Estimation of the Tsunami Hazard for the Bering and Chukchi Seas Based on Numerical Modeling of Trans-Oceanic and Local Tsunamis
The tsunami hazard for the Bering and Chukchi seas has been estimated based on numerical modeling of eight major far-field earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean (1946 Aleutian, 1952 Kamchatka, 1960 Chile, 1964 Alaska, 1965 Rat Islands, 1957 Andreanof Islands, 2011 Tohoku, and 2012 Haida Gwaii), and one near-field earthquake in the Bering Sea (2017 Commander Islands). Tide gauge records of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami from St. Paul Island, Port Moller and Nome in the Bering Sea were used to validate the model. According to our numerical simulations, the tsunami generated by the Mw 9.5 1960 Chilean earthquake would have produced the strongest response in the Bering Sea wave amplitudes up to 2.7 m, while for the 1952 Kamchatka tsunami (the second strongest response) the maximum wave amplitudes would have been up to 1.5 m. The 1964 Great Alaska earthquake (Mw 9.2) did not produce a substantial tsunami in the Bering Sea because the Alaska Peninsula sheltered the region from incoming tsunami waves. We have also estimated the penetration effectiveness for the distant tsunamis into the Bering Sea and then into the Chukchi Sea/Arctic Ocean. According to our computations, a typical attenuation coefficient for the straits through the Aleutian Islands is 0.75, on average, while the corresponding coefficient for the Bering Strait is 0.29. Based on these estimates, we conclude that the likelihood of tsunami penetrating into the Arctic Ocean from remote Pacific sources is low. Even for a powerful event, such as the 1960 Chilean tsunami, the tsunami wave amplitudes in the Chukchi Sea leading into the Arctic Ocean would not exceed a few centimeters. However, for the Bering Sea, tsunami waves from major distant earthquakes can be significant.
Session: Six Decades of Tsunami Science: From the Source of the 1964 Tsunami to Modern Community Preparedness [Poster Session]
Type: Poster
Room: Exhibit Hall
Date: 5/2/2024
Presentation Time: 08:00 AM (local time)
Presenting Author: Alexander Rabinovich
Student Presenter: No
Additional Authors
Alisa Medvedeva Alisa.bannikova@gmail.com Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS |
Isaac Fine IFine54@gmail.com Institute of Ocean Sciences |
Igor Medvedev medvedev@ocean.ru Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS |
Evgueni Kulikov kulikove@ocean.ru Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS |
Alexander Rabinovich Presenting Author Corresponding Author a.b.rabinovich@gmail.com Institute of Ocean Sciences |
Olga Yakovenko tsucen@ocean.ru Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS |
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Estimation of the Tsunami Hazard for the Bering and Chukchi Seas Based on Numerical Modeling of Trans-Oceanic and Local Tsunamis
Category
Six Decades of Tsunami Science: From the Source of the 1964 Tsunami to Modern Community Preparedness
Description