Surviving a Tsunami: Is Alaska Ready for the Next Big Wave?

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Surviving a Tsunami:
Is Alaska Ready for the Next Big Wave?
Presented by Elena Suleimani


	Surviving a Tsunami: Is Alaska Ready for the Next Big Wave? Fairbanks: January 17 Anchorage: February 13 Juneau: February 20 Alaska has the greatest tsunami potential in the entire United States. Historic tsunamis that were generated by earthquakes on the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone have resulted in widespread damage and loss of life along the Alaskan Pacific coast and other exposed locations around the Pacific Ocean. Tsunamis originating in Alaska can travel across the Pacific and destroy coastal towns hours after they are generated. However, they are considered to be a near-field hazard for Alaska and can reach Alaskan coastal communities within minutes after the earthquake. Therefore, saving lives and property depends on how well a community is prepared, which makes it essential to estimate the potential flooding area of the coastal zones in case of a local or distant tsunami
	Elena Suleimani		ELENA SULEIMANI received an M.S. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1996. That same year, she joined the Geophysical Institute with an extensive background in radiophysics. She has primarily been engaged in research on the nonlinear dynamics of ocean waves with the Institute of Applied Physics Russian Academy of Sciences in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. She also has studied numerical modeling of tsunami waves at the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Suleimani's most recent research project is focused on tsunami inundation mapping for coastal communities within Alaska.
	Related Links: Alaska Earthquake Information Center: Tsunami Research West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center Photo of tsunami damage in Seward, Alaska, 1964, courtesy of the US Dept. of the Interior. Photo of tsunami monitoring buoy courtesy of NOAA.

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