I N T E R D I S C I P L I N A R Y

 


     

  • Environment for Design of Advanced Marine Vehicles and Operations Research (ENDEAVOR)
    ENDEAVOR is a congressional program funded to a team headed by the University of Hawaii in partnership with Science Applications International Corporation, Maui High Performance Computing Center (MHPCC), and Hawaii-based Navatek Ltd. The web-based system, which includes archived and forecast ocean data, enables ship performance analysis, mission planning, and emergency management with a realistically simulated ocean environment. The physics-based models and simulation tools in the system cover climatology, hurricanes, storm surge, tides, ocean waves, coastal processes and currents, wave resistance, viscous drag, propulsion, maneuvering, motions, controls, and hydroelasticity. A web-based GIS interface is being developed to allow users to define the model domain, generate input data, build the analysis process, and view the output with other data layers.
    PI: Kwok Fai Cheung
    Other Investigators: Robert Dant (MHPCC), Cengiz Ertekin, Woei-Min Lin (SAIC), Geno Pawlak, Ron Riggs, Gabriel Zee (Navatek Ltd.)
    ORE Students: Yefei Bai, Long Chen (MS 2006), Robert Crabtree (MS 2005), Suvabrata Das, Eric Hahn (MS 2003), Monte Hansen (MS 2005, continuing for PhD), Ge Liang, Shailesh Namekar, Kumur Rajagopalan, Justin Stopa, Kristen Woo (MS 2003), Andrew Wycklendt (MS 2005), Yongyan Wu, Jinghai Yang (MS 2004), Hongqiang Zhou (MS 2003)
    Post-docs and visiting scholars: Jiyeon Kim, Xian-zhong Mao, Liujuan Tang, Chen-jun Yang
    Software Engineer: Jeff Beck
    Keyphrases: climatology, geographical information system, hurricanes, storm surge, tides, ocean waves, coastal processes and currents, wave resistance, viscous drag, propulsion, maneuvering, motions, controls, and hydroelasticity
    Sponsor: Office of Naval Research (2002 – 2008)

     

  • Inverse Algorithm for Tsunami Forecast
    Hawaii has historically been subject to destructive tsunamis generated at the Alaska-Aleutian, Japan-Kuril-Kamchatka, and Chile-Peru source regions. The capability to forecast tsunami impacts across the ocean while it is still limited to the source is important to warning systems and emergency management. Water-level stations around the Pacific Rim can provide advance warning of tsunamis, but interpretation of the data for impacts at distant locations is subjective. This project has developed a computer algorithm that utilizes water-level data from these stations to qualitatively forecast tsunami waveforms and inundation at locations far away from the source. The initial work was performed in collaboration with the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The inverse approach was subsequently adopted by NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory to provide tsunami forecasts for the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center.
    PI: Kwok Fai Cheung
    Other Investigators: Charles McCreery (Pacific Tsunami Warning Center), George Curtis (Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research)
    ORE Students: Alejandro Sánchez (MS 2006), Yong Wei (PhD 2006), Yoshiki Yamazaki (MS 2004, continuing for PhD)
    Keyphrases: Earthquake, natural hazards, tsunami, tsunami forecast, tsunami warning
    Sponsor: Hawaii State Civil Defense (1999 – 2007), NOAA Sea Grant College Program (2003 – 2007).

     

  • Three-dimensional Model of Tsunami Generation and Near-field Characteristics
    Existing depth-integrated approaches to model tsunami generation from seismic data are known to underestimate coastal runup in varying degrees. This inconsistent performance presents a challenge to tsunami hazard assessment when long-term runup records are not available for model calibration. This study uses a three-dimensional finite element model of continuum mechanics to provide realistic descriptions of fault slippage and the resulting earth surface deformation. The time-history of seafloor deformation defines the boundary conditions for a non-hydrostatic model to describe the initial movement of the water near the seismic source and the subsequent generation of the tsunami. The proposed approach will be applied to reconstruct the 1975 Kalapana Earthquake in Hawaii and the 2003 Tokachi-oki Earthquake in Japan. Both earthquakes generated near-field tsunamis of significant amplitudes and produced well-recorded data for model validation. A parametric study will be conducted to define the applicability of conventional methods and develop correction factors to account for the kinetic energy and horizontal water displacement in tsunami generation.
    PI: Kwok Fai Cheung
    ORE Student: Yoshiki Yamazaki (MS 2004, continuing for PhD)
    Keyphrases: Earthquake, natural hazards, runup, tsunami
    Sponsor: NOAA Sea Grant (2007 – 2009)

     

  • Vulnerability of Honolulu Critical Infrastructure to Tsunamis
    Hawaii is vulnerable to tsunamis generated in the active subduction zones around the Pacific Rim. In the event of a tsunami, energy and electricity play a vital role in the emergency response and recovery of a community. Imported petroleum accounts for 89% of Hawaii’s primary energy. On the island of Oahu, both oil refineries, power plants, and other critical facilities are located in Campbell Industrial Park. The project determines the tsunami inundation limit as a function of return period and assesses the risk of future tsunami damage to critical infrastructure at Campbell Industrial Park and the adjacent areas. Probabilistic analysis of subduction zone earthquakes will determine the recurrence of tsunamigenic events around the Pacific Rim, while two-dimensional modeling techniques will describe the corresponding tsunamis and their impacts to the coastline. The results will aid in mitigation efforts by designing new structures or retrofitting existing structures to expected tsunami flow conditions. The study will also be important to facilities storing hazardous material within the inundation zone and can potentially help limit pollution by increasing understanding of tsunami risks.
    PI: Kwok Fai Cheung
    ORE Student: Megan Craw
    Keyphrases: Earthquake, infrastructure, risk assessment, natural hazards, runup, tsunami, vulnerability
    Sponsor: NOAA Sea Grant (2006 – 2007)