What is a Meteotsunami?

A tsunami is an “ocean wave produced by earthquakes or underwater landslides,” according to NOAA (13). However, “tsunami” is a Japanese word meaning “harbor wave,” meaning that while meteotsunamis are not technically tsunamis, they still fit the original meaning of the word. In fact, meteotsunamis have similar frequencies and oscillations to classic tsunamis, except they only occur in specific bays and inlets (2). For example, see these two graphs of sea level for a classic tsunami in St. Antoni, Spain and a meteotsunami in Ploce, Croatia (2):

Sea Level for a Tsunami and a Meteotsunami

The top graph shows the sea level record during a tsunami that occurred in Spain. The bottom graph shows the seal level record during a meteotsunami in Croatia. Note that the magnitude of wave height is approximately equal across both cases, and both exhibit similar frequencies and dampening.