California's Latest Tsunami Occurrence: A Review and Potential Future Risks
Tsunami Threat Along California's Coast: An Overview
A powerful tsunami hit California's shores in 2022, causing significant damage in Santa Cruz and Ventura, and minor to moderate flooding on many beaches and harbors. The tsunami was caused by an earthquake, although the specific source was not mentioned.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has ranked the U.S. West Coast at a high to very high hazard level for tsunamis. Based on the history of tsunamis along California's shores, another tsunami hitting the state is inevitable.
The NOAA's report emphasizes the inevitability of a future tsunami along California's shores, but does not provide a timeline for the next potential tsunami. Moreover, the report does not specify the cause of the next potential tsunami.
In January 2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano violently erupted, sending a 600-kilometer-wide plume of ash into the sky. The eruption disrupted the entire Pacific Ocean, causing pressure waves that circled the Earth multiple times. Tide gauges along the California coast recorded maximum wave amplitudes of 1.36 meters in Port San Luis, while certain areas saw waves rise to 2.61 meters.
Worldwide, damaging tsunamis caused by large megathrust earthquakes occur on average every few hundred years in any given region of the Pacific Basin. Local tsunamis, produced by regional earthquakes or landslides, happen more often but tend to affect smaller areas. On the other hand, basin-wide or transoceanic tsunamis occur less often but damage multiple shorelines across thousands of kilometers.
Along California's coast, damaging tsunami events are rare occurrences with intervals generally in the hundreds or thousands of years. These events are linked to offshore faults or distant seismic zones. Historical records and geologic evidence suggest significant tsunamis affecting California may happen on timescales of hundreds to potentially thousands of years.
The NOAA's report is based on a global analysis of tsunami occurrences. It suggests that the probability of a tsunami is high for California, but does not provide a precise average frequency for tsunamis damaging California's shores. However, the geological and historical context suggests such events are infrequent but potentially severe when they occur.
In conclusion, California is vulnerable to both local tsunamis caused by offshore earthquakes or landslides and to smaller waves generated by distant Pacific events. The NOAA's report highlights the importance of preparedness and resilience in the face of this potential threat.
Environmental scientists are monitoring the impact of such tsunamis on the local weather patterns along California's coast. Alaska's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has emphasized the crucial role of understanding the relationship between seismic activities, the environment, and the weather to predict the severity and frequency of potential tsunamis in California, which is a hub of environmental-science research and policy.
