Long Waves at Lyttelton
Data kindly supplied by Lyttelton Port Co. Ltd.
As a result of the Chile tsunami of 28-Feb-2010, this analysis has been complemented with a more detailed analysis of the residual, as presented here.
Figure 1. Long Waves at Lyttelton showing:
A. long wave record;
B. significant (red) and maximum (blue) wave heights, and high tide times (green diamonds);
C. period of significant waves; and
D. distribution of significant wave height with time and period.
Pegasus Bay Seiche
A feature of the sea levels at Lyttelton is a ubiquitous seiche with periods of c. 3.4 h. The seiche is a classical chaotic signal with variable amplitude and phase, but constant period. It is caused by the nonlinear interaction of the tide and storm surge with each other and the bathymetry and shoreline.
Figure 2. Pegasus Bay seiche at Lyttelton showing:
A. long wave record;
B. significant (red) and maximum (blue) wave heights, and high tide times (green diamonds);
C. period of significant waves; and
D. distribution of significant wave height with time and period.
How were these calculated?Return to top
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