Work

Meteotsunami waves induced by atmospheric pressure disturbances from volcanic eruptions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Meteotsunamis, which occur due to Proudman resonance during atmospheric disturbances, are a significant but often overlooked coastal hazard. This study utilizes Boussinesq-type wave equations to explore the influence of the Froude number (Fr) on meteotsunami development and peak wave heights. The findings highlight two distinct hydrodynamic regimes: under supercritical conditions (Fr≥1), locked waves dominate the maximum wave height (ηmax), while subcritical conditions (Fr<1) ηmax refer to the free-wave height. Notably, wave coupling persists throughout the transient phase until dynamic equilibrium is reached, with locked and free waves showing an inverse relationship in amplitude evolution—when one component amplifies in height, the other attenuates. A predictive formula for transient maximum wave height is derived and validated against numerical simulations. The model's predictive performance is further validated through an analysis of the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption. Simulated meteotsunami waveforms closely match corrected Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoy data across Pacific regions, and the predicted maximum wave height from the equation shows strong agreement with both the DART data and the simulated results.

Source: Physics of Fluids

DOI: 10.1063/5.0270118

Authors: Fangrui Liu, Huai Zhang, Yaolin Shi

Institutions: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai)

Language: English

Topic: Earthquake and Tsunami Effects

Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities