Seiches induced by storms in the English Channel

Authors: Wells, Neil C.; Baldwin, Duncan; Haigh, Ivan

Source: The Global Atmosphere-Ocean System, Volume 10, Number 1, March 2005 , pp. 1-14(14)

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Abstract:

Investigation of an extreme storm surge event revealed the presence of an oscillation in sea level with a period of 2–6?h. The English Channel is well known for its quarter- and sixth-diurnal tides, and it was expected that these oscillations were simply the result of tide-surge interactions. However, results of model experiments permitted the reproduction of oscillations from wind forcing alone. The forcing used was from an extreme wind event in December 1989. In this article we describe these oscillations, and in particular their spatial characteristics. It is shown that the dominant response is a transverse mode of the English Channel, with minimum amplitude in the central Channel and maximum amplitude in the Baie de Seine and the Golfe de St Malo.

Keywords: English Channel; Surface wind stress; Transverse mode

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17417530410001704645

Affiliations: 1: School of Ocean and Earth Science, Southampton Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK

Publication date: 2005-03-01

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