Atmospheric processes responsible for generation of the 2008 Boothbay meteotsunami

We investigated the atmospheric processes and physics that were active during a tsunami-like event hitting Boothbay Harbor area (Maine, USA) on 28 October 2008. The data collected by tide gauges, ground and sounding stations and meteo–ocean buoys in the area were analyzed, together with satellite and radar images. The atmospheric processes were reproduced by the weather research and forecasting model, verified by in situ and remote sensing data. A cold front moved over the area at the time of the event, with embedded convective clouds detected by satellite and radar data and the internal gravity waves (IGWs) detected by radar and reproduced by the model at the rear of the frontal precipitation band. According to the model, the IGWs that passed over Boothbay Harbor generated strong ground air-pressure oscillations reaching 2.5 hPa/3 min. The IGWs were ducted towards the coast without significant dissipation, propagating in a stable near-surface layer capped by an instability at approximately 3.5 km height and satisfying all conditions for their maintenance over larger areas. The intensity, speed and direction of the IGWs were favourable for generation of a meteotsunami wave along the Gulf of Maine shelf. Operational observation systems were not capable of sufficiently capturing the ground disturbance due to a too coarse sampling rate, while the numerical model was found to be a useful tool in eventual future detection and warning systems.     

Meteotsunami forecasting: sensitivities demonstrated by the 2008 Boothbay,Maine, event

To support development of a meteotsunami forecasting capability for the USA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funded a project in 2011 focused on meteotsunami forecasting for the US east coast. Meteotsunami forecasting shares many similarities with traditional tsunami forecasting, though the characterization and integration of the source with numerical forecast models is much different. Given meteotsunami source characterization through atmospheric observations and models, it is conceivable that meteotsunami alerts could be issued and their impact forecasted using existing tsunami forecast models with high-resolution coastal definition. To test this, the 2008 Boothbay, Maine, meteotsunami is simulated using an atmospheric source consisting of a moving pressure disturbance coupled with a tsunami forecast model. Sensitivities of the modeled impact to the source characteristics, such as speed, wavelength, and direction, are also tested. Results show that the observed impact can be re-created through numerical modeling when the pressure disturbance period is roughly matched with the harbor resonance and observed meteotsunami period.     

A framework for the probabilistic analysis of meteotsunamis

A probabilistic technique is developed to assess the hazard from meteotsunamis. Meteotsunamis are unusual sea-level events, generated when the speed of an atmospheric pressure or wind disturbance is comparable to the phase speed of long waves in the ocean. A general aggregation equation is proposed for the probabilistic analysis, based on previous frameworks established for both tsunamis and storm surges, incorporating different sources and source parameters of meteotsunamis. Parameterization of atmospheric disturbances and numerical modeling is performed for the computation of maximum meteotsunami wave amplitudes near the coast. A historical record of pressure disturbances is used to establish a continuous analytic distribution of each parameter as well as the overall Poisson rate of occurrence. A demonstration study is presented for the northeast U.S. in which only isolated atmospheric pressure disturbances from squall lines and derechos are considered. For this study, Automated Surface Observing System stations are used to determine the historical parameters of squall lines from 2000 to 2013. The probabilistic equations are implemented using a Monte Carlo scheme, where a synthetic catalog of squall lines is compiled by sampling the parameter distributions. For each entry in the catalog, ocean wave amplitudes are computed using a numerical hydrodynamic model. Aggregation of the results from the Monte Carlo scheme results in a meteotsunami hazard curve that plots the annualized rate of exceedance with respect to maximum event amplitude for a particular location along the coast. Results from using multiple synthetic catalogs, resampled from the parent parameter distributions, yield mean and quantile hazard curves. Further refinements and improvements for probabilistic analysis of meteotsunamis are discussed.     

Meteotsunami in the Great Lakes and on the Atlantic coast of the United States generated by the “derecho” of June 29–30, 2012

Tsunami-like intense sea-level oscillations, associated with atmospheric activity (meteorological tsunamis), are common in the Great Lakes and on the East Coast of the United States. They are generated by various types of atmospheric disturbances including hurricanes, frontal passages, tornados, trains of atmospheric gravity waves, and derechos. “Derecho” is a rapidly moving line of convectively induced intense thunder storm fronts producing widespread damaging winds and squalls. The derecho of June 29–30, 2012 devastatingly propagated from western Iowa to the Atlantic coast, passing more than 1,000 km and producing wind gusts up to 35 m/s. This derecho induced pronounced seiche oscillations in Lake Michigan, Chesapeake Bay, and along the US Atlantic coast. Sea-level records from the updated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tide gauge network, together with the NOAA and automated surface-observing system air pressure and wind records, enabled us to examine physical properties and temporal/spatial variations of the generated waves. Our findings indicate that the generation mechanisms of extreme seiches in the basins under study are significantly different: energetic winds play the main role in seiche formation in Chesapeake Bay; atmospheric pressure disturbances are most important for the Atlantic coast; and the combined effect of pressure oscillations and wind is responsible for pronounced events in the Great Lakes. The “generation coefficient,” which is the ratio of the maximum observed sea-level height and the height of air pressure disturbance, was used to map the sea-level response and to identify “hot spots” for this particular event, i.e., harbors and bays with amplified seiche oscillations. The Froude number, Fr = U/c, where U is the speed of the atmospheric disturbance and c is the long-wave speed, is the key parameter influencing the water response to specific atmospheric disturbances; the maximum response was found for those regions and disturbance parameters for which Fr ~1.0.     

Observations of meteorological tsunamis along the south-west Australian coast

Tide gauge data were used to identify the occurrence, characteristics, and cause of tsunamis of meteorological origin (termed ‘meteotsunamis’) along the Western Australian coast. This is the first study to identify meteotsunamis in this region, and the results indicated that they occur frequently. Although meteotsunamis are not catastrophic to the extent of major seismically induced basin-scale events, the wave heights of meteotsunamis examined at some local stations in this study were higher than those recorded through seismic tsunamis. In June 2012, a meteotsunami contributed to an extreme water-level event at Fremantle, which recorded the highest water level in over 115 years. Meteotsunamis (wave heights >0.4 m, when the mean tidal range in the region is ~0.5 m) were found to coincide with thunderstorms in summer and the passage of low-pressure systems during winter. Spectral analysis of tide gauge time series records showed that existing continental seiche oscillations (periods between 30 min and 5 h) were enhanced during the meteotsunamis, with a high proportion of energy transferred to the continental shelf oscillation period. Three recent meteotsunami events (22 March 2010, 10 June 2012, and 7 January 2013) two due to summer thunderstorms and one due to a winter frontal system were chosen for detailed analysis. The meteotsunami amplitudes were up to a factor 2 larger than the local tidal range and sometimes contributed up to 85 % of the non-tidal water signal. A single meteorological event was found to generate several meteotsunamis along the coast, up to 500 km apart, as the air pressure disturbance propagated over the continental shelf; however, the topography and local bathymetry of the continental shelf defined the local sea-level resonance characteristics at each location. With the available data (sea level and meteorological), the exact mechanisms for the generation of the meteotsunamis could not be isolated.     

1961 - 2018年河西走廊寒潮频次时空变化特征及其环流影响因素研究

寒潮是我国北方地区冬、 春、 秋季节常见气象灾害之一, 产生的危害严重影响社会经济发展和人们生产生活。河西走廊生态环境脆弱且处于寒潮影响的重要区域, 揭示河西走廊寒潮频次时空变化特征可以为农牧业防灾减灾提供参考。基于1961 - 2018年河西走廊12个气象站逐日最低气温数据, 采用数据统计和空间可视化表达方法, 分析近60 a河西走廊寒潮频次时空变化特征, 并探讨北极涛动（AO）异常与寒潮频次的响应关系。结果表明： 从时间上看, 河西走廊的寒潮主要发生在10月至4月, 其中11月、 12月、 4月为寒潮高发时期, 近60 a河西走廊寒潮频次呈现出下降的趋势, 其中在20世纪80年代出现明显的低值, 下降趋势在季节上表现为秋季>春季>冬季; 河西走廊寒潮发生频次具有显著的空间差异, 其中西部地区最多, 东部地区居中, 中部地区最少; 北极涛动（AO）强弱与河西走廊寒潮频次变化具有时空响应关系, 当AO处于负相位时, 河西走廊各气象站寒潮发生频次较多, 并且在河西走廊东部和西部表现的较为明显。     

Recent observations of meteotsunamis on the Finnish coast

We present four case studies of exceptional wave events of meteorological origin, observed on the Finnish coast in the summers of 2010 and 2011. Eyewitnesses report unusually rapid and strong sea-level variations (up to 1 m in 5–15 min) and strong oscillating currents during these events. High-resolution sea-level measurements confirm the eyewitness observations, but the oscillations recorded by tide gauges mostly have a considerably smaller amplitude. The oscillations coincide with sudden jumps in surface air pressure at coastal observation stations, related to the passage of squall lines or gust fronts. These fronts propagate above the sea at a resonant speed, allowing efficient energy transfer between the atmospheric disturbance and the sea wave that it generates. Thus, we interpret the observed sea-level oscillations as small meteotsunamis, long tsunami-like waves generated by meteorological processes and resonance effects.     

“4·23”南疆翻山型强沙尘暴动力结构特征分析

利用2014年4月22日-23日高空、地面、区域自动气象站加密观测和1°×1°NCEP/NCAR再分析资料,分析4月23日南疆翻山型强沙尘暴天气的高低空环流及动力结构特征。结果表明:巴尔喀什湖低槽引导极地干冷空气爆发性南下进入南疆,造成4×10-2h Pa·km-1剧烈的气压梯度和地面冷锋,引发了大风、强沙尘暴,盆地中尺度低压辐合使尉犁加强为"黑风";300 h Pa极锋急流快速南下至南疆盆地,动量下传形成低空急流,高低空急流是此次强沙尘暴形成的动力条件;急流附近高空辐散、低层辐合及层结不稳定,有利于沙尘暴发生。本次强沙尘暴动力结构特征:干冷与干暖空气剧烈交绥,激发热力不稳定,产生热力对流;高空辐散、低层辐合与高低空急流、地面冷锋配合,加强上升运动,使地面沙尘卷入空中并输送;高低空急流抽吸加强冷暖空气垂直运动,位能向动能转化,引起了地面大风,驱动沙尘暴发生。     

The Lake Michigan meteotsunamis of 1954 revisited

Two large meteotsunami wave events on Lake Michigan impacted the Chicago coastline within 10 days of each other in 1954. Initial data analysis suggested that the fatal first event (June 26) was caused by a Proudman resonant non-trapped wave, while the second event (July 6) was caused by Greenspan resonant trapped edge waves. In this study, a numerical hydrodynamic model was used to reveal the detailed behavior of these events. For both events, the atmospheric pressure and wind perturbations were found to be essential to explain the magnitude of the wave activity, in contrast to the initial conclusions that the waves were primarily pressure-driven. In the June 26 meteotsunami, Proudman resonance wave was the primary cause of the destructive wave, though the storm also generated edge waves which persisted for many hours, hindering rescue efforts. The maximum wave heights for the July 6 event were found to be the product of a superposition of edge waves and non-trapped waves rather than purely edge waves as originally thought. The results from these events demonstrate the enclosed Lake Michigan basin retained and focused wave energy, leading to their large magnitude, long duration, and destructive nature.     

Field observations of meteotsunami locally called “abiki” in Urauchi Bay, Kami-Koshiki Island, Japan

A seasonal scale field observation extending over a period of 82?days was conducted in Urauchi Bay on Kami-Koshiki Island, to record meteotsunami events, disastrous secondary oscillations locally known as ??abiki.?? The bay has an elongated T-shape topography with a narrow mouth opening westward to the East China Sea. The area has suffered the effects of meteotsunami causing flooding in residential area and damage to fishing fleets and facilities. A comprehensive observation system for sea level, ocean currents and barometric pressure was deployed to cover the regions within and offshore from Urauchi Bay and the open sea near the island of Mejima in the East China Sea. Vigorous meteotsunami events, where the total height exceeded 150?cm, were observed over five-day periods during the observation period. One or two hours prior to the arrival of meteotsunami events at Kami-Koshiki Island, abrupt 1?C2?hPa pressure changes were observed at the Mejima observation site. Pressure disturbances were found to travel eastward or northeastward. The propagation speed was found to nearly coincide with that of ocean long waves over the East China Sea, and as a result, resonant coupling should be anticipated. The incoming long waves were also amplified by geometric resonance with eigen oscillations inherent in the T-shape topography of Urauchi Bay.     

2009/2010年我国西南秋冬春连旱特征及其大气环流异常分析

利用中国逐日站点降水资料、逐日季风监测指数及逐日副热带高压指数、74项环流指数及NCEP/NCAR再分析资料, 分析了2009年秋季至2010年春季的秋冬春西南特大干旱过程中各指数及大气环流异常特征.结果表明: 自2009年10月底东亚冬季风建立以来, 至2010年春季, 东亚冬季风强度持续偏强, 加之西太平洋副热带高压较常年偏西偏南, 西南地区长期受副高控制, 气温持续偏高, 加之冷空气虽然总体偏强, 但主要控制我国北方地区, 造成冷暖空气在西南地区少有交汇, 致使降水偏少, 干旱发生发展. 印缅槽强度较常年偏弱, 来自印度洋、孟加拉湾以及南海的水汽条件不足, 向西南地区输送的来自南海和孟加拉湾两条水汽通道的水汽通量均较常年偏弱很多, 加之西南地区、特别是云南地区自2009年秋季以来, 长期处于下沉运动的正距平区, 造成这段时间西南地区干旱少雨, 旱情持续. 2009年9月El Niño事件全面爆发, 南海-西太平洋地区形成异常反气旋流场, 该反气旋流场较常年偏西偏南, 造成副高位置偏西偏南, 从而使得云贵高原及其周边的印度季风区的降雨量明显偏少;高原地区及南海、菲律宾附近及热带辐合带地区OLR异常对西太平洋副热带高压的变化有一定影响, 进而影响西南地区降水, 其内在机制还有待深入研究.     

Meteorological waves (by Ocean Color Scanner Data)

Data of normalized water leaving radiance at a wavelength 859 nm Lwn(859) of 250-m spatial resolution obtained from Moderate Ocean Color Scanners (MODIS) installed on Aqua and Terra satellites were used to study meteorological waves. These waves are caused by atmospheric internal gravity waves at the expense of a change of atmospheric pressure impacting the sea surface and bringing a change in its level; they are observable everywhere in the ocean. Examples of meteorological waves were considered for the eastern part of the Black Sea, where they appeared as stripes of alternate brightness on Lwn(859) images. It is shown that meteorological waves at one and the same place can be totally generated by atmospheric waves spreading at different heights of the lower troposphere. The 3D characteristics of meteorological waves were evaluated including the direction of wave propagation, crest length reaching more than one hundred kilometers, wavelength of several tens centimeters, and wave amplitude of several tens of centimeters. For conditions of intermittent cloudiness, imposition in a difference mode of the level L1b radiance image with the signature of atmospheric waves in a cloud and of the level L2 water leaving the radiance image with the signature of meteorological waves enabled us to examine the phase structure of waves and to reveal the existence of resonance.     

台湾海峡西部表层沉积物磁化率特征

为研究台湾海峡西部表层沉积物磁化率变化特征及其控制因素,对采自平潭至汕尾近海海域的228个表层沉积物样品进行了磁化率分析,得出低频磁化率和频率磁化率值均呈从近岸向外海递减趋势,且厦门湾以北近岸海域的低频磁化率明显高于厦门湾以南的,频率磁化率在平潭岛外侧和汕尾近岸海域相对较高,且自平潭岛向南,有一明显的递减趋势。通过和前人关于台湾海峡西部沉积物类型和重矿物分布研究的对比发现台湾海峡西部表层沉积物磁化率在近岸细粒沉积物中高,外海粗颗粒沉积物中低,磁化率值的变化趋势和沉积物中磁铁矿含量的变化趋势一致,说明台湾海峡西部磁化率和频率磁化率主要受沉积作用和沉积物来源的影响。     

Atmospheric boundary layer characteristics during the BOBMEX-Pilot experiment

The atmospheric boundary layer characteristics observed during the BOBMEX-Pilot experiment are reported. Surface meteorological data were acquired continuously through an automatic weather monitoring system and manually every three hours. High resolution radiosondes were launched to obtain the vertical thermal structure of the atmosphere. The study area was convectively active, the SSTs were high, surface air was warm and moist, and the surface air moist static energy was among the highest observed over the tropical oceans. The mean sea air temperature difference was about 1.25‡C and the sea skin temperature was cooler than bucket SST by 0.5‡C. The atmospheric mixed layer was shallow, fluctuated in response to synoptic conditions from 100 m to 900 m with a mean around 500 m.     

