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Observations of large infragravity wave runup at Banneg Island, France
Author(s) -
Sheremet Alex,
Staples Tracy,
Ardhuin Fabrice,
Suanez Serge,
Fichaut Bernard
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2013gl058880
Subject(s) - infragravity wave , geology , swell , intertidal zone , storm , seismology , oceanography , shoaling and schooling , wind wave , climatology , wave propagation , physics , mechanical wave , longitudinal wave , quantum mechanics
On Banneg Island, France, very high water‐level events (6.5 m above the astronomical tide) have been observed on the western cliff, exposed to large swells from the North Atlantic. The analysis of hydrodynamic measurements collected during the storm of 10 February 2009 shows unusually high (over 2 m) infragravity wave runup events. By comparing runup observations to measurements in approximately 7 m of water and numerical simulations with a simplified nonlinear model, two distinct infragravity bands may be identified: an 80 s infragravity wave, produced by nonlinear shoaling of the storm swell; and a 300 s wave, trapped on the intertidal platform of the island and generating intermittent, low‐frequency inundation. Our analysis shows that the 300 s waves are a key component of the extreme water levels recorded on the island.