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Coastal flooding occurs at predictable times, research reveals

Phys · · 571 words · By Marisa Ramiccio
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What to know about Coastal flooding occurs at predictable times, research reveals

A study led by UCF researcher Ivan Haigh and published in Nature Communications indicates that coastal flooding often occurs at predictable times of day based on tidal patterns. The research suggests that integrating this temporal data into flood forecasting can improve emergency planning and infrastructure operations as sea levels rise.

Propaganda risk 0%
Claims checked 9
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Coastal flooding occurs at predictable times, research reveals Robert Egan Senior Editor Coastal flooding may seem unpredictable, a natural disaster that occurs randomly.

Why it matters

But UCF researcher Ivan Haigh has found that recurrent coastal floods occur at highly predictable times.

Common ground

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Haigh and a team of international researchers show that coastal flooding tends to occur at certain times of day, reflecting the timing of the tides.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

A study led by UCF researcher Ivan Haigh and published in Nature Communications indicates that coastal flooding often occurs at predictable times of day based on tidal patterns. The research suggests that integrating this temporal data into flood forecasting can improve emergency planning and infrastructure operations as sea levels rise.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-09-coastal-reveals.html

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Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 8
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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Claim 1: “UCF researcher Ivan Haigh has found that recurrent coastal floods occur at highly predictable times.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results explicitly state that UCF researcher Ivan Haigh found recurrent coastal floods occur at highly predictable times.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 18, 2026 · Coastal flooding seems like an unpredictable event, a natural disaster that occurs randomly. But UCF researcher Ivan Haigh has found that recurrent coastal floods actually occur at high…
https://www.cecs.ucf.edu/study-shows-coastal-flooding-occurs…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 17, 2026 · A new study from Professor Ivan Haigh and his colleagues shows that coastal flooding occurs at predictable times of day.
https://www.cece.ucf.edu/2026/09/17/study-shows-coastal-floo…
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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Coastal flooding can seem unpredictable, but UCF Coastal researcher Ivan Haigh has found that recurrent coastal floods often occur at highly predictable times. Haigh, a professor in the D…
https://www.ucf.edu/news/coastal-flooding-happens-at-predict…
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Claim 2: “Using tide gauge data and flood event records from the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the researchers found clear patterns in when floods occur.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources confirm the use of tide gauge data and flood event records from the U.S. and the United Kingdom to identify patterns.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom, as well as the Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_Research_UK
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is a non-departmental public body of the Government of the United Kingdom that directs research and innovation funding, funded through the science budget of the Depar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Research_and_Innovation
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 1776, relations between the United Kingdom and the United States have ranged from military opposition to close allyship. The Thirteen Colonies seceded from the Kingdom of Great Britain and decla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom–United_States_r…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Haigh and a team of international researchers show that coastal flooding tends to occur at certain times of day, reflecting the timing of the tides.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the study's findings regarding predictable timing and the involvement of Ivan Haigh. One source specifically mentions the publication in Nature Communications (Jul 28, 2026) and the link to tidal timing.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In Ukraine, a 2007 law requires open access publishing of research created through public funding. In January 2008, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian academics issued the "Belgorod Declaration on ope…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_access_in_Ukraine
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pitcairn Islands ( PIT-kairn; Pitkern: Pitkern Ailen), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcairn_Islands
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A protist ( PROH-tist) or protoctist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, land plant, or fungus. Protists do not form a natural group, or clade, but are a paraphyletic group encompassing …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protist
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “in Boston, floods occur predominantly around noon and midnight”
CORROBORATED
Three separate sources explicitly mention that in Boston, floods predominantly occur around noon and midnight.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 17, 2026 · Using tide gauge data and flood event records from the U.S. and the U.K., the researchers found clear patterns in the appearance of floods. For example, in Boston, floods occur predomin…
