Short-Term Morphological and Shoreline Changes at Trinkat Island,Andaman and Nicobar,India, After the 2004 Tsunami

The tsunami waves generated during the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004 devastated the coastal area along Trinkat Island, causing sudden changes to the morphology of the landforms. This study uses a series of satellite images to record the short-term morphological response and shoreline changes as well as the recovery of coastal land after its destruction. Results indicate that the island experienced substantial erosion and a significant reduction in land area. Shoreline erosion is more prevalent than accretion at an average linear regression rate of ～?9 m per year between 2004 and 2013. The major morphological changes at Trinkat Island were observed in coastal inlets, beaches, and bay head-lands. Straight beaches had almost recovered eight years after the tsunami; however, erosion is continually observed in other areas. Our study will help understanding the response and recovery of shorelines in Indian Ocean regions after the 2004 tsunami.     

Analysis of the Tsunami of December 26, 2004, on the Kerala Coast of India—Part II: Arrival Times

The Tsunami of December 26, 2004, in the Indian Ocean arrived on the coast of Kerala in southwest India some three hours after the tsunami was generated. The tsunami activity persisted throughout that day and, in some locations, even into the early morning of the next day. Based on interviews with eye witnesses, arrival times of tsunami waves are presented here followed by some preliminary analysis of the results.     

Numerical modeling of the long surface waves scattering for the 2011 Japan tsunami: Case study

The March 11, 2011, megaquake caused a catastrophic tsunami recorded throughout the Pacific. This paper presents an analysis of the sea-level records obtained from deep-water tsunami meters (DART and NEPTUNE). To evaluate the effect of the sea-level oscillations’ decay, a statistical analysis of observations and numerical modeling of tsunami generation and propagation have been conducted. The main goal is to uncover physical mechanisms of the tsunami wave field formation and evolution at scales up to tens of thousands of kilometers in space and a few days in time. It is shown that the tsunami lifetime is related to the wave-energy diffusion and dissipation processes. The decay time of the variance of the tsunami-generated level oscillations is about 1 day. Multiple reflections and scattering by irregularities of the bottom topography make the field of the secondary tsunami waves stochastic and incoherent: the distribution of the wave energy in the ocean reaches a statistical equilibrium in accordance with the Rayleigh-Jeans law of equipartition of the wave energy per degree of freedom. After the tsunami front has passed, the secondary-wave energy density turns out to be inversely proportional to the water depth.     

基于震级上限估计的渤海海啸危险性与共振特征研究

根据渤海区域地质断层特征和历史地震活动规律,分析得出渤海内潜在最大震级上限为8.1级,并对该海啸源可能的两组震源机制分别进行了数值模拟。模拟结果显示：渤海局部区域海啸波幅最大可达 1.5 m,最大流速可达2.8~3.0 m/s,具备造成灾害损失的风险。在该海啸源情景下,渤海海盆内易激发长期的水位自由振荡,部分区域水位振荡可持续 20 h以上,振荡波幅的大小与海啸首波波幅相当或更大。基于快速傅里叶变换方法对海啸波进行频谱分析,部分长周期频谱成分满足区域固有共振特征。因此,渤海内一旦发生海啸,不仅要关注海啸首波可能造成的灾害性影响,还要密切关注海啸首波到达后,可能产生的长时间、长周期的海啸波共振以及往复式海啸流造成的影响。     

The reduction effects of mangrove forest on a tsunami based on field surveys at Pakarang Cape,Thailand and numerical analysis

Using an integrated approach including satellite imagery analysis, field measurements, and numerical modeling, we investigated the damage to mangroves caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at Pakarang Cape in Pang Nga Province, Thailand. Comparing pre- and post-tsunami satellite imagery of the study area, we found that approximately 70% of the mangrove forest was destroyed by the tsunami. Based on field observations, we found that the survival rate of mangroves increased with increasing stem diameter. Specifically, we found that 72% of Rhizophora trees with a 25–30 cm stem diameter survived the tsunami impact, whereas only 19% with a 15–20 cm stem diameter survived. We simulated the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami using the nonlinear shallow-water wave theory to reproduce the tsunami inundation flow and investigated the bending moment acting on the mangrove trees. Results of the numerical model showed that the tsunami inundated areas along the mangrove creeks, and its current velocity reached 5.0 m s⁻¹. Based on the field measurements and numerical results, we proposed a fragility function for mangroves, which is the relationship between the probability of damage and the bending stress caused by the maximum bending moment. We refined the numerical model to include the damage probability of mangrove forests using the obtained fragility function to investigate the tsunami reduction effect of mangrove forest. Under simple numerical conditions related to the mangrove forest, ground level, and incident wave, the model showed that a mangrove forest of Rhizophora sp. with a density of 0.2 trees m⁻² and a stem diameter of 15 cm in a 400 m wide area can reduce the tsunami inundation depth by 30% when the incident wave is assumed to have a 3.0 m inundation depth and a wave period of 30 min at the shoreline. However, 50% of the mangrove forest is destroyed by a 4.5 m tsunami inundation depth, and most of the mangrove forest is destroyed by a tsunami inundation depth greater than 6 m. The reduction effect of tsunami inundation depth decreased when the tsunami inundation depth exceeded 3 m, and was mostly lost when the tsunami inundation depth exceeded 6 m.     

