The Geophysical Institute participates in the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program by evaluating and mapping potential tsunami inundation of coastal communities in Alaska.

We address the problem of predicting runup of tsunami waves by solving nonlinear shallow-water equations with a finite-difference method. We construct hypothetical tsunami scenarios that are based on the parameters of potential underwater earthquakes. Numerical results and historical observations are combined in order to develop a “worst case scenario” for a coastal community. The inundation line produced by this scenario becomes a basis for local tsunami hazard planning and construction of evacuation maps.