Abstract
Tsunami modeling and simulation has changed in the past few years more than it has in decades, especially with respect to coastal inundation. Among other things, this change is supported by the approaching era of exa-scale computing, whether via GPU or more likely forms of hybrid computing whose presence is growing across the geosciences. For reasons identified in this review, exa-scale computing efforts will impact the on-shore, highly turbulent régime to a higher degree than the 2D shallow water equations used to model tsunami propagation in the open ocean. This short review describes the different approaches to tsunami modeling from generation to impact and underlines the limits of each model based on the flow régime. Moreover, from the perspective of a future comprehensive multi-scale modeling infrastructure to simulate a full tsunami, we underline the current challenges associated with this approach and review the few efforts that are currently underway to achieve this goal. A table of existing tsunami software packages is provided along with an open Github repository to allow developers and model users to update the table with additional models as they are published and help with model discoverability.
Highlights
The failure of a multi-billion dollar wall designed to protect the Tohoku coasts ofJapan (Figure 1) from a level-2 tsunami (Level-2 tsunami: infrequent but highly destructive [1]) in 2011 triggered an important debate about alternative approaches to tsunami risk reduction
In a recent inter-comparison of models to study shear and separation driven coastal currents, Lynett et al [63] concluded that “[. . . ]In general, we find that models of increasing physical complexity provide better accuracy, and that low-order three-dimensional models are superior to high-order two-dimensional models[. . . ]”
As we have seen, (1) can be greatly reduced in complexity by integration and appropriate assumptions. While this means that the 2D equations can recreate the extent of flooding, the recreation of the 3D velocity fields and the appropriate forces on structures is difficult even for schemes that have been successfully implemented such as the Boussinesq and Serre–Green–Naghdi models, leaving the need for 3D Navier–Stokes models as the gold standard for impact questions
Summary
The failure of a multi-billion dollar wall designed to protect the Tohoku coasts of. Japan (Figure 1) from a level-2 tsunami (Level-2 tsunami: infrequent but highly destructive [1]) in 2011 triggered an important debate about alternative approaches to tsunami risk reduction. Even when cost is not the main constraint—consider Japan whose GDP accounts for 4.22% of the world economy versus Indonesia’s (0.93%) or Chile’s (0.24%)—relying on traditional concrete-based solutions alone may not be desirable or sustainable, partly because of their potential long-term negative impact on the population [2], coastal ecosystems [7,8,9], and shoreline stability [10,11]. For these reasons, decision-makers and engineers are increasingly considering protection solutions that rely on green designs as sustainable and effective alternatives to seawalls. A table of some available tsunami software packages is given in the Appendix A
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