Deep water signature of a tsunami

The dynamics of tsunamis can be divided, for convenience, into three parts: tsunami generation, tsunami propagation, and the coastal problems. Out of these three, the problem of tsunami propagation is probably better understood than the other two. One of the main hindrances to the quantitative prediction of tsunami amplitudes at various coastal locations is a lack of detailed knowledge about the deep water signature of a tsunami. Here, the present understanding of this problem is discussed.