Experts are predicting a major rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) sometime within the twenty-first century. When that happens, it will cause an offshore earthquake at a magnitude of 9.0+. After the tremors subside (about 5 min), a powerful tsunami will strike land. Oregon is known for its strong...
To quantify the effect of wave breaking turbulence on sediment transport in the nearshore, the vertical distribution of time-averaged suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the surf zone was parameterized in terms of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) at different cross-shore locations, including the bar crest, bar trough, and inner surf...
Coastal sand dune system is important in the nearshore environment for sand supply, ecosystem, and hazard mitigation. In this study, a process-based morphological model was performed and the results were compared with large-scale laboratory experimental data. Two-dimensional large-scale laboratory experiments were conducted with 1:6 geometric scale in the large wave...
Deterministic numerical models for tsunami inundation provide the most accurate means for estimating tsunami run-up when the bathymetry/topography and water level time history at the seaward boundary are well known. However, it is often the case that there is uncertainty in both the bathymetry/topography and water level at the seaward...
Small-scale physical experiments were conducted to investigate the application of the Goda wave pressure formulae modified to predict the horizontal wave loads on elevated structures considering non-breaking, broken, and impulsive breaking waves. The air gap defined as the vertical distance from the still water level to the base of the...
The impact of a tsunami can vary greatly across short distances due to differences in topography, building structures, concentration of economic activities in the inundation zone, and economic linkages beyond the inundation zone. This study takes these factors into account in an analysis of a potential tsunami on the West...
Tsunamis have devastated coastal regions worldwide, with the most recent being the result of the Great Tohoku Japan earthquake and tsunami, which was a M9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred off the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. In this study, a fragility formulation is utilized to develop...
This study seeks to identify key components of structure and growth habit of Schoenoplectus pungens (bulrush) that allow it to thrive in severe environments. Schoenoplectus pungens, an emergent herbaceous plant growing in shallow, high energy freshwater and brackish coastal wetlands, occurs throughout North America and several continents. We observe the...
A laboratory benchmark test for tsunami inundation through an urban waterfront including free surface elevation, velocity, and specific momentum flux is presented and compared with a numerical model (COULWAVE). The physical model was a 1:50 scale idealization of the town Seaside, Oregon, designed to observe the complex tsunami flow around...
Tsunami force and pressure distributions on a rigid
wall fronted by a small seawall were determined experimentally
in a large-scale wave flume. Six different
seawall heights were examined, two of which were exposed
to a range of solitary wave heights. The same
experiment was done without a seawall for comparison....