Laboratory-Generated Tsunamis Advance Global Understanding and Mitigation Efforts

Two decades after the Boxing Day Indian Ocean tsunami, aspects of this natural phenomenon remain unknown. The event, which claimed over 230,000 lives, was triggered by a 9.1 magnitude undersea earthquake in northern Indonesia, generating waves that reached speeds of up to 500mph (805km/h). However, a tsunami is distinct from a mere large wave, exhibiting a “huge difference” in its generation, as explained by coastal engineer Dr Ian Chandler. Dr Chandler is a member of a team based in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, engaged in replicating tsunamis within a laboratory setting. This endeavor aims to deepen understanding of these waves and diminish their destructive potential. “With the storm waves, we generate them using a piston paddle… and you’re mechanically pushing the water backwards and forwards to create the waves,” Dr Chandler stated. In contrast, typical storm waves are “relatively short,” completing their passage in approximately 16-18 seconds. Conversely, “[With] tsunamis, you’re looking at maybe 20 minutes to half an hour for that same trough and crest of a wave to come past you,” he noted. This extended duration contributes significantly to their destructive power and necessitates a distinct scientific approach to their laboratory generation. “The way we need to move the water is completely different,” Dr Chandler explained. He added, “We ended up using a pneumatic system, essentially sucking the water up and then releasing.” Dr Chandler identified the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami as a pivotal moment in their study. “It was the biggest tsunami that had happened in recent times… and it was also the first one where we had mobile phone footage, where we had that sort of imagery of the events unfolding,” he recounted. He further described it as “a real wake-up call to the world but also to the scientific and engineering community.” Since that time, a scientific team at HR Wallingford, collaborating with University College London and London South Bank University, has been investigating tsunamis. Their research explores how various elements, including building placement, sea walls, coastal vegetation, and beach angles, influence wave behavior. “We’re representing sometimes kilometres of coastline in some of our beach models,” Dr Chandler affirmed. The team is also among the first to attempt to simulate the entire wave cycle, encompassing its retreat back into the sea. “That’s an area that we’re really lacking in our understanding still, even 20 years on,” he commented. Ultimately, the primary objective of this research is to mitigate the devastation caused by tsunamis. “It sometimes feels a bit strange to be studying tsunamis in the middle of Oxfordshire but that research is helping people all over the world,” he concluded. For updates, BBC Oxfordshire can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our approach to external linking is available.