SIMULATING TSUNAMIS

ASEE Prism, Mar 2005 by Grose, Thomas

RESEARCH

THE NEW Tsunami Wave Basin at Oregon State University's Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory enables scientists from around the world to remotely conduct experiments on the behavior of tsunamis-especially how they affect populated land areas-in hopes of finding ways to minimize loss of life. The $4.8 million facility, built with National Science Foundation support, contains a 7-foot deep, 160-foot long pool, or basin, that can simulate tsunamis in a variety of ocean terrains and their potential aftermath. But when a major tsunami strikes, like the one that devastated south Asia late last year, do the resulting investigations render tsunami simulators superfluous, at least temporarily?

Not really, says director Dan Cox, an associate professor of engineering. While site inspections after a tsunami roars through an area are valuable, "they can't give you a complete picture." Investigators can see the type of damage a tsunami can wreak, but not how it happened. Was it the wave's direction or speed? The first impact or the second wave? "Unfortunately, most of the important clues are swept away." That means the study of these potent and deadly forces of nature will continue to rely on computer modeling and cutting-edge wave machines like Oregon's. -TG

NOW YOU KNOW

School that awarded the most bachelor's degrees in engineering to women in 2003: GEORGIA TECH, with:

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