The Australian Tsunami Database - a review
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Date
2014-04-01
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Sage Publications Ltd
Abstract
There has been a significant increase in the number of peer-reviewed publications, critical reviews and searchable web-based databases, since the first substantial tsunami database for Australia was published in 2007. This review represents a complete reorganization and restructuring of previous work coupled with the addition of new data that takes the number of events from 57 (including 2 erroneous events) to 145. Several significant errors have been corrected including mistaken run-up heights for the event of 19 August 1977, Sumba Island, Indonesia, that suggested it was the largest tsunami in Australia's history. The largest historical event in the database is now the 17 July 2006, Java, Indonesia, tsunami that had a run-up height of 7.90 m at Steep Point, Western Australia. Although estimated wave heights of 40 ft (approximate to 13 m) were noted for the 8 April 1911 event at Warrnambool, Victoria, no run-up data were provided. One of the more interesting findings has been the occurrence of at least 11 deaths, albeit for events that are generally poorly defined. Data gathered during the construction of this database were rigorously reviewed and as such several previous palaeotsunami entries have been removed and other potentially new ones discarded. The reasons for inclusion or exclusion of data are discussed, and it is acknowledged that while there has been an almost three-fold increase in the number of entries the database is still incomplete. With this in mind the database architecture has been brought in line with others in the region with the ultimate goal of merging them all in order to provide a larger, interrogatable and updatable data set. In essence, the goal is to enhance our understanding of the national and regional tsunami hazard (and risk) and to move towards an open-source database. © 2014, SAGE Publications.
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Keywords
New Zealand, Pacific Ocean, Australia, Data, Tsunamis, Death, Shores, Sea level
Citation
Goff, J., & Chagué-Goff, C. (2014). The Australian Tsunami Database - a review. Progress in Physical Geography, 38(2), 218-240. doi:10.1177/0309133314522282