In the last three years, there have been three large tsunamis in the Indian Ocean, most notably the notorious one which struck on 26 December 2004 and killed more than 238,000 people. It was generated by one of the largest recorded earthquakes in the last 100 years. Such events occur about four times per century, mainly in the Pacific Ocean. Few scientists were aware that the Indian Ocean was vulnerable: only Thailand had been warned of the potential for such an event. However, tsunami are also insidious local hazards. Since 1990, at least eleven events have impacted on the world's coastlines, causing devastation and loss of life. Tsunami are underrated as major hazards, mainly due to the misconceptions that they occur infrequently compared to other natural disasters and happen along some distant shoreline, most likely in a developing country. Evidence for past great tsunami, or "mega-tsunami" has also recently been discovered along apparently aseismic and protected coastlines, such as those of Australia and Western Europe. These mega-tsunami are caused by either huge submarine landslides or the impact of meteorites and comets with the ocean. With a large proportion of the world's population living on the coastline, the threat from tsunami cannot be ignored.
Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard, 2nd Edition, comprehensively describes the nature and process of tsunami formation, outlines field evidence for detecting the presence of past events, and describes notable events linked to earthquakes, volcanoes, submarine landslides, and comet impacts. The author provides a clear approach to the study of tsunami, through dynamics, impact on coastlines, and overviews of the various major mechanisms of tsunami generation. Liberal case studies and examples highlight the significance of this underrated natural hazard for coastal societies. In particular, Dr Bryant studies in detail the great tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004, making it one of the largest natural disasters to occur in recorded history.
The book is divided into four parts. Part I considers tsunami as a known hazard, starting in Chapter 1 with legends and stories and questioning whether they are scientific fact or legend. Dr Bryant looks at the causes of tsunami, their distribution and fatalities in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand and Australia as well as in bays, fjords, inland seas and lakes. Chapter 2 studies the dynamics of tsunami, their characteristics, the wave theory and the run-up and inundation. In Part II tsunami-formed landscapes are examined, showing both the depositional and erosional signatures of tsunami in the coastal landscape, including chevrons and dune bedforms. The coastal landscape evolution is looked at in Chapter 4, comparing catastrophism against uniformitarianism and tsunami versus storms. Examples and types of coastal landscapes created by tsunami, particularly in Australia, Grand Cayman, the Bahamas and Chilean coast are also given. Part III looks at the main causes of tsunami: earthquakes, great landslides, volcanic eruptions and comets and meteorites. The modern risk of tsunami is covered in Part IV, detailing locations and avoidance, including warning systems. Dr Bryant ends this unique study of a fascinating subject with five stories of different tsunamis.
From the reviews of the second edition:"A much needed, up-to-date introductory work on tsunamis with worldwide coverage. ? Many high-quality maps, figures, charts, and exceptional photographs augment the text; an extensive list of cited references is especially valuable. This book will have noteworthy appeal to students and professionals alike in the fields of geomorphology, coastal engineering, environmental sciences, and economics. It will also be valuable to geographers, civic and emergency planners, and the general public living along coastlines the world over ? . Summing Up: Recommended. All readers/libraries." (T. L. T. Grose, CHOICE, Vol. 46 (01), September, 2008)"The main focus of the book was and remains the formation of landscape features by large tsunami. ? The greatest value of this book may well be to raise awareness in the public and among policy makers ? . the book very accessible to the general public and those who have limited scientific aptitude. ? The book concludes with a discussion of modern tsunami risks and warning systems, followed by an epilogue which presents several plausible scenarios of future tsunami disasters." (Michael Antolik, Pure and Applied Geophysics, Vol. 166, 2009)
