Low Pressure = High Waves

Low pressure in the atmosphere above traditional Marshallese voyaging port Enen Kio resulted in high waves around the holidays.

According to oceanographer Julian Sachs, low pressure in the atmosphere results in HIGH sea level below it because there is less weight of the atmosphere on top of the ocean. That is an important contributor to "storm surges" when high seas push onshore during hurricanes and tropical storms. Winds in the latter case are also a major factor of course, he explains.

Luckily sea levels in the Marshall Islands were lower than usual when the "first wave" of high waves began rolling in. If they had been higher, the impact on this densely populated community would have likely been much worse. There were no deaths from the flooding.

Check out Yokwe Online for more indigenous voices and photos on the flooding event. And here is an article sent to me by buddy Dan that describes how "severe flooding forced more than 600 people from their homes."