How successive #meteotsunami and storm activity disrupts #saltmarsh vegetation

Clare Lewis, Jonathan Dale, Jessica Neumann, Tim Smyth, Hannah Cloke, October 2025

Abstract
"Meteotsunami (#MeteorologicalTsunami) are globally occurring progressive shallow water waves with a period of between 2 and 120 min which result from sudden pressure changes and wind stress due to moving atmospheric systems. These waves are known to cause destruction to and loss of assets. Currently, there is no research into the impact of meteotsunami on #CoastalEcosystems such as saltmarshes, despite the significant role saltmarsh play in providing vital habitats for resident and migrating birds, natural flood defences and climate mitigation. As such the restoration of saltmarshes has emerged as a pivotal focus within the UK Government's environmental policy framework.

"This paper examines the impact of two meteotsunami events (2016 and 2021) on saltmarsh vegetation in the southwestern #UK. An assessment of the vegetation pre and post event was undertaken using high resolution satellite imagery and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (#NDVI). Results revealed that the 2016 meteotsunami exacted minimal vegetation change with a decrease in NDVI from 0.26 to 0.23 and a temporary reduction in coverage of 40%, suggesting a potential resilience to single episodic disturbances. In contrast, the 2021 event, compounded by multiple significant storms and additional meteotsunami, led to a decline in NDVI values from 0.44 to 0.22 and a temporary reduction in vegetation coverage of 66%.

"Both events indicated a short-term disruption with a relatively rapid rebound (within one to three months). However, the longer-term effects of such a disruption on the saltmarsh ecosystem need to be investigated further.
This comparative analysis underscores the complex interactions between meteotsunami, climatic phenomena, and coastal vegetation dynamics, highlighting the necessity for ongoing monitoring and research to understand the resilience mechanisms of such ecosystems in the face of increasing #ClimaticVariability and #ExtremeWeather events."

Full paper:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771425003737

#ClimateChange #AtmosphericDisturbances #AtmosphericDisturbance #CoastalAreas #RogueWave

1 Dead and at least 35 Injured After '#Meteotsunami' Wipes Through Beaches in #Argentina: 'A Black Whirlpool Formed'

A series of waves hit the beaches of #MarChiquita, #SantaClaraDelMar, #Camet and #MarDelPlata in Argentina on Jan. 12

By Gabrielle Rockson
Published on January 13, 2026

Excerpt: "Described as a meteotsunami, the waves reportedly reached as high as 16 feet."

https://people.com/1-dead-35-injured-meteotsunami-wipes-beaches-11884265

#ClimateChange #RogueWave #AtmosphericDisturbance #AtmosphericDisturbances

#Meteotsunami or #MeteorologicalTsunami

This entry was posted on October 2, 2024 by Anne Helmenstine (updated on May 6, 2025)

"#ClimateChange is expected to lead to more frequent and intense storms, including thunderstorms and squalls. These #AtmosphericDisturbances generate #meteotsunamis, so a rise in storm activity may result in more frequent meteotsunamis in certain regions.

Key regions include:
- #MediterraneanSea: One of the most well-known meteotsunamis occurred in the #BalearicIslands in 2006, with waves reaching over 4 meters.
- #GreatLakes (U.S. and Canada): The Great Lakes experience meteotsunamis during periods of intense thunderstorms or pressure changes. In 1954, a meteotsunami struck Chicago, causing significant damage and claiming seven lives.
- #EastCoast of the United States: Meteotsunamis have been recorded along the eastern seaboard, especially in the Gulf of #Maine and #Massachusetts Bay.
- #AdriaticSea: A notable meteotsunami occurred in Vela Luka, #Croatia, in 1978, reaching 6 meters in height."

Source [very spammy website. Looking for a better source]:
https://sciencenotes.org/meteotsunami-or-meteorological-tsunami/

#UnpredictableWave #RogueWave
#ClimateChange #AtmosphericDisturbance #AtmosphericDisturbances

Stranger Things en Argentina

https://noticiaslainsuperable.com.ar/2026/01/13/stranger-things-en-argentina/

1 dead and at least 35 injured after '#meteotsunami' wipes through #beaches in #Argentina: 'A black whirlpool formed'

A series of waves hit the beaches of #MarChiquita, #SantaClaraDelMar, #Camet and #MarDelPlata in Argentina on Jan. 12

"The incident was an unforeseeable event and that there are no meteorological or scientific studies that predicted it." per #Crónica.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/1-dead-and-at-least-35-injured-after-meteotsunami-wipes-through-beaches-in-argentina-a-black-whirlpool-formed/

Wikipedia: "Meteotsunamis are generated when rapid changes in barometric pressure cause the displacement of a body of water. In contrast to impulse-type tsunami sources, a traveling atmospheric disturbance normally interacts with the ocean over a limited period of time."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteotsunami

NOAA: "Meteotsunamis are progressive waves with periods of two minutes to two hours, triggered by atmospheric pressure changes. They can reach heights of 6 feet or more and occur in many places around the world, but are difficult to predict."

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/meteotsunami.html

#UnpredictableWave #RogueWave #ClimateChange #AtmosphericDisturbance

A meteotsunami was observed on Lake Superior. A few years ago, scientists used observations from the weather station network I run to write up a case study of a #MeteoTsunami in the Salish Sea.

CBC News ...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/scientists-study-lake-superior-possible-meteotsunami-1.7569466

Research ...
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-020-04203-5