Atmospheric mesoscale conditions during the Boothbay meteotsunami: a numerical sensitivity study using a high-resolution mesoscale model

The article aims to test the sensitivity of high-resolution mesoscale atmospheric model to fairly reproduce atmospheric processes that were present during the Boothbay Harbor meteotsunami on 28 October 2008. The simulations were performed by the Weather and Research Forecasting (WRF) model at 1-km horizontal grid spacing by varying initial conditions (ICs) and lateral boundary conditions (LBCs), nesting strategy, simulation lead time and microphysics and convective parameterizations. It seems that the simulations that used higher-resolution IC and LBC were more successful in reproduction of precipitation zone and surface pressure oscillations caused by internal gravity waves observed during the event. The results were very sensitive to the simulation lead time and to the choice of convective parameterization, while the choice of microphysics parameterization and the type of nesting strategy (one-way or two-way) was less important for reproducibility of the event. The success of the WRF model appears limited to very short-range forecasting, most advanced parameterizations, and very high-resolution grid spacing; therefore, the applicability of present atmospheric mesoscale models to future operational meteotsunami warning systems still has a lot of room for improvements.     

1961-2016年新疆单站不同等级冷空气过程气候特征及变化

利用新疆1961年1月-2016年12月资料完整的89个国家气象观测站的日最低气温资料,根据中国气象局2017年发布的行业标准《冷空气过程监测指标》（QX/393-2017）的单站冷空气等级,计算近56 a来新疆各单站不同等级冷空气过程的发生频次、降温幅度、持续天数,应用线性趋势、EOF分解等分析方法,对新疆各单站不同等级冷空气过程的时空分布特征进行分析。结果表明：新疆单站不同等级冷空气年平均频次和年累计天数均表现为中等强度冷空气最多、寒潮次多、强冷空气最少,空间分布都呈现为北疆多、南疆少的分布特征;中等强度冷空气和强冷空气区域平均的年平均频次和年累计天数的年际变化均呈不显著减少趋势,寒潮均呈显著减少趋势,而空间分布上不是整体呈减少趋势,甚至个别地区呈显著增加趋势;中等强度冷空气和强冷空气在秋季前期和春季后期发生较多,寒潮则在冬季发生较多;中等强度以上冷空气年累计降温呈现北疆大、南疆小的分布特征,区域平均的年累计降温呈显著减小趋势;新疆年寒潮频次和年累计降温第一模态的方差贡献率分别为33%、39%,远远大于其它模态,第一模态（即主模态）的空间分布二者均表现为整个新疆为一致的正值,说明其变化趋势在全疆具有一致性的特征,另外北疆特征值较大,南疆特征值较小,说明北疆更容易出现异常,南疆不易出现异常。     

中国北方地区寒潮时空特征及其成因分析

基于中国北方地区269个站点1960 - 2017年逐日气温观测数据与大气环流指数等, 采用线性回归、 相关分析、 反距离加权法（IDW）及熵权法等方法, 探讨了近58年中国北方地区寒潮频次的时空变化特征及影响因素, 进而利用研究区耕地面积、 人均GDP、 农作物播种面积等社会经济统计数据, 从致灾因子、 孕灾环境、 承灾体易损性、 防灾减灾能力四个方面对中国北方地区寒潮进行风险区划分析。结果表明： 近58年来, 中国北方地区寒潮频次总体呈0.2次·（10a）^-1的速率减少, 近58年研究区域共发生了159.7次寒潮, 其中冬季和十一月份寒潮频次最多。高频次出现在吉林省靖宇县、 安图县, 内蒙古阿尔山市、 苏尼特左旗、 苏尼特右旗, 频次高达508次以上, 平均每年8.8次, 最少寒潮频次出现在华北南部, 新疆喀什和阿克苏。不同等级寒潮频次差距较大, 一般寒潮频次最多, 共102.9次。一般寒潮、 较强寒潮、 强寒潮、 特强寒潮与寒潮频次在空间分布上比较相似, 大体呈由南向北增加的分布规律, 东北地区是寒潮的活跃区, 华北地区的活跃区在内蒙古中部, 西北地区寒潮活跃区主要在新疆阿勒泰地区。年尺度而言, 中国北方地区寒潮主要受CA、 APVII、 AO和APVAI的影响, 各季节影响因子有所差异, 春季寒潮主要受CQ和CA的影响, 秋季寒潮与APVII、 CA、 AO关系显著, 冬季寒潮与APVII、 CA、 AO、 SHI均达到显著相关关系。综合风险区划结果表明, 新疆阿勒泰地区、 黑龙江大兴安岭地区、 吉林省东南部以及山东省为寒潮发生的高风险区, 低风险区分布在新疆阿克苏和喀什地区, 与寒潮频次空间分布相吻合。     

Regional spatial distribution of multiple elements in the surface sediments of the eastern Tsushima Strait (southwestern Sea of Japan)

