General Review of the Worldwide Tsunami Research

Abstract

With the advancement of the global economy, the coastal region has become heavily developed and densely populated and suffers significant damage potential considering various natural disasters, including tsunamis, as indicated by several catastrophic tsunami disasters in the 21st century. This study reviews the up-to-date tsunami research from two different viewpoints: tsunamis caused by different generation mechanisms and tsunami research applying different research approaches. For the first issue, earthquake-induced, landslide-induced, volcano eruption-induced, and meteorological tsunamis are individually reviewed, and the characteristics of each tsunami research are specified. Regarding the second issue, tsunami research using post-tsunami field surveys, numerical simulations, and laboratory experiments are discussed individually. Research outcomes from each approach are then summarized. With the extending and deepening of the understanding of tsunamis and their inherent physical insights, highly effective and precise tsunami early warning systems and countermeasures are expected for the relevant disaster protection and mitigation efforts in the coastal region.

Keywords

Earthquake induced tsunami / Landslide induced tsunami / Volcano eruption induced tsunami / Meteorological tsunami / Post-tsunami field survey / Numerical modeling / Laboratory experiment