Modeling Coastal Erosion, Deposition, and Scour from Tsunamis Impacting the Pacific Northwest
Speakers:
Dan Cox (OSU),
Erick Velasco (OSU),
Carly Ringer (OSU),
Yong Wei (NOAA)
Abstract:
Recent tsunamis have demonstrated how incoming waves can drastically reshape coastal morphology by remobilizing sediments, intensifying scour at critical locations, and threatening key infrastructure. However, sediment transport is often overlooked in hazard assessments. This webinar will have three, short presentations on numerical simulations of tsunami sediment transport. The hydro-morphodynamic simulations show that incorporating sediment dynamics reveals significant secondary impacts on jetties, bridge piers, and tsunami deposit distribution — posing additional challenges for post-event remains management. For example, high sediment availability amplifies erosion and inundation, substantially altering hazard estimates, while sediment mixtures and variable surface roughness reduce these effects. These three talks underscore the importance of integrating sedimentary processes into tsunami modeling to improve hazard assessments and inform effective response planning in coastal environments.
