Simulation of Inundation along the West Coast of Korea from the Meteo-Tsunami of 2007

Abstract

On March 31, 2007 a destructive long wave occurred along the west coast of Korea. Due to this long wave, four human lives were lost and many of ships and houses were damaged. Because no earthquake or no strong wind was reported around the Yellow Sea by that time, this long wave is suspected to be a meteo-tsunami. This study focuses on the understanding of the generation mechanism of atmospheric pressure jump and its resultant meteo-tsunami. hi this study, a new type of atmospheric pressure jump which generated the meteo-tsunami along the west coast of Korea on the 31st of March, 2007 is suggested. To confirm the relation between the atmospheric pressure jump and the meteo-tsunami, a numerical simulation using two dimensional nonlinear shallow water equations was conducted. The results agree well with the observed free surface data at the Younggwang tidal station and the measured inundation heights at the Beopsungpo area of Korea.