Tsunamis in the Black Sea: Comparison of the historical, instrumental, and numerical data

Abstract

The tsunami hazard in the Black Sea is discussed by comparing historical, instrumental data and numerical results. There are 22 tsunami events in the Black Sea documented since the first century, and nine of them have occurred in twentieth century. The numerical simulations of tsunami propagation for the 1966 and 1939 events are performed by using the framework of the shallow‐water theory. The instrumental data from tide gauge records are used to compare and validate the simulation results and estimate the wave motion at other locations where the instrumental data are unavailable. The distribution of maximum positive tsunami amplitudes along the north and south coasts are obtained for each event. The arrival time, tsunami amplitudes, and directivity of tsunamis in the Black Sea are studied. The probable source and target areas of tsunamis are discussed.