Numerical analysis of meteotsunamis in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

Although relatively rare, meteotsunamis are capable of causing coastal infrastructure damage and casualties. Analyses of water level and meteorological data in the U.S. show that meteotsunamis occur more frequently than expected, and therefore, it is important to include meteotsunami assessment in coastal hazard mitigation efforts. In this study, we conducted numerical experiments to investigate the generation and propagation of meteotsunami waves and assessed hazards on a broad scale in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The numerical experiments used a simple 2D depth-averaged hydrostatic shallow water model forced by an idealized atmospheric pressure disturbance on a set of trajectories and directions (1260 runs) covering the whole Florida GOM shelf. Results show that bathymetry pattern has control over the direction of major meteotsunami waves and that forward speed has more influence on maximum water level than the trajectory location. Maximum water level anomaly tracking and Proudman length analysis both demonstrate that Florida’s wide and long straight continental shelf in the northeastern GOM is favorable for producing large meteotsunamis. Statistical analysis indicates that pressure disturbances coming from southwest–west direction result in higher water level near south Florida region, while east direction in the Florida panhandle region. The forward speed distribution shows that 20–25 m/s have the most potential. These results can help identify vulnerable coastal regions and pressure disturbance scenarios that most likely generate higher meteotsunami waves.