New 'tsunami generator' to boost understanding of deadly waves
New research launched by London South Bank University (LSBU) and leading science, engineering and technology innovators HR Wallingford will begin the development of the world's first system for the physical modelling of the impact of multiple incoming and outgoing tsunami waves. The project is the latest in a longstanding collaboration on tsunami research between LSBU, HR Wallingford and University College London (UCL).
20 years on from one of the world’s most deadly natural disasters, the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004, the understanding of these waves remains incomplete. Engineers and policy makers still do not have all the tools needed to mitigate and plan for these events. The modelling of the incoming and outgoing tsunami wave in particular is a capability currently unavailable to scientists around the world which limits their understanding of how to provide protection from the enormous damage tsunamis cause to human life, buildings and critical infrastructure.
The LSBU / HR Wallingford, ‘Tsunami Twin Wave generation technology’ (TsuTWin) project will be complete by end of 2026 and is the catalyst for this change in research capability. TsuTWin will develop the complex computer modelling and prototype design for a dual pneumatic tsunami generator, eventually leading to the design blue prints for the world’s first facility to generate tsunamis with multiple incoming waves and multiple returning flows to the sea; the so-called ‘tsunami wave-train’.
700 million people live and work by coastlines around the world and tsunamis are one of the world’s deadliest natural hazards. Since 2000, tsunamis have caused over 300,000 deaths, led to billions of dollars in economic & infrastructure losses & damaged critical infrastructure, including:
- Japanese tsunami in March 2011 which killed 18,000 people killed, forced the relocation of 452,000 people to shelters, caused the Fukushima nuclear power plant to leak radioactive steam and led to $235 billion damages (World Bank estimate).
- Indonesian tsunami in December 2004 which killed 230,000 people and led to an estimated $10 billion infrastructure damages.
The UN believes their threat is increasing as sea levels rise due to climate change
The principal investigator Dr David McGovern, LSBU Senior Lecturer in Water Engineering, said, “Our TsuTWin project will develop the complex modelling and design specifications for this advanced technology that scientists desperately need to understand the damage caused by multiple incoming and outgoing tsunami waves when they reach the coast, surge inland and then flow back towards the sea.
“Nearly two decades since the devastating Boxing Day Tsunami, scientists are still only able to recreate the impact of single incoming tsunami waves. This is less than half the story and constitutes a huge gap in the world’s understanding of how tsunami water flowing back towards the sea causes enormous damage. Thanks to the cutting-edge facilities at HR Wallingford, and the collaboration of research scientists and engineers at UCL, we will be able to develop the advanced technology to fill the gap in scientists, engineers and policymakers understanding of the impact of tsunamis. Ultimately, protecting life and property.”
Dr Ian Chandler, Principal Engineer, HR Wallingford, said: “This new project is a vital step in developing the dual pneumatic tsunami generator which will allow scientists and engineers to understand the rest of the tsunami story. Until now we have been limited to studying the first wave which is often less than half the story. We have been collaborating with LSBU and UCL for nearly two decades on tsunami research and there is still so much more to investigate and understand. Research is in our DNA at HR Wallingford and underpins all our work help everyone live and work more sustainably with water.”