Numerical Simulation of Tsunami Inundation in Urban Areas

The population and property in urban areas facing waterfronts is rapidly increasing together with the probability that a huge tsunami will occur on the Pacific Rim. The huge potential damage reflects the need to develop a highly accurate simulation model for tsunami inundation to help mitigate tsunami effects. We developed a simulation model to estimate the inundation depth and speed of tsunamis in urban areas. The model was applied to calculate the variation of inundation areas in a model city facing Tokyo Bay. Experiments of tsunami inundation in the model city on a 1/50 scale was carried out for validation of the numerical model.