Meteotsunami observed by the deep-ocean seafloor pressure gauge network
off northeastern Japan
Abstract
Recent developments in ocean-bottom pressure gauge (OBP) networks have
enabled us to continuously monitor various waves in the ocean. On 1
July, 2020, an OBP network, S-net, recorded tsunami-like pressure
changes, although no earthquake was reported. These waves were well
explained by a numerical simulation supposing a northward-moving
atmospheric low pressure system with a maximum pressure depression of
−0.5 ± 0.1 hPa and an apparent speed of 100–110 m/s. This simulation
suggested that these waves were meteotsunamis. The simulation also
suggested that the maximum amplitudes of the sea-surface height of
~ 2 cm were up to ~30% larger than
those expected from the observed pressure if we do not consider the
effect of the atmospheric pressure change. Our study showed that the
S-net can detect the generation and propagation of meteotsunamis, which
could not be achieved in the past when OBP networks with only a few
stations were available.