per 115 meters of distance traversed with an initial potential head of 9 meters is indicated. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Ogg JG, Koslow JA. 1978. The impact of Typhoon Pamela (1976) on Guam's coral reefs and beaches. Pac Sci 32(2): 105-118. | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0030-8870 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10125/1426 | |
| dc.language.iso | en-US | |
| dc.publisher | University of Hawaii Press | |
| dc.title | The Impact of Typhoon Pamela (1976) on Guam's Coral Reefs and Beaches | |
| dc.type | Article | |
| dc.type.dcmi | Text |