Reconstruction of the 2002 tsunami at Stromboli using the non-hydrostatic WAVE model (NHWAVE)

Abstract

Abstract In December 2002, two landslides along the Sciara del Fuoco at Stromboli triggered large tsunami waves that caused significant damage on the coast of the island up to an elevation of about 10 m above sea-level. In this work, we report in detail the items and the methods used to reconstruct the 2002 tsunami at Stromboli highlighting their strengths and limits. In particular, we describe: (1) the non-hydrostatic WAVE model used to simulate the triggering landslide, the wave propagation and the inundation/runup on the land; (2) the data and methods used to generate the topo-bathymetric computational grid; and (3) the field data acquired on Stromboli after the 2002 tsunami used as ground truth for checking the simulation outputs. Our results show that the most severe damage on the coast of Stromboli could have been caused by the interaction of successive waves triggered by the same landslide. In addition, we also describe the influence that the bathymetry had on the waves propagation and interaction.