{"669259":{"#nid":"669259","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Making Waves in Tsunami Research","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETwenty years ago, when strangers would ask \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/hermann-m-fritz\u0022\u003EHermann Fritz\u003C\/a\u003E about his job and he told them he was a tsunami expert, he got plenty of quizzical looks in response. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake changed everything,\u201d said Fritz, a young researcher whose Ph.D. was barely two years old at the time, recalling the powerful undersea megathrust off the Indonesian coast that caused the ocean floor to rise on Boxing Day. It triggered a massive, deadly tsunami with 100-foot waves that killed nearly 230,000 people in 14 countries, the last of them 5,000 miles from the earthquake epicenter.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cOvernight, everyone in the world knew about tsunamis,\u201d said Fritz, now a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech\u003C\/a\u003E. He worked post-disaster reconnaissance operations in countries devastated by that 2004 tsunami. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn the years since, he has led or participated in at least a dozen other such scientific missions, in the wake of tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, and earthquakes. His wide-ranging research centers on fluid dynamics in these natural (and human-made) disasters, but also on their mitigation and coastal protection. That\u2019s where his latest research, published in the journal \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.aip.org\/aip\/pof\/article-abstract\/35\/6\/066605\/2899776\/Physical-modeling-of-spikes-during-the-volcanic?redirectedFrom=fulltext\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPhysics of Fluids\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, is aimed. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFritz and his former graduate student, Yibin Liu, are interested in a specific kind of tsunami, those caused by underwater volcanic eruptions and landslides. So, they built a volcanic tsunami generator in a wave basin \u2014 essentially, a large lab-in-a-tank for studying wave behavior, the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, a National Science Foundation-supported Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure facility at Oregon State University.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThe recent underwater volcanic eruptions of 2018 at Anak Krakatau and the 2022 Tonga event caused tsunami hazards with extensive casualties and economic impacts,\u201d Liu said. \u201cThat\u2019s what motivated this project \u2014 the limited \u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Escientific understanding and field data of tsunami generation mechanisms.\u201d \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMaking Waves\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe tsunami generation process is the transfer of mechanical and thermal energy from volcanic activities into the surrounding body of water. To mimic this behavior for their observation, the researchers built a pneumatic volcanic tsunami generator (VTG). Tsunami waves are generated by sending a vertical column of water up through the water surface. Then the water surface deformation was measured with cameras and wave gauges.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cThis design, with multiple pneumatic cylinders, can reach a wide spectrum of motion patterns to simulate various types of underwater volcanic eruptions,\u201d said Liu.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe VTG, which they installed on the basin floor at Oregon State, is essentially the next generation of technology they\u2019d used in previous studies.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cWe had studied tsunamis from non-tectonic sources, such as submarine landslides, for decades, and we had previously used pneumatics to drive gravel landslides and were familiar with the pneumatic controls and rapid accelerations,\u201d Fritz said. \u201cUltimately it came down to developing a volcanic tsunami generator that would allow for safe, controlled, and reproducible experiments of an isolated volcanic tsunami generation mechanism.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThey conducted more than 300 experiments on the simulator, recreating different volcanic conditions. The 3D data they gathered will ideally lead to better tsunami models for future events, which can be very unpredictable. The Anak Krakatau event in 2018 is a great example. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u201cIt had basically been announcing a potential tsunami hazard by erupting for six months before collapsing and triggering a tsunami that still took more than 400 lives,\u201d Fritz said.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHe added, \u201cThe beauty of physical modeling is that it allows us to safely study details of volcanic tsunami generation at reduced scale and fill gaps in rare, real-world observations of volcanic tsunamis. Ultimately, the broader impacts of this research are to raise tsunami awareness, educate, and contribute to saving lives.\u201d\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/VcBKdpIsdto\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVideo: \u003C\/strong\u003EVolcanic Tsunami Generator at work\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cem\u003ECitation: Hermann Fritz and Yibin Liu, \u201cPhysical modeling of spikes during the volcanic tsunami generation,\u201d Physics of Fluids.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1063\/5.0147970\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Edoi.org\/10.1063\/5.0147970\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Researchers develop volcanic tsunami simulator to closely study potential natural disasters"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EResearchers develop volcanic tsunami simulator to closely study potential natural disasters\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers develop volcanic tsunami simulator to closely study potential natural disasters"}],"uid":"28153","created_gmt":"2023-08-30 17:11:51","changed_gmt":"2023-08-31 14:07:24","author":"Jerry Grillo","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-08-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-08-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"671539":{"id":"671539","type":"image","title":"Volcanic Tsunami Simulator","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe volcanic tsunami simulator, developed by Georgia Tech researchers, gets a test run in an Oregon State wave basin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1693414691","gmt_created":"2023-08-30 16:58:11","changed":"1693414829","gmt_changed":"2023-08-30 17:00:29","alt":"Volcanic tsunami simulator","file":{"fid":"254621","name":"Simulator.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/30\/Simulator.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/30\/Simulator.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":388337,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/08\/30\/Simulator.jpg?itok=rGF2v1Tn"}},"671542":{"id":"671542","type":"image","title":"Hermann Fritz","body":"\u003Cp\u003EHermann Fritz makes final preparations before the volcanic tsunami generator is installed in the wave basin at the Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory at Oregon State.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1693415126","gmt_created":"2023-08-30 17:05:26","changed":"1693415263","gmt_changed":"2023-08-30 17:07:43","alt":"Hermann Fritz","file":{"fid":"254624","name":"Fritz and device.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/30\/Fritz%20and%20device.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/30\/Fritz%20and%20device.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1867008,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/08\/30\/Fritz%20and%20device.jpg?itok=DyRiN4vl"}},"671541":{"id":"671541","type":"image","title":"Yibin Liu","body":"\u003Cp\u003EYibin Liu is at the controls of the volcanic tsunami generator he developed in the lab of Hermann Fritz.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1693415023","gmt_created":"2023-08-30 17:03:43","changed":"1693415114","gmt_changed":"2023-08-30 17:05:14","alt":"Yibin Liu is at the controls ","file":{"fid":"254623","name":"Yibin at controls.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/30\/Yibin%20at%20controls.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/30\/Yibin%20at%20controls.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2329516,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/08\/30\/Yibin%20at%20controls.jpg?itok=HS0oKBop"}},"671540":{"id":"671540","type":"image","title":"Fritz and simulator","body":"\u003Cp\u003EHermann Fritz is at the controls of the volcanic tsunami generator, which simulates the effects of these natural disasters for further study.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1693414853","gmt_created":"2023-08-30 17:00:53","changed":"1693415007","gmt_changed":"2023-08-30 17:03:27","alt":"Fritz and VTG","file":{"fid":"254622","name":"Fritz and Simulator.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/30\/Fritz%20and%20Simulator.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/30\/Fritz%20and%20Simulator.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2250940,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/08\/30\/Fritz%20and%20Simulator.jpg?itok=TSoXZs7u"}}},"media_ids":["671539","671542","671541","671540"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"347","name":"tsunami"},{"id":"184843","name":"volcanic activity"},{"id":"171813","name":"natural disasters"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39531","name":"Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure"},{"id":"39481","name":"National Security"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJerry Grillo\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jerry.grillo@ibb.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}