Estimating the eruption-induced water displacement source of the 15 January 2022 Tonga volcanic tsunami from tsunami spectra and numerical modelling

Heidarzadeh, Mohammad; Gusman, Aditya Riadi; Ishibe, Takeo; Sabeti, Ramtin; Šepić, Jadranka

doi:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2022.112165

Cited by 61 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…MFCI explosions are sensed at distance as “sonic booms.” Because they distort the entire atmospheric column, both eruptive and explosive events may be responsible for the widely documented AG waves ( 9 – 14 , 16 , 17 , 33 ). However, we contend that in the case of HTHH, the explosive or blast events created the bulk of tsunami ( 28 , 34 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

The 2022 Hunga-Tonga megatsunami: Near-field simulation of a once-in-a-century event

et al. 2023

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The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcanic eruption in January 2022 generated catastrophic tsunami and contends for the largest natural explosion in more than a century. The main island, Tongatapu, suffered waves up to 17 m, and Tofua Island suffered waves up to 45 m, comfortably placing HTHH in the “megatsunami” league. We present a tsunami simulation of the Tongan Archipelago calibrated by field observations, drone, and satellite data. Our simulation emphasizes how the complex shallow bathymetry of the area acted as a low-velocity wave trap, capturing tsunami for more than 1 hour. Despite its size and long duration, few lives were lost. Simulation suggests that HTHH’s location relative to urban centers saved Tonga from a worse outcome. Whereas 2022 seems to have been a lucky escape, other oceanic volcanoes have the capacity to spawn future tsunami at HTHH scale. Our simulation amplifies the state of understanding of volcanic explosion tsunami and provides a framework for assessment of future hazards.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 95%

The 2022 Hunga-Tonga megatsunami: Near-field simulation of a once-in-a-century event

et al. 2023

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“…The uncertainty in the source model and veracity of attempts to model the detailed hydrodynamics is further underscored by recent work of Heidarzadeh et al ( 2022 ) who modelled the tsunami source as a positive Gaussian bulge on the water surface, or in other words, the direct opposite of the approach used by the previously mentioned studies where the tsunami source is modelled as a depression the ocean surface. Yet the modelling of Heidarzadeh et al ( 2022 ) also somehow manages to produce an acceptable fit to measured data at the New Zealand DART stations, although they did not compare their output to coastal tide gauge records from Nuku’alofa or elsewhere. Thus, the timing of the overtopping surge or surges in western Tongatapu and the timing of the destruction of the weather station, not to mention the details of the tsunami source itself, remain an enigma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tsunami Runup and Inundation in Tonga from the January 2022 Eruption of Hunga Volcano

Borrero

Cronin

Latu’ila

et al. 2022

Pure Appl. Geophys.

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On January 15th, 2022, at approximately 4:47 pm local time (0347 UTC), several weeks of heightened activity at the Hunga volcano 65 km northwest of Tongatapu, culminated in an 11-h long violent eruption which generated a significant near-field tsunami. Although the Kingdom of Tonga lies astride a large and tsunamigenic subduction zone, it has relatively few records of significant tsunami. Assessment activities took place both remotely and locally. Between March and June 2022, a field team quantified tsunami runup and inundation on the main populated islands Tongatapu and Eua, along with several smaller islands to the north, including the Ha’apai Group. Peak tsunami heights were ~ 19 m in western Tongatapu, ~ 20 m on south-eastern Nomuka Iki island and ~ 20 m on southern Tofua, located ~ 65 km S and E and 90 km N from Hunga volcano, respectively. In western Tongatapu, the largest tsunami surge overtopped a 13–15 m-high ridge along the narrow Hihifo peninsula in several locations. Analysis of tide gauge records from Nukualofa (which lag western Tongatapu arrivals by ~ 18–20 min), suggest that initial tsunami surges were generated prior to the largest volcanic explosions at ~ 0415 UTC. Further waves were generated by ~ 0426 UTC explosions that were accompanied by air-pressure waves. Efforts to model this event are unable to reproduce the timing of the large tsunami wave that toppled a weather station and communication tower on a 13 m-high ridge on western Tongatapu after 0500 UTC. Smaller tsunami waves continued until ~ 0900, coincident with a second energetic phase of eruption, and noted by eyewitnesses on Tungua and Mango Islands. Despite an extreme level of destruction caused by this tsunami, the death toll was extraordinarily low (4 victims). Interviews with witnesses and analysis of videos posted on social media suggest that this can be attributed to the arrival of smaller ‘pre tsunami’ waves that prompted evacuations, heightened tsunami awareness due to tsunami activity and advisories on the day before, the absence of tourists and ongoing tsunami education efforts since the 2009 Niuatoputapu, Tonga tsunami. This event highlights an unexpectedly great hazard from volcanic tsunami worldwide, which in Tonga’s case overprints an already extreme level of tectonic tsunami hazard. Education and outreach efforts should continue to emphasize the ‘natural warning signs’ of strong ground shaking and unusual wave and current action, and the importance of self-evacuation from coastal areas of low-lying islands. The stories of survival from this event can be used as global best practice for personal survival strategies from future tsunami.

