TY - JOUR
T1 - Coral reefs reduce tsunami impact in model simulations
AU - Kunkel, Catherine M.
AU - Hallberg, Robert W.
AU - Oppenheimer, Michael
PY - 2006/12/16
Y1 - 2006/12/16
N2 - Significant buffering of the impact of tsunamis by coral reefs is suggested by limited observations and some anecdotal reports, particularly following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Here we simulate tsunami run-up on idealized topographies in one and two dimensions using a nonlinear shallow water model and show that a sufficiently wide barrier reef within a meter or two of the surface reduces run-up on land on the order of 50%. We studied topographies representative of volcanic islands (islands with no continental shelf) but our conclusions may pertain to other topographies. Effectiveness depends on the amplitude and wavelength of the incident tsunami, as well as the geometry and health of the reef and the offshore distance of the reef. Reducing the threat to reefs from anthropogenic nutrients, sedimentation, fishing practices, channel-building, and global wanning would help to protect some islands against tsunamis.
AB - Significant buffering of the impact of tsunamis by coral reefs is suggested by limited observations and some anecdotal reports, particularly following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Here we simulate tsunami run-up on idealized topographies in one and two dimensions using a nonlinear shallow water model and show that a sufficiently wide barrier reef within a meter or two of the surface reduces run-up on land on the order of 50%. We studied topographies representative of volcanic islands (islands with no continental shelf) but our conclusions may pertain to other topographies. Effectiveness depends on the amplitude and wavelength of the incident tsunami, as well as the geometry and health of the reef and the offshore distance of the reef. Reducing the threat to reefs from anthropogenic nutrients, sedimentation, fishing practices, channel-building, and global wanning would help to protect some islands against tsunamis.
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U2 - 10.1029/2006GL027892
DO - 10.1029/2006GL027892
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:34548616921
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 33
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 23
M1 - L23612
ER -