A total of 402 coastal sea-sediment samples were collected from the continental shelf, slope, and basin off Tsushima Island in the western Sea of Japan, and were analyzed for 51 elements as part of a nationwide marine geochemical mapping project. The samples were compared to potentially related sample sets, and the results were considered from the viewpoint of the origin of marine surface sediments in the western Sea of Japan. The spatial distribution of elemental concentrations in the coastal sea sediments correspond to texture, grain size, the presence of shells and foraminifera, and the mud content of surface marine sediments. Most elemental concentrations increased with increasing mud content. Some samples located in littoral areas included sediment particles apparently supplied from nearby rivers, but their contribution was limited. Overall, the mean chemical compositions of clastic material in coastal sea sediments appear to differ from those of stream sediments in adjacent terrestrial areas. In addition, the geochemistry of the coastal sea sediments cannot be fully explained by the mixing of the material supplied from Korean and Chinese stream sediments, which are the most feasible sources. Coastal sea sediments in the study area are well mixed by transportation processes; therefore, elemental abundances in these marine sediments may be homogenized to such an extent that it is not possible to determine their origin. Alternatively, most of the clastics in the sediment may actually represent relict reworked material, originally formed in the Yellow Sea and Tsushima Strait during the last glacial stage and subsequent transgression.     

The subglacial record of northern Hudson Bay: insights into the Hudson Strait Ice Stream catchment

Ross, M., Lajeunesse, P. & Kosar, K. G. A. 2010: The subglacial record of northern Hudson Bay: insights into the Hudson Strait Ice Stream catchment. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00176.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. In this paper, we present new insights into the glacial dynamics and potential configuration of the Hudson Strait Ice Stream catchment in the northern Hudson Bay–western Hudson Strait region. Our reconstruction is based on new field observations and till compositional data from Southampton Island, remote sensing imagery and multibeam bathymetric data from the Hudson Bay sea floor, as well as on a re‐examination of previously published data from this vast region. Our findings suggest that, during the late Quaternary, the HSIS catchment consisted of a number of ice‐stream tributaries feeding a curvilinear trunk that potentially extended into western Hudson Bay. In contrast to previous interpretations, the occurrence of fluted bedrock hills, over‐deepened basins, Dubawnt erratics and carbonaceous till on the islands at the head of Hudson Strait is taken to imply that cold‐based conditions did not prevail on these islands. The upland area of Southampton Island and the surrounding channels played an important role in controlling the location of the main tributaries, with the higher central terrain forming a large inter‐ice‐stream zone lacking carbonate detritus. Coats Island contains abundant evidence of vigorous ice flow, such as mega‐scale glacial lineations (MSGLs). MSGLs also occur on the sea floor southwest of Coats Island but the sea‐floor imprint is highly discontinuous. Observations on the western Hudson Bay mainland show evidence of southeastward fast ice flow that is spatially consistent with the Dubawnt dispersal train. Despite the geomorphological discontinuities, this may indicate that the HSIS onset zone extended far inside the Laurentide Ice Sheet and across contrasting geological domains.     

The Makassar Strait Tsunamigenic Region,Indonesia

The Makassar Strait region has had the highest frequency of historical tsunamievents for Indonesia. The strait has a seismic activity due to the convergenceof four tectonic plates that produces a complex mixture of structures. The maintsunamigenic features in the Makassar Strait are the Palu-Koro and Pasternostertransform fault zones, which form the boundaries of the Makassar trough.Analysis of the seismicity, tectonics and historic tsunami events indicatesthat the two fault zones have different tsunami generating characteristics.The Palu-Koro fault zone involves shallow thrust earthquakes that generatetsunami that have magnitudes that are consistent with the earthquakemagnitudes. The Pasternoster fault zone involves shallower strike-slipearthquakes that produce tsunami magnitudes larger than would normallybe expected for the earthquake magnitude. The most likely cause for theincreased tsunami energy is considered to be submarine landslidesassociated with the earthquakes. Earthquakes from both fault zonesappear to cause subsidence of the west coast of Sulawesi Island.The available data were used to construct a tsunami hazard map whichidentifies the highest risk along the west coast of Sulawesi Island.The opposite side of the Makassar Strait has a lower risk because it isfurther from the historic tsunami source regions along the Sulawesicoast, and because the continental shelf dissipates tsunami wave energy.The greatest tsunami risk for the Makassar Strait is attributed tolocally generated tsunami due to the very short travel times.