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This little-known ocean phenomenon has California forecasters concerned

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Sep 25, 2026

Oceanographer Davis Wins Weber Award From American Geophysical Union

Davis studies the long-term effects of global climate on oceanographic environments.

Sep 18, 2026

Kelvin Wave expected to raise sea levels along San Diego coast

CBS 8 News
“As that elevated sea state in the far western part of the Pacific is allowed to slosh back to the eastern Pacific, that energy continues until it hits the South American coastline,” said Dillon Amaya, an associate professor at North Carolina State University who studies the phenomenon.

Sep 17, 2026

El Niño-driven Kelvin wave could raise Bay Area sea levels by up to 1 foot, scientists say

ABC7 Eyewitness News
Scientists say a Kelvin wave is expected to arrive along the California coast by October. "It's a bulging of the nearest 20 to 30 kilometers of the ocean that propagates up the coastline," said Dillon Amaya, an assistant professor of marine science at North Carolina State University.
Wegmann stands on a landform overlooking a vast orange valley in New Mexico

Sep 17, 2026

Geologist Wegmann Elected GSA Fellow

The fellowship recognizes Wegmann’s distinguished contributions to the geosciences.

Sep 16, 2026

How Kelvin waves could affect San Diego beaches during El Niño

NBC 7 San Diego
Dillon Amaya, who earned his Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and is now an assistant professor of marine science at North Carolina State University, said Kelvin waves are not massive, surfable waves or walls of water approaching the coastline. Instead, they are coastally trapped waves that can elevate sea levels by about 6 to 12 inches.

Sep 15, 2026

Planetary Wave Racing Toward CA Coast Could Raise Sea Levels and Flood Danger for Months

Patch
A coastally trapped Kelvin wave currently moving north along Mexico could reach the Los Angeles area in early October and raise coastal sea levels by roughly 6 to 12 inches, Dillon Amaya, Ph.D. and assistant professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at North Carolina State University, told Patch.

Sep 15, 2026

Kelvin waves proposing erosion risk to Southern Californian beaches

CBS 8 News
"My job as a scientist at this point is to let the public know that this thing is coming and to prepare for the potential impacts accordingly," marine scientist Dillon Amaya said.

Sep 15, 2026

What is a Kelvin wave and why is it coming to SoCal?

KNX News
Assistant Professor Dillon Amaya joins KNX News to discuss how sea level is about to rise six inches to a foot off Southern California sometime in early October.

Sep 14, 2026

‘Pretty epic’ Kelvin wave is latest threat to SoCal coastal cities. When will it get here?

Los Angeles Times
Only recently have computational capabilities progressed to the point that scientists such as Dillon Amaya have been able to model and track the waves.

Sep 14, 2026

This little-known ocean phenomenon has California forecasters concerned

KTLA 5 News
"I would encourage resource managers who are thinking about coastal flooding, coastal inundation, to take this seriously," said Dillon Amaya, an oceanographer at North Carolina State University.