Physical modelling of tsunami using a new pneumatic wave generator

The physical simulation of tsunami in the laboratory has taken a major leap forward with the construction and testing of a new wave generator, capable of recreating scaled tsunami waves. Numerical tools fail to reproduce tsunami nearshore and onshore processes well, and physical experiments in large scale hydraulic facilities worldwide have been limited to the generation of solitary waves as an (controversial) approximation for evolved forms of tsunami. The new concept in wave generation presented herein is born of collaboration between UCL's Earthquake and People Interaction Centre (EPICentre) and HR Wallingford. It allows for the first time the stable simulation of extremely long waves led either by a crest or a trough (depressed wave). This paper presents the working concepts behind the new wave generator and the first stages of testing for verifying its capacities and limitations. It is shown that the new wave generator can not only reproduce solitary waves and N-waves with large wavelengths, but also the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami as recorded off the coast of Thailand (“Mercator” trace).     

Remote Sensing of Chlorophyll and Sea Surface Temperature in Indian Water with Impact of 2004 Sumatra Tsunami

The daily and weekly averaged Indian Remote Sensing satellite IRS-P4 Ocean Color Monitor (OCM) derived chlorophyll images were generated and interpreted in terms of pretsunami, tsunami, and posttsunami periods in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. There has been observation of increase in chlorophyll concentration up to 5.0 mg/m3 in the tsunami-affected coastal waters. The high chlorophyll concentration lasted for about one week after the tsunami catastrophe. The standard deviation for different transects in the tsunami-affected water were plotted. The high chlorophyll has been observed for selected transects in the aftermath of the tsunami event in coastal regions, and offshore water has also shown increase in chlorophyll concentration (～1.0 mg/m3) in the Bay of Bengal. The analysis indicated that the tsunami waves might have displaced and spread the high chlorophyll coastal water towards offshore. NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Aqua daytime sea surface temperature (SST) daily images were retrieved and displayed during December 21, 2004, to January 6, 2005, and indicated the cooling (0.5–1°C) in the Bay of Bengal around Tamil Nadu and Andhra coast. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Prediction-National Center for Environment Prediction (NOAA-NCEP) data for five weeks (December 9, 2004–January 12, 2005) were retrieved to study the SST variability trend in prior to MODIS data and indicated 0.5–1°C cooling of the Bay of Bengal water off Kakinada, Chennai, Cuddalore, and Nagapattinam region on December 26 and 28, 2004.     

“3.11”日本地震海啸及南海和琉球群岛假想地震海啸对福建近海影响的数值模拟

福建地处西北太平洋沿岸,在环太平洋地震带附近,是海啸灾害潜在风险区.＂3.11＂日本地震海啸,福建沿岸验潮站就监测到其海啸波.利用CTSU地震海啸数值模式,模拟了＂3.11＂日本地震海啸对福建近海的影响,模拟结果与实况较吻合.同时,利用该数值模式模拟分析了可能来自于琉球群岛和南海附近海域的地震海啸对福建近海的影响,分析表明,如果在琉球群岛海域（28.0°N,129.0°E）发生8.8级地震,引发的海啸波将在4.5 h左右抵达福建北部海岸,最大海啸波幅可达2 m;如果在马尼拉海沟附近海域（17.5°N,119.0°E）发生8.8级地震,引发的海啸波将在4 h左右抵达福建南部海岸,最大海啸波幅可达3 m,均会给福建沿海地区带来灾害性影响.为此,本文亦针对性提出了防范地震海啸的一些措施与建议,为福建省海洋防灾减灾提供参考.     

