Trinidad Waves! Anyone Met or Other Have Any Ideas??

[abajan]

Guyana also had problems with high seas. From what I understand, their seawall was breached in several areas causing considerable flooding to occur.

[soonertwister]

I'm going to take a hazard guess that it's possible that there was a coastal landslide on one of the volcanic islands of the Atlantic.

I've looked at this issue, and there is one very viable and disturbing scenario of volcanic magma causing a giant landslide on one of the eastern Atlantic islands that would kill millions along the East and Gulf coasts of the U.S. The waves would be so large that the water bubble would travel over the Florida peninsula into the Gulf.

This phenomenon is different from tsunamis, which are caused by earthquakes. The mechanics of this were first discovered after a major landslide on the Alaska coast, which generated displacement waves over 500 feet tall. It's still not well-known, but these waves can retain most of their height over many thousands of miles, as the waves are essentially frictionless.

A much smaller version of this has been witnessed and filmed on camera, a very scary event where people were on rocky outcrops near a glacier that suddenly dropped a bunch of ice into an ocean inlet. It swept a bunch of people off the outcrops with a wave that easily exceeded 50 feet, but miraculously no one was killed.

Ironically, this event was also in Alaska.

[bvigal]

These long-period N/NE swell were predicted way in advance. We had a warning last Thursday that they would come in on the weekend, and they did - with periods up to 17seconds! Scripps model showed them traveling all the way down to 10degrees N, or less, to include Windward Islands, so I'm not surprised to hear about Trinidad. Probably the beach in question had shallow approach, with the long period, rose up pretty good. And yes, they were caused by gails in the Northeast Atlantic... the farther they travel, the longer they get!

Here's that Scripps model: http://facs.scripps.edu/surf/nata.html

[artist]

now that would not have lasted for 12 hours or more would it??

[bvigal]

Oh definitely they can last that long sometimes. They lasted longer than that here. (see below0

COASTAL WATERS FORECAST -NWS-SJU
1034 PM AST SAT OCT 15 2005
PUERTO RICO AND U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS WATERS
AMZ700-160930- 1034 PM AST SAT OCT 15 2005

*SYNOPSIS - BROAD AND ELONGATED LOW PRESSURE CONTINUES ACROSS THE ENTIRE CARIBBEAN TONIGHT...ANCHORED FROM THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION NUMBER 24 NEAR JAMAICA...EXTENDING NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE SW ATLANTIC...AND THEN N TO BROAD LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE NW ATLANTIC. THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION 24 WILL REMAIN IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND MAINTAIN A MOIST SE WIND FLOW LOCALLY...BRINGING PERIODS OF SHWRS AND TSTORMS ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA. LARGE LONG PERIOD N NE SWELL WILL MOVE INTO THE REGIONAL WATERS TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AND PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGIONAL WATERS THROUGH MONDAY.

[debbiet]

Hmmm...we were cruising on Carnival Triumph back up the east coast from Freeport, Bahamas Saturday afternoon/night...arriving in Norfolk early Sunday morning. The seas were VERY rough, extremely large swells the entire way back and strong winds too. Lots of sick folks. I wonder if this is relate...All I know is we were happy to get off of that ship Sunday morning!

[artist]

thanks bvigal! my ? of the length was to the post above yours - guess you and I were posting about the same time It's a shame the other islands didn't get the warnings. Thanks for posting the info as well.

[Dr. Jonah Rainwater]

I think that the gale they are referring to was that storm system that flooded New England and Puerto Rico before spawning Wilma. It certainly looked deep enough to cause some major open-ocean waves, like those monstrous Arctic lows in the Gulf of Alaska.