Meteotsunamis Could Threaten Coastal Communities

Photo credit Buddy Denham/National Weather Service

As hurricane season gets underway, the National Weather Service is also making sure coastal communities are aware of the danger of meteotsunamis.

The Marblehead Police Department recently shared some of this information on meteotsunamis, stating that as a coastal community, it is important to be aware of their dangers.

On June 13, 2013, despite clear skies and calm weather, tsunami-like waves crashed upon the New Jersey and southern Massachusetts coasts, according to the National Weather Service.

In New Jersey, three people were swept off a jetty and injured due to the waves.

The waves were captured by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) coastal water-level stations from Puerto Rico to New England as well as a Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoy 150 miles offshore.

Due to the wave’s coincidence with a severe weather pattern and the lack of a detected earthquake or landslide, scientists deemed the event a “meteotsunami.”

The National Weather Service stated that the meteotsunamis should not be confused with storm surges caused by tropical storms.

Meteotsunamis have characteristics similar to earthquake-generated tsunamis, but they are caused by air pressure disturbances often associated with fast moving weather systems, such as squall lines, according to the weather service.

These disturbances can generate waves in the ocean that travel at the same speed as the overhead weather system. Development of a meteotsunami depends on several factors such as the intensity, direction, and speed of the disturbance as it travels over a water body with a depth that enhances wave magnification.

Although these meteotsunamis pose risks worldwide, it is still a challenge to forecast them.

However, with recent increases in research as well as improved observational networks and forecast models,the National Weather Service states that a reliable forecast and warning system for the United States is within reach, and that the United States is in the early stages of developing a meteotsunami forecast and warning system.

More information on meteotsunamis from the National Weather Service is available here.