Meteorological Water Surface Disturbance in Tsunami Frequency Band near Ulleung Island on the East Sea of Korea

Abstract

Lee, E.; Shin, S.; Park, J.-N., and Park, S.-C., 2023. Meteorological water surface disturbance in tsunami frequency band near Ulleung Island on the East Sea of Korea. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(1), 191-198. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The probability of exposure to coastal hazards has been increasing recently due to climate change. Meteotsunamis, one of the coastal hazards, are generated around the world by meteorological forcing, and their frequency band is 2 minutes to 3 hours, similar to earthquake-induced tsunamis. Although the west coast of South Korea has been unexpectedly affected, incurring casualties and property losses in 2007 and 2008, there are no documented cases in the East Sea of Korea. However, the surge gauge located on Ulleung Island (the easternmost part of Korea), operated by Korea Meteorological Administration to detect tsunamis, observed two meteotsunamis in January and April 2020. So, this study aimed to quantify the two meteotsunamis based on sea-level measurements and atmospheric observations. The results of the study show the maximum peak-to-trough wave height was 99.86 cm greater than the wave height of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami obtained by the Ulleung surge gauge. This reveals that the meteotsunami monitoring system should be improved based on the deep analysis of sea level and atmospheric observations on the East Sea of Korea to respond to climate change. © 2023 Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Inc.