Technolandy

Day 28 (of2026/27) climate change – the arrival of the Kelvin wave… (delayed – as anticipated)

October saw the start of another new weather phenomena. We’ve introduced “atmospheric rivers” to our lexicon and as we prepare for an El Niño winter… early October has California first prepare for what is called a Kelvin wave – and when it first hit, I checked for our area and the early prediction was that it ought to impact our shoreline today… 

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Not a tsunami

Not a tidal wave

Nor a storm surge

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A slow moving “under the surface” wave

Increasing water levels along the shore

Not too drastic just yet

From California… https://nypost.com/2026/10/02/us-news/el-nino-causes-ocean-phenomenon-waves-to-raise-california-sea-levels/

apparently kelvin waves are common

But the climate factors are different 

And 30cm/one foot doesn’t sound like a lot

But flood risks increase every 5cm…

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And it should continue to move on and water levels return to normal…

But weeks or months rather than our usual hours/days that we are more used to…

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For coastal dwellers, this means:

Normal tide + Kelvin-wave elevation: noticeable but potentially manageable

High tide + Kelvin-wave elevation: considerably higher water

High tide + Kelvin wave + storm surge/waves: potentially significant coastal flooding/erosion

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It also means… not according to a timetable…

It has not arrived today

It is now expected late October

Or early November…

Or…

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Like climate change overall

Moving

But not on a convenient timetable

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And kind of like watching your kids grow…

You don’t really see it ‘in real time’

It takes longer comparisons on check-ins.

Or periods being away and then

Being shocked at what you see.

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That’s partly why its an existential angst

A builder of anxiety that Haidt didn’t really want to bring up

Kind of like guns… it’s not as easy to deal with

As it is to cry out ‘ban the screens’.

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But if we talk to youth…

It’s on their mind.

What future awaits them is more than 

A discussion about AI changing everything…

It’s about how what humanity has done

Is also impacting everything.

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And why I love that thinkers like Will Richardson

Are challenging us to talk and teach about this more

Rather than close our eyes and ignore.

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The Kelvin wave continues to move

On its own schedule

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And not directly creating damage

But modelling what life will be like

When sea levels rise permanently…

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Some may want to ban talking and teaching about it

But some things are also inevitable

Lest we make some changes…