oceannetworks.ca A Tsunami Detection Initiative for British Columbia Port Alberni / Sidney March 27th - 28th 2014 AN INITIATIVE OF 2 Copyright 2014 Ocean Networks Canada Ocean Networks Canada Technology Enterprise Facility (TEF) University of Victoria PO Box 1700 STN CSC 2300 McKenzie Avenue Victoria, BC, Canada, V8W 2Y2 250.472.5400 [email protected] www.oceannetworks.ca 3 Table of Contents Introduction 6 We are Tseshaht [Ts’ishaa7ath] 7 A message from Port Alberni Mayor John Douglas 9 A letter from Ocean Networks Canada President Kate Moran 10 About Ocean Networks Canada 11 Smart Ocean Systems™ 12 Detecting Tsunamis on the NEPTUNE network and the ONC Tsunami project 13 Abstracts 15 Hydroacoustic waves modeling of Tsunami Early Warning Systems (TEWS) 15 Uncertainty reduction in near field tsunami early warning 17 Modelling of tsunami waves at the Institute of Ocean Sciences 18 New NOAA Tsunami Forecasting System 18 Tsunami wave impact on walls and beaches 19 GPU-accelerated hydrodynamics for wave impact problems 20 Modeling hazards from seismic and SMF sources 21 Assessing the tsunami hazard of the British Columbia coastline 22 Tsunami Modeling and Inundation Mapping in Alaska: Development of maximum credible tsunami scenarios 22 In the wake of the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami: Modeling of tsunami wave propagation and evacuation. 23 Utilizing power of present and future open-ocean tsunami monitoring networks 24 Indian Tsunami Early Warning System 25 Cascadia Megathrust Rupture Models for Tsunami Modelling 26 The Activities of the US Tsunami Warning Centers During the Haida Gwaii Tsunami 27 Summary of Discussions 29 Instrumentation 29 Earthquake Source Definition 32 Tsunami modeling 36 Attendees Biographies 41 4 “The foggy dawn of Saturday, March 28, 1964, broke on a stunned and unbelieving populace in the Alberni Valley. Residents were stunned by the small glimpse they’d already had of the fantastic damage done to their communities… unbelieving at the reports that no one had been drowned or even seriously injured in the tidal wave which swept the low-lying areas in the midnight hours following the great Alaska earthquake.” Civil Defence Circular. Special report on Alberni tidal wave disaster. Provincial emergency program report. 5 Introduction Fifty years ago the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America hit south central Alaska, causing a tsunami that swept along the BC coast, heavily damaging coastal communities such as Port Alberni. Fifty years later, much has been learned about how the Earth’s crust works, but ocean scientists are still working to understand the dynamics of the great waves. On March 27th and 28th, 2014 Ocean Networks Canada hosted an international workshop on tsunami modeling and instrumentation. Forty-four attendees from Canada, Japan, India, USA, Germany, France and Italy congregated in Port Alberni, British Columbia, on the 50-year anniversary of the tsunami that devastated this city. The shore station that hosts the entry of the cable from the NEPTUNE observatory was the venue for this event. The Tseshaht First Nation and the Mayor of Port Alberni opened the day with a welcoming followed by a full day of presentations from scientists from the major agencies responsible for tsunami mitigation. The most recent tsunami research was presented with an emphasis on the coast of British Columbia and the geohazards present along the Cascadia margin. The second day of the workshop, hosted at the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Sidney, focused on near-field tsunamis and the instrumentation currently available for their detection. The experts discussed the design and technology that should be implemented for the detection and forecast of near-field tsunamis on the British Columbia coast. Three groups were formed that centered their discussions on (1) instrumentation, (2) earthquake source definition and (3) modeling. This report summarizes the information shared during the workshop. Videos and presentations are available on our website: http://www.oceannetworks.ca/science/ getting-involved/workshops/tsunami-workshop-2014. 