engleski

A widespread Mediterranean/Black Sea meteotsunami of 23-27 June 2014: Observations and assessment of atmospheric processes

A number of destructive tsunami like events occurred in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions during the period of 23 to 27 June 2014. First location to be struck was Ciutadella Harbour (the Balearic Islands, Spain), where 1-m high oscillations were observed on 23 June. Two days later (25 June), four bays in the Adriatic Sea were hit by tsunami waves with wave-heights of up to 3 m, and, on the same day, a phenomenon locally known as 'marrubbio' occurred on the western coast of Sicily: a strong tidal bore with wave heights of >1.5 m propagated inside the Mazara River inlet, damaging moored vessels. Finally, at the midday of 27 June, a sudden tsunami-like wave swept beaches in Odessa, the Black Sea (Ukraine), injuring a number of people. All of the events were correlated and found to be associated with abrupt air pressure changes of ~2 hPa/5 min. A comprehensive in-depth study was carried out to determine key elements, including coverage, duration, intensity and source mechanism of the observed events. Atmospheric surface observations, upper air sounding data, satellite imaginary, reanalysis models, and tide gauge data were examined, and ocean numerical models were applied to simulate the events and reproduce their physical parameters. A unique meteotsunamigenic synoptic pattern was found propagating eastward over South Europe in accordance with onset times of the events. The observed pattern supported the generation and propagation of ducted atmospheric gravity waves, which resonantly excited sea level oscillations throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The dependence of sea level response to a number of parameters, including topography, bathymetry, and propagation parameters of atmospheric gravity waves was determined and investigated.

meteotsunamis; Mediterranean

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