Scientists to Study Local Impact of Tsunami Currents

During the one-year anniversary Sunday of a , engineers were studying the subsequent currents caused by such a tsunami and their local impact.

Researchers in the USC Viterbi School of Engineering are conducting the study, which is funded by the state.

Computers will create models of tsunami waves and researchers will study historical data in an effort to better understand currents generated by tsunamis.

"California is being proactive in its effort to re-evaluate certain elements of its tsunami preparedness based on lessons learned from the Japan event," said adjunct research professor Jose Borrero of the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in a statement. "During the Japan tsunami, even though we knew how big the waves were going to be, we severely underestimated the strength and duration of the currents."

When the Japanese tsunami hit last year, as a countywide advisory was issued due to tsunami-induced currents.

So-called "phantom currents" that result from large tsunamis or earthquakes are capable of causing damage, according to researchers, such as ripping large boats from their moorings.

Researchers have also pointed out that when a magnitude 8.3 earthquake hit near Russia’s Kuril Island in November 2006 and caused a tsunami, currents arrived in Crescent City harbor, causing about $20 million in damage. "Repairs from that event had not yet been completed when the Japan tsunami struck," according to USC researchers in a statement.

But "fortunately, this is a hazard that can be dealt with," said Rick Wilson of the California Geological Survey in the statement.

Results from the USC study will be used to determine safe and proper reaction to currents under tsunami conditions, such as evacuations and establishing hazard maps, according to researchers. Work on the study is expected to last through the end of the year.

— City News Service contributed to this report.