Regional impact modeling of tsunami propogation into Mercury Bay, Whitianga, New Zealand - Implications for hazard and disaster management at a local scale Book
- Author
- Pickett, V.; Prasetya, G.
- Editor
- Ching-Hua, L.
- Year
- 2011
- Journal / Source
- Advances in Geosciences
- Volume
- 26
- Summary
- Whitianga is a small coastal town located on the eastern coastline of the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. Historical evidence has shown that the town and surrounding area is susceptible to tsunami events, in particular to those tsunami generated in the far field, with up to three events occurring since European settlement in the middle to late 19th Century (1868, 1877, and 1960). The last event in May 1960 impacted much of the North Island's eastern coastline and resulted in waves of ∼1.8–C2.5m at Whitianga that inundated waterfront roads, several houses, and buildings, and resulted in many boats being swept from their moorings. However, more recent work identified that the area is also susceptible to locally generated tsunami from sources located along the Kermadec subduction system and associated volcanic arc that extends north eastward from New Zealand toward Tonga. The core of the study involves the application of a tsunami hydrodynamic model to provide detailed wave propagation and inundation information using a range of likely scenarios and to present this information so that that the community can understand the associated risks involved as a prelude to the development of a local emergency plan. This study shows that while source definition requires careful consideration, high resolution bathymetry and topographic data are also necessary to adequately assess the risk at a local level. The model used in this study incorporates a combination of multibeam, and ground and non-ground striking LIDAR data, with the results of the modeling providing useful information for stakeholders involved in the emergency planning process.