Two
researchers have been awarded an $86,000 grant from
FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers, to create maps of the East Coast of the
that will identify potential flooding and damage that could occur if a tsunami struck the region.
Ocean engineering professors Stephan Grilli of Narragansett and Christopher Baxter of
“FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] has worked on hazard maps for the West Coast and
A tsunami in the
Tsunamis in the
Grilli and Baxter will use GIS (Geographic Information Systems) maps to study the accumulations of sediment on the upper slope of the continental shelf that may be unstable and could potentially slide and cause a tsunami. By assessing the nature and weight of the sediment, its cohesiveness, and the angle of the slope it sits on, the URI scientists can determine the probability of a landslide.
They are particularly interested in an area off the
“An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 isn’t strong enough to cause a tsunami, but it certainly could cause an underwater landslide that could cause a tsunami, and the earth has about 120 earthquakes of that size every day,” Grilli said.
FM Global is funding the research to gain further understanding about the potential size of a tsunami and the likelihood of one occurring. Additionally, the research results will enhance FM Global’s and its clients’ abilities to make even more informed ‘risk management decisions’.
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