Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard and Risk Analysis: Towards Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience covers recent calls for advances in quantitative tsunami hazard and risk analyses for the synthesis of broad knowledge basis and solid understanding of interdisciplinary fields, spanning seismology, tsunami science, and coastal engineering. These new approaches are essential for enhanced disaster resilience of society under multiple hazards and changing climate as tsunamis can cause catastrophic loss to coastal cities and communities globally. This is a low-probability high-consequence event, and it is not easy to develop effective disaster risk reduction measures. In particular, uncertainties associated with tsunami hazards and risks are large. The knowledge and skills for quantitative probabilistic tsunami hazard and risk assessments are in high demand and are required in various related fields, including disaster risk management (governments and local communities), and the insurance and reinsurance industry (catastrophe model). Focuses on fundamentals on probabilistic tsunami hazard and risk analysis Includes case studies covering a wide range of applications related to tsunami hazard and risk assessments Covers tsunami disaster risk management

This volume features contributions from the first Meeting of the Tsunami Commission after the big 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. It presents consolidated findings based on hydrophone records, seismometer readings, and tide gauges. In addition, the volume provides reports of post-tsunami surveys and numerical simulations for tsunamis such as the 2004 Indian Ocean event. It also details tsunami dangers and early warning systems.

Many coastal areas of the United States are at risk for tsunamis. After the catastrophic 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, legislation was passed to expand U.S. tsunami warning capabilities. Since then, the nation has made progress in several related areas on both the federal and state levels. At the federal level, NOAA has improved the ability to detect and forecast tsunamis by expanding the sensor network. Other federal and state activities to increase tsunami safety include: improvements to tsunami hazard and evacuation maps for many coastal communities; vulnerability assessments of some coastal populations in several states; and new efforts to increase public awareness of the hazard and how to respond. Tsunami Warning and Preparedness explores the advances made in tsunami detection and preparedness, and identifies the challenges that still remain. The book describes areas of research and development that would improve tsunami education, preparation, and detection, especially with tsunamis that arrive less than an hour after the triggering event. It asserts that seamless coordination between the two Tsunami Warning Centers and clear communications to local officials and the public could create a timely and effective response to coastal communities facing a pending tsuanami. According to Tsunami Warning and Preparedness, minimizing future losses to the nation from tsunamis requires persistent progress across the broad spectrum of efforts including: risk assessment, public education, government coordination, detection and forecasting, and warning-center operations. The book also suggests designing effective interagency exercises, using professional emergency-management standards to prepare communities, and prioritizing funding based on tsunami risk.

The tragedy of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has led to a rapid expansion in science directed at understanding tsunami and mitigating their hazard. A remarkable cross-section of this research was presented in the session: Tsunami Generation and Hazard, at the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics XXIV General Assembly in Perugia, held in July of 2007. Over one hundred presentations were made at this session, spanning topics ranging from paleotsunami research, to nonlinear shallow-water theory, to tsunami hazard and risk assessment. A selection of this work, along with other contributions from leading tsunami scientists, is published in detail in the 28 papers of this special issue of Pure and Applied Geophysics: Tsunami Science Four Years After the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Part I of this issue includes 14 papers covering the state-of-the-art in tsunami modelling and hazard assessment. Another 14 papers are published in Part II focusing on observations and data analysis.

This Special Publication examines tsunami hazard and risk, with particular focus on using the geological record. With Earth’s growing population clustered increasingly on coastlines, tsunami hazards are of concern worldwide. The papers explore the sedimentological and dynamic traces of recent and prehistoric tsunamis globally – from Europe to the Pacific – as well as looking at historic records and how the information can be used to characterise the scale of impacts and areas that are most susceptible to tsunami hazards. Armed with this information, scientists can begin to quantify risks, both to populations and in economic terms. This volume is aimed both at scientists working in this field and at a wider community, interested in tsunami science and natural hazard assessment.

Seismic hazard and risk analyses underpin the loadings prescribed by engineering design codes, the decisions by asset owners to retrofit structures, the pricing of insurance policies, and many other activities. This is a comprehensive overview of the principles and procedures behind seismic hazard and risk analysis. It enables readers to understand best practises and future research directions. Early chapters cover the essential elements and concepts of seismic hazard and risk analysis, while later chapters shift focus to more advanced topics. Each chapter includes worked examples and problem sets for which full solutions are provided online. Appendices provide relevant background in probability and statistics. Computer codes are also available online to help replicate specific calculations and demonstrate the implementation of various methods. This is a valuable reference for upper level students and practitioners in civil engineering, and earth scientists interested in engineering seismology.