Elevated Water Level from Wind along the Gulf of Thailand

Abstract

Prediction of the water level during extreme events is crucial for coastal management. When the wind blows, the seawater level becomes elevated. Underestimation of the seawater level during a storm can lead to unacceptable outcomes such as coastal inundation, ineffective coastal planning, and failure of coastal structures. This research derived 11 local relationships between the wind speed and elevated water levels along The Gulf of Thailand. Data during 2001–2014 on recorded water level, predicted water level, and corresponding wind speed were gathered from the responsible governmental departments. The differences between the predicted and the measured water levels were coupled with the wind speed recorded at the same time. Four types of relationship were investigated: linear, logarithmic, exponential, and quadratic. The relationship with the highest value of the coefficient of determination was selected for each site. It was found that, for all stations, the relationships between the wind speed and the elevated water level were quadratic. The best-fitting equation and the 95% upper prediction interval were derived for each station to use as a tool for coastal management and design objectives.