The New Zealand Tsunami Database: Historical and Modern Records

Abstract

Research Article| January 04, 2017 The New Zealand Tsunami Database: Historical and Modern Records G. Downes; G. Downes a16 Dunns Street, Silverstream, Upper Hutt 5019, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar A. Barberopoulou; A. Barberopoulou bAIR Worldwide, 131 Dartmouth Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02155 U.S.A.aggeliki.barberopoulou@gmail.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar U. Cochran; U. Cochran cGNS Science, 1 Fairway Drive, Avalon, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt 5011, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar K. Clark; K. Clark cGNS Science, 1 Fairway Drive, Avalon, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt 5011, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar F. Scheele F. Scheele dUniversity of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information G. Downes a16 Dunns Street, Silverstream, Upper Hutt 5019, New Zealand A. Barberopoulou bAIR Worldwide, 131 Dartmouth Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02155 U.S.A.aggeliki.barberopoulou@gmail.com U. Cochran cGNS Science, 1 Fairway Drive, Avalon, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt 5011, New Zealand K. Clark cGNS Science, 1 Fairway Drive, Avalon, PO Box 30‐368, Lower Hutt 5011, New Zealand F. Scheele dUniversity of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand Publisher: Seismological Society of America First Online: 14 Jul 2017 Online Issn: 1938-2057 Print Issn: 0895-0695 © Seismological Society of America Seismological Research Letters (2017) 88 (2A): 342–353. https://doi.org/10.1785/0220160135 Article history First Online: 14 Jul 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation G. Downes, A. Barberopoulou, U. Cochran, K. Clark, F. Scheele; The New Zealand Tsunami Database: Historical and Modern Records. Seismological Research Letters 2017;; 88 (2A): 342–353. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0220160135 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySeismological Research Letters Search Advanced Search ABSTRACT A database of historical (preinstrumental) and modern (instrumentally recorded) tsunamis that have impacted or been observed in New Zealand has been compiled and published online. New Zealand's tectonic setting, astride an obliquely convergent tectonic boundary on the Pacific Rim, means that it is vulnerable to local, regional, and circum‐Pacific tsunamis. Despite New Zealand's comparatively short written historical record of about 200 years, there is a wealth of information about the impact of past tsunamis. The New Zealand Tsunami Database (NZTD) currently has 800+ entries that describe >50 high‐validity tsunamis. Sources of historical information include witness reports recorded in diaries, notes, newspapers, books, and photographs. Information on recent events comes from tide gauges and other instrumental recordings such as Deep‐ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) buoys, and media of greater variety, for example, video and online surveys. The NZTD is an ongoing project with information added as further historical records come to light. Modern tsunamis are also added to the database once the relevant data for an event have been collated and edited. This article briefly overviews the procedures and tools used in the recording and analysis of New Zealand's historical tsunamis, with emphasis on database content. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.