6 We are Tseshaht [Ts’ishaa7ath] The Tseshaht First Nation is a vibrant community on the West Coast of Vancouver Island in Port Alberni, British Columbia, with an active and progressive natural resources- based economy. We are proud of our culture and work as a community to preserve our traditional values and the teachings. Tseshaht translates as “the people of Ts’ishaa,” a place on what is known today as Benson Island, one of the Broken Group Islands in Barkley Sound. We are one of the 14 Nations that make up the Nuu-chah-nulth [Nootka] people of western Vancouver Island. At the core of Tseshaht is our chronicle of creation; our spiritual origin. We were created at Ts’ishaa, and our first ancestors (Tseshaht man and women) were given by Nas (creator) the highest spiritual responsibility and stewardship of the Broken Group Islands. Our ownership of land is based on the Nuu-chah-nulth laws of hahuulhi, which means the territory of a nation under the stewardship of a King (Head of state). Being king indicated the closest spiritual bloodline to our chronicle of creation. Our late King Adam Shewish, great-grandfather Chief Haayuupinuulh [born c.1830] was the King of the Tseshaht when mum-ulth-ne settlement started in the Alberni Valley. His name, meaning “getter of ten (whales)” signified his status as a prominent chief, including his King’s right to hunt whales. 7 Tseshaht hahuulhi changed through marriage and alliances, a series of wars, and the incorporation of affiliated groups. A prime example was a historic conflict with the Tsumas7ath, already living on the Somass River, the Hikwuulh7ath and the Hach’aa7ath established themselves at on the Somass River. These hahuulhi enhancements continued as the Tseshaht absorbed the Hikwuulh7ath and the Hach’aa7ath. As well as once exclusive properties of the Nash7as7ath, Maktl7ii7ath, Ts’umaa7as7ath and the original Ts’ishaa7ath. This meant that the hahuulhi of the these groups in the Broken Group Islands, central Barkley Sound, a large extent of the Alberni Inlet and the Alberni Valley became Tseshaht territories. Tseshaht Tutuupata, the plural of tupaati, refers to the hereditary privileges or preroga- tives that governed the ownership and use of practically everything of value in Tseshaht society. These included resources like rivers, fish trap sites, and plant gathering sites, as well as intellectual property resources like names, ceremonial songs, dances, and regalia. Tutuupata determined rank in Tseshaht society, and were inherited within a family. Tseshaht Seasonal Round The traditional Tseshaht economy was determined by tupaati - the ownership of resources. Tseshaht tupaati included both “outside” and “inside” resources throughout this territory. This meant that in late winter and early spring the Tseshaht travelled to their “outside” tupaati to utilize the resources of these traditional sites such as sea mammals, halibut, rockfish and salmon and procurement areas in Barkley Sound. As the seasons changed, the resources changed, and the Tseshaht moved back to their “inside” tupaati, following the salmon up Alberni Inlet to the Somass River. The Tseshaht now exert our jurisdiction over our hahuulhi based on our history. 8 A message from Port Alberni Mayor John Douglas It gives me great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all the delegates and scientists attending the international tsunami modeling workshop hosted by Ocean Networks Canada here in Port Alberni. The waves that hit our community 50 years ago left an indelible mark on the memories of those who experienced it and forever changed our understanding of the local dangers posed by tsunamis. The City of Port Alberni and the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District are working closely together to plan and prepare for such emergencies. Your knowledge and expertise represents an important link to these efforts and our goal to be a world leader in the field of emergency preparedness. As an organization focused on our ocean planet and its complex systems, I congratu- late Ocean Networks Canada for the important contributions they are making to the advancement of science and technology. The City of Port Alberni is honoured to be part of this important gathering. Yours truly, City of Port Alberni, John Douglas - Mayor 9 A letter from Ocean Networks Canada President Kate Moran On behalf of Ocean Networks Canada, an initiative of the University of Victoria, I’m delighted to welcome you, the world’s leading tsunami researchers, to the shore station of the 840-km long NEPTUNE cabled ocean observatory. Our sincere thanks go to Mayor Douglas and the citizens of Port Alberni for their warm welcome and for including us in community events that mark this very historic time – the fiftieth anniversary of a devastating earthquake and tsunami. I also am grateful to the Tseshaht First Nation for sharing their ancestral traditions with us. This workshop location—at the terminus of the NEPTUNE cabled observatory in the Northeast Pacific—is where, fifty years ago, a powerful tsunami came surging up the Alberni Inlet and inundated the shoreline. Because of this anniversary, it is particularly fitting to bring all of you together to Port Alberni at this time. I wish you all the best for a successful workshop and look forward to an exciting future filled with rich collaborations. Sincerely, Kate Moran, PhD President and CEO 10 About Ocean Networks Canada Ocean Networks Canada operates world-class ocean observatories