Following the tsunami caused by the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004, the Republic of Maldives reported 82 confirmed deaths, 26 people missing and more than 3,997 incidents of house/building damage. Such an experience suggests that all atoll nations/districts in the Pacific and Indian Oceans face a potential risk of severe tsunami-induced damage, and an understanding of what occurred may help us to form a basis for recognizing the safer areas of land on atoll islands.To this end, we investigated 43 islands in the northern-to-southern Maldives by measuring watermarks and profiles across the islands, and interviewing local residents to determine the characteristics of the tsunami and evacuation procedures.The movement and influence of the tsunami varied by atoll and island topography. In the northern Maldives where the atoll rims consist of numerous faroes and are interrupted by many channels, the tsunami entered the lagoons through these channels and appeared to set-up the lagoon water level. The backwash of the lagoon water to the open ocean caused inundation of the lagoon-side villages on islands at the eastern atoll rim. Beach ridges developed on the eastern side of these islands acted as breakwaters against the tsunami from the east. In contrast, catastrophic damage and high run-up levels of 3.6 m above Mean Sea Level (MSL) at maximum water depth occurred on the eastern islands in atolls with a continuous atoll rim in the southern Maldives. Damage on the western atoll rims and in the lagoons was relatively small. The continuous eastern atoll rim and its islands acted as a breakwater against the tsunami from the east. The eastern islands in atolls in the central Maldives where the atoll rim is moderately interrupted by channels were hit by both the direct surge from the east and floodwater from the lagoon. Less damage was reported from the far southern atolls where major channels cut across the atoll chain.The movement of the tsunami in atolls thus differed according to the distribution of the atolls in the archipelago and the continuity of atoll rims against the incoming direction of the tsunami. The disaster status on individual islands also differed according ______________________________________________________________________
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.