EGU22-2435
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2435
EGU General Assembly 2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

A 1921 Western Australian tropical cyclone underscores the utility of historical records for hazard analysis in areas of marginal cyclone influence.

Adam D. Switzer1,2, Joseph Christensen3, Joanna Aldridge4,5, David Taylor6, Jim Churchill6, Holly Watson6, Matthew W. Fraser7, and Jenny Shaw8
Adam D. Switzer et al.
  • 1Nanyang Technological University, Earth Observatory of Singapore, Singapore (aswitzer@ntu.edu.sg)
  • 2Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
  • 3School of Humanities, University of Western Australia, Australia
  • 4School of Geosciences, University of Sydney, Australia.
  • 5Griffith Centre for Coastal Management, Griffith University, Australia
  • 6Baird Australia, Level 22 227 Elizabeth St Sydney, Australia
  • 7School of Biological Sciences & Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Australia
  • 8Western Australia Marine Science Institution, The University of Western Australia, Australia

Shark Bay Marine Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Property in a region of marginal tropical cyclone influence and its sustainability requires a deep consideration of cyclone hazards. Here, we analyse historical records of a large storm surge from a Tropical Cyclone in 1921 that generated remarkable overland flow leaving fish and sharks stranded over 9 km inland. We weight information from the historical archives in a new framework and model event scenarios to reconstruct its magnitude. The plausible event scenarios imply that the cyclone was a marginal Category 4 or 5 storm with a return interval equivalent or slightly greater than the regional planning level. The outcome underscores the importance of examining the pre-instrumental events in areas of marginal cyclone influence as they are commonly of key economic importance.  Our work also implies that TC risk affects marine conservation in the Shark Bay World Heritage Property and requires attention.

How to cite: Switzer, A. D., Christensen, J., Aldridge, J., Taylor, D., Churchill, J., Watson, H., Fraser, M. W., and Shaw, J.: A 1921 Western Australian tropical cyclone underscores the utility of historical records for hazard analysis in areas of marginal cyclone influence., EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-2435, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2435, 2022.