Occurrence of pressure-forced meteotsunami events in the eastern Yellow Sea during 2010–2019
Myung‐Seok Kim, Seung‐Buhm Woo, Hyunmin Eom, Sung Hyup You
Abstract
Abstract. This study examined the occurrence of meteotsunamis in the eastern Yellow Sea and the conceptual framework of a monitoring/warning system. Using 1 min intervals of mean-sea-level pressure and sea-level observations from 89 meteorological stations and 16 tide gauges between 2010 and 2019, a total of 42 pressure-forced meteotsunami events were classified. Most meteotsunamis (71 %) displayed a distinct seasonal pattern occurring from March to June, and intense meteotsunamis typically occurred at harbor tide gauges. The occurrence characteristics of the meteotsunamis were examined to improve the meteotsunami monitoring/warning system. Air pressure disturbances with speeds of 11–26 m s−1 and NNW–SW directions were conducive to meteotsunami generation. Most meteotsunamis (88 %), as well as strong meteotsunamis with a wave height exceeding 40 cm (19 %), had dominant period bands of less than 30 min, containing the resonant periods of harbors in the eastern Yellow Sea. Thus, the eastern Yellow Sea is a harbor-meteotsunami-dominated environment, characterized by frequent meteotsunami occurrences and local amplification in multiple harbors. This study can provide practical guidance on operation periods, potential hot spots, and risk levels to monitoring/warning system operators in the eastern Yellow Sea.