OurAmazingPlanet Staff

Date: 01 August 2011 Time: 10:18 AM ET

A storm surge at Delaware wetlands. CREDIT: NOAA

Heads up, East Coast. El Niño-related weather could get even worse in the future, according to a new study.

The coastal communities, already threatened by rising sea levels due toclimate change, may also see more destructive storm surges from these higher waters in future El Niño years, a new study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says. A destructive storm surge is where storms cause water levels to rapidly increase by at least 1 foot (0.3 meters).

The study was prompted by an unusual number of destructive storm surges along the East Coast during the 2009-2010 El Niño-dominated winter.

to read more, go to:    http://www.livescience.com/15326-el-nino-strengthens-storm-surges.html