TSUNAMI SIMULATION IN Al'IDAMAN SEA AND VEGETATIVE SUCCESSION
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Date
2010-06
Authors
WONG, CHAI CHING
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Abstract
The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman mega tsunami that killed a quarter million people
worldwide is a wake-up call to many. Since the infamous event, sensitivity to earthquake and
tsunami hazards has increased significantly and research programs are dedicated mainly
towards mitigating the hazards of tsunami. In Universiti Sains Malaysia, an in-house tsunami
simulation model TUNA has been developed and successfully applied to the 2004 SumatraAndaman
tsunami for the northwest coast of Malaysia. This dissertation discusses the
importance of accurate tsunami source representation for achieving good simulation results.
For this purpose, the in-house tsunami simulation model TUNA is enhanced to allow the
generation of multiple segment tsunami source. Tsunami propagation simulations by means
of TUNA with two source representations for the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman tsunami are
presented and the results compar~d to arrive at some conclusion. The frequent occurrences of
earthquakes with epicenters located under the seabed surrounding Malaysia have heightened
concern regarding potential hazards of tsunamis impacting the coasts of Malaysia. This
dissertation presents credible scenarios of potential tsunamis that might occur in the
Andaman Sea due to earthquakes along the Sunda Trench that may pose significant hazards
to northwest Peninsular Malaysia. This dissertation also investigates the potential coastal
ecosystem shift caused by the inundation of saline seawater induced by tsunamis using a
vegetation competition model named MANHAM. Coupled with the effects of climate
change, these shifts may be irreversible resulting in a permanent loss of glycophytic coastal
vegetation. The insights gained would be useful for future application in recovery and
rehabilitation of mangrove in Malaysia.
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Keywords
SIMULATION