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“…One-way coupled models have been used to study Rissaga storms in the Balearic sea (Monserrat, Ibbetson & Thorpe 1991;Renault et al 2011;Romero, Vich & Ramis 2019), Abiki storms in Japan (Fukuzawa & Hibiya 2020;Kubota et al 2021), storms in the Adriatic sea (Denamiel et al 2019), storm resonance with tides (Williams et al 2021), continental shelf resonance (Vennell 2007;Thiebaut & Vennell 2011) and shore interactions (Chen & Niu 2018;Dogan et al 2021). Following the Tonga event, OWC models were used to simulate the generated meteotsunami along one-dimensional great-circle lines starting from Tonga (Kakinuma 2022;Sekizawa & Kohyama 2022;Tanioka, Yamanaka & Nakagaki 2022), two-dimensional (2-D) truncated regions of the globe (Heidarzadeh et al 2022;Lynett et al 2022;Pakoksung, Suppasri & Imamura 2022;Peida & Xiping 2022;Ren, Higuera & Liu 2022;Yamada et al 2022) and 2-D global simulations (Kubota, Saito & Nishida 2022;Omira et al 2022). In each of these cases, the atmospheric wave is stripped of its thermodynamic properties and acts as a rigid piston, assuming a sea-level forcing travelling at a set speed that is estimated from available observation data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Following the Tonga event, OWC models were used to simulate the generated meteotsunami along one-dimensional great-circle lines starting from Tonga (Kakinuma 2022; Sekizawa & Kohyama 2022; Tanioka, Yamanaka & Nakagaki 2022), two-dimensional (2-D) truncated regions of the globe (Heidarzadeh et al. 2022; Liu & Higuera 2022; Lynett et al. 2022; Pakoksung, Suppasri & Imamura 2022; Peida & Xiping 2022; Ren, Higuera & Liu 2022; Yamada et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-way coupled long-wave isentropic ocean-atmosphere dynamics

Winn

Sarmiento²,

Alferez

et al. 2023

J. Fluid Mech.

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The events following the 15 January 2022 explosions of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano highlighted the need for a better understanding of ocean-atmosphere interactions when large amounts of energy are locally injected into one (or both). Starting from the compressible Euler equations, a two-way coupled (TWC) system is derived governing the long-wave behaviour of the ocean and atmosphere under isentropic constraint. Bathymetry and topography are accounted for along with three-dimensional atmospheric non-uniformities through their depth average over a spherical shell. A linear analysis, yielding two pairs of gravito-acoustic waves, offers explanations for phenomena observed during the Tonga event. A continuous transcritical regime (in terms of water depth) is identified as the source of large wave generation in deep water bodies, removing the singularity-driven Proudman-type resonance observed in one-way coupled models. The refractive properties, governing the interaction of the atmospheric wave with step changes in water depth, are derived to comment on mode-to-mode energy transfer. Two-dimensional global simulations modelling the propagation of the atmospheric wave (under realistic conditions on the day) and its worldwide effect on oceans are presented. Local maxima of water-height disturbance in the farfield from the volcano, linked to the atmospheric wave deformation (in agreement with observations), are identified, emphasising the importance of the TWC model for any daylong predictions. The proposed framework can be extended to include additional layers and physics, e.g. ocean and atmosphere stratification. With the aim of contributing to warning system improvement, the code necessary to simulate the event with the proposed model is made available.

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Estimating the eruption-induced water displacement source of the 15 January 2022 Tonga volcanic tsunami from tsunami spectra and numerical modelling

Cited by 61 publications

References 31 publications

The 2022 Hunga-Tonga megatsunami: Near-field simulation of a once-in-a-century event

The 2022 Hunga-Tonga megatsunami: Near-field simulation of a once-in-a-century event

Tsunami Runup and Inundation in Tonga from the January 2022 Eruption of Hunga Volcano

Two-way coupled long-wave isentropic ocean-atmosphere dynamics

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