Recent observations of meteotsunamis on the Finnish coast

We present four case studies of exceptional wave events of meteorological origin, observed on the Finnish coast in the summers of 2010 and 2011. Eyewitnesses report unusually rapid and strong sea-level variations (up to 1 m in 5–15 min) and strong oscillating currents during these events. High-resol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Natural hazards (Dordrecht) 2014-10, Vol.74 (1), p.197-215
Main Authors: Pellikka, Hilkka, Rauhala, Jenni, Kahma, Kimmo K., Stipa, Tapani, Boman, Hanna, Kangas, Antti
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Civil Engineering
Coastal environments
Coastal zone
Disturbances
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Energy transfer
Environmental Management
Gauges
Geophysics/Geodesy
Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences
Hydrogeology
Natural Hazards
Oceanography
Original Paper
Origins
Oscillations
Sea level
Squalls
Stations
Summer
Tides
Tsunamis
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Summary:We present four case studies of exceptional wave events of meteorological origin, observed on the Finnish coast in the summers of 2010 and 2011. Eyewitnesses report unusually rapid and strong sea-level variations (up to 1 m in 5–15 min) and strong oscillating currents during these events. High-resolution sea-level measurements confirm the eyewitness observations, but the oscillations recorded by tide gauges mostly have a considerably smaller amplitude. The oscillations coincide with sudden jumps in surface air pressure at coastal observation stations, related to the passage of squall lines or gust fronts. These fronts propagate above the sea at a resonant speed, allowing efficient energy transfer between the atmospheric disturbance and the sea wave that it generates. Thus, we interpret the observed sea-level oscillations as small meteotsunamis, long tsunami-like waves generated by meteorological processes and resonance effects.
ISSN:0921-030X
1573-0840
DOI:10.1007/s11069-014-1150-3