How can communities prepare for the possibility of a future tsunami? Participants from a range of science and engineering organizations gathered at the University of Oregon to explore the science of tsunami resilience at a workshop hosted by the Cascadia Region Earthquake Science Center (CRESCENT) Nov. 7 and 8.

The multidisciplinary workshop, “From hazard to risk: The science of planning for future tsunamis,” brought together expert speakers from academia, government agencies and industry to share their perspectives on tsunami risk assessment planning, mitigation and preparedness. Featured speakers included academic researchers in geology, geophysics, and coastal and structural engineering; representatives from federal and state agencies addressing tsunami risks; and consulting and insurance companies.

“It was remarkable to see people working on every stage of the tsunami problem, from the science of how and why they happen, all the way through how we make our societies resilient to them, gathered in the same room and having spirited discussions,” said CRESCENT director Diego Melgar,  Ann and Lew Williams Chair and associate professor of Earth sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It’s exactly the kind of interaction that CRESCENT was built for.”

The workshop, which Melgar organized along with Ignacio Sepulveda of San Diego State University, Dan Cox of Oregon State University and Shubharoop Ghosh of ImageCat Inc, addressed four core themes:

• The science of earthquakes and tsunamis
• Probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment, or the methodology experts use to quantify uncertain hazards
• Fragility analysis, from hazard to risk
• How scientific models and estimates can make it into policy and industry applications

Between speakers, participants had the opportunity to engage in round table discussions around these themes.  

 “Participants were very engaged, providing their point of view on every topic discussed,” Sepulveda said. “Now they know well about the several technical and non-technical challenges that experts face every day, from the modeling of tsunami hazards that will hit our coastal communities to design models to predict structural damage and optimal evacuation plans. They will have a better idea of what happens in all other moving parts, while they contribute to the science of planning for future tsunamis.”

The workshop was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and produced in collaboration with the NSF-funded Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub (Cascadia Copes Hub).