Teleconnections between the Adriatic and the Balearic meteotsunamis

This paper investigates whether concurrent or subsequent meteotsunamis could happen at both the Balearic Islands and the Adriatic Sea as a consequence of either the simultaneous presence of the favourable synoptic pattern above both areas, or propagation of the pattern from one area to another. Meteotsunami events in sea level records from Dubrovnik (chosen to be the proxy for the occurrence of meteotsunami events in the Adriatic Sea) are compared to 32 known Ciutadella (the Balearic Islands) events. The analysis shows that a meteotsunami at the Adriatic Sea is likely to happen if the favourable synoptic pattern propagates or spreads from the Balearic Islands to the Adriatic Sea, causing meteotsunamis in both places. Upper level instabilities are recognized as the most important synoptic feature for the occurrence of meteotsunamis, as these instabilities can generate the atmospheric gravity waves which provoke meteotsunamis and also help to trap the atmospheric energy at lower levels. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.