Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Meteorological Tsunamis: The U.S. East Coast and Other Coastal Regions pp 155–177Cite as

The Lake Michigan meteotsunamis of 1954 revisited

  • Original Paper
  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

Two large meteotsunami wave events on Lake Michigan impacted the Chicago coastline within 10 days of each other in 1954. Initial data analysis suggested that the fatal first event (June 26) was caused by a Proudman resonant non-trapped wave, while the second event (July 6) was caused by Greenspan resonant trapped edge waves. In this study, a numerical hydrodynamic model was used to reveal the detailed behavior of these events. For both events, the atmospheric pressure and wind perturbations were found to be essential to explain the magnitude of the wave activity, in contrast to the initial conclusions that the waves were primarily pressure-driven. In the June 26 meteotsunami, Proudman resonance wave was the primary cause of the destructive wave, though the storm also generated edge waves which persisted for many hours, hindering rescue efforts. The maximum wave heights for the July 6 event were found to be the product of a superposition of edge waves and non-trapped waves rather than purely edge waves as originally thought. The results from these events demonstrate the enclosed Lake Michigan basin retained and focused wave energy, leading to their large magnitude, long duration, and destructive nature.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Ashley WS, Mote TL, Bentley ML (2005) On the episodic nature of derecho-producing convective systems in the United States. Int J Climatol 25:1915–1932

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bently ML, Sparks JA (2003) A 15 year climatology of derecho-producing mesoscale convective systems over the central and eastern United States. Clim Res 24:129–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cho KH, Wang HV, Shen J, Valle-Levinson A, Teng YC (2012) A modeling study on the response of the Chesapeake Bay to Hurricane Events of Floyd and Isabel. Ocean Model 49–50:22–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donelan MA, Haus BK, Reul N, Plant WJ, Stiassnie M, Graber HC, Brown OB, Saltzman ES (2004) On the limiting aero-dynamic roughness of the ocean in very strong winds. Geophys Res Lett 31:L18306. doi:10.1029/2004GL019460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donn WL (1959) The Great Lakes storm surge of May 5, 1952. J Geophys Res 64(2):191–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donn WL, Ewing M (1956) Stokes’ edge waves in Lake Michigan. Science 124(3234):1238–1242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing M, Press F, Donn WJ (1954) An explanation of the Lake Michigan wave of 26 June 1954. Science 120(3122):684–686

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fortunato AB, Rodrigues M, Dias JM, Lopes C, Oliveira A (2013) Generating inundation maps for a coastal lagoon: a case study in the Ria de Aveiro (Portugal). Ocean Eng 64:60–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenspan HP (1956) The generation of edge waves by moving pressure disturbances. J Fluid Mech 1:574–592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris DL (1957) The effect of a moving pressure disturbance on the water level in a lake. Meteorol Monogr 2(10):46–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Hibiya T, Kajiura K (1982) Origin of “abiki” phenomenon (kind of seiches) in Ngasaki Bay. J Oceanogr Soc Jpn 38:172–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes LA (1965) The prediction of surges in the southern basin of Lake Michigan: part III. The operational basis for prediction. Mon Weather Rev 93(5):292–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelley JGW, Hobgood JS, Bedford KW, Schwab DJ (1998) Generation of three-dimensional lake model forecasts for Lake Erie. Weather Forecast 13(3):659–687

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kharif C, Pelinosvsky E (2003) Physical mechanisms of the rouge wave phenomenon. Eur J Mech B Fluids 22(6):603–634

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurkin A, Pelinovsky E (2003) Shallow-water edge waves above an inclined bottom slowly varied in along-shore direction. Eur J Mech B Fluids 22(4):305–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monserrat S, Vilibic I, Rabinovich AB (2006) Meteotsunamis: atmospherically induced destructive ocean waves in the tsunami frequency band. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 6(6):1035–1051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munk W, Snodgrass F, Carrier G (1956) Edge waves on the continental shelf. Science 123(3187):127–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nepf HM, Wu CH, Chan ES (1998) A comparison of two- and three-dimensional wave breaking. J Phys Oceanogr 28(7):1496–1510

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Connor WP, Schwab DJ, Lang GA (1999) Forecast verification for eta model winds using Lake Erie storm surge water levels. Weather Forecast 14(1):119–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orlić M, Belusic D, Janekovic I, Pasaric M (2010) Fresh evidence relating the great Adriatic surge of 21 June 1978 to mesoscale atmospheric forcing. J Geophys Res 115. doi:10.1029/2009JC005777

  • Platzman GW (1958) A numerical computation of the surge of 26 June 1954 on Lake Michigan. Geophysica 6(1):407–438

