HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Faculty of Geology & Petroleum Engineering

Lecturer: Dr. Bui Trong Vinh

Presenter: Vo Hoang Duy

 INTRODUCTION
o What is Storm surge?
o What causes Storm surge?
o Factors influencing Storm surge
OBSERVING AND MEASURING STORM
SURGE
THE CASE OF QINGDAO, CHINA
THE CASE OF HAMBURG
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
Bolivar Peninsula In Texas After Hurricane Ike (2008)
Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water
generated by a storm, over and above the
predicted astronomical tide.
 Storm surge is caused primarily by the strong
winds in a hurricane or tropical storm.
Top view of sea surface Side view of cross section ABC
Top view of sea surface Side view of cross section ABC
1. Central Pressure
Lower pressure will produce high surge
2. Size
A larger storm will produce higher surge. There
are 2 reasons for this:
Winds in a larger storm are pushing on a
larger area of the ocean
Strong winds in a larger storm will tend to
affect an area longer than a smaller storm.
3. Storm Intensity
Stronger winds will produce a higher surge.
4. Angle of Approach to Coast
The angle at which a storm approaches a
coastline can affect how much surge is
generated. A storm that moves on shore
perpendicular to the coast is more likely to
produce a higher storm surge than a storm that
moves parallel to the coast or moves inland at
an oblique angle
.
5. Wide and Slope of continental shelf

Higher storm surge

occurs with wide, gently
sloping continental
shelves (top), while
lower storm surge
occurs with narrow,
steeply sloping shelves
(bottom)
 Tide Stations:
Measure the
variation in the
water level
along the coast
Generally
located in areas
shelter from
waves -> able to
measure
stillwater
 High Water Marks:
Marking the highest
elevation of water
surface for flood event
Use GPS methods to
survey and record
reliable high water
marks after storm
 Pressure Sensors:
Provide information
about storm surge
duration, times of
arrival and retreat,
maximum depths
Installed around posts
and other structures
before the arrival of a
hurricane
 China faces the West
Pacific Ocean and has more
than 18,000 km of coastline
Storm surges are the major
marine disaster in China and
are mainly caused by
typhoons
The Shanghai to Quanzhou
and the Zhujiang Estuaty to
Northeast Hainan coastal
areas are 2 regions of China
most affected by storm
surges
Qingdao is an
important harbor
city in China that
faces the Yellow
Sea and is located
on the west coast
of Jiaozhou Bay.
 Peak surge heights in Qingdao depend on
typical typhoon paths:
1. From Jiangsu coast before continuing
north to Qingdao
2. From Fujian Province, then move north
until turning east to Qingdao
3. Move north from East China Sea to
Qingdao
4. Move northwest to Qingdao
 The first storm was a nameless typhoon
formed on 22 August 1939 in Pacific
Ocean.
Consequences:
17 people were killed
1000 houses were destroyed, 3000 houses
were damaged
460 ha of farmland near the coast was
inundated
 In August 1985, a storm surge disaster
happened when Typhoon Mamie hit
Qingdao,
In the disaster,
29 people were killed, 368 people were
wounded
8000m of sea dikes and other coastal defense
measures were destroyed
Economic loss was around 200 million US
dollars
Hamburg is a
harbor in the
estuary around
140 km upstream
along the river
Elbe

The estuary opens

from the northwest
into the German
Bight, which is
prone to storm
surges
The history of storm surges in Hamburg since 1950 is characterized by
3 phases:
1. A frequent damage period (prior to 1850)
2. A calm period (1855-1962)
3. A period of elevated but well-managed storm surge levels (1962 to
now)
 In the 18th century, strom surges and
breaking dikes were relatively frequent in
Hamburg when water levels reached around
+5.2m.

After that event, dike height was raised to

+5.7m only 1 severe storm surge
happened until 1962 (in 1855)
 However, in 1962,
a storm surge with
a flood wave of
+5.7m above sea
level killed a total
of 315 people and
another 35 in the
rest of nothern
Germany in
catastrophe,
almost 1/5 of
municipal areas
(12,500 ha) were
submerged.
 After the 1962 catastrophe, massive
invesments into coastal defense were made,
dikes were raised to +7.2m
Although the next substanial flood exceeds
1962 surge level and reached +6.45m,
however, the damages were insignificant in
Hamburg.
Since 1962, several very high storm surges
took place, but only minor damage was
repored.
 The risk from storm surges is a global
phenomenon, affecting a large
percentage of the world population, many
urban conglomerates and the centers of
commerce and trade.
The specific case studies demonstrate the
multiple processes that result in storm
surge and the various associated results.
 Mauch, Felix. The Great Flood of 1962 in
Hamburg. Environment & Society
Portal, Arcadia 2012, no. 6. Rachel Carson
Center for Environment and Society.

ELLIS, J. (2017). COASTAL AND MARINE

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