Seiches and harbor oscillations
In: Kim, Y.C. (Ed.) (2010). Handbook of coastal and ocean engineering. World Scientific: New Jersey. ISBN 978-981-281-929-1. xxiii, 1163 pp., more |
| Abstract | This chapter presents an overview of seiches and harbor oscillations. Seiches are long-period standing oscillations in an enclosed basin or in a locally isolated part of a basin. They have physical characteristics similar to the vibrations of a guitar string or an elastic membrane. The resonant (eigen) periods of seiches are determined by basin geometry and depth and in natural basins may range from tens of seconds to several hours. The set of seiche eigen frequencies (periods) and associated modal structures are a fundamental property of a particular basin and are independent of the external forcing mechanism. Harbor oscillations (coastal seiches) are a specific type of seiche motion that occur in partially enclosed basins (bays, fjords, inlets, and harbors) that are connected through one or more openings to the sea. In contrast to seiches, which are generated by direct external forcing (e.g., atmospheric pressure, wind, and seismic activity), harbor oscillations are mainly generated by long waves entering through the open boundary (harbor entrance) from the open sea. Energy losses of seiches in enclosed basins are mostly due to dissipative processes, while the decay of harbor oscillations is primarily due to radiation through the mouth of the harbor. An important property of harbor oscillations is the Helmholtz mode (pumping mode), similar to the fundamental tone of an acoustic resonator. This mode is absent in a closed basin. |
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