The worst North Sea storm surge for 50 years

Using observed hourly heights of tide at thirty-one stations in the North Sea and two in the English Channel, the storm surge of 31 January and 1 February 1953 has been investigated in the light of the meteorological conditions prevailing. The major cause of the disturbance is shown to be the strong northerly winds in and to the north of the North Sea, modified at each station by local wind and barometric effects. An increase of 2 ft. in the mean level of the North Sea during the disturbance has been deduced, and the response of the sea as a whole to the disturbing winds has been examined. Geostrophic effects have been remarked in both the growth and decay of the disturbance. Estimates have been made of the air/sea frictional coefficient on two separate occasions during the period considered, assuming the tractive force of the wind to vary as the square of its velocity. These estimates are in agreement with accepted values. The partial transmission of this large surge through the Straits of Dover has been shown as an im portant factor, influencing the levels immediately to the north of the Straits. Prediction of the surge at Southend by a previously established formula has given only fair results, but the errors have been explained in terms of the facts previously presented and the approximations upon which the formula is based. Suggestions for future research into the improvement of surge prediction formulae have been made.

Download Full-text

Where Local Matters: Impacts of a Major North Sea Storm Surge

Eos ◽

10.1002/2014eo300002 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 95 (30) ◽

pp. 269-270 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Thomas Spencer ◽

Susan M. Brooks ◽

Iris Möller ◽

Ben R. Evans

Keyword(s):

Storm Surge ◽

North Sea ◽

Sea Storm

Download Full-text

The North Sea surge of 31 October–1 November 2006 during Storm Britta

Advances in Geosciences ◽

10.5194/adgeo-45-273-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 ◽

pp. 273-279 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anthony James Kettle

Keyword(s):

The Netherlands ◽

Storm Surge ◽

North Sea ◽

Tide Gauge ◽

Storm Surges ◽

Tide Gauge Records ◽

The North ◽

Short Period ◽

The North Sea ◽

Sea Storm

Abstract. Offshore energy infrastructure, including the petroleum and wind energy sectors, are susceptible to damage and interruption by extreme meteorological events. In northwest Europe and especially the North Sea, these extreme meteorological events are mostly associated with severe storms in the autumn and winter seasons. In the North Sea, storm surges have an impact on the offshore energy sector mainly from the flooding of port facilities and from strong ocean currents causing extra structural loading and bottom scouring. Storm Britta on 31 October–1 November 2006 was an important North Sea storm with a high surge along the coast of the Netherlands and Germany and a significant number of high wave reports. The paper presents an analysis of the national tide gauge records of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark to spectrally isolate and reconstruct time series components corresponding to the storm surge, semi-diurnal tide, and short period contribution. The semi-diurnal tides and storm surge during Storm Britta are tracked counter-clockwise around the North Sea from Scotland to northern Denmark. The storm surge was remarkable for its pronounced peak in the coastal area between the Netherlands and Germany with no precedent in the ∼100 year measurement record. The short period component of the tide gauge records show large oscillations during the height of the storm that may correspond with reports of unusually high waves at nearby coastal locations.

Download Full-text