Update on a Working Group on Tsunami Sources for Hazards Mitigation in the United States

Date: 4/25/2019

Time: 06:00 PM

Room: Grand Ballroom

The need for a set of realistic and consistent tsunami source models was identified as a high priority for tsunami hazard mitigation at a 2016 workshop between U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists and the National Tsunami Hazards Mitigation Program (NTHMP). The NTHMP, a federal/state partnership group funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is composed of representatives (emergency managers and scientists) from the tsunami-vulnerable U.S. states and territories, plus representatives from NOAA, the USGS, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Members of the NTHMP’s Mapping and Modeling Subcommittee and other researchers have formed a working group, supported by the USGS Powell Center, to produce a collection of vetted earthquake and landslide tsunami sources. The work of this group will transfer decades of research on subduction zone earthquakes and coastal landslides, along with expertise on tsunami modeling, to the mitigation community. Using a logic tree process, and including regional experts, the working group will synthesize existing geological and geophysical knowledge of submarine earthquake faults and coastal landslide sources to produce a database of source models for use in creating hazards assessments for risk reduction. It will also address the scientific question of how increasing sophistication in tsunami source models impacts products such as evacuation plans, mitigation of damage, and land-use planning.

We will report on the first two Powell Center-supported workshops on tsunami sources. The first was held April 9-13, 2018, and adopted a probabilistic process, where possible. The second, focused on Alaska tsunami sources, was held October 1-5, 2018.

Presenting Author: Stephanie L. Ross

Authors