2017年9月8日墨西哥沿岸Mw8.2级地震海啸观测数据分析与模拟

2017年9月8日4时49分（UTC）,墨西哥瓦哈卡州沿岸海域（15.21°N,93.64°W）发生M_w8.2级地震,震源深度30 km。强震在该海域引发海啸,海啸对震源附近数百千米范围内造成了严重影响。位于太平洋上的多个海啸监测网络捕捉到了海啸信号并详细记录了此次海啸的传播过程。本文选用了近场2个DART浮标和6个验潮站的水位数据,通过潮汐调和分析和滤波分离出海啸信号,对近场海啸特征值进行了统计分析,并采用小波变换分析方法进一步分析了海啸的波频特征。基于Okada弹性位错理论断层模型计算得到了强震引发的海底形变分布,并采用MOST海啸模式对本次海啸事件近场传播特征进行了模拟,模拟结果与观测吻合较好。最后,基于实测和模拟结果,详细分析了此次地震海啸的近场分布特征,发现除受海啸源的强度和几何分布特征影响外,近岸海啸波还主要受地形特征控制,在与特定地形相互作用后波幅产生放大效应,会进一步加剧海啸造成的灾害。     

Sediment grains moved by passing tsunami waves: Tsunami deposits in deep water

Tsunamis propagating in the open ocean have associated horizontal particle velocities that do not change with depth — yet the limiting water depth where a tsunami of given characteristics will initiate sediment motion remains unknown. Based upon linear wave theory and a parametrization of the Shields curve, equations are derived and solved, using an iterative scheme, to address the topic of grain movement by tsunami waves as a function of water depth and wave amplitude. The focus is on waves in deep water where tsunami waves behave linearly and on non-cohesive sediment grains. Furthermore, the question is addressed of which grain sizes are picked up on a sloping beach as the wave shoals. According to the results, even the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 was incapable of moving fine sand in water deeper than 985 m in the Bay of Bengal and 335 m in the Indian and Pacific oceans. The results suggest that tectonic tsunamis of size equal to or smaller than the Boxing Day tsunami cannot initiate motion of deep-water cohesionless sediments that can be correlated on an oceanic basin-wide scale.     

Numerical investigation of tsunami-like wave hydrodynamic characteristics and its comparison with solitary wave

Solitary waves have been commonly used as an initial condition in the experimental and numerical modelling of tsunamis for decades. However, the main component of a tsunami waves acts at completely different spatial and temporal scales than solitary waves. Thus, use of solitary waves as approximation of a tsunami wave may not yield realistic model results, especially in the coastal region where the shoaling effect restrains the development of the tsunami wave. Alternatively, N-shaped waves may be used to give a more realistic approximation of the tsunami wave profile. Based on the superposition of the sech²(*) waves, the observed tsunami wave profile could be approximated with the N-shaped wave method, and this paper presents numerical simulation results based on the tsunami-like wave generated based on the observed tsunami wave profile measured in the Tohoku tsunami. This tsunami-like wave was numerically generated with an internal wave source method based on the two-phase incompressible flow model with a Volume of Fluid (VOF) method to capture the free surface, and a finite volume scheme was used to solve all the governing equations. The model is first validated for the case of a solitary wave propagating within a straight channel, by comparing its analytical solutions to model results. Further, model comparisons between the solitary and tsunami-like wave are then made for (a) the simulation of wave run-up on shore and (b) wave transport over breakwater. Comparisons show that use of these largely different waveform shapes as inputs produces significant differences in overall wave evolution, hydrodynamic load characteristics as well as velocity and vortex fields. Further, it was found that the solitary wave uses underestimated the total energy and hence underestimated the run-up distance.     

Run-up of tsunamis and long waves in terms of surf-similarity

In this paper we review and re-examine the classical analytical solutions for run-up of periodic long waves on an infinitely long slope as well as on a finite slope attached to a flat bottom. Both cases provide simple expressions for the maximum run-up and the associated flow velocity in terms of the surf-similarity parameter and the amplitude to depth ratio determined at some offshore location. We use the analytical expressions to analyze the impact of tsunamis on beaches and relate the discussion to the recent Indian Ocean tsunami from December 26, 2004. An important conclusion is that extreme run-up combined with extreme flow velocities occurs for surf-similarity parameters of the order 3–6, and for typical tsunami wave periods this requires relatively mild beach slopes. Next, we compare the theoretical solutions to measured run-up of breaking and non-breaking irregular waves on steep impermeable slopes. For the non-breaking waves, the theoretical curves turn out to be superior to state-of-the-art empirical estimates. Finally, we compare the theoretical solutions with numerical results obtained with a high-order Boussinesq-type method, and generally obtain an excellent agreement.     

The possibility of tsunami in the Sea of Okhotsk caused by deep-focus earthquakes

The earthquake that occurred on May 24, 2013, in the basin of the Sea of Okhotsk with a magnitude of 8.3 was the strongest in this region. We have modeled a possible tsunami caused by such an earthquake. The simulations confirm that the wave heights were sufficiently small because the earthquake epicenter depth was 640 km. We analyze the oscillations of the DART buoys in the vicinity of the earthquake source and show that they were not associated with the tsunami waves. Analysis of the available pressure gauge records at different points of the Sea of Okhotsk show that only in one case (Iturup Island) can the observed oscillations of the sea level with a height of approximately 4 cm be classified as tsunami waves.     

