Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-2535-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-20-2535-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Meteotsunami occurrence in the Gulf of Finland over the past century
Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
Terhi K. Laurila
Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
Hanna Boman
Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
Anu Karjalainen
Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
Jan-Victor Björkqvist
Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
Kimmo K. Kahma
Finnish Meteorological Institute, P.O. Box 503, 00101 Helsinki, Finland
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A new global dataset – MISELA (Minute Sea-Level Analysis) – has been developed and contains quality-checked sea-level records from 331 tide gauges worldwide for a period from 2004 to 2019. The dataset is appropriate for research on atmospherically induced high-frequency sea-level oscillations. Research on these oscillations is important, as they can, like all sea-level extremes, seriously threaten coastal zone infrastructure and populations.
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Strong motions caused by surface waves can set the material at the bottom in motion. How strong the wave motions need to be depends on the bottom type, for example mud or sand. We estimated how often wave can lift particles from the bottom. Tests with sea floor samples in the laboratory showed that the required wave force can be much larger in reality compared to models that are only based on the grain size of the sea floor. These differences are explained by biological activity at the bottom.
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Wave observations have a fundamental uncertainty due to the randomness of the sea state. Such scatter is absent in model data, and we tried two methods to best account for this difference when combining measured and modelled wave heights. The results were used to estimate how rare a 2019 storm in the Bothnian Sea was. Both methods were found to have strengths and weaknesses, but our best estimate was that, in the current climate, such a storm might on average repeat about once a century.
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Short summary
Meteotsunamis are long waves created by atmospheric disturbances travelling over the sea. These waves can be hazardous in rare cases. Their occurrence in the Baltic Sea has been poorly known, which is why we examine century-long sea level records from the Gulf of Finland to identify these waves. In total, 121 potential meteotsunamis were found. The strong connection between meteotsunami occurrence and lightning observations indicates that meteotsunamis in this region occur during thunderstorms.
Meteotsunamis are long waves created by atmospheric disturbances travelling over the sea. These...
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