AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Editors' Highlight

Tsunami forecasts based on tide gauge data close to the earthquake source

Great earthquakes, earthquakes that rupture slowly, or those with large fault areas can pose serious tsunami hazards that can be difficult to immediately deduce from real-time analyses of seismic networks. However, networks of tide gauges and deep-ocean pressure sensors provide important information for tsunami detection. These data can be used to reconstruct seismic events. Sánchez and Cheung (2007) performed a hindcast analysis of the 1995 Antofagasta-Chile tsunami with this inverse method. They used a model whereby tide gauge data close to the rupture were used to retrace the earthquake slip distribution and timing. These parameters were then used to estimate possible tsunami hazards across the Pacific Ocean. The authors found that their algorithms produced good estimates of tsunami waveforms at Honolulu based on the tide gauge data along the South American coast, reassuring the effectiveness of strategically positioned tide gauges in providing reliable tsunami forecasts through such an inverse method.

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