Impacts of the 26 December 2004 tsunami in Eastern Africa

The tsunami of 26 December 2004 was the largest ever recorded in the Indian Ocean, triggered by the 3rd largest earthquake in 100 years measuring 9.2 moment magnitude. The epicenter of the earthquake was off Banda Aceh on the Indian Ocean coast of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, centered at 3.316°N, 95.854°E. A sudden upward movement of the seafloor that averaged ∼6 m occurred along almost 1300 km of the north-east Indian Ocean plate at 0059 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and lasted 8 min. Because of the lack of preparedness and absence of warning systems in the Indian Ocean the tsunami spread silently across the ocean over a span of 8 h causing massive destruction including the deaths of over 250,000 people, with maximum damages occurring in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives. Moderate to low damages were recorded in the Seychelles, Socotra (Yemen) and Somalia, though in the latter a highly vulnerable town was impacted resulting in over 300 deaths. Most of eastern Africa was spared massive damages from the waves due to (a) distance from the epicenter (>6000 km), (b) the dissipation of energy of the tsunami by shallow banks in the middle of the Indian Ocean (the Seychelles banks, Saya de Malha and Cargados Carajos Shoals) and (c) at least for Kenya and Tanzania, the first and largest waves hit at low tide. In Kenya and Tanzania these factors resulted in the waves being experienced as tidal surges of 1–1.5 m amplitude lasting 5–10 min. Damages recorded for eastern Africa include 11 deaths in Tanzania and 1 in Kenya, of people walking and swimming over shallow intertidal flats being trapped by the advancing and receding tidal surges, damage to boats anchored in shallow water and inundation in Mauritius and Rodrigues. Official information, warning and response networks were nonexistent, and even when an official response was generated in Kenya the public demonstrated no faith or willingness to act on warnings from officials such as the police. Importantly, information on the tsunami and the generation of an official response was dependent on two technologies, satellite television and mobile telephony, and these should be built into future warning systems as key mechanisms and backups to official information and warning networks.     

Statistical Simulation of Boxing Day Tsunami of The Indian Ocean and a Predictive Equation for Beach Run up Heights Based on Work-Energy Theorem

The tsunami similar to the one that has occurred in December 26, 2004 (Boxing Day Tsunami) in the Indian Ocean is simulated using the expression derived from Modified Weibull Distribution (for maximum wave height simulation) for extreme wave height predictions. The tuning coefficient plays a significant role in estimating the tsunami heights at various stages. It follows well defined mathematical laws at different stages. It is time dependent in the first three stages and depth dependent in the last two stages. The beach run-up heights estimated by the expression derived from the work-energy relation are comparable with observed values with reasonable accuracy.     

Analysis of the Tsunami of December 26, 2004, on the Kerala Coast of India—Part III: Inundation and Initial Withdrawal

During the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, specific observations were made by our survey team about the arrival times of several tsunami waves, their amplitudes, maximum extent of horizontal inundation on land and initial withdrawal of the ocean. Here the observations on the horizontal inundation and initial withdrawal are presented and briefly discussed.     

Analysis of the Tsunami of December 26, 2004, on the Kerala Coast of India—Part III: Inundation and Initial Withdrawal

During the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004, specific observations were made by our survey team about the arrival times of several tsunami waves, their amplitudes, maximum extent of horizontal inundation on land and initial withdrawal of the ocean. Here the observations on the horizontal inundation and initial withdrawal are presented and briefly discussed.     

Statistical Simulation of Boxing Day Tsunami of The Indian Ocean and a Predictive Equation for Beach Run up Heights Based on Work-Energy Theorem

The tsunami similar to the one that has occurred in December 26, 2004 (Boxing Day Tsunami) in the Indian Ocean is simulated using the expression derived from Modified Weibull Distribution (for maximum wave height simulation) for extreme wave height predictions. The tuning coefficient plays a significant role in estimating the tsunami heights at various stages. It follows well defined mathematical laws at different stages. It is time dependent in the first three stages and depth dependent in the last two stages. The beach run-up heights estimated by the expression derived from the work-energy relation are comparable with observed values with reasonable accuracy.     

Numerical Simulation of Tsunamis on the Tamil Nadu Coast of India

The State of Tamil Nadu was the most affected region in India during the tsunami of December 26, 2004, in the Indian Ocean, in terms of loss of life and damage. Numerical simulation was made for three tsunamis, the December 26, 2004, event, the Sumatra tsunami of 1833, and a hypothetical tsunami originating in the Andaman-Nicobar region. Since inundation is not included in these simulations, the tsunami amplitudes were deduced at the 10m depth contour in the ocean, off several locations on the coast of Tamil Nadu. The computed amplitudes appear reasonable as compared to known tsunami amplitudes from past events.