    Google Scholar 

  • Platzman GW (1965) The prediction of surges in the southern basin of Lake Michigan: part I. The dynamical basis for prediction. Mon Weather Rev 93(5):275–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Powell MD, Vickery PJ, Reinhold TA (2003) Reduced drag coefficient for high wind speeds in tropical cyclones. Nature 422:279–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Proudman J (1929) The effects on the sea of changes in atmospheric pressure. Geophys Suppl Mon Not R Astron Soc 2(4):197–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rabinovich AB (2009) Seiches and harbor oscillations. In: Kim YC (ed) Handbook of coastal and ocean engineering. World Scientific, Singapore, pp 193–236

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Renault L, Vizoso G, Jansá A, Wilkin J, Tintoré J (2011) Toward the predictability of meteotsunamis in the Balearic Sea using regional nested atmosphere and ocean models. Geophys Res Lett 38. doi:10.1029/2011GL047361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rotunno R, Klemp JB, Weisman ML (1988) A theory for strong, long-lived squall lines. J Atmos Sci 45(3):463–485

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Šepić J, Orlić M, Vilibić I (2008) The Bakar Bay seiches and their relationship with atmospheric processes. Acta Adriat 49(2):107–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard PA (1958) Transfer across the earth’s surface and through the air above. QJR Meteorol Soc 84:205–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith SD (1980) Wind stress and heat flux over the ocean in gale force winds. J Phys Oceanogr 10:709–726

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song Y, Haidvogel D (1994) A semi-implicit ocean circulation model using a generalized topography-following coordinate system. J Comput Phys 115(1):228–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ursell F (1952) Edge waves on a sloping beach. Proc R Soc Ser A 214(1116):79–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vilibić I (2008) Numerical simulations of the Proudman resonance. Cont Shelf Res 28:574–581. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2007.11.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vilibić I, Domijan N, Cupic S (2005) Wind versus air pressure seiche triggering in the Middle Adriatic Coastal waters. J Mar Sci 57(1–2):189–200

    Google Scholar 

  • Vilibić I, Monserrat S, Rabinovich A, Mihanovic H (2008) Numerical modeling of the destructive meteotsunami of 15 June, 2006 on the coast of the Baleric Islands. Pure Appl Geophys 165:2169–2195. doi:10.1007/s00024-008-0426-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wakimoto RM, Murphey HV, Nester A, Jorgensen DP, Atkins NT (2006) High winds generated by bow echoes. Part I: overview of the Omaha bow echo 5 July 2003 storm during BAMEX. Mon Weather Rev 134(10):2793–2812. doi:10.1175/MWR3215.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witter RC, Jaffe B, Zhang Y, Priest GR (2011) Reconstructing hydrodynamic flow parameters of the 1700 tsunami at Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA. Nat Hazards. doi:10.1007/s11069-011-9912-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu CH, Nepf HM (2002) Breaking wave criteria and energy losses for three-dimensional breaking waves. J Geophys Res Oceans 107(C10):41-1–41-18. doi:10.1029/2001JC001077

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Baptista AM (2008a) SELFE: a semi-implicit Eulerian–Lagrangian finite-element model for cross-scale ocean circulation. Ocean Model 21(3–4):71–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Baptista AM (2008b) An efficient and robust tsunami model on unstructured grids. Part I: inundation Benchmarks. Pure Appl Geophys 165(11–12):2229–2248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Witter RW, Priest GP (2011) Tsunami–tide interaction in 1964 Prince William Sound tsunami. Ocean Model 40(3–4):246–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research Long-term Great Lakes Fellowship, and UW-Madison/UW-Milwaukee Intercampus Research Incentive Grants Program. The authors would like to thank Dr. David Schwab at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and Dr. Eric Anderson at NOAA-Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory for the advice and discussion on meteotsunamis in the Great Lakes. The authors would also like to thank the two anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved the manuscript. At last, the authors greatly thank Dr. Ivica Vilibic, Dr. Alexander B. Rabinovich, and Dr. Sebastian Monserrat for their endeavors to make the special issue on meteorological tsunamis come true. Furthermore, their leadership and contribution to this important topic is highly acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin, 1261B Engineering Hall, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Adam J. Bechle & Chin H. Wu

Authors
  1. Adam J. Bechle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chin H. Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chin H. Wu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Šetalište I. Meštrovića 63, 21000, Split, Croatia

    Ivica Vilibić

  2. Institute for Advanced Studies, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), C/ Miquel Marquès 21, 07190, Esporles, Spain

    Sebastian Monserrat

  3. Russian Academy of Sciences, P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Nakhimovski prospect 36, 117997, Moscow, Russia

    Alexander B. Rabinovich

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bechle, A.J., Wu, C.H. (2014). The Lake Michigan meteotsunamis of 1954 revisited. In: Vilibić, I., Monserrat, S., Rabinovich, A.B. (eds) Meteorological Tsunamis: The U.S. East Coast and Other Coastal Regions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12712-5_9

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation