Abstract
Abstract. Tsunami run-up is a key value to determine when calculating and assessing the tsunami hazard in a tsunami-prone area. Run-up can be accurately calculated by means of numerical models, but these models require high-resolution topobathymetric data, which are not always available, and long computational times. These drawbacks restrict the application of these models to the assessment of small areas. As an alternative method, to address large areas empirical formulae are commonly applied to estimate run-up. These formulae are based on numerical or physical experiments on idealized geometries. In this paper, a new methodology is presented to calculate tsunami hazard at large scales. This methodology determines the tsunami flooding by using a coupled model that combines a nonlinear shallow water model (2D-H) and a volume-of-fluid model (RANS 2D-V) and applies the optimal numerical models in each phase of the tsunami generation–propagation–inundation process. The hybrid model has been widely applied to build a tsunami run-up database (TRD). The aim of this database is to form an interpolation domain with which to estimate the tsunami run-up of new scenarios without running a numerical simulation. The TRD was generated by simulating the propagation of parameterized tsunami waves on real non-scaled profiles. A database and hybrid numerical model were validated using real and synthetic scenarios. The new methodology provides feasible estimations of the tsunami run-up; engineers and scientists can use this methodology to address tsunami hazard at large scales.
Highlights
Recent tragic tsunami events, like those that occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004, in Chile in 2010 and in Japan in 2011 have exposed the need for further work to develop and apply tsunami risk reduction measures
The adequate evaluation of tsunami hazard in tsunami-prone areas is the first step in a proper risk evaluation (UNESCO-IOC, 2009)
Determination of the tsunami hazard focuses on the estimation of the area that would be flooded during a tsunami and on the calculation of the variables or parameters that define the phenomenon in that area, e.g., wave amplitude, current depth, tsunami travel time etc
Summary
Like those that occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004, in Chile in 2010 and in Japan in 2011 have exposed the need for further work to develop and apply tsunami risk reduction measures. This database contains an adequate representation of natural bathymetric profiles worldwide and the variability in tsunami wave shapes, allowing calculation of the tsunami run-up of new scenarios by interpolation without running a numerical simulation The aim of this methodology is to help specialists to further develop tsunami hazard maps at large scales, where the application of numerical models is not computationally affordable and high-resolution data are not available. This method can be used to quickly estimate the run-up in tsunami-prone areas or accurately estimate the flooded area for new tsunami scenarios.
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