A Process Study of Seiches over Coastal Waters of Shenzhen China after the Passage of Typhoons

Abstract

Analysis of sea-level observations demonstrates that Typhoons Mawar (2017) and Mangkhut (2018) induced seiches in both Dapeng Bay and Daya Bay near Shenzhen of China, with periods varying from about 3.5 to 4.0 h. Typhoon Mawar (2017) also generated seiches with a period of about 1.2 h. Seiches with such periods in the two bays have not been reported in the past. In this study, we investigate the main processes affecting seiches over these coastal waters using a nested-grid ocean circulation modeling system. The modelled results of typhoon-induced seiches agree well with observations, which indicates that the seiches after the passage of typhoons are dynamically free waves generated by the storm-induced accumulation of water bodies in the two bays. Model sensitivity experiments show that wind directions have an important influence on the type and characteristics of seiches. When the wind stress causes the water body to accumulate in a cross-bay direction, seiches in a closed water body are generated. When the wind stress causes the water body to accumulate in an along-bay direction, seiches in a semi-closed water body are produced. Because of the irregularity of the bathymetry and coastline and variability of wind directions, these two types of seiches can exist simultaneously in the two bays.