Physics of Tsunamis

Till the very end of the twentieth century tsunami waves (or 'waves in a harbour', translated from Japanese) were considered an extremely rare and exotic natural p- nomenon, originating in the ocean and unexpectedly falling upon the seaside as gigantic waves. The 26th of December 2004, when tsunami waves wiped out, in a single day, more than 250,000 human lives, mourned in many countries, turned out to be a tragic date for all mankind. The authors of this book, who have studied tsunami waves for many years, - tended it to be a systematic exposition of modern ideas concerning • The mechanisms of tsunami wave generation • The peculiarities of tsunami wave propagation in the open ocean and of how waves run-up beaches • Methods for tsunami wave registration and the operation of a tsunami warning system • The mechanisms of other catastrophic processes in the ocean related to the se- mic activity of our planet The authors considered their main goal to be the creation of book prese- ing modern knowledge of tsunami waves and of other catastrophes in the ocean to scienti?c researchers and specialists in geophysics, oceanography, seismology, hydroacoustics, geology, geomorphology, civil and seaside engineering, postgr- uate students and students of relevant professions.

Professor Boris W. Levin is a Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Institute of Marine Geology and Geophysics, Far East Branch of RAS, in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia. He is a member of IUGG Tsunami Commission, American Geophysical Union, Seismological Society of America and National Geographic Society. He has more than 200 scientific publications in the fields of geophysics, tsunamis, seaquakes, seismology.

Mikhail A. Nosov is a Professor of Physics of Sea and Inland Waters at the Faculty of Physics of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia. He is an active participant to the EGS and EGU meetings. As co-convener and UNESCO contractor, he organized the International Workshop on 'Local Tsunami Warning and Mitigation' (2002). In 2005 he was awarded Plinius Medal of European Geosciences Union. He has more than 50 scientific publications in the fields of marine physics, tsunamis, seaquakes.