https://www.cece.ucf.edu/2026/09/17/study-shows-coastal-floo…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 28, 2026 · For example, floods in Boston cluster around noon and midnight, whereas in southern California they occur in the morning. Sites with stronger non-tidal variability show weaker...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-75710-5
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web search NEUTRAL — Using tide gauge data and flood event records from the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the researchers found clear patterns in when floods occur. For example, in Boston, floods occur predominantly around…
https://www.newsbreak.com/science-x-336891127/4906461886591-…
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Claim 5: “The researchers also found that this phenomenon isn't unique to locations that experience semidiurnal tides... It also happens in places with diurnal tidal systems”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly confirm that the phenomenon occurs in both semidiurnal and diurnal tidal systems.
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web search NEUTRAL — It also occurs in places with diurnal tidal systems — with one high tide and one low tide per day — because of the way different tidal signals interact. Why Flood Timing Matters.
https://www.ucf.edu/news/coastal-flooding-happens-at-predict…
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web search NEUTRAL — Coastal flooding seems like an unpredictable event, a natural disaster that occurs randomly. But UCF researcher Ivan Haigh has found that recurrent coastal floods actually occur at highly predictable …
https://www.preventionweb.net/news/study-shows-coastal-flood…
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web search NEUTRAL — The principal semi-diurnal lunar tide, M2, unsurprisingly explains the largest percentage of variance, 62.0 %, and is shown to be the constituent with the largest tidal amplitude for tide gauges throu…
https://os.copernicus.org/articles/22/1681/2026/
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Claim 6: “Joris G. W. Beemster et al, Coastal flooding at predictable hours, Nature Communications (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-75710-5”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to verify the specific author 'Joris G. W. Beemster', the exact title, the 2026 date, or the DOI provided in the claim.
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Claim 7: “Along the Atlantic Coast and down toward the Florida Keys, coastal flooding is moderately predictable, but along the Gulf Coast, flooding is less predictable.”
CORROBORATED
The specific distinction between the moderate predictability of the Atlantic Coast/Florida Keys and the lower predictability of the Gulf Coast is reported in the UCF-led study summaries.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coastline where the Eastern United States meets t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Coast_of_the_United_State…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a major north–south Florida State Road consisting of seven separate sections running a total of 338.752 miles (545.168 km) along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the sou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_State_Road_A1A
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There are many names that can refer to various parts of the coastline of the peninsular US state of Florida. The coast by be divided by contact with bodies of water or beaches but there are many diffe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coasts_of_Florida
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “this is the first study to show that floods with impacts have predictable daily timing across regions.”
CORROBORATED
The claim that this is the first study to show predictable daily timing for impactful floods across regions is explicitly stated in the web search results.
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web search NEUTRAL — In Florida, timing varies along the coastline because tides differ by location. Along the Atlantic Coast and toward the Florida Keys, coastal flooding is moderately predictable, while flooding along t…
https://www.ucf.edu/news/coastal-flooding-happens-at-predict…
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web search NEUTRAL — Layna Broke Vedal With One Sentence... Daily Dose Of Neuro&Vedal. 291K 1y ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aua6rjpu1kQ
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web search NEUTRAL — The histograms confirm that, as a long‐term average, the times of highest times tend to occur near or slightly before the equinox at Newlyn, near or slightly after the solstice at San Diego, and in be…
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Histograms-of-the-times-…
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Claim 9: “in Southern California, they are more common in the morning.”
CORROBORATED
While some search results discuss general flooding in California, two specific sources discussing the Haigh study explicitly state that in Southern California, floods occur in the morning.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Coast Ranges of California span 400 miles (644 km) from Del Norte or Humboldt County, California, south to Santa Barbara County. The other three coastal California mountain ranges are the Transver…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Coast_Ranges
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Coastal California, also known as the California Coastline and the Golden Coast, refers to the coastal regions of the U.S. state of California. The term is not primarily geographical as it also descri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastal_California
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South Coast is a region of California, making up roughly the southernmost quarter of the Californian coast. A Southern California coastal bioregion is defined by California Environmental Resource…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Coast_(California)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.