Tsunami Thoughts

Tsunami research was a fairly sleepy field until the massive tsunamis that hit Chile and the Indian Ocean woke-up the public and the research community to the power and destruction caused by these massive events. Come hear Steven Ward, a solid-earth geophysicist who has worked at the Santa Cruz branch of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics on the science of tsunamis. Ward, a theoretical seismologist by training, has migrated into the areas of active tectonics and natural hazards, contributing significant research to tsunami flooding calculations. Steve was quick to grasp the importance of these new technologies in earth science, and had models of the Japanese tsunami racing across the Pacific towards the west coast within hours of the event. You'll learn why tsunami waves differ from ordinary waves, what causes tsunamis (and it's not just earthquakes!), where they focus their energy, when the next one might hit, and how we might prepare. For more information on Ward's Tsunami